Pressure Points: Curbing-the-Worry-Dog Prayer
by Ken Wilson
Nothing like a global recession to throw the worry dog a bone. Whatever cares you were already carrying, this just adds a 50 pound weight to your back pack. So. What good is God at a time like this?
Jesus is, according to John, the Word, the Logos. We mostly refer to the Bible as the Word, but the Bible refers to Jesus as the Word, “in the beginning was the word…”
We all know words can be like water on parched clay; they can evaporate before they penetrate.
But to calm the worry dog snarling-barking inside we need to let words born by the Spirit of Jesus into our hearts where they can put the worry dog on a leash, stop his barking, and get his tail wagging.
Today, lets put it into practice with these words: The Lord is near. Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything, 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. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things…and the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 5: 5-9)
“the Lord is near” This is the key to the Jesus approach to Scripture.
2 different approaches to Scripture. One based on fear that God is far off, inaccessible, on a leave of absence. Left Behind approach. This is what he left behind. It’s all we have, Scripture alone.
In which case we regard Scripture as a kind of painting of God. A graven image representing him in his absence. Everything depends on the ink on the page. We seek to master Scripture, and we defend the words of Scripture against attack, and we use the words of Scripture to establish our religious turf.
The Jesus approach to Scripture is based on faith that the Lord is near. The Lord, Jesus who walked among us, died for us, is now risen into a transformed bodily existence and is ascended into God space—the realm that is as close as our next breath, like a third dimension in flatland. The thinnest possible veil separating us….
In which case the words of Scripture are more like a tear in the veil through which we feel his breath. The words of Scripture are more like a portal than a painting and they lead us to him. Jesus alone.
The Lord is near. Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything, 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.
Thank God for the but. Because saying “have no anxiety” when we have it already, doesn’t help us to get rid of it.
….but, instead, in everything [in every situation, in all the things that are accompanied by anxiety] by means of prayer and petition with thanksgiving present your requests to God
Think of this like a golf swing. Many different components of a golf swing: approach, backswing, downward thrust & hip pivot. Many components but all of a single motion.
Address: The golfer approaches the ball and clears his mind. Takes a deep breath. Brings the full weight of his attention to the ball.
Prayer is the address. Prayer is a pause to align yourself with God. Prayer is the aiming of the heart’s intention toward a knowable God. Many of us go thru life without thoughtfully addressing God in prayer.
Then comes the backswing: The golfer commits to the swing. You gather yourself and commit yourself with the backswing.
Petition is the backswing. Gathering up your need and putting it into words. You commit yourself to a specific request. It’s more than moaning, though moaning is allowed. It’s more than fussing, though fussing is allowed. After the moaning & fussing, gather up your need and commit yourself to a request. What is it that you want? What is it that you need? Put it into words.
Now Downward thrust & pivot: This is the energy-transfer phase, what sends the ball sailing.
Thanksgiving is the downward thrust & pivot “with thanksgiving, present your requests to God”
Thanksgiving sends your prayer on its way…and it’s what transfers God’s peace to us as we pray!
In petition we focus on what’s needed, what’s missing, but in thanksgiving we pivot to an awareness of what’s already provided
The act of thanksgiving pivots the mind: anxiety & gratitude are polar opposites. Thanksgiving crowds out fear.
Clinically depressed patients were asked to go to a website each day to record one thing they were thankful for. The simple act of doing that daily improved their depression. I didn’t say cured, but improved, loosened the grip of the depression
Sometimes anxiety has firm grip on you—sitting on your chest.
Thanksgiving loosens the grip of anxiety. Gives you wiggle room.
It’s the whole swing--the components in fluid combination--that confers the peace: The Lord is near. Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything, 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. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
The peace of God….not some state or condition of peace that depends on you or which you can attain by yourself….but the peace of God, which transcends understanding….it goes beyond mere psychology….it’s transcendent….it’s greater than the sum of its parts…..an x-factor kicks in, some catalyst changes the equation.
The Lord is near. Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything, 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..
We mainly picture ourselves doing this privately. But Scripture says “Carry each others burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.” We do that in many ways. But this kind of prayer is one of the ways.
You’re anxious so you share the burden of your anxiety with a fellow disciple. That person listens to you. Doesn’t give unsolicited advice. Just listens. “Be slow to speak and quick to listen.” Maybe asks a question or two. Then perhaps offers to pray. What would you like to ask God for in this situation?
