“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity or cowardice or fear,
but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of sound judgment and personal discipline
[abilities that result in a calm, well-balanced mind and self-control].”
(2 Timothy 1:7 AMP)
Yesterday morning I woke at 5:20 a.m. definitely sure I was NOT going back to sleep. My oldest child, newly licensed and driving a (very) used car purchased the previous day, was for the first time driving to work, starting by 6:30 a.m. and taking a route never driven before. You can assume I was nervous. I know this is one of those “rite of passage” events that parents normally go through, but I was not “going through” without concern. My child is a reasonably cautious driver and our current weather is good for driving. The new car purchased is a former police car, so it’s fairly large and heavy. The new job is about 25 minutes from home but involves rural blacktops, four-lane highway, and then a bit of town driving. These things are not so concerning to me as are the other drivers on the road. I witnessed a fatal car crash last summer about 1/2 mile south of our house when a 19 year old, high on newly legalized recreational marijuana and going 55 mph, missed a stop sign and broadsided a woman driving her daughter to the first day of kindergarten. The mom died instantly. The daughter will live with head injuries the rest of her life. I will always remember how a stranger’s choices can impact our lives.
So, yesterday morning I woke with what could aptly be termed “anxiety” or even “fear.”
I know that neither of these is from God. God doesn’t give us a spirit of fear (or anxiety) because those are not his nature. God’s nature is love, hope, and PEACE. When Paul writes to Timothy about this, he says, “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity or cowardice or fear, but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of sound judgment and personal discipline [abilities that result in a calm, well-balanced mind and self-control].” (2 Tim. 1:7 AMP) I was a little low on “a calm, well-balanced mind” yesterday morning.
Have you ever been in a moment when you didn’t know what or how to pray? Paul tells us that, “In the same way the Spirit [comes to us and] helps us in our weakness. We do not know what prayer to offer or how to offer it as we should, but the Spirit Himself [knows our need and at the right time] intercedes on our behalf with sighs and groanings too deep for words.” (Romans 8:26 AMP). Yesterday I needed the Holy Spirit to intercede for me in ways that were “too deep for words.” My guess is that you, too, may have had such occasions in your life. But, unlike in years past, this time I had a new spiritual tool for chasing off the spirits of anxiety and fear that were diligently trying to attack me.
This tool came to me in the summer of 2020 as the world was descending further into Covid Chaos, fear, and anxiety. That summer God took me in a completely different direction – deeper into understanding who God really is and my identity as a Child of God. One of the best parts of that time was that I asked God to give me the ability to pray in tongues and he did. 1 Corinthians 14:14 NIV says that, “If I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays…” Yesterday morning I didn’t really have words to combat the anxiety, but God gave my spirit the ability to pray anyway. My mind didn’t understand what I was saying as I prayed, but I knew that “A person who speaks in tongues is strengthened personally…” (1 Corinthians 14:4 NLT) For almost two hours I prayed in tongues, knowing that if my spirit is speaking Holy Spirit’s words, I can’t be praying “wrong.” And I was strengthened personally and released from anxiety. Later, after I knew the new driver in an old car had arrived at the new job, I went back to bed and peacefully slept for most of two hours.
I truly wish I had known of this gift decades ago because it would have helped me deal with many, many other situations of fear and anxiety. The amazing thing (to me) is that I could have asked for it at any time. The ability to pray in tongues is a gift God wants to give us. We are told that, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (James 1:17 NIV) This good and perfect gift of praying in the Spirit is offered to us from our Heavenly Father. He does not change; he continually wants us to live close to him in perfect peace. When I pray in a private prayer language, God builds up my faith. When I pray in tongues my spirit is built up to weather the storms of life. Thankfully, God gave me this gift two years ago and I have had a worthy tool to battle with the storms of anxiety and fear in my life.
This gift is offered to each of his Children – to me and to you. All we have to do is ask God for the ability to pray in the Spirit and then open our mouths and let him do it.
What a gift.
Strong God,
You are exalted and dwell on high; you will fill this earth with your justice and righteousness. You are the sure foundation for our times, the Everlasting God who never changes, and a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge. Thank you for the many gifts you give us as our Loving Father – especially the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ and the gift of Holy Spirit living within us. Thank you for the ways in which you help us to navigate the storms of life, especially the fear and anxiety that are so rampant in our day. Help us to remember and believe that you do not give us spirits of fear or anxiety, but your Spirit gives us power, love, sound judgement, and personal discipline – abilities that result in a calm, well-balanced mind and self control. We know that you want us to live closely connected to your Love, Grace, Hope, and Peace, and we thank you that you offer us gifts like praying in tongues to help us through this day. Cause us to ask you for this gift, and then consistently practice it so that we are built up in our faith. Help us to continually progress, keeping ourselves in your Love and Mercy, so that we can help others know you and the treasures and gifts you offer to us. In Christ’s name we pray, Amen.
“The one who prays using a private “prayer language” certainly gets a lot out of it…” (1 Corinthians 14:4 MSG)
“The one who speaks in a tongue builds himself up.” (1 Corinthians 14:4 NET)
“Build yourselves up on [the foundation of] your most holy faith [continually progress, rise like an edifice higher and higher], pray in the Holy Spirit, and keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously and looking forward to the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ [which will bring you] to eternal life.” (Jude 19-21 AMP)
“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” (Hebrews 13:8 KJV)
“The Lord is exalted, for he dwells on high;
he will fill Zion with his justice and righteousness.
He will be the sure foundation for your times,
a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge;
the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure.” (Isaiah 33:5-6 NIV)
“Battle Belongs”
When all I see is the battle, You see my victory
When all I see is the mountain, You see a mountain moved
And as I walk through the shadow, Your love surrounds me
There’s nothing to fear now for I am safe with You
So when I fight, I’ll fight on my knees
With my hands lifted high
Oh God, the battle belongs to You
And every fear I lay at Your feet
I’ll sing through the night
Oh God, the battle belongs to You
And if You are for me, who can be against me? Yeah
For Jesus there’s nothing impossible for You
When all I see are the ashes, You see the beauty
When all I see is a cross, God, You see the empty tomb
Almighty fortress, You go before us
Nothing can stand against the power of our God
You shine in the shadow, You win every battle
Nothing can stand against the power of our God
Song Writers: Brian Johnson, Phil Wickham