Overview
Rev. Jon Ryan examines “Prayer Extinguishes Anxiety” through Psalms 118, Psalm 118, Psalm 138, Psalm 66, showing how prayer, situation, about shape a believer’s relationship with God, daily choices, and service to others.
Transcript
Understanding Prayer Extinguishes Anxiety
Prayer extinguishes anxiety. I use that word extinguish with purpose. I want you to consider how as we live in our homes, let’s start there, that if you’ve ever had a situation where something on the stove has caught fire, it can be a pretty scary situation.
You don’t want your home to burn down. And so it’s recommended that you put that fire out as quickly as possible. I one time was, I was a young man and I was actually talking to my fiance across the country.
And I was cooking in Utah, I was cooking these things called soap appears, which is like fried dough. And I had the oil heating up on the stove and got distracted. And the oil reached a flash point.
And all of a sudden, there was a flame, a big flame out of the pot. And there was going all the way up around the hood of the stove and up to the ceiling. I quickly grabbed a cover and put it on the pan so that that fire was doused.
And then I grabbed the pan and by the handles with two oven mitts and carried it out to the back porch and put it on the porch so that I wouldn’t have a chance of getting any more damage. And then I had to go about the arduous task of cleaning all the smoke and soot off of the cabinets and the ceiling and replacing the cabinet doors. But gratefully, I didn’t burn the house down.
I had three other roommates that I had to explain what I was doing when they came home. But certainly it can be a time when you get filled with anxiety. So we keep things on hand like we’ve got a fire extinguisher right near our kitchen nowadays.
So that kind of thing doesn’t happen. And that’s just an incident that can happen. But when we see a fire, that’s not a cooking fire.
We want to put it out as quickly as possible. So I’m relating that when we are tempted or challenged to get anxious, we don’t want to continue in that anxiety or fear ridden state. We want to douse that flame.
So if you turn to Philippians chapter four, we’re going to look at a little bit about prayer. God has given us prayer and it’s direct access to Him so that when we have a situation that can cause us to be stressed, be anxious, we can turn to Him. He encouraged us to turn to Him and to make our request to Him.
And then we can be assured that we don’t have to live in that anxiety ridden state that God hears us. In Philippians chapter four, in verse six, we read, be careful for nothing, but in all things, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your request be made known unto God. I want to read this from the amplified classic version.
So if you don’t have that, you can just listen. Do not fret or have anxiety about anything. But in every circumstance and in everything by prayer and petition, which are definite requests, with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God.
And it goes on in verse seven, and God’s peace shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ. And so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount a guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. A little bit of a longer version of that verse, but as we make our specific requests with thanksgiving, with thanks unto God, then we can have that peace.
The Biblical Foundation
The anxiety is doused. That’s a pretty great thing to happen. Turn to Psalms.
Psalms 118. Psalms. You know, a number of years ago, our children were small, and it was about three weeks or so after Christmas.
And they had received, each of our three children had received a check from their grandmother that they could use to go and buy a toy or whatever they wanted, clothing. And we had told them that we would pick a weekend sometime in the new year where we’d go to the store. And so came the weekend, I think it was the third weekend of January, and I said, well, let’s go get your checks, and we’re going to go to the store.
And the two oldest children came running down, and the third child was nowhere to be found, and eventually we called him from downstairs and said, Daniel, coming downstairs? And he came down, and he was all upset. He was very anxious. He says, Dad, I can’t find my check.
Will you be able to give me a check to replace it? I said, Daniel, no, I don’t have a check to replace it. And he was just downtrodden, and I said, well, now let’s talk about this, Daniel. Do you think God knows where that check is? He says, yeah, I thought I knew where it was, and it wasn’t where I looked.
I said, well, let’s pray. And so we just sat together, the five of us, my wife and three children, and we prayed. And then as soon as we finished praying, I prayed that God would show him where the check was.
He ran right back upstairs, and his older brother ran after him. And just about a minute later, they came bouncing down the stairs all elated, excited. I said, so what happened? He said, I had put my check in the dresser, my dresser, but when we prayed, I got the thought to pull the drawer out of the dresser, and there was my check kind of stuck to the back wall, inside wall of the dresser.
