God is our Hiding Place in the Storm of Anxiety
Guest Post written by Lisa Carter
“The only thing in this life that doesn’t change is that there is always change.” Life always felt a bit out of control living in an undeveloped country in Central Africa. Will there be electricity today? Will our refrigerated food make it or will we need to throw it all out? Is this fever malaria? Will my toddler ever stop throwing up? Will the military harass our expat African night-guards at gun-point tonight? Will a thief finally break into our house and rob us?
Deaths, shortages, and shutdowns were not out of the ordinary. Change, uncertainty, and flexibility were essentials as a missionary woman. These traits are not innate to me. Due to the family into which I was born, I grew up from a very young age struggling with anxiety. I have spent a great deal of my life battling anxiety and striving to maintain a sense of control. Yet, God has been pruning me for years in this area.
In my life, God has consistently used situations where the illusion of control has slipped away in my life. When I was in ministry in South Central Los Angeles, I lived in a gang-ridden area, living in an apartment where I often fell asleep to the sound of police helicopters circling above and crack addicts rolling their shopping carts by my bedroom window. In Central Africa, I lived in one of the most corrupt and chaotic countries on the planet. Even now, I find myself being a special needs momma to a boy with autism. God has continually awakened in me – in deep places in my soul – with the knowledge that I don’t have control. Through it all, it’s been a painful but also a life-giving process.
Today, we find ourselves in a world that seems to be changing by the hour. All of our normal rhythms and the things normally under our “control” have been disrupted. And, it is tempting to fall prey once again to anxiety when the world at-large seems so out of control.
This time around, the enemy may be an invisible virus, but, for me, the enemy is also this internal desire to feel a sense of control. Oh, how I pray for this enemy of Covid19 to be eradicated, but also this enemy within me—this propensity to want a sense of control that keeps me from full surrender and trust in my God. Thankfully, I can lift my eyes to the One who remains unchanged no matter the changes around me!
I remember going to Los Angeles as a young women never having left my little town in New England. I was scared to death. I still remember the encouragement of my pastor from Joshua 1:9: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
I can honestly attest to the truth that faith comes from hearing the Word of God —because that Word sustained me. When I cowered in my room listening to the dangers that lurked outside my apartment in Los Angeles, that Word (and so many other verses) built up courage within me that I never knew was possible. It was not of myself but from God. God became my hiding place and my soul found rest in Him.
As the quakes and disruptions have come over the years, there is an unshakable faith that develops as we surrender our desire for control and submit to the Lord, trusting in His sovereignty, goodness, and love even when everything around us is in chaos.
Friends, these are unprecedented trying times for us. Let us hold to God’s Word and call out to Him in prayer for our families and for one another and our entire world. As we are gathered in our homes, let us draw near to the Lord and seek refuge in Him as our only sure hiding place.
Let’s use this opportunity to come together in love rather than scatter in fear or simply be glued to our various devices.
Let’s take this opportunity to renew our household spiritual rhythms. For all of us, our normal rhythms have been disrupted. We have a great opportunity to form new habits and rhythms—to establish new habits and spiritual disciplines, to cultivate and create beauty, goodness, and truth – and to be more intentional in prayer and reading/meditating on God’s Word.
Prayer may seem outwardly unremarkable but there is great power in it. Prayer is essential spiritual work. This is our time for much prayer. All our excuses of being too busy are gone.
Despite our feelings of being sidelined right now, we have a great opportunity to make a difference with our prayers, and the truth is that all of us can join in from the littlest of us to the eldest. Even our little ones can make a difference!
My prayer is that during times of greater isolation – where the world seems to come to a stop – that we may redeem the time. May we pray daily :
… for those who are dying and their loved ones…
…for those on the front lines working in hospitals…
….for government leaders making decisions…
….for the elderly especially those in nursing homes or isolated in their own homes without visitors…
…for those who are sick in the hospital like my own aunt who has a punctured, deflating lung and is now unable to receive visitors…
…for those who have chronic illnesses and are now unable to get simple medical supplies like alcohol swaps for their daily blood sugar tests etc. because supplies are so low…
…for the special needs families whose children struggle with change and who will no longer have the services they need…
…for the business owners who are taking huge financial hits or already having to close their businesses…
…for the families that have to wrestle with education at home, especially those who are doing so while still working…
…for the children in abusive homes or children in homes without the money for food they normally get while in school…
…for the teachers and school systems and churches all trying to navigate how to move forward from here.
I also pray that we redeem the time by building a family culture that honors and glorifies God more than ever before.
I pray that we may be mindful of what we are feeding on. Take our thoughts captive to Christ. Stay in the Word. Create and keep rhythms of prayer and reading for the spiritual health of our families. Are we getting swept up in the fearful hysteria of the news feeds? Are we taking moments in the day to express gratitude? Are we staying connected with those in our home or are we “present” only on our devices? Are we creating, cultivating, and inviting beauty and truth in our home today?
May we check in on others, especially the single elderly ones you know. Create something beautiful, gather around the table, cook and savor food that simmers or rises that we rarely have time to make. Take a moment to let our kids rest and “ be” before we try to jump into creating a new normal for them because they, too, are experiencing the upheaval of disruption, but then may we have the discipline to maintain some kind of healthy educational routine. May we create a family culture of peace, love, hope, and faith. Create a sound track. I’ve got mine—I’ve already created my Spotify “Peace be Still” play-list, as I call it. Play the music, light the candles (LED ones in our little boy home), join your church community online. Wash your hands, stay your distance, and above all do not forget our God and the spiritual health of you and your family. Let’s ask Him to do His pruning, strengthening, and comforting work in us all!
May God be your hiding place surrounding you with songs of deliverance.
Love, Lisa
***Check out the follow-up blog post from Lisa Carter “Scriptures (& Song) To Calm an Anxious Heart”