3 Things to Remember When You're Feeling Anxious
3 Things to Remember When You're Feeling Anxious
Author: David Powlison, Crossway.org
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Anxiety, Waiting and the Coronavirus
Anxiety, Waiting and the Coronavirus
Author: Alasdair Groves
Published: March 11, 2020 at The Christian Counseling and Education Foundation.
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Quieted to Witness | Nathan Knight
Personal and corporate strategies of wartime living, courageous witness, and social action to show the supreme value of Christ to fallen people and fallen culture.
I am one of the fortunate ones. Having been sent out by North Wake Church in Wake Forest, North Carolina I was able to sit under the ministry of Pastor Larry Trotter, otherwise known as the “Baptist monk.” Larry is one of the few that carefully pays attention to Jesus’ example of prayer and solitude for the sake of the mission.
He once told us of the need to regularly pull away for prayer and solitude retreats for if we don’t, we’d get “wobbly.” I can't tell you how many times I have been snappy, grumpy, or just spiritually or emotionally tired wherein I evaluated why and recalled this counsel. You can only imagine how this might negatively affect my attempts at witnessing to others the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The fifth dimension that The Treasuring Christ Together Network emphasizes is this need to witness. We define it this way:
Personal and corporate strategies of wartime living, courageous witness, and social action to show the supreme value of Christ to fallen people and fallen culture.
You can practically feel the energy of this sentence. “Wartime living,” “courageous witness,” and “social action” are daunting tasks, to say the least. To live this way in order to testify to our neighbors and the nations the greatest news of all requires much of us, therefore it likewise demands our souls be quieted. We cannot properly extend ourselves if we are persistently exhausted.
In Matthew 14:23 we read that “after [Jesus] had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone.” In Mark 1:35-39 we read of a similar incident of Jesus pulling away early in the morning and then coming out to preach to the crowds.
Evidently, our Lord saw the need of having His soul stilled before His heavenly Father as He prepared to go to the crowds and when He left the crowds. Surely, this pulling away to pray was petitionary, but also quieting to the noise of preaching. It likely reminded Him why He was there in addition to strengthening His resolve to continue on in the difficult task of preaching the Gospel.
Note also, these instances weren’t momentary. In Matthew 14:23 Jesus was there so long that night came on. In Mark 1:35-39 He had been there early in the morning while it was still dark. This reveals to us the need to not only pull away to be quieted, but also that quieting takes time. Our souls don’t have brakes like our cars that we can merely step on and stop. They are more like flywheels that need both the removal of motion and time for the wheel to slow down. If we are going to be effective as a network in witnessing we must do as our Lord did and quiet our souls so that we will not be “wobbly” and ineffective for the call to wartime living.
Not only is this important for pastors, this is also important for pastor’s wives. They are constantly on the go helping and engaging wartime witnessing themselves. From late night feedings to early morning discipleship meetings all the way to exhausting conversations with their husbands who like to sometimes verbally process the difficulties of their jobs. Pastor’s wives must also have their souls quieted in order to effectively witness to others for Christ.
Let's consider a few ways we can quiet our souls for the purposes of witnessing both personally and corporately:
1. Personal Private Prayer: The life of Christ and Acts 6:4 would indicate to us that one of the most important things we do as leaders in the church is to pray. Simply put, if you are not praying, you are not communing with God. And if you are not communing with God what might this indicate about your witnessing?
Try and find a quiet spot at a time where you know you will not be disturbed and consistently give yourself to prayer. That may be an actual closet or it may be getting to your office early or waking up early before the kids get up. Use the Psalms or other prayers from Scripture in addition to resources like Valley of Vision or Prone to Wander by Barbara Duguid and Wayne Duguid Houk to assist you when it's hard to begin.
2. Meditation: I've found that by adding the step of Scripture meditation in between my Bible reading and prayer time has assisted in quieting my soul for witnessing. It tends to warm my soul and quiet me down and lead me into prayer more naturally. That singular thought or verse I meditate on tends to find its way into conversations and prayers as I go about my day.