Together you approach God in prayer. Your fellow disciple carries your burden to God in prayer. Invokes the Lord who is near. Father, Jesus, God with us. States the need, puts into words the request: “Lord would you….?” But laces the petition with thanksgiving. Thank you that we’re not alone. Thank you that you are near even when our God detection equipment is faulty.
More times than not, a peace settles over the both of you.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things…and the God of peace will be with you.
Underscores importance of thanksgiving. Because thanksgiving requires attentiveness to good things happening around you. It requires attentiveness to beauty in others and the world around you. It requires a scent for the good, not just a nose for the bad.
When you’re anxious go looking for these things! And don’t be picky! Whatever is true, whatever is right, whatever is pure, is lovely, is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy let your mind dwell on these things….and the God of peace will be with you.
Let your mind dwell on these things…and the God of peace will be with you. Will you let your mind dwell on these thing?
Every day, your brain needs you to do something for it.
Your brain needs you to focus on whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, praiseworthy—in the people around you, in the world around you. And don’t be picky! Whatever is true, whatever is noble—if anything is praiseworthy!
If you do that your mind will release peace, calm, pleasure—the peace of God will be with you.
It’s a matter of focus. Anxiety is all about alarm—being alerted to dangers that you focus on. But thanksgiving is about being alerted to blessings. Your brain needs both!
Think about it: we’re surrounded by wonder, love and praise if only we had eyes to see. Astronomers searching for decades for a planet like ours. Nothing. Planets wrapped in methane gas. All excited that Mars has some buried ice. Barren places. Forbidding places. And here we are on this planet bursting with life: oceans, mountains, prairies, lakes, rivers, weather, seasons, snow, rain, sun, mud, dirt, vegetation, animal life.
For heavens sake, color! And people! So different and original and quirky and entertaining and downright fascinating!
All things counter, original, spare, strange;
Whatever is fickle, freckled (who knows how?)
With swift, slow; sweet, sour; adazzle, dim;
He fathers forth whose beauty is past change:
Praise him.
There must be something in our brains that tamps the wonder down or else we’d all be useless! We’d all be walking around like Timothy Leary the first time he took LSD!
How can we make this real? How can we weave it into our lives?
We’re going to need a little help from our friends. We are in these anxious times together. Together, We Can Do It!
[Unless you think you can do it alone. In which case you should give that a try and tell us how it works for you.]
Forty Days of Gratitude
Invite you to participate in Forty Days of Gratitude. A few months ago when anxiety had me a full nelson, Nancy was very supportive.
I was pre-occupied. Not on my game. Neglecting some house chores. Nancy brought this to my attention. I said, could you just right it down and I’ll do it. She wrote down and handed me the paper and at the bottom were these words: Be grateful. Exrpess it.
It takes about six weeks of practice to form a new habit. Lent starts in a month and it takes forty days, two days shy of six weeks. So for Lent you’re invite to participate in 40 Days of Gratitude
It works like this: you pick someone important in your life, maybe someone you have contact with more or less daily—could be a spouse, could be a member of your family, a child, could be a co-worker, a roommate, could be God—and you commit yourself to expressing thanks to that person once a day for forty days.
You look for things every day to be thankful for and you express it to them. Might be something you admire about them. Might be some small thing they do for you that you notice and thank them for. Big or small doesn’t matter so long as it’s once a day, every day for Forty Days.
You can pick a person, or you can pick a setting and spread your thanksgiving around. At work, say. [A great marriage tune up]
Over next few weeks sign up. Events table sign up sheet, name and email, and when Lent starts we’ll send you a daily email reminder. We’ll include an “attitude of gratitude” tip for the day. Offer practical tips for husbands who think, “O crap, I’m no good at this.” Or for parents whose kids are driving them up the wall. Or maybe for a prickly co-worker that you want to try this out on.
You can sign a friend up, but only if they’re interested.
Scripture Meditation
How do you do that? Practice right now.
Pick a bite sized portion of Scripture. This has 38 words.
Read it over slowy X3 [Read aloud, then you hear and see]
As you’re reading-hearing, notice anything in the text that your heart is drawn to. A word, a phrase, an image that stands out. Something your heart resonates with. Could be a very subtle positive response.
After the third time, during a period of silent reflection go back to that word or phrase or image and dwell on it. Let it dwell in you.
Hebrew, “meditate” just means murmur, repeating the thing under your breath over and over.
I’ll read it 3X, then a minute silence. Then one more reading, followed by a minute silence. Final reading, final minute.
Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything, 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.
Local color minute: Nina telling a story about her son, Eric.