Ways To Peace #2

My previous post talked about how to find peace in the middle of the mess of our lives, but it didn't really answer the "how to" part of the title!


That post talks about the fear that drives us, especially in this anxious day and age, and claims that God does not mean for us to live in fear. This post will give you the promised 10 ways I have found to conquer fear in my life.

Sometimes anxiety comes over us without an obvious reason. We have no idea why. Perhaps a little hint of a fear creeps into our thinking sideways, as an afterthought, or a quiet suggestion, and before we catch it and pluck it out, it has grown into an anxious worry.

A while ago I struggled with an unexplainable cloud of anxiety and heaviness. I have no idea why. There was no logical reason for this disruption to my normal state of restful trust in a good God.

My circumstances had not changed. And He had certainly not changed. I was well cared for, as usual. He had carried me through my whole life without once stumbling or hesitating, and He has promised He will carry my to the end of my life on this earth, and beyond. I had no reason to fear. My anxiety was a waste of time and, once I noticed it was bothering me, I wanted it gone.

I know by experience that if I can look up--if I can get only a glimpse of His lovely face, the anxiety will disappear and the peace and joy that I'm supposed to be experiencing will come back. It always does. So I experimented with ways to look up.

Here are ten practices I've discovered that gradually brought me out of a place of extreme anxiety into a place of peace. It is no accident that most of them emphasize the importance of that central book in the Good Book, the Book of Psalms:

1. Find the "Do not fear" verses. Those 365 verses that say "Do Not Fear" are God's encouragements to us to look up. So the first thing we can do to overcome our anxiety is turn to His Book. Use a concordance, or a website like Got Questions.com or Bible Gateway.

But don't just find them. . .

2. Read through the DNF verses. When you are anxious, read these "DNF" verses, one by one, slowly, until you come to one that speaks expressly to you. You will know when that happens because that particular verse will immediately relieve you of your fear. It's God getting up and personal with you.

3. Memorize the DNF verses. Obviously, using the verses works better if you have them memorized. If you don't, choose one and repeat it over and over (including the address) until you can say it by heart, in the deep, dark of night. Then start learning another one, by heart.

4. Read the anxious Psalms--ones that express fear and pain and doubt--and realize that you are not alone. Anxiety is part of the (unredeemed) human condition and has been since the Fall of Man. Often simply expressing your anxiety in God's presence relieves it. And when you don't have words--when you are too anxious to even think--reading the Psalmist's poetic expression of his anxiety will give voice to your inner pain.

5. Read any of the Psalms. Start anywhere in the Book and read one poem after the other, until you find peace settling into your soul. David wrote half of the Psalms and he had a gift of bringing relief from anxiety. That's why King Saul would call him in to play for him whenever he felt oppressed by the evil one. Most of the Psalms that we know David wrote are at the beginning of the Book.

Speaking of the evil one. . .

6. Speak Truth into the face of your enemy. Read the enemy psalms. Many of the Psalms pronounce victory over our enemies, and our biggest enemy--the one who loves to see us smothered in anxiety--is actually God's enemy, the Devil. He hates us because we are loved by the God he hates. Reading--no, praying--the "enemy Psalms" is powerful spiritual warfare. It brings Truth to light, and when Truth comes, oppression and darkness cannot stay.

7. Read the first verse or two of every Psalm, starting at the beginning. Most of the Psalms begin with praise to God. This is good heart medicine. Repeated praise reinforces the Truth of ultimate victory in our lives. It will lift our hearts and open them to the ultimate reality, which is all good.

8. Spend much concentrated time reading other books of the Bible as well. The Psalms are not the only places to find comfort and reassurance in the Bible. Every one of the 66 books, even though most of them record disastrous events in our past human history, has a message of hope and ultimate victory if we are willing to embrace it. Romans 8, John 14, and the Book of Job (taken as a whole) are three great examples of encouraging and uplifting passages that speak Truth into our lives.

9. Listen to uplifting music. Find calming or reassuring worship songs that you like and play, listen and sing them to yourself. When one particular one brings you special peace, meditate on that one all day long. Here's a link to a great selection.  If you don't know where to find them, a youtube site like Hillsong Worship is a good place to start.

10. Ask a friend to pray for you. This last suggestion is a good one too. Don't overlook it. Call a friend, let them know you are struggling and ask them to look to God for help on your behalf. Ask them to pray, right then, out loud. Hearing someone else say what you want to say but cannot will help to activate your faith, and God has promised that when we call He will answer.

You don't have to adopt all of these practices.  Adopt the ones that appeal to you, or work for you.  But be sure to pick at least one of the Scripture ones.  I have no apologies for repeating how important Scripture is to our mental well being. 

Christians believe the Bible is God's Word, supernaturally inspired to tell us what Truth really is. It has been the gold standard of Truth for well over 2000 years, surviving every vacillating "wind of doctrine" put forth by human beings--reflecting whatever contemporary cultural mindset currently captures the attention of the masses.

And a firm Truth foundation is ultimately the only cure for anxiety. That kind of foundation must be grounded in something, or Someone, outside the realm of space and time. In our space and time world, nothing will last forever, but outside this realm of four dimensions is a reality that is everlasting.

Christians believe Jesus was talking about that kind of foundation when He told the parable of the two houses--one built on a rock and one built on the sand. (Matthew 7:24-27)

Jesus, Himself, is our Rock. A life grounded in Him is one that will never be shaken by the storms of life. Because He bought eternity for us by His death on the cross, a person who chooses to commit their life to Him will live happily ever after.

Yes. Such a life is not a fairy tale when it's grounded in Truth!

By the way, I assume you know that the words underlined in this post are linked to their websites.  They are clickable.  So click away! And be blessed.