I said, Daniel, God just showed you. He just gave you the answer to your prayer, and it was such a great victory for our family. Well, that may be a little situation, but God is the same for us, no matter what situation we’re facing.
Psalm 118 and verse 5. Out of my distress, I called upon the Lord, and the Lord answered me and set me free and in a large place. The Lord is on my side. I will not fear what man can do to me.
See, there’s the distress that can sometimes happen with a situation, and there’s the answer. God is on our side. He won’t let us go without an answer.
Look at Psalm 138. Psalm 138, please. There’s a few places.
There’s actually a lot of places where we can learn about how God is there for His people when they call upon Him. Psalm 138 and verse 3. In the day when I called, you answered me, and you strengthened me with strength. Actually, I’m reading the… I just realized I was reading the Amplified version.
So if you guys didn’t follow, it’s because I was not reading King James. Let me put the King James version in here. So Psalm 138, 3. In the day when I cried, thou answered me, and strengthenest me with strength in my soul.
Examples and Spiritual Lessons
Strengthened me with strength. I love that. God will give us what we need.
Sometimes we just need more strength in our minds. Instead of being distressed or forlorn, we just say, hey, you know what? I’ve got a connection with the Creator of the heavens and the earth, and He will strengthen us. We just go to Him.
Look at Psalm 66, please. Psalm 66. And here in verse 19 of Psalm 66, I love that last part, his mercy.
God’s mercy is when we actually have done something that deserves consequence, but God doesn’t give us consequence. He’s merciful, and so He’s able to just answer our prayer. Sometimes we get ourselves in a bad situation, like when I was trying to cook that thing on the stove, and that’s not a good situation.
So God had mercy. It didn’t burn the house down. So that’s just an example of anxiety, but sometimes it’s more of a personal situation.
I want to give you an example. A while ago, I was serving in this one area. Actually, it was in Connecticut, and I had this family that was part of our fellowship, and I received a call about 9 o’clock at night from the dad, and he was very distressed, and he told me that his 16-year-old daughter hadn’t come home from school.
So it had been all afternoon and evening, and they just went into her room and saw that she had written a letter and left it on her bed that said she was not coming back. She had run away, and he was very concerned, and he said, would you pray? And I said, well, I’ll be right over. So I got my car, and I drove over to their house, and I met with mom and dad, and the younger son, the 11-year-old son, and I said, well, let’s pray.
I said, because God knows where your daughter is, and he will protect her, and so we prayed, and then I told mom and the younger son, I said, you guys stay here, but me and dad are going to go for a ride, and we just got in the car, and we drove. We were, at the time, they lived on the east side of Hartford, Connecticut, in a city called Manchester, and we drove into Hartford. I said, you drive, and let’s head towards Hartford, and so we started to drive into Hartford, and after about five minutes, they said, well, let’s hop back up on the highway, and so we jumped back up on the highway and went further west to the next city, which was New Britain, Connecticut, and as we’re driving along, I just said, let’s take this exit, and so we took the exit and went underneath the overpass, and there was this apartment complex just on the other side of the highway.
It was a pretty big apartment complex. I said, let’s turn in here, and I’m just moving along. Dad and I are just not really having much conversation, and we go into this complex, and there’s probably like 20 buildings.
It’s a pretty big apartment complex. I said, just drive around for a little bit, and we drove around for maybe five minutes, and we get to this one building. I said, well, let’s park here in front of this door in one of the buildings.
I said, let’s just pray, and so we pulled into this parking spot, and we prayed together, and it couldn’t have been two minutes before the door opened to this building, and here comes his daughter walking out with another person, and he sees his daughter, and he turns and looks at me, and he’s got tears streaming down his face. I said, go get your daughter, and he gets out of the car, and as he approached her, she looked at him, and then she looked at the car at me, and she started crying. Not because she was afraid.
She told us that she saw at that moment that God loved her, because in her mind I represented, I was the coordinator of the fellowship, and I represented God, and she knew there was no way we could have known where she was. This was not a place she had ever been before. She had met with somebody and gone to their friend’s house, and she just saw there that God loved her, and indeed God does.
Faith in Action
See, so we just had to pray, and then not be anxious, and then we took action. That’s how simple it is. Look at Isaiah.
Psalm, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Psalm and Solomon. Isaiah. Let’s go to Isaiah chapter 58.
