Anxiety is real and many of us, over this past year, have experienced more than our fair share.

It is so easy to focus on all that is wrong. I am not going to run through the list, if you are feeling even a tad anxious, chances are you know the list well.

But here’s the thing… as we focus on all that is wrong, are you also considering what is right?

My Spiritual Director would call that refocusing perspective.

Perspective is a great word isn’t it? As of late I have using ‘perspective’ as one of my most valued coping strategies. The power of the mind is immense, and I now use my perspective to draw out the positives of a situation, rather than to focus on the negatives.

It is not always easy but the story of Paul and Silas in prison is a wonderful reminder of how God can show up in the midst of our dark times, if only we are willing to change our perspective from “Woe is me” to “Whoowhoo God!”. Praising God in the midst of anxiety not because of our circumstances but because of who God is.

That has been a hard truth for me. In mid October, I was not feeling well. After a several doctor appointments and even more tests, it was determined that I would need a biopsy. The news put me in a bit of a tailspin and honestly, I was a mess.

Let me cut to the chase, and tell you that late last week I was informed that what they discovered was benign…Praise God… but let me back up bit.

In the middle of this experience, I did what I never thought I would do — I stopped praising God. I was scared, I felt alone (even though I wasn’t), I was worried and I carried it by myself. I didn’t want to share this with anyone other than my immediate family and I honestly hesitated telling them. Perhaps I was afraid that if I uttered it outloud it would be true. Regardless, I did not turn to God, I turned inward. I didn’t praise God. I was both numb and terrified at the same time.

The morning of my biopsy, three days before Christmas… I felt a fear sweep over me like a raging storm. I was overwhelmed with anxiety. In that moment I knew I could not do this on my own so I reached for my phone and immediately texted four women that I know pray. I gave them enough details and asked them to start praying for me. I know they did.

The biopsy turned into an unexpected procedure. It was difficult and very uncomfortable. But the waiting for the results turned out to be even harder. It was days before Christmas during a global pandemic, the focus in the hospital was the vaccine rollout and I was told that the results will take longer than usual. I would have to wait and because of the unexpected nature of the procedure, I was not prepared for the suggested 7 day recovery — did I mention this was 3 days before Christmas? Since I could do little else, I sat in bed and started working on our current sermon series, Be Anxious For Nothing! (Yes, this series was for me!)

As I was searching the scriptures it was the passage in Acts 16 that changed my perspective from Woe is me to Whoowhoo God! Check out last weeks sermon.

So in the midst of a very dark time for me, I decided, please note that I didn’t feel, I decided to praise God. Not for my circumstance, but for who God is! God who is Good. God who has always been there. God who provides…even when it doesn’t look like what I think it should look like. In my praise, I was able to surrender my fear and anxiety to God. I was going to be okay regardless of what the outcome of the biopsy would be. I was praising God.

And just as God showed up in the middle of Paul and Silas’ praise, God showed up in the middle of my anxiety and fear. I felt a calm and a peace I had not felt in months. In the middle of the anxiety —God showed up. I am so relieved that the results of the biopsy were negative but I am even more grateful that even before that, God showed up in the middle of my praise. Beloveds, God can show up for you too!

Wherever you are, whatever is going on…Stop and take on the perspective of praise. Think of it as a bungee cord that pulls you back up when your thoughts cause you to plummet. We put on a perspective of Praise…not for what is happening but for who God is.

When you do, God will most certainly show up and when God shows up we can handle anything this crazy world throws at us.

To God be the Glory!