Is your joy being robbed by worry? This week's memory verse helps my cope.

My memory verse is Philippians 4:6 ESV "do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God."

Don't be anxious.

Anxiety is a big problem in this country. Statistics show that a million people visit the ER, every year, due to anxiety produced symptoms.

What are those symptoms? You may have experienced one or more of them, not realizing they may be related to anxiety.


• Fatigue. Have you felt generally tired, even when you've had your eight hours sleep?


• Upset stomach or other digestive issues. Is your stomach queasy? Have you wondered whether you might have eaten something past its expiration date?


• Aches and pains. Backache, shoulder pain, stiff neck and jaw pain. These are recognizable because you can feel those muscles tighten with stress.


• Racing or pounding heart. Are you having a heart attack?


• Inability to concentrate and work effectively. Does your mind wander to problems of the day?

Over the years, I admit to experiencing each of these symptoms of anxiety.

In a search of the Internet I found an assortment of remedies. The top choices seem to be Medications. I found a list comparing 66 different drugs that can be prescribed for anxiety.

There are also natural fixes, such as yoga, meditation, or exercise, all of which require a certain amount of dedication and determination.

Anxiety isn't a new syndrome. The apostle Paul felt the need to deal with it when he wrote to the church in Philippi in A.D. 61. He told the believers not to be anxious. Easy for him to say. Life was hard back then.

In this verse, Paul also tells them what to do. Pray. The apostle advises that when a person finds himself anxious, he should present the problem to God, with thanksgiving. The ESV uses the word supplication. It means to humbly request or petition for help. This request is going to the one who is in control. The one who has the power to provide the next step.

Verse 7 tells us it is then that the peace of God will guard our heart and mind. We can't understand this supernatural peace, but we can experience it.

The next time I feel anxious, rather than running to the medicine cabinet or to health gurus, I'll recall this memory verse. I'll present my request to the Lord who controls it all. My mind will not worry about all the "what ifs" in this world. And my heart will not race. I'll gratefully petition the one who cares about me and is the only source of perfect peace.

Visit me at LynneChapman.com


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