The Calm: Live Each Day in the Calm Amid the Storm Sýnishorn

The most effective and powerful antidote for anxiety is thanksgiving and praise. When we feel it coming on or even begin to think about the possibility of it coming on we want to nip it in the bud. We want to immediately stop and "BOW." Here are three things to help us find the calm when we are encountering the overwhelming waves of anxiety.

BOW

Bow before Him. Bring all of your cares to Him! Lay them at His feet. Humble yourself before Him. Honor Him as God. He knows all. He can handle it all. Bring Him your heartache, your children, your spouse, your finances, your day, your future, your life — all of your concerns. He knows what is best, and He works all things according to His wise and loving will. Cast all of your cares upon Him believing that He cares for you. He is able. You are not. He is God. You are not!

Offload your angst. Humbly hold each thought up to the Word of God. Take your worry, your anxiety, your fear, your unbelief, your anger — all of the sin that is weighing down your little water craft — and confess them to the Lord. Throw each and every one overboard, and let them fall to the bottom of the sea of His grace.

Worship the Lord. Fix your eyes upon Him. Take your eyes off of yourself and off of your circumstances and set them securely upon your Lord. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and come into His courts with praise. Thank Him from the bottom of your heart following the example of the psalmists. Humbly acknowledge that you can't see all things, but He can. Worship Him in the spirit of holiness, praising and thanking God because He knows what is best. He is all powerful. He is in control. He knows what He is doing. No one can stay His hand. And He has you in the palm of that mighty hand.

Take a moment to practice taking these truths to heart. Turn to Psalm 96 in your Bible and bow before God. If you are not able to bow literally, humbly bow before Him in your heart. He is God. He loves you with a love that knows no bounds. He is good, and He is working on your behalf even as you pray. BOW before Him now.