For the LORD will not forsake his people; he will not abandon his heritage (Psalm 94:14)
Forsakenness and feelings of abandonment are the predominant feelings when we go through times of anxiety. When uncertainties surround us it is almost impossible to be free of anxiety. The presence of anxiety need not be an indication of a flawed spirituality neither it is easy to say which anxieties are sinful. One godly man said, “Freedom from crippling anxiety requires remaining in the presence of painful uncertainty while maintaining faith”. So, the presence of painful uncertainty cannot be denied but while we remain there we ought to maintain faith and that’s the difficult task.
Puritan writer John Bunyan who himself has gone through innumerable experiences of anxiety was honest enough not to hide from us such experiences but also did not fail to maintain faith in the midst of them all, in his own words, “these things(moments of anxieties) I continually see and feel, and am afflicted and oppressed with; yet the wisdom of God doth order them for my good”. So, Bunyan believed that even the circumstances that cause anxiety for us are ordered by God for our good and I think he is right in the light of Romans 8:28-30. In other words, Bunyan could trust in God's wisdom through his terrible anxieties.
According to Puritan theologian John Owen, “Persistent anxiety must be met head-on with the promises of God”. So, John Owen calls us to hold on to the promises of God in times of anxiety. The above verse from Psalm 94 is one such promise in the Bible that could help us to maintain faith in times of persistent anxiety and there are many others too.
Anxiety is a common experience we all have to go through as long as we live in the kingdom of this world and the only permanent remedy for anxiety is the kingdom of God which is to come. Therefore, anxious times ought to remind us of the utter fallibility of this world and the inevitable necessity to have a loose grip over things of this world. Such moments are God’s megaphone to wake us up to see the futility of putting our hopes on the broken cisterns of this world and the need to always look forward to the eschatological hope. Therefore, anxious moments are great opportunities to pray, “Thy kingdom come”. Let me summarize the three truths I want to share through this meditation to help us maintain faith in the midst of our anxieties;
1. Trust in the wisdom of God.
2. Hold on to the promises of God.
3. Eagerly seek the kingdom of God.
-Pastor