EXTENDED PERIODS OF ANXIETY are not conducive to the peace of the soul. Imagine the young David. Not the David of fame of killing Goliath in single-handed combat and favor in the tents of king Saul, nor the David ascending to the throne of Israel. Instead, consider the David in between those times, when he was hiding from Saul’s murderous rage in village and valley, desert and mountain, for perhaps as long as ten years. That David. Always the melancholy, he recalls in later times, “The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called to the Lord.” (Psa. 18:5-6) He envisions God stirred by wrath against those who sought his life, and coming to rescue. “He reached down from on high. He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me.” (Psa. 18:16-17) He attributes God’s saving powers to his favor given to those whose heart and actions are towards him. “To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless. You save the humble.” David is rescued from his powerful foe; he is safe, at last, at least for a while.
We understand David’s dilemmas, for they are the quandaries that face us all in one way or another. And we do as we so often do when we encounter a sudden truth in scripture; we reflect upon our own lives. All of us are prone to anxiety in the flux of adverse circumstances. When trouble comes, whether real or imagined, it pulls us magnetically to anxiety. The negative pole of “What if… who… when… how… why?” reaches past faith to the powerful forces of doubt and fear. These energies attract and build upon each other. Pulses of anxiety and fear then flow like a rain-swollen river through the heart and mind.
But we pause with David at this thought: “As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him.” (Psa. 18:30) The rest of Psalm 18 vibrates with the intensity of victory; it draws this energy by looking forward through the very next verses. “For who is God besides the Lord? It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure.” (Psa. 18:31-32) David rises, not in spite of, but because of his trials, to his destiny.
Our own reflections draw us to consider anxiety versus personal safety. Anxiety, the fear of what will happen, becomes a thief called ‘tomorrow,’ who steals our present. And, if we are truthful with ourselves, as we consider the grave called ‘yesterday,’ we admit that most of our worst fears never come to pass. None of this demurs from the reality of life’s adverse circumstances; the doctor calls with a need to see you right away based on recent diagnostic tests; the police stand at your door at three in the morning and have trouble starting what they need to tell you—one way or another, we face these realities. But the point is this: anxiety is a disease—a ‘dis-ease’ of the soul. And this prompts the question: If our own soul is a dangerous place for our mind and heart, where do we go for relief?
Merriam-Websters defines refuge as “shelter or protection from danger or distress.” However, the dictionary does not say how or where to find such a safe place in relationship to the forces of anxiety. But the bible does. God tells the “father of faith,” “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.” (Gen. 15:1) Moses, as the tribes face overwhelming odds, says, “Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Deut. 31:6) Against the flow of chemicals from an overstimulated amygdala, Isaiah reminds us of God’s close presence. “For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, ‘Do not fear; I will help you.’” (Isa. 41:13) When anxiety makes us small, and fearful, Paul reminds us of such a time in his life, and says “Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. I delight in weakness. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Cor. 12:9-10)
In the times when we are overcome by doubt and fear, the only way to find refuge, ‘a condition of being safe,’ is in the Lord. David says: “You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.” (Psa. 32:7) Paul, always stressing the intentionality of our Christian faith, says “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” (Col. 3:2-3) We note, with relief, that our lives are doubly protected—both the Son and the Father surround us with their presence. We turn away from the poisonous seductive call of doubt, and hold dear this view of refuge: “Our citizenship is in heaven.” (Phil. 3:20) This is our secured place of shelter.
Q. Do I see the unseen things above?
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