Isaiah 58. And in verse 9, Isaiah 58-9. Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer.
Thou shalt cry, and he shall say, here I am, if thou take away from the midst of the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity. See, when I read that, I think about how at times when something goes wrong, we can maybe start to point fingers, maybe even at ourselves, and trying to cast blame for why this negative thing has happened. But that’s not what to do.
We go to God. We don’t point fingers. We don’t speak vanity.
It goes on. And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul, then shalt thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noon day. And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in droughts, and make fat thy bones.
And thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. What a vivid picture. When we cry out to God, we don’t have to start pointing fingers or blaming or trying to evaluate that way.
We just look to Him, and He’s going to take care of us. He’s going to provide for us like a watered garden and that darkness will turn to noon day. That’s what it was like for this girl.
As a matter of fact, I received an instant message from this girl that I told you about that we found when she was 16, and I got an instant message from her a couple of years ago. It was now 20 years later. She was 36 years old, and she told me that she had never forgotten that situation, and that’s what changed her life.
She saw how much God cared for her that He would direct our steps to her. How great is that? That’s the darkness turning to noon day. Look at Hebrews in the back of your Bible, Hebrews, and go to Hebrews 11.
God is there for us all the time. It says here in chapter 11 of Hebrews in verse 6, but without faith, it is impossible to please Him. For He that cometh to God, that’s prayer.
We come to God. He that cometh to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. See, that’s the attitude we can have when we pray, as we believe God is.
We’re not just talking to the ceiling. We are opening our hearts to share whatever it is with God, our Heavenly Father, and we are confident that He’s a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him, that He will hear and answer our prayer. What a great thing that God has given us.
Walking in Love and Confidence
He’s given us access to Him. There’s nothing that compares to that. Turn to Acts 16, the book of Acts.
Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts. You know, there’s so many records. Jesus Christ certainly prayed.
Time after time we can read it in the pages of the Gospels. And there was times when He would be challenged. Most likely the greatest challenge He ever faced was at the very end of His life when He knew that He was supposed to lay down His life.
He could read it in the Old Testament, but that’s what He was to come to do. He read also that God would raise Him from the dead, but this was a challenge for Him. And it says just before He was arrested that He was with His closest followers and He went out into the Garden of Gethsemane.
And there He prayed. He told them to watch and pray with Him. And then He went a little further and prayed.
And it was intense prayer as He was just coming to God with His heart open. God, if this cup can pass from Me, let it pass. But not My will, but Thine be done.
And then He went again and checked on His men. They were sleeping. They had fallen asleep.
The pressure was so heavy. And He went and prayed a second time and a third time. And then after the third time, He was no longer stressed and agonizing.
He was at peace. Matter of fact, He came back and told His men, okay, the time is at hand. And here came the whole cohort of soldiers to arrest Him.
There was about 600 soldiers when we read the record. We’re not going to read the record, but there was about 600 soldiers. And He, when they approached, said, whom seek He? And they say, Jesus of Nazareth.
This is in John chapter 19. And He said, I am He. And all 600 men fell back on their butts, it says in the Word.
That’s how much power He had to wield. He knew, He said at one point, if I call on God, He will give me 12 legions of angels, 72,000 angels. See, He no longer was in stress or anxiety.
Applying the Teaching in Daily Life
He knew that God was with Him. And He then needed to just go forward to accomplish what God had called Him to do. Thankfully, we don’t have to lay down our lives because He did it once and for all.
But that’s the example we have of you go to God in prayer, or the stress is like a fire, and the prayer is the extinguisher. It’s going to put out the fire and make everything calm again. In Acts chapter 16, here’s a record where the Apostle Paul has found himself in a real stressful situation.
He and his companion Silas have been thrown into jail just for healing a woman. And in Acts chapter 16, let’s go to verse 19. So there in this prison, and in verse 19, it says that when her masters, this woman that Paul had healed was, it says, a soothsayer.
And she had made a lot of money for her masters, like one of these psychic readers we see sometimes as we travel around. And it was bringing in a big income because she has masters, plural. And they’re upset because once she got healed, she shut down her business.
