By Alex Taylor, Mid-Day Host
Psalm 94:19 “When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.”
PRAISE 106.5 is my new home as a DJ and hearing listener stories of how PRAISE has encouraged them is such a blessing to me. We all have different stories in life, backgrounds, struggles and experiences, and I wanted to take a moment to share a reflection of my own story with you…
Western civilization thrives on the fast paced lives of its people; leading to the social construction of a world in which a constant stream of tasks, deadlines, and countless obligations are the norm. With all of these responsibilities harrowing down on us, there is one thing we’re certain to face: stress. If we aren’t careful, stress can evolve into a toxic cloud that suffocates the joy out of our lives.
Countless times I’ve found myself completely immobilized by the fear and anxiety that stress creates. I begin to fill my mind with so much worry about every possible outcome of the future that there seems to be no room left to pay attention to what God might be trying to tell me. Once the stress sets in, I end up in a never-ending cycle of trying to accomplish goals and finishing to-do lists that take the place of spending quality time with God. I convince myself that I don’t have time to read my Bible or pray because I have other priorities that come first. THIS is the mindset that allows anxiety and stress to be used as a weapon against us. I forget that God has a plan mapped out for me and that my only true task is to trust in Him. That statement seems so simple, but coming from someone who has experienced chronic stress, I know the challenge that occurs in trusting God. How many times have I sung the famous Hillsong’s words “Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders”? Countless. But how many times have I truly understood them?
Trusting in God can be terrifying at first because it requires the sacrifice of control. Once you relinquish that control you can finally accept the gift of peace that God has been offering the whole time. Jesus warns us in John 16 that we will face troubles in this world, but He also comforts us with the fact that He has already overcome the world. So the true question becomes “What is there left to fear that Jesus hasn’t already conquered Himself”? If we keep that in mind, nothing will ever seem too much for us to handle.
We love to hear your stories of life and how PRAISE is a part of that. Share yours with us at comments@praise1065.com! If you’d like to help continue the ministry of PRAISE, we hope you’ll prayerfully consider joining us during our Spring SHARE event on April 19th-20th, however, if you commit to a monthly donation of $35 or more before April 19th we’ll send you the latest MercyMe CD!! A win-win!
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