Anxiety inside can morph to hurtfulness outside
23 Search me, God, and know my heart;
Put me to the test and know my anxious thoughts;
24 And see if there is any hurtful way in me,
And lead me in the everlasting way.
Psalm 139:23-24
Today I give you proof that the Father continues to speak through the Scriptures to His sons all our lives, and that you can read the same passage decades later from your first reading and gain more insight from that same passage than you ever did before:
That was, uh, some time ago now.
I’ve read this Psalm oh, maybe 50 times in my life, and have preached on it.
I’ve even memorized almost the entire Psalm.
I don’t believe I ever saw the connection in this passage before, that I see now:
Life in a broken world inevitably creates anxiety, ie, fearfulness and mind wrestling concern about the future …of what events might come to bring pain and derail us from our idea of the good life. We live in a time of Newspeak and Doublethink (yes I just finished 1984 by George Orwell, you would do well to read it) and if you’re not, as a Christian man, a bit apprehensive of what’s going on in the U.S. you’re not listening.
What King David realized in his day of leadership in a world of continuously changing political intrigue and rumors and coups was that he needed his gracious God to examine his heart, his inward thinking process, to help him see any anxiety that was driving him- because anxiety inside a man can morph into doing hurtful actions outside him. Reread that.
David was saying something like this at the end of this Psalm (go back and read the whole thing!) :
“Father, You know me way more thoroughly than I know myself because You made me from the get go, and I trust You so much that I am dependent on You to help me know how my anxiety is driving me, and maybe is urging me to do hurtful things to those around me. When I’m sane and in line with You Father, I really want to live in the “everlasting way”, the way that You bless and honor and is in alignment with Your holy truth.”
David wanted to be on what Jesus would later call, the “narrow way”.
DAWG’s are great investments of our time because God’s truth is literally an inexhaustible source of truth and hope for our lives. So you’ve read the Bible? Great. Me too. Keep re-reading and look for what you missed last time.
Now to you right now: What anxieties are demanding your attention, distracting you, maybe driving you? What actions do you see formulating in your mind from those anxieties? Truth:
Anxiety inside can morph to hurtfulness outside
The cross is empty and so is Jesus’ tomb in Jerusalem. He’s seated at the right hand of “God the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth” in the place of dignity, authority and power.
Ask your Lord to help you see what’s going on inside you. Then, tell Him your anxieties now. And listen for the Spirit of God to help you see the action steps to take. His action steps. Actions that won’t be hurtful to you, your family or others, but will in fact advance the Kingdom.
I’m going to go on a bike ride right now and think about this even more. I’ll just bet I’ll get more reality therapy from the Father as I ride. He uses His Word in our lives like that!
Here’s for living not anxiety free, but anxiety-controlled lives by the Holy Spirit!
Pete Alwinson