I’m not doing this anymore. In verse 19, and when her master saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas and drew them into the marketplace, unto the rulers, and brought them to the magistrate saying, these men being Jews do exceedingly trouble our city and teach customs which are not lawful for us to receive, needed to observe being Romans. They’re just, they’re upset that their businesses shut down, but Paul and Silas were bringing truth, bringing good news to the community.
But that’s, these are the lies that they were told. Verse 23. I’m sorry, verse 22.
And the multitude rose up together against them, and the magistrates rent off their clothes and commanded to beat them. And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailer to keep them safely. I would say the fire is raging at this point.
They can be tempted to be very stressed. They’ve just been beaten. They’ve put into this inner prison.
Who knows what lies ahead of them? But are they stressed? No, they go to God in prayer. Verse 24. Who having received such a charge, the jailer having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison and made their feet fast in the stocks.
So not only in the inner prison, but their feet are in shackles. Verse 25. And at midnight, Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises unto God, and the prisoners heard them.
Paul and Silas determined to pray to put out the fire. They knew who they were. They knew who God was.
And so they prayed. And suddenly, verse 26, there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken, and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bands were loosed. That’s a pretty specific earthquake.
It doesn’t crash on them and bury them in the rubble. They’re in the inner prison. It just specifically opens the doors and breaks the shackles that are around all these prisoners.
A Life Shaped by God’s Word
This is their answer to prayer. And suddenly, there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken, and immediately all the doors were opened, that everyone’s bands were loosed, and the keeper of the prison were waking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had fled. In those days, the guard was charged with keeping these prisoners, and if he failed, it would cost him his life.
So he was about to take his own life. But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, do thyself no harm, for we are all here. Then he, the jailer, called for a light and sprang in and came trembling and fell down before Paul and Silas, and brought them out and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? What a dramatic turnaround.
From being beaten, and in this terrible situation, and the inner prison shackled, to now being able to help this jailer save his life by calling out in the darkness, don’t hurt yourself, and then to be able to bring this man, if you read the rest of the record, and he gets saved. He says, what must I do to be saved? And Paul and Silas go on to tell him, and then they’re released from the prison the next day. And so they prayed to extinguish the fire.
That’s how God works. Well, let’s close. We’re going to go back to that Philippians chapter 4 where we started.
And I’m going to read to you again this verse 6. Philippians 4 verse 6. Be careful. And that word careful is anxious. It’s Old English for anguish.
Be anxious. Be careful for nothing. But in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your request be made known unto God.
And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. That’s what we do when we get under stress is we just go to God in prayer. I’m going to read this same verse from the Message Bible.
It says, 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 center of your life. I love that rendition.
So we don’t have to get all depressed and upset when something comes towards us, some news comes towards us, maybe a physical situation we begin to get under. We just turn to God, the creator of the heavens and the earth, with prayer, and that extinguishes the fire and helps us to be settled and to be peaceful and to get our answer. So God, I thank you for how you do take care of us and that we can walk with you, that we can come to you in any situation, and that you hear and answer us.
You direct our steps. And just as you have always taken care of those men and women that have turned to you, that you will take care of us so we can be at peace and we can get the victory. Thanks in the name of Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Key Takeaways
- God has given us prayer and it’s direct access to Him so that when we have a situation that can cause us to be stressed, be anxious, we can turn to Him.
- And he was just downtrodden, and I said, well, now let’s talk about this, Daniel.
- And just about a minute later, they came bouncing down the stairs all elated, excited.
- Well, that may be a little situation, but God is the same for us, no matter what situation we’re facing.
- There’s actually a lot of places where we can learn about how God is there for His people when they call upon Him.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main message of “Prayer Extinguishes Anxiety”?
Rev. Jon Ryan examines “Prayer Extinguishes Anxiety” through Psalms 118, Psalm 118, Psalm 138, Psalm 66, showing how prayer, situation, about shape a believer’s relationship with God, daily choices, and service to others.
Which scriptures are central to this teaching?
The teaching draws especially from Psalms 118, Psalm 118, Psalm 138, Psalm 66, Isaiah 58.
How can believers apply this teaching?
There’s actually a lot of places where we can learn about how God is there for His people when they call upon Him.
Scripture References
Psalms 118; Psalm 118; Psalm 138; Psalm 66; Isaiah 58; Hebrews 11
This text was prepared from the teaching audio or source document. Please verify scripture references against your own Bible.
