The Antidote for a Troubled Heart
"Often in the past, Lord, I have come to thee with a heavy heart and burdened life. And thou hast answered my prayers and graciously lifted the burden from me. Yet with strange perversion, I still refuse to leave my burdens with thee. Always I gather them up - those heavy bundles of fears and anxieties - and shoulder them again." -Peter Marshall
Aww, yes. . . this can be me. I have faced some heavy things in my life thus far, but I have learned to take them to the Lord. And God has been ever so faithful to meet my needs in ways beyond what I had asked or imagined He would or could do for me. So why then, do I sometimes allow myself to get so overwhelmed that I can barely stand. I begin to experience anxiety creeping in; worrying and wondering how I can possibly ever get out of the difficulty. Will it always rain with problems and difficulties? Well, the Bible does say in this world we will have trials (John 16:33). . . so I guess, yes, there will be difficult days. What are we to do then?
As always, I find the right direction at the right time. As my hubby and I were feeling some of this burden last night, I picked up the book I'm re-reading, "Dancing with my Father" by Sally Clarkson. The chapter I was on - "Staying in Step with your Partner" - was just what I needed to read. . .
She wrote about her morning Bible reading on one particular day - "Satan tempted Adam and Eve to disbelieve in God's goodness and provision when they were in the garden, my inner voice told me. Perhaps he is tempting you to believe that God is not concerned about this! What would it look like for you to live by faith and believe that God is a good Father and that he is going to work in a very personal way for you? What would your requests be if you were convinced he is really listening to your heart and could do what you asked him to do? Can you really live under this dark cloud and have faith and joy in him at the same time? What do you need to do to get out of this discouraged place?" (pp. 108-109)
Sally then wrote, "Then a second thought occurred to me, What would you really want to ask God for if you could? Even if it seems impossible - what are the desires of your heart?" (p. 109)
I needed this reminder BIG time. So I took my thoughts captive (2 Corinthians 10:5) and focused on what it was I wanted to ask of God. I laid it out specifically. And then I went to sleep.
Interestingly, I had a dream sometime during the night. A friend of the family was visiting. She looked me in the eyes and remarked that even though I was smiling, my joy was gone. I awoke thinking that indeed my quest for joy had been set aside. I haven't been counting my gifts for several weeks. I haven't really felt true joy in any part of my life. So I realized I needed a new perspective. I did feel that my burden had been lifted and I felt joy beginning to flood my spirit. My mind was focused on the fact that God would work all things out for our good and His glory.
Sally Clarkson continued in the chapter by saying that she decided she would enjoy her day. She knew that the Lord was with her. She was going to choose to believe in the Lord's goodness instead of doubting Him as satan would like. She chose to turn her heart away from doubt and to stand firm in God's light, expecting Him to show His plan (paraphrase of p. 109).
She goes on to write about having a mental picture of a fork in the rode: "one pathway led in the direction of fear, turmoil, and all sorts of ruts in the road; the other pathway pointed to faith. The pathway of faith was good and straight-forward; I knew it would lead me in the direction of a peaceful heart. As I made my resolution, I remembered the biblical promise that the fruit of the spirit is joy and peace."
This chapter continues the discussion of the expectation of trials in this life and that we do not have to "conjure" up the fruit of joy and peace because the Holy Spirit resides in us as children of God (Galatians 5:25). In John 14:1, Jesus told His disciples the night before He was to be crucified not to let their hearts be troubled; but to believe in God and to believe in Him. Our difficulties may not necessarily go away, but we do not have to remain in a state of feeling troubled or depressed or anxious. When we feel this way, we need to believe in God. "Belief is the antidote for a troubled heart: believing in God, believing that he is with us, believing that he is good, believing that he can take care of our trouble, believing in his presence with us every minute, and not looking to the limitations of our circumstances!." (p. 117)
She went on to talk about "joy checks". When we begin to feel a bad attitude coming on, we need to stop and decide from where it is coming. It could be an annoyance with another person, a fear about something, an insecurity, etc. These feelings must be dealt with in order to avoid the destructive path. When we deal with the feelings, we can get back on the road of joy in step with our Lord. I actually read this part to my daughter this morning as she has moments where the lies of the enemy lead her to a bad attitude that can quickly snowball out of control. I talked to her about beginning her own "joy checks"; even starting a 1,000 gifts journal of her own.
Sally ends the chapter with the reminder that experiencing joy is a process - "a journey toward maturity as we begin to be aware of those thoughts and worries that would steal our joy. The more we practice taking all our troubled thoughts captive, the more easily we will recognize them before they take hold in our heart." (p. 120)
God has already brought an answer to the first request I made. I will do my best to wait patiently, and joyfully, to see how He will answer the others.
