guard

Is anxiety a sign of lack of faith and trust in God?

My female owner found her mind filled with “what-ifs”, “if this… then that”, hypothetical scenarios even as she was at prayer meeting last night. She says that her thoughts were racing, one after another, untamed and seemingly out of control. To the point that she found it hard to settle down and focus.

Bible says in Phi 4:6-7
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

My female owner has been toying with the image of “guard”. Common images would be a big dog guarding a property or security personnel standing in front of an important property (e.g. embassy or sensitive building). The aim? Obviously to protect valuable assets from harm or danger and to prevent intruders. You won’t be wasting resources protecting say the community park or a run-down property.

Taken together, my female owner reckons that the verse is saying that God sees her heart and mind as something worth protecting against harm and intruders. And the way to do it, is not to put up the defences herself (as what she would normally do), but to use prayer, supplication and thanksgiving to allow the peace of God to provide that security. Once again, not by her own strength, but through Jesus’ redemptive work on the cross.