3. Personal/Corporate retreats: Whether it be a half day or a full day, pulling away from your regular context as an individual or with others once every 4-6 weeks is ideal in quieting our souls in order to be an effective witness. Find nearby parks, go on a hike, or sit in an art museum. Provide enough time to let that flywheel slow down. Most often the hardest part of slowing down is that first hour. Therefore, extended time is needed to get the most out of the exercise.
4. Corporate prayer: Whether it be the prayer gathering before church each week or in members meetings, I have found listening to the prayers of my covenanted brothers or sisters pray for others often stirs my soul and fills me up. They do the praying for me as I listen and drink in their petitions to God for others.
5. Turn off the screens: We have a beautiful view off of our porch that overlooks NW D.C. that my wife and I sit on each night in the warmer months. We put down our phones, turn off the TV, and light a couple candles, and sometimes play beautiful music softly after the kids go down to sleep and we just talk. I enjoy watching the trees sway back and forth against the breeze and I often stare at the moon or the few stars we can see in the city. There is something about those quiet moments wherein I look to creation and am reminded of my smallness as I speak with my wife whom I love that naturally stills me and gives me strength for the next day.
Whatever it is, brothers and sisters, quiet your soul so that you do not become “wobbly” and tire in the task of witnessing. As a network, we emphasize these things so that we might be in our communities courageously witnessing for the long haul.
Nathan Knight
What Would Jesus Pray | Doug Hess
In the Gospel of Matthew, we find two stories from the life of Jesus which provide an instructive contrast between priorities and perspective. The first story is in chapter eight and begins with Jesus and his disciples in a boat, crossing an unnamed body of water.
What Would Jesus Pray
In the Gospel of Matthew, we find two stories from the life of Jesus which provide an instructive contrast between priorities and perspective. The first story is in chapter eight and begins with Jesus and his disciples in a boat, crossing an unnamed body of water. During the journey, a significant storm begins to rage, and water swamps the boat. While the disciples are overcome with fear, Jesus remains asleep, until the disciples wake him up in desperation. In a miraculous display of Jesus’ power over creation, he rebuked the storm by calming the wind and waves. The second story is in chapter twenty-six. At the end of his earthly ministry, Jesus goes to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray knowing that he will soon go to the cross. Jesus is overcome with grief and sorrow, and yet while he prays, his disciples fall asleep. Despite Jesus' repeated insistence concerning the urgency of the moment, the disciples cannot keep themselves awake. What is so different about these two stories? Why in one situation are the disciples so overwhelmed while Jesus sleeps, while the opposite is true in the other? Studying these two stories helps us understand how priorities and perspective have a profound effect on our prayer lives.
The story of the raging storm is easy enough to understand. It is not hard to imagine how frightening it would be to be in a small boat on the open water in a strong storm. But why is Jesus calm and not bothered by the prospect of imminent death? When we read the story in context, it becomes clear that Jesus did not fear the elements because he knew that no storm could harm him until he had accomplished what his Father put him on earth to do. His confidence in the sovereignty of his Father kept him from fearing anything in the world around him. The disciples lacked this confidence, and their natural fear of death overwhelmed them.
In the second story, the opposite elements are at play. Although a band of soldiers is on their way, the disciples did not know this, and there seemed to be nothing to be concerned about in the quiet calm of the evening in the garden; Jesus, however, knew better. It was not the soldiers Jesus was concerned about; he would soon demonstrate that they had no power to take him against his will. He would willingly go to the cross. Jesus' deep sorrow and grief came from the reality that he was soon to face the wrath of his Father. This was something that he knew would be severe. The man who did not blink an eye at mother nature's worst now was sweating blood and pleading to be spared what was to come. Meanwhile, the disciples slept.
The disciples’ attitudes in these two stories paint a picture of how the human heart is oriented. Needs for food, shelter, health, security and other physical provisions dominate the concerns of most people. As a result, physical provisions dominate the prayer lives of most people. Sit in any large group prayer meeting, and the vast majority of prayers you hear will revolve around these issues. Most prayer lives are concerned with health problems, financial problems, travel safety, job provisions, educational and business success. Spiritual concerns come as a distant afterthought.
