Just The Facts, Please

I have a huge prayer request on my mind right now. I am completely dependent on the Lord to answer it. There are good days and bad days. The good days, I am at peace, knowing God will take care of me. The bad days, I panic, and like Peter walking on the water, begin to sink as I look at my surroundings, rather than looking at Jesus.

My bad days became more frequent than my good days. I began to become more and more panicky, that my world was about to collapse and what would I do then? I couldn’t live like this, with anxiety filling my days and keeping me up at nights. In the midst of all my frustration, I heard a message at church about this very thing. The pastor said we can’t look at our reality, it will only frustrate us. Instead, we need to look at God’s identity. Hmm, that sounded like a good solution. So in the midst of my anxiety fueled days I made a huge effort to tell myself what I knew to be true about God. I came up with three facts: God loves me, He’s heard my prayers, and He knows my needs. And feeling like a tight rope walker, I carefully stepped forward on the high wire and my only safety was: God loves me, He’s heard my prayers and He knows my needs.

I started to feel better about life. When I remembered these three facts, the anxiety went away. Think about that. If someone had access to the very God of the universe and knew that the very God of the universe had heard them, that’s what I would call a major morale booster.

Fact one: God loves me. How can I say that’s a fact? Because God says so in His Word. Over and over again He says He loves His children. God loves me. I can put that in the bank. God loves me. If God loves me, than He’s going to care for me.

Matthew 7:9-11  “Or, what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will He? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!”

Fact two: God has heard my prayers. Again, how do I know this is a fact? Because God says so in His Word. He tells us to pray without ceasing. The Holy Spirit speaks for us, in our prayers in groanings we can’t understand. God hears His children.

1 John 5:14 “This is the confidence we have in approaching God, that if we ask anything according to His will, he hears us.”

Fact three: God knows my needs. God tells us He knows the number of hairs on our head. He knows our prayers before we even ask Him. He knows me inside and out.

Matthew 6:8 “So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.”

So, as I told myself these three facts, rather than looking at my reality of an unanswered prayer, it became like a balm for my soul. How could I feel anxious if God loves me? How could I panic about things if God knows my every need? How can I worry if God hears all my prayers.

So friend, if you are feeling anxious like I have been, if you have an unanswered prayer hanging over your head, remind yourself of these facts. And trust me, your whole world will change. The peace you will gain will be unbelievable.