Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

• Philippians 4:6-7

“This century has been called the age of anxiety. How fit­ting that description is! Everywhere I go, I find people tormented by inner tensions, nervous strain, worries and fears. We are a generation of worriers, always taking pills to cure our anxieties and relax our nerves. There is a great deal of difference between worry and concern, and we must realize this. Concern makes us do something to ease the situation. It moves us to take constructive action. But worry burdens our minds and bodies without helping us to find a solution to the problem. Worry is like racing the engine of an automobile without putting it in drive.  You burn energy, but you don’t go anywhere.”

• Corrie ten Boom, God is my Hiding Place

“The relationship I have with God sustains me and gives me a peace-filled life.  I will stay close to Him.”

• Corrie ten Boom, Highlighted Quote

Boilerplate

In this new mini-series, I will be looking at a devotion that is said to be written by Corrie ten Boom.  Really, this devotion is like several that I had read.  They come from the writings of that person.  Thus, the prayers at the end may be the editor’s addition to what Corrie ten Boom actually wrote.

Each of these posts will include the suggested verses to read, a quote from the writing that came from a Corrie ten Boom book (five in all according to the copyright page, but no chapter in the book is given the specific book of origin).  I will also include the highlighted quote, similar to an internet quotation, and I will end with the quoted prayer for that devotion.

Discussion

Note: Corrie ten Boom was born in 1892 and the century that is mentioned is the 20th century.  If that was the age of anxiety, what has happened since?

Later in this chapter, Corrie ten Boom also quoted from the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus tells us not to worry.

It would be disingenuous to say that the cure to all this anxiety is to turn back to God.  But for the most part, that is not far wrong.  Some scientists suggest chemical imbalances, and medications have been shown to help some people.

David D. Burns wrote a series of books about “Feeling Good.”  In those books, he links depression with anxiety.  When our anxiety roars out of control, we become depressed.  Dr. Burns suggested that to feel good, we need to look at anxiety.  Getting rid of anxiety would in turn lessen or eliminate the depression.  Again, not ignoring the possibility of chemical imbalance.

In Dr. Burns Feeling Good Handbook, I used some handy questionnaires to determine my depression level and anxiety level.  To a great extent, he was right.  If I could shed my worries, I found myself content in what I had, and I trusted God more.

And what Dr. Burns also surmised was that most of the things that we worry about are totally out of our control.

Jesus says the same thing.  One question that Jesus asks is whether we can change the hair on our head by worrying?  My wife developed alopecia areata when we, as a family, moved to Germany.  Large clumps of hair would fall out.  The bald spots then regrew hair, but snow white.  The “color engines” finally recovered and her hair was restored.  When she started losing her hair late in life, she told people that her alopecia areata was back.

I write this to say that you can change your hair by worrying.  The doctor told her to calm down and have an “American” attitude about things.  The doctor, a contracted physician from France, saw how so many American women had no cares in the world.  And the same doctor saw that my wife was an immigrant to the USA from Europe.  It was interesting that none of the American doctors in our military community could diagnose my wife’s problem.  She had seen them all and the French doctor was her last hope.

But that last word is the issue.

In worrying, we lose the hope in Christ.  We try to do it on our own, but worrying just makes things worse.  My wife got alopecia areata.  I thought I was not worrying.  By comparison, I was the calm one between myself and my wife, but I ended up with GERD, gastroesophageal reflux disorder.  I take a couple of medicines to deal with that, but no anxiety medications.

I think there are times when we should be wary.  Being wary keeps us from stepping off the cliff, but worrying accomplishes nothing worthwhile.  Having a good safety attitude helps us to worry less.  Stay within certain boundaries.  Follow the rules.  And then we have done what we can do to stay safe.

The rest is in God’s hands.

Closing Prayer

“Father, I lay every burden at Your feet and turn my eyes to You. I will remember Your goodness in times of opposition. You are the Bread of Life-sustaining and nourishing me. By Your grace, I will trust. By Your mercy, I will believe when I’m tempted to doubt. Hold me in Your peace, so I can resist the pull of fear and anxiety. You love me and are faithful to take care of me.”

• Corrie ten Boom, God is my Hiding Place (prayer for Day 4, The Prescription for Anxiety)

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.