Jesus' attitude was totally different. It wasn't that Jesus didn't care about physical needs. Indeed many times he is seen eating and drinking with both followers and neighbors, many of his parables concerned these issues, and the majority of his miracles met physical needs. When viewing the life of Jesus it is clear that he put physical needs in their proper perspective. When tempted by Satan in the wilderness, an extremely hungry Jesus was encouraged to turn a stone into bread. His response, pulled from Deuteronomy 8:3, makes his priorities clear, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” For Jesus, spiritual needs trump physical needs. In other words, Jesus feared the wrath of his Father more than hunger, thirst, poverty, disease, or any other danger. This is why Jesus slept through the storm but was in agony in the garden. It is not only the prioritization of spiritual needs over physical needs that allows Jesus to sleep through the storm. It is also his perspective. Jesus has rock-solid faith in the sovereignty of his father, and the fact that apart from his plan, nothing could happen. His trust in the sovereignty of the Father did not keep Jesus from working or planning or caring for others. It did, however, keep him from worrying. Indeed, this was his grounds for preaching against worrying in Matthew 6.
How should these two stories from the life of Jesus this inform our prayer lives? A careful look at the apostles’ prayers in scripture show that they too reflect Jesus' perspective and priorities. Romans 15:5-6, I Corinthians 1:4-9, Ephesians 1:15-23, 3:14-21, Colossians 1:3-14, and II Thessalonians 1:11-12 show that prayer under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit is concerned more with being like Christ than getting over a sinus infection or making a mortgage payment. This is not to say that we shouldn't pray about these things. Indeed, Jesus' model prayer includes “give us this day our daily bread.” God cares about the physical needs of his people, and as a loving father, he desires to hear from his children about all their needs. To pray only, or even mostly, about physical needs is to miss the boat on what is really important. Our brothers and sisters in Christ need sanctification, unity, and holiness more than they need money or health. Our neighbors need salvation more than anything. Our children need their eyes opened to the Gospel more than they need good grades or better behavior. Let Jesus' words immediately following his model prayer be our guide: “Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:31-33).
Doug Hess is the pastor at The Heights Church in Tampa, FL
Find out more about the heights church at http://www.heightschurchtampa.org/
The Quieted Soul of the Pastor In Prayer | Dave Zuleger
As a pastor of a local church there is a consistent spiritual, emotional, and even physical need that seems to come across my “desk” (email, Facebook, etc.) at a pace faster than I can keep up with.
The Quieted Soul of the Pastor In Prayer
A Restless Reality
As a pastor of a local church there is a consistent spiritual, emotional, and even physical need that seems to come across my “desk” (email, Facebook, etc.) at a pace faster than I can keep up with.
Sin breaks in and causes hurting marriages and hurting parents. Suffering breaks in and fills the church with the horrors of disease, disability, and chronic pain. Sin and suffering conspire to cause deep anxiety, fear, and sadness. In addition, one of the biggest struggles for a pastor (despite the perception of many) is that sin and suffering invade our hearts, lives, and families as well.
Once we finally wrap our minds around all of that, what hope is there that we will actually have the time, stamina, or resolve to focus on reaching our neighborhoods or the nations with the gospel of Jesus?
So, how does a pastor quiet his restless soul in the midst of the restless realities caused by sin and suffering?
A Quiet Soul Flows from a Blood-Bought Privilege to Pray
Sometimes when I’m overwhelmed I can be my own worst enemy in these restless realities. I can be disappointed in myself for not handling things better. I can be angry at myself for the way my own sin clouds my sight of Jesus. I can be frustrated by a lack of clarity or direction. I can feel like a failure for not knowing exactly the best way to lead our church on mission or help them fight for joy in following Jesus or lead them through dark valleys of suffering. So, what is left for the soul of the pastor that finds itself in that dark, overwhelming place?
Prayer. Blood-bought prayer.
Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. (Hebrews 4:14-15) Jesus has lived the life we couldn’t live and died the death we deserve to die for our sins. Jesus has passed through the heavens to give us access to God by the Spirit (Ephesians 2:18). And not only that, but Jesus sympathizes with our weaknesses. The perfect God-man stoops down and actually sympathizes with our weakness because he’s experienced our weakness in temptation, yet without sin. Remember the invitation of Jesus to find rest amidst the restlessness?
