Feeling Anxious and Struggling to Find Jesus

That feeling when your heart races, your mind won't quiet, and peace seems like a distant memory.

You're not alone, and -the best news is - there's hope waiting for you!

We're going to dive deep into what Jesus actually meant when He promised, "Peace I leave with you." 

Jesus offers us his Peace. Not freedom from any of life's storms but REAL freedom! Freedom from being internally devastated by those storms.

Philippians 4:6-7 shows you how real peace follows surrender, not circumstance change. 

Rather than carrying the crushing weight of trying to control everything, we can find relief in giving our anxieties to God, trusting Him long before seeing resolution. The sequence matters: prayer first, peace after.

Ready for a different approach to anxiety? Intentional stillness and trust create space for God's supernatural peace in our lives, space that anxiety may be trying to take over.

Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and remember you don't need to have it all together – Jesus meets you right in the storm, whispering "Peace, be still" to your troubled heart. 

Share this with someone who needs encouragement, and download the WPER app for more spiritual nourishment whenever anxiety strikes.

Let us know what you think - send us a text here!!

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
This is your encouraging five-minute podcast.
Over the next five minutesencouraging you, giving you
something to maybe inspire you,lift your day, just to reassure
you that God is good.
And, by the way, if you needmore encouragement at the end of
the five-minute encouragementpodcast, you can always listen
to WPER Virginia's Home forEncouragement.

(00:21):
Download the app too, if youneed that.
If you're out of that area,just search WPER.
And since you clicked on thisepisode, pretty safe to say that
you're probably feeling anxious, maybe.

Speaker 2 (00:31):
Maybe you're anxious about something you haven't even
shared with anybody else, ormaybe life just feels loud and
overwhelming, and peace, youknow especially the kind of
peace that Jesus talks aboutfeels like totally unreachable.
So if that's you today, we wantyou to know that you are not
alone and, more importantly,that there's hope.
Truly, there is hope that youcan have peace like for real

(00:54):
peace, like the peace Jesustalked about.

Speaker 1 (00:56):
And John 14, 27,.
Jesus says peace I leave withyou.
My peace I give to you.
I don't give to you as theworld gives.
Don't let your hearts betroubled and do not be afraid.

Speaker 2 (01:07):
Now, if you're anything like us, there have
been days when you've read orheard that Bible verse and
thought well, it soundsbeautiful, but how do I actually
get to feel that peace Exactly?
That's really the heart of whatwe're going to be talking about
here today, because peace inJesus isn't about having a
trouble-free life, right, it'sabout knowing who is with us in

(01:28):
the trouble.
And there's a story in Mark 4about when Jesus and his
disciples were in a boat.
A big old storm comes out outof nowhere and the disciples
freak out, which is funny if youthink about it, because some
were fishermen and people whoactually know the sea.
But okay, so this storm isfierce and all the while the

(01:49):
boat is rocking and there'swater all over the place and the
waves are crashing around them.
And all of the disciples wereterrified that Jesus was asleep
like sound asleep in that kindof storm.
So the disciples wake him upand, of course, they're
terrified.
They're in a parodic andthey're yelling at him, don't
you?
care if we drown, Jesus gets up,speaks to the storm, speaks to

(02:12):
the wind and to the waves andsays peace, A full sentence.
Peace be still.
And just like that, everythingcalmed down.
So here's what I love Evenbefore he calmed the storm
outside, Jesus was calm, notjust inside the boat, but inside
his heart.
Right, the peace that Jesusoffers us isn't about changing

(02:32):
every circumstance or calmingevery storm.
It's about changing us in themiddle of that, because his
presence is our peace.

Speaker 1 (02:41):
Anxiety and stress tell us that everything's on us.
We got to figure it all out.
We can't rest until everythingis under control and under calm.

Speaker 2 (02:50):
Right, but the truth is we're never meant to carry
that kind of weight.

Speaker 1 (02:53):
No, like it says in Philippians 4, verses 6 and 7,
reminds us.
It says don't be anxious aboutanything, but in every situation
, by prayer and petition, withThanksgiving, make sure say I'm
thankful.
Present those requests to God,and the peace of God, which
transcends all understanding,will guard your hearts and your
minds in Christ Jesus.

Speaker 2 (03:14):
Now back up just a second.
Did you catch that littlelittle peace comes after we hand
it over to the Lord.
Peace comes after we pray,after we thank him, like way
before things are even fixed.
It's after we trust that hehears us and that he sees us and
that he is already at work,even when we can't see evidence

(03:37):
of it yet.
You don't have to pretendyou're okay.
You can be honest with God.
You can bring him into yourfears and your worries and your
doubts.
He isn't disappointed in youfor feeling anxious.
He's inviting you to bring allthat makes you anxious to him.

Speaker 1 (03:53):
His word says it, Jesus says it.
Come to me all you who areweary and burdened, and I'll
give you rest.
That's Matthew 11, 28.

Speaker 2 (04:00):
Okay.
So rest.
Not performance, not pressure,not the responsibility of
figuring it all out Rest.
So right now, I want to inviteyou to do something simple.
Unless you're driving, thenkeep your eyes open, but if you
can close your eyes, take a deepbreath, let it in and let it
out.
Do it one more time Inhale,exhale, let your shoulders relax

(04:21):
, let your jaw unclench, letyourself be still like for a
moment.
Now, quietly, just repeat thisJesus, I trust you.
Even when I don't feel it, evenwhen I don't see it, I know you
are with me because you are mypeace.
Thank God that he doesn't waitfor us to have it all together,
thank God that he meets us rightin the storm and thank God that

(04:42):
he whispers peace.

Speaker 1 (04:44):
Be still Hope you've been encouraged today.
If you know someone who needsencouragement, invite them to
listen to the Encouraging5-Minute Podcast, and if you
need more encouragement, you canalways listen to WPER.
Virginia is home forencouragement outside that area.
Just download the app.
Wper is what you're searchingfor.