Peace in Panic

Peace in panic—you may be thinking that’s not so easy to do, and I totally agree. But think of it this way: When you and I face difficult, rushed, confusing moments and keep our “cool,” we have an amazing opportunity to demonstrate the difference Jesus makes in our lives. It was Rudyard Kipling who wrote: “If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you,” and he goes on to declare that then “yours is the earth and everything that’s in it.”1 Well, there I would disagree with him. For a Christ-follower when you can keep your head when everything is falling apart around you, then you will be a bold, strong witness to the power of God in you—and that is more attractive than words or sermons could ever be.

These times of panic, fear, and pressure are not just circumstances that happen to come our way, but rather they are God’s teaching moments in our lives. C. S. Lewis said that suffering of any kind is God’s “megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”2 I’m sure you can remember times of pressure and panic which caused you to finally look up—to recognize your need of God’s help and times when you learned to trust Jesus more and more.

Would you agree that the Christian life—our daily walk with God through all of life’s issues, good and bad—is about learning to trust God more and more? So often the Spirit of God whispers to me, “Mary, can’t you trust me?” When I’m at a loss for knowing what to do or falling apart because things aren’t going the way they should, that’s when I desperately need to trust God. Trust him that he has a plan, and it’s a good one; that nothing has taken him by surprise; that all things still work together for my good because I am his and I am his “called one.”

How many mornings I say to the Lord, “Lord, I really need you today.” Often I sing that great old hymn, “I need Thee, oh, I need Thee, every hour I need Thee.”3 There’s no doubt that times of pressure, of panic, or fear and worry help me see how much I need him. You too, right?

Jesus told us Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own (Matthew 6:34). When you and I start thinking about all we have to do tomorrow and the next day and the next, our mind goes into panic mode. The pressures build, and they are too much for us, because they are pressures from tomorrow. Jesus said we have enough to handle just for today.

But if we refuse to dwell on those fearful, worrying thoughts, the pressures of tomorrow won’t get to us.

One of the most important concepts we can grasp in our Christian life is that we are what we think. I find I bring on myself much of my own panic when my thoughts are totally out of control. Panic, pressure, confusion, fear—they all begin with your thought life. So, when there is no peace in your mind, in your life, stop and check out your thought patterns.

You see, if you can keep your mind peaceful, regardless of the hectic situation that faces you, you’ll have peace. You can have peace right in the middle of the panic! Isn’t that good news? You don’t have to give up peace just because you find yourself in the middle of a mess—as my good friend, Sharon, says: “a hot mess!”

Well, that’s nice to know, but how do we make it work? I have a sure fire, guaranteed formula for you. Ready? Here it is. When you’re feeling panic, worry, or fear, and you’re not feeling peaceful, stop and check out your thoughts. Take ten seconds and say to yourself, “I must refocus my thoughts so that I have peace.” And where do you refocus your thoughts? Here’s the secret—you won’t be surprised to learn that it’s found in God’s Word, Isaiah 26:3: You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.

Take some peace breaks; close your eyes, focus your mind on Jesus Christ and say to yourself, or out loud, if possible, “I want to be in perfect peace right now in the midst of this chaos, so I choose to focus my min