“ANXIOUS HEART!”

 Isaiah 35:1-7                               (ESV)

“1 The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus; 

2 it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. THEY SHALL SEE THE GLORY OF THE LORD, THE MAJESTY OF OUR GOD. 

3 Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. 

4 Say to those who have an “ANXIOUS HEART”, "BE STRONG; FEAR NOT! Behold, your GOD will come with vengeance, with the recompense of GOD.  HE WILL COME AND SAVE YOU." 

5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; 

6 then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; 

7 the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down, the grass shall become reeds and rushes.”

In times of doubt and dismay, I at times find myself with an “ANXIOUS HEART”, not trusting that GOD is in CONTROL!  Although I do my best to keep my mind on things that are above (Colossians 3:2), “the enemy” is ever trying to infiltrate all of our minds, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8)!  When he has our minds on daily problems, we live in fear of what might happen instead of living in JOY of who we are in JESUS CHRIST!  

Recently “the enemy” was playing deceitful games with my mind concerning an issue that is WAY BIGGER than I know how to deal with.  Like the Apostle Paul in Romans 7:15-20, I “still” want to do things my way and try to figure out how GOD is going to resolve the issue at hand.  GOD isn’t confined by the limits of the human imagination, nor by the way “this world” always does things.  HE has a PLAN, and that PLAN will be fulfilled!  

In the passage of Scripture above, Isaiah tells us “THEY SHALL SEE THE GLORY OF THE LORD, THE MAJESTY OF OUR GOD”!  Blind eyes will be opened, deaf ears shall hear, and a lame man shall leap like a deer when GOD IS ON THE SCENE.  Luke 1:37 says “For NOTHING will be IMPOSSIBLE with GOD”, so the mind of man should definitely NOT think it can comprehend what is possible with the ALMIGHTY calling the shots!  Why, then, do I have an “ANXIOUS HEART” when I experience hardships and turmoil in my life?  I am NOT IN CONTROL, but HE IS!

The psalmist writes in Psalms 23:4 “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will FEAR NO EVIL, for YOU ARE WITH ME; YOUR rod and YOUR staff, THEY COMFORT ME.”  FEAR and DOUBT can only visit me when my eyes wonder to what “the enemy” wants me to gaze upon.  JESUS, the VICTOR, says to keep my EYES on things that are above, which will remedy the consequences from an “ANXIOUS HEART”!!!