MESSAGE: Praying Through Fear & Anxiety
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Why are we going through the book of Psalms?
“The Psalter is the prayer book of Jesus Christ in the truest sense of the word. He prayed the Psalter and now it has become his prayer for all time…those who pray the psalms are joining in with the prayer of Jesus Christ, their prayer reaches the ears of God.” ― Dietrich Bonhoeffer
How do you approach prayer?
“…Truffo discovered in her own former private practice of 18 years…a shift from people who were unhappy and wanted to understand themselves better to people who would come in “because they wanted someone else or something else to change,” she said. “I’d see fewer and fewer people coming in and saying, ‘I want to change.’ ” — Casey Truffo
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” — Jeremiah 17:9
“We are entering an extraordinary new age in medicine and health sciences. On the one hand, we are making remarkable progress in curing illnesses and prolonging life. On the other hand we are losing the battle against a very simple but elusive problem—stress…” – Dr. Archibald Hart
How do we deal with overwhelming fear, stress and anxiety?
- The Source (v.1-2)
“Anxiety is when our very existence is threatened.” — Rollo May (Non-Christian Psychologist)
2. The Root (v. 3)
“But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.”
3. The Way Out (v.4-8)
“I cried aloud to the Lord, and he answered me from his holy hill. 5 I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me. 6 I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around. 7 Arise, O Lord! Save me, O my God! For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked. 8 Salvation belongs to the Lord; your blessing be on your people!”
“Anxiety is always about the future and imagining a future without God. And that is a lie because God is always with us. Fear is going to a place where God is not and there is no such place.” – Laura Georgiakakos
“Verse 8…recognizes that without the Lord there is no solution or success; that is, none worth having.” – Derek Kidner
TAKEAWAYS: How do we pray our fears and anxieties? In prayer…
1. Examine the Source of Your Fear and Anxiety
“Fear not…I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” – Genesis 15:1
2. Seek Rest
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” — Matthew 11:28
3. Prioritize time with God
4. Resolve to persevere on God’s strength
“I cried aloud to the Lord, and he answered me from his holy hill.” — Psalm 3:4