With everything that’s going on in the world at the moment, it’s no surprise that there has been a significant increase in mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. Just listening to the news for a few minutes is enough to stoke the embers of worry … embers that can quickly ignite into flames and become a raging fire of fear and terror. Have you been there? I know I’ve had to work hard at reigning in my anxious thoughts this year. I’ll be honest – I’ve not always been successful.
It’s made me realise just how important it is for us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2). You see, God doesn’t want us to be anxious, worried, fearful or depressed. Are things in the world crazy right now? Yes! Can we live in a state of peace, nevertheless? Absolutely, yes!
Renewing our minds simply means replacing our negative thoughts with God’s thoughts … and the way we do that is by filling our minds with the Word of God. God’s Word is the only truth we will ever need, and it contains the answers for every situation. It tells us how to deal with fear and overcome depression, for example (Joshua 1:9; Isaiah 41:10; Matthew 6:34, 11:28-30; John 14:27; Philippians 4:6; 2 Timothy 1:7; 1 Peter 5:7).
Recently, I reminded myself of Psalm 121, and I’d like to encourage you with some truths found in it that brought comfort to me:
We simply need to look up to find our source of help – the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth, is our helper. He is the only One we can truly depend on. He is the only source of stability. No politician, dignitary or preacher can do what God alone can do. As the creator, He sees and knows all things; He is not surprised or shocked by what is happening around us, and He is certainly not shaking his head, thinking, “What am I going to do now?” No! God knows! And since He knows everything, He knows the solution too – we simply need to take our eyes off of the circumstances and place them on our source of help.
I love the fact that this scripture also tells us that God never sleeps. He’s not like us at all (I love to sleep!!). God is always vigilantly watching over us, never taking a break and never getting tired. And while He’s watching us, He is keeping us safe and preserving us from evil. So why should we ever need to be anxious? If our eyes are looking up at Him, we’ll realise we do not need to fear.
Yes, anxiety and fear are real battles; we can’t deny their existence. But if we want to live free from these things, we must look up … our source of help is near.
Just look up!
Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. Colossians 3:2.
Love you! Alison.