Aww, yes. . . this can be me. I have faced some heavy things in my life thus far, but I have learned to take them to the Lord. And God has been ever so faithful to meet my needs in ways beyond what I had asked or imagined He would or could do for me. So why then, do I sometimes allow myself to get so overwhelmed that I can barely stand. I begin to experience anxiety creeping in; worrying and wondering how I can possibly ever get out of the difficulty. Will it always rain with problems and difficulties? Well, the Bible does say in this world we will have trials (John 16:33). . . so I guess, yes, there will be difficult days. What are we to do then?
As always, I find the right direction at the right time. As my hubby and I were feeling some of this burden last night, I picked up the book I'm re-reading, "Dancing with my Father" by Sally Clarkson. The chapter I was on - "Staying in Step with your Partner" - was just what I needed to read. . .
She wrote about her morning Bible reading on one particular day - "Satan tempted Adam and Eve to disbelieve in God's goodness and provision when they were in the garden, my inner voice told me. Perhaps he is tempting you to believe that God is not concerned about this! What would it look like for you to live by faith and believe that God is a good Father and that he is going to work in a very personal way for you? What would your requests be if you were convinced he is really listening to your heart and could do what you asked him to do? Can you really live under this dark cloud and have faith and joy in him at the same time? What do you need to do to get out of this discouraged place?" (pp. 108-109)
Sally then wrote, "Then a second thought occurred to me, What would you really want to ask God for if you could? Even if it seems impossible - what are the desires of your heart?" (p. 109)
I needed this reminder BIG time. So I took my thoughts captive (2 Corinthians 10:5) and focused on what it was I wanted to ask of God. I laid it out specifically. And then I went to sleep.
Interestingly, I had a dream sometime during the night. A friend of the family was visiting. She looked me in the eyes and remarked that even though I was smiling, my joy was gone. I awoke thinking that indeed my quest for joy had been set aside. I haven't been counting my gifts for several weeks. I haven't really felt true joy in any part of my life. So I realized I needed a new perspective. I did feel that my burden had been lifted and I felt joy beginning to flood my spirit. My mind was focused on the fact that God would work all things out for our good and His glory.
Sally Clarkson continued in the chapter by saying that she decided she would enjoy her day. She knew that the Lord was with her. She was going to choose to believe in the Lord's goodness instead of doubting Him as satan would like. She chose to turn her heart away from doubt and to stand firm in God's light, expecting Him to show His plan (paraphrase of p. 109).
She goes on to write about having a mental picture of a fork in the rode: "one pathway led in the direction of fear, turmoil, and all sorts of ruts in the road; the other pathway pointed to faith. The pathway of faith was good and straight-forward; I knew it would lead me in the direction of a peaceful heart. As I made my resolution, I remembered the biblical promise that the fruit of the spirit is joy and peace."
This chapter continues the discussion of the expectation of trials in this life and that we do not have to "conjure" up the fruit of joy and peace because the Holy Spirit resides in us as children of God (Galatians 5:25). In John 14:1, Jesus told His disciples the night before He was to be crucified not to let their hearts be troubled; but to believe in God and to believe in Him. Our difficulties may not necessarily go away, but we do not have to remain in a state of feeling troubled or depressed or anxious. When we feel this way, we need to believe in God. "Belief is the antidote for a troubled heart: believing in God, believing that he is with us, believing that he is good, believing that he can take care of our trouble, believing in his presence with us every minute, and not looking to the limitations of our circumstances!." (p. 117)
She went on to talk about "joy checks". When we begin to feel a bad attitude coming on, we need to stop and decide from where it is coming. It could be an annoyance with another person, a fear about something, an insecurity, etc. These feelings must be dealt with in order to avoid the destructive path. When we deal with the feelings, we can get back on the road of joy in step with our Lord. I actually read this part to my daughter this morning as she has moments where the lies of the enemy lead her to a bad attitude that can quickly snowball out of control. I talked to her about beginning her own "joy checks"; even starting a 1,000 gifts journal of her own.
Sally ends the chapter with the reminder that experiencing joy is a process - "a journey toward maturity as we begin to be aware of those thoughts and worries that would steal our joy. The more we practice taking all our troubled thoughts captive, the more easily we will recognize them before they take hold in our heart." (p. 120)
God has already brought an answer to the first request I made. I will do my best to wait patiently, and joyfully, to see how He will answer the others.
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