(April 15, 2024) Wayne Swift again calls it as it is, challenging us to seek peace by prayer when panic hits…

The world we live in is beset by drama so often causing panic!

Panic Grabs
The media need consumers… and nothing grabs a consumer like an urgent situation. Media headlines always work to bring you closer so that you need their insights.

One day a while back I checked The Age website for the cricket scores. But what caught my eye, grabbing me, was the headline highlighting Australian share market slumps following US trend. Out of interest, I read the article Australian share market slumps, tracking Wall Street losses and found that the S&P/ASX200 had fallen 29.6 points, or 0.39 per cent, to 7493.6, weighed down by 10 out of the 11 sectors. 

Not that I’m into market shares but S&P/ASX200 is a market-capitalisation weighted and float-adjusted stock market index of stocks listed on the Australian Securities Exchange. As this index is considered the benchmark for Australian equity performance, this fall indicated that interested rates could remain restrictive for longer and I knew that many Australians would be further effected.

ASX200 results also affect virtually everyone’s superannuation as the majority of funds invest in shares. A headline like that creates panic.

Media loves the hype of an impacting headlines!

Panic Shocks
Sadly though beneath the headlines the truth is we are dominated by news that’s sad and severe.

The war in Ukraine, the Hamas/Israel conflict, the Japanese earthquake and then the air crash that resulted in five lives lost. Virtually daily in the US there is a mass shooting of some sort. And over the weekend all Australia has been shocked by the Sydney shopping horror incident – Westfield Bondi Junction stabbing: six people killed, knife …

That in itself has caused a lot of sorrow to relatives and loved ones! How we feel for them, especially that little baby – how wonderful of even strangers leaving flowers and bereavement notes at the scene, even notes mentioning heartfelt prayers!

Panic Worries
Panic in general affects us… the constant talk about needed finances, needed lower interest, cost of living crisis, the threat of raised energy prices, raising interest rates, failing hospital arrangements and ongoing health challenges, mind-troubled individuals as highlighted by last weekend’s stabbing .

The macro scale picture is meant to have you headed one way, into a pit of worry. We all know mental health is a significant challenge in our country despite the relatively well-off society we experience. Anxiety, depression, disappointment and panic affect us and those we love in numbers far greater than before.

How do we inoculate ourselves?

Panic Addressed
We all have our issues… family relationships, money concerns, illness, future planning, and such. And they all take a personal toll. Even among joyous Sunday morning church services there are people who worry a lot and others who worry less.

My point of this article is not to judge but to offer a path forward.

The Bible speaks about worry and Jesus himself addressed it in Matthew 6:25-34:

^‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 

^‘Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you – you of little faith? 

‘So do not worry, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.’

Panic Rejected
When Jesus said, ‘Do not worry’ the original wording is ASX200 results – in simple terms ‘Do not be anxious!’

Yet some of us are anxious, worrying more than others and perhaps even feel guilty about some matters. And I’m talking about Christians here… those who should know God’s word and consequently should know better!

That you, hmm? Well do note this… panicking is –

• Addictive
• Controlling
• Destructive
• Disturbing
• Unproductive
• Without any benefit at all!

Panic can plague us, often at night, often causing sleeplessness and it definitely robs you of peace and rest. It is a design of the enemy to steal, kill and destroy. It has no positive side to it at all. Don’t justify it, don’t accommodate it – just reject it.

Here’s a phrase I want you to think about and memorise if it helps you – Let panic trigger prayer that produces peace. It will take time and it well be difficult especially if you are a chronic worrier but it’s worth the effort to get free.

Panic Prayer
Let panic triggered prayer produce peace!

The crux of what I want to say here is wrapped up in this simple passage of Philippians 4:6-7!

• New Living Translation says, ‘Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
• New International Version reads, ‘Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.’
• The Message puts it this way: ‘Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the centre of your life.’

Note the emphasis on prayer! There’s a world of freedom for you on offer… if you want it. Don’t let panic, worry and fear grip you. Set it free and you’ll be set free.

In short –  panic triggered prayer produces peace!

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Wayne and Ruth Swift pastor Resound Church, Scoresby, Victoria. Link: Web resound.church
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