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, or I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)
That offer wasn’t made from someone secretly thinking that you shouldn’t really need the help. That offer wasn’t made from someone disappointed in your human frailty. That offer wasn’t made by someone who thinks you should have already arrived as a perfect shepherd (even though he was the perfect shepherd). Instead, that offer was made from the one who came, suffered, died, and rose again for you. That offer was made from one who is eager to help you by the Spirit and lives to make intercession for you from the right hand of the Father. That offer was made from someone who sees the restless reality, sympathizes with you in it, and wants you to draw near for true rest and true help. That offer was made from someone who died for you so that you could draw near and he could bear the burdens for you that you cannot bear on your own.
With an offer like that, what should the response of our restless souls be?
Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)
Draw near! Why? Because the offer of rest stands and as we draw near to the throne of the Almighty God of the universe that has all power and all resources at his disposal the promise is that because Jesus has made a way through the cross, we find a throne of grace. And at that throne, we will only find grace. We will only find mercy. And we will only find, literally, “well-timed help” in our time of need.
Pastors, why don’t we take more time to “devote ourselves to prayer?” (Acts 6:4) Could it be that we think it’s not really more effective to ask for God’s help than it is to simply forge ahead and get things done?
The reason that question matter to answer is that it will determine how easy (or hard) the switch to praying more will come to us. If we believe prayer is best for our souls and our churches, then we simply will prioritize, not legalistically, but eagerly as fresh time with our Savior. I’d encourage you to simply make time in the word and prayer the first thing you do every day and to also set aside some point during the day (I typically choose the last ½ hour or so of my day) to revisit those promises from the morning and commit them to prayer again.
I’d encourage you to find a quiet place to pray following the footsteps of our Savior who withdrew to desolate places to talk with his Father. And I’d encourage you to pray as you read the word. Let the promises of God provoke prayers to God. Let the warnings of God provoke pleas to God. Let the comforts of God provoke intercession for the people of God. Set a time. Find a place. Read. Pray.
And then let pauses for prayer saturate your planning, your e-mails, your sermon preparation, and your personal care.
There is no ultimate rest for our souls in better planning or programming. There is no ultimate rest in working harder or longer in the tough situations. There is no ultimate rest found in ourselves for our own lives or the lives of those we shepherd. But, there is rest for the soul that draws near to God in prayer, through the blood of Jesus, and by the power of the Spirit and knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that it will receive grace, mercy, and help for whatever needs may come up next. It is in prayer that God meets us with a settled sense of his blood-bought care for us. It is in prayer that we often receive the wisdom and courage and humility we need to carry out the faithful tasks of the day “for God and not for men.” And it is in approaching the throne of God desperately for help because of the blood of Jesus that our souls find rest in his sovereign care and he receives all the glory for any work he accomplishes in us and in the people he’s entrusted us to shepherd.
So, pastors, let us “devote ourselves” to desperate prayer so that we quiet our souls, we receive help, and God receives the glory he deserves.
DAVE ZULEGER IS A PASTOR AT SOJOURNERS CHURCH IN ALBERT LEA, MINNESOTA
Find out more about Sojourners Church Here
A Hunger For God: Desiring God Through Fasting and Prayer
Between the dangers of self-denial and self-indulgence is this path of pleasant pain called fasting. It is the path John Piper invites you to travel in this book. For when God is the supreme hunger of your heart, he will be supreme in everything. And when you are most satisfied in him, he will be most glorified in you.
Author: John Piper
Download or purchase at DesiringGod
Memoir and Remains of Robert Murray M'Cheyne
Few books have had such a widespread influence on the lives of God's people. Testimonies to its usefulness were received from many lands and Christians of differing theological persuasions have testified to the blessing experiences through reading it. 'This is one of the best and most profitable volumes ever published', said C.H. Spurgeon. 'The memoir of such a man ought surely to be in the hands of every Christian and certainly every preacher of the Gospel.' Few books contain such variety and welath of spiritual matter between their covers.
Author: Andrew A. Bonar
Free PDF available at: Grace-eBooks.com
Free in various electronic formats at: OpenLibrary.org
Print copies available via various vendors here.
2016 P&W Retreat: Quiet Souls
Quiet Souls
Sean Cordell
2016 TCTN Pastors & Wives Retreat
San Diego, CA