Anxious? Me too

What a friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and grief to bear,
What a privilege to carry
Everything to him in prayer.
Oh what peace we often forfeit
Oh what needless pain we bear
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer.

Sometimes the most simple truths are the easiest to forget. This song reminded me of one of them. But I wouldn’t call this truth merely simple. No. I’d call it precious and deep, perhaps overwhelmingly simple.

I’m not one to consider myself anxious. But the other day when I heard this song playing in my room, I found tears rolling down my eyes. I remembered something about walking with God. He really cares for me. Here I was not at peace, my mind racing with so many pointless worries and frustrations, anxious about so many problems. Do you think it’s possible that God speaks to us through music? In the middle of my anxiety, the song began playing with this gentle command: “Be still my soul, the Lord is on your side. Bear patiently, the cross of grief obey; cleave to thy God to water and provide…He faithful will remain.”

So much for me not being anxious. Why was I kidding myself? That’s exactly what we are without God. Peter wrote, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Pet. 5:7). Paul wrote, “The Lord is near. Don’t be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Phil. 4:5-6).

Because when we walk with the God who cares for us, he changes us internally. Want to know something beautiful? The verse I quoted continues, “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” What if it really was that simple? I don’t care how much you think you are the exception, God is trying to tell us all that he’s the exception. He really does care. He promised true peace. The song says it perfectly—Oh what peace we often forfeit, oh what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.