Daily Devotion - Thursday, March 26

Trust and Releasing Anxiety

“Have no anxiety about anything,
but in everything by prayer and supplication
with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”
--Paul of Tarsus

The opening words of today’s text do not seem appropriate. Anxiety is a natural thing when life is not ordered and controlled. It seems to me that the helpful, interpretive word might be: “Having anxiety is understandable; letting your anxiety dominate your energy may not be helpful.”

Paul offers an alternative to anxious, tense, stress-filled and self-destructive tendencies. The alternative is not a shield from the uncertainties we face; it is a source of protection when we find our lives disrupted. The alternative is not an exemption; it is a comfort when we find the puzzle difficult. The alternative is not a magical wand for the disturbing condition; it offers a calming effect when everything appears fragile and tenuous. The alternative: “In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”

This radical alternative can be a most appropriate resource for moments of anxiety. Releasing our requests to God is a statement of trust, releasing our total being into the arms of the Holy One. Such trust can be liberating and empowering.

Prayer: God, whom I trust, I release my anxious inner being to you. Amen.

--Ben Keckler
03.26.09