I am not prone to anxiety. Usually. My life verse, the one I quote to myself and cling to often is, Proverbs 3:5– Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. I know my own understanding of circumstances is inadequate. No matter how something appears, I don’t know everything about it, so I stand in my reliance on God. When others around me are stressed I frequently remind them of Philippians 4:6-7–Don’t worry about anything; pray about everything . . . then you will experience God’s peace. Of course it is easy to be confident when the anxiety is someone else’s.
But then, I was scheduled for eye surgery. Most of the reports I heard told me it was no big deal, so I awaited my appointment with relative calm. I admit to some concern–they were going to be messing with my eyes after all. But for the most part I felt at ease.
Then, the day before the procedure, I had lunch with three friends. For some reason, the conversation turned to eye surgery. I did not bring it up, but suddenly they were all talking about good and bad experiences. Then one of them began to talk about a bad experience someone had with the type of surgery I would have. I cut her off at that point. I didn’t want to hear it because of what I was facing the next day.
She said, “Okay, I won’t say anything.” But then she asked, “Who is your doctor?”
When I told her, she said, with a little raise of her eyebrows, “Mmhmm, I am not saying anything.”
Clearly not a confidence builder. I had anxious thoughts that night I could not get rid of. I reminded myself of Philippians 4:6-7, but it didn’t help. I had a restless night, wondering if my friend’s comments were a warning from the Lord that I should cancel my appointment, or if the Enemy was just planting fear in my mind.
When I got up in the morning, I prayed for clarity. I asked the Lord to make it clear to me if this was a warning, or something else. I opened a devotional reading which highlighted a verse from 1 Peter about moving from darkness to light. In my mind, that related to better vision, which the surgery was intended to accomplish. Then as I opened my Bible and continued praying, the Lord led me to familiar verses that reminded me who He is. Deuteronomy 33:27– The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. Jeremiah 31:3– I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you. Isaiah 41:10– Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (All ESV)
The anxiety melted away. In the end, the procedure was done. It was in fact not a big deal. My vision is improved because of it. But the real battle was won when I focused my thoughts on who God is, and remembered to trust Him.
You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock. Isaiah 26:3-4 NLT
How has God dispelled your anxious thoughts? Please leave a comment below.
Blessings,
Phyllis
Copyright 2024 Phyllis L. Farringer
Image by Almeida from Pixabay
Oh Phyllis. I, in fact have been anxious. You did just the right thing by turning to the one true physician for your needs and to quell your fears. . I truly wished I hadn’t made “that face”. I guess God put us together that day for a reason, to glorify him. Thank you sharing.
It’s all okay, Janey. To God be the glory!
Wonderful reminder that HE is in charge. We can breathe easy.
Thank you!
Yes, we can breathe easy knowing He is in charge.
Phyllis, I’m so glad that your eye surgery went well. I thought that it would “be a piece of cake “; but we always worry before hand. Thank you for this devotional. It’s a good reminder that God’s always with us. I especially appreciate seeing so many scriptures about anxiety grouped together.
Thank you, Vivian.
Are all three of those people friends now, or just two of them?
They are all three still friends of mine. Thanks, George.