JoyKeeperSample

 Your One Thing 

I don’t usually struggle with anxiety, but there it was, concerned thoughts bubbled just under the surface. Questions pelted like gravel under the body of an old farm truck. Am I doing enough? Should I be doing more? Am I doing this right?

Thoughts like these can hit any of us at any time. They surface in a marriage or close relationship. In a job or a ministry position or as we take a big step of faith. There’s a natural rhythm to anxious thoughts. They logically want to take us toward angst.

Luke describes a different rhythm in Acts 17:28. He says that we are free to live and move in Christ.

To move in him is to move with him.

This beautiful imagery acknowledges that God’s Spirit is in us, right there, even amid those anxious thoughts. He’s aware of your doubts and questions, just as he’s aware of the good stuff. When you feel anxious thoughts rising, he asks that you listen for him. He will lead you toward peace, rather than away. He’ll remind you of all the times you’ve walked through hard places, and how he met you there.

One of the most powerful reminders is that God is God, and you are not. You can rest in this truth. The pressure to perform eases. The pressure to fix, strive, juggle, or make things happen in your timing is reordered to fit his rhythm rather than your own.

We live in rhythm with him.

We move in rhythm with him.

We are in rhythm with him.

TRUTH: God is God, and you are not.

REFLECTION: Listen to your favorite worship song. Close your eyes and listen for the underlying rhythm. Isn’t it beautiful? There’s also a rhythm in your relationship with him. Ask God to meet you amid that anxious thought. Join in rhythm with him.

#prayerstarter: Lord, worry doesn’t change anything, but it does steal away my well-being. It takes my eyes off the good things right in front of me. Show me the rhythm of your thoughts in this matter. Lead me from worry to trust. Lead me from anxious thoughts to joyfully recalling all the times you’ve healed, turned around a difficult situation, or walked closely with me in the hard places—and how I came out stronger as a result. Let me move in rhythm with you. In Jesus’ name, amen.