Surrender your anxiety. Be still and realize that I am God. I am God above all the nations,
and I am exalted throughout the whole earth. Psalm 46:10 (TPT)
“Surrender your anxiety. Relax!” Wow, this verse in Psalm 46 is a real challenge! How many times in the midst of stressful situations have we snuggled up to anxiety as if it were our best friend? When have we run into the arms of blissful uncertainty, trusting in the chaos, believing it is there that we can find the solace we are desperate for? When in reality, when we wallow in that place, it feeds the beast of frenzy. We enter an active partnership with the very forces that lead us in a downward spiral.
We would all agree that running into the arms of anxiety and snuggling up with stress are really bad ideas, and yet for many of us, it is our default. Without even realizing it, we have grooved a well-worn road straight into the lair of torment. I realize this sounds ominous, and I am not trying to lump you in with “Anxiety Anonymous”. However, stress isn’t only found in the crazy situations we all face; it sneaks up on us at night and disrupts our sleep. It masquerades as planning, responsibility or stewardship. All of which I would agree are good, even godly attributes we should all exhibit. It is when we cannot surrender our own ways to God’s that stress can overtake us.
Earlier in that very same Psalm, it says that God is “more than enough and always available”. If relaxation and peace are the endgame, trusting that God is who He says He is becomes paramount. Surrender can be challenging if we feel like it only leads us to loss. However, God never requires us to give something up without exchanging it for something far better. Just think about it, God is more than enough. The idea of coming up short or lacking in some way is undoubtedly one of the things that raises our level of anxiety. No one wants to live in that place of uncertainty. The way out isn’t to find a better financial planner; although there is wisdom in good stewardship, it is realizing that no man or woman, no matter how brilliant, can be our salvation. Only God has unlimited resources, only God can create something from nothing, and only God has our best interests in mind. A future and a hope for us, those are His thoughts. He is not in any way anxious about fulfilling the plans He has laid out for us.
Not only is there the promise of sufficient provision, but there is the recognition that God is always with us. No matter the time of day or night, we will never hear the answering machine of heaven pick up. He is never too busy or distracted to listen to our cry for help. While we sometimes struggle to be present, mostly because our minds wander into the marshy places of anxiety, He is not thinking about nuclear standoffs or world tensions; He is sitting quietly, looking us in the eye and listening with intention. In that place, it is easy to surrender our anxiety. We are fully known, loved, and desired. There is no mess too big that He will not stay to see us through to the other side.
God is the one we should be running to in our times of crisis. We do not have to snuggle up to anxiety. We can surrender, lay down our fears, let go of our disappointment and choose to grab onto Him. It is in that place that we find true freedom and true serenity. Let’s be honest, there is no joy and no life; there is nothing happy about anxiety. But, in God’s arms, in His presence, there is fullness of joy and deep, abiding peace.
So surrender anxiety, relax and remember God is more than enough and always available.