What do wildfires, heart attacks, and drunken sailors share in common with anxiety?
They show up unannounced, and you never know what they’re gonna do.
That’s why a hiding place is the difference between stability and a nervous breakdown.
It is a domain for unlimited strength and clarity, an antenna for answers to your biggest problems.
Anxiety you can’t handle
I wish a mentor had told me when I graduated from college, “Son, you have a great future. It’s tremendously exciting, and the possibilities for your gifts and talents are unlimited. But, you need an atomic fortress when all hell breaks loose because it’s going to explode often and in ways you can’t imagine.”
On second thought, I’m glad no one told me that because I probably would have holed up on a sailboat in the BVI for the rest of my life.
No doubt, the British Virgin Islands are a gateway to heaven for replenishing the soul.
God is overwhelmingly present throughout his creation.
Sometimes, all we need are warm winds and magnificent colors to rejuvenate our faith.
“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” James 1:5
He strengthens, he counsels, and he gives insight at your hiding place.
“Therefore, every person should pray to you in time of distress. You are my hiding place; you guard me from distress; with joyful shouts of deliverance you surround me. ‘I will instruct you and show you the way you should walk, give you counsel with my eye upon you. Do not be like a horse or mule, without understanding; with bit and bridle their temper is curbed, else they will not come to you.’ Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but mercy surrounds the one who trusts in the LORD.” Psalm 32:6-10
A domain of unlimited solutions
I have experienced numerous paradigm-shifting crises.
Each time I retreated to a hiding place, which changed over time.
- As a teenager, my bedroom
- In college, a creek
- Young adult, a walking track
- Midlife, a room above my garage
- Sometimes, a lake dock
- Occasionally, a beach
- In the city, a community park
Each encounter with God in His creation is a release of anxiety to the one who said . . .
“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart. I have overcome the world.” John 14 and 16 selected verses
He carries those who throw themselves upon him.
Surprising to me, but not to God
Two catastrophic events really got my attention.
The worst was the Financial Crisis of 2008.
It affected everybody’s money and nearly brought the financial world to an end.
Many folks don’t realize how serious this was and still is, especially in a hyper-inflated world.
And then there’s physical pain.
Nothing warned me of the autoimmune disease I encountered at 64 or the back pain my wife Judy endured from age 60 to 64.
And yet these atomic interruptions have one thing in common.
I brought each to my hiding place.
Anxiety flees your hiding place
Why? Your vision shifts from the seen to the unseen world, fostering mental and spiritual stability.
- STRENGTH
“The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.” Isaiah 58:11
- WISDOM
“Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you. Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” Isaiah 30:18-21
Go to your hiding place regularly and call on God.
Release anxiety and watch his wisdom, healing, and answers surprise you.