Oceans in the Desert

By Kathi Pelton

“Be anxious for nothing…” Philippians 4:6

As Christians we know this, we’ve heard this and we believe this— so why do we still deal with anxious thoughts or seasons of anxiety and stress?

Philippians 4:6 goes on to tell what to do if you are anxious and helpful ways to avoid it— and yet, many of the heroes of our faith dealt with times of great anxiety. Even Paul, who penned these words, dealt with anxiety and “lack of rest” over issues with the Churches of that day.

I have been a leader in the church for decades and I have watched behind the scenes the anxious thoughts and hearts that occur in even some of the most respected leaders. We would be lying to say that any of us do not experience these times.

Why?

Because we are human and we live in a fallen world.

We ALL deal with fears and anxieties on some level so please know that you are not alone in this predicament. The Bible gives us many examples of Godly men and women who dealt with anxiety (and fear).

Yet, these stories are not without a path and plan for freedom and victory.

Here are just a few examples:

Moses: God asked Moses to not only go back to Egypt to bring deliverance to his people, but then to lead them through a forty year wilderness. Moses had deep anxiety about his ability to speak clearly, to lead, to be believed by the people, and even anxiety about his own safety (Ex. 3-4). But he cried out to the Lord.

Elijah: Though Elijah witnessed great victories he also experienced deep anxiety. After his greatest victory; he ran into the wilderness, hid in a cave and prayed for death to come (1 Kings 19). But Elijah cried out to the Lord.

Hannah: She longed for a child! So much so that at times she could not eat or be comforted. The mockery and harassment of her husband’s other wife (who had children) greatly added to her anxiety. 1 Samuel 1:10 says this about her, “In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly,” Deep grief can cause anxiety and lead to weeping bitterly but Hannah wept before the Lord.

King David: If David was in the church today and people knew about his private sufferings there would probably be a lot of judgement— or deep concern for his faith or mental health. Yet, David wept, feared, had regrets, sinned and despaired. But in it all, he had a heart after God and cried out to him through each and every trial.

These are merely a few who dealt with times of fear and anxiety. So, if you have dealt with these things (which every one of you have!), do not be quick to count yourself out of doing great things with your life. You may be dealing with anxiety right now and feel like Hannah as she “wept bitterly” or like David when he said,

“I am worn out from my groaning…” “All night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears.” (Psalm 6:6)

But he wept before the Lord!

Did all of these have anxious thoughts? Even to the point of despair? Yes. But the one thing that each one did is that in their despair, THEY CRIED OUT TO THE LORD.

They didn’t have any profound wisdom that would have made for a great sermon. They had faith in the God who had been faithful to them and to their ancestors— and they knew that he was the only one who could save them.

Job knew this, Jonah knew this, Paul knew this and Jesus (who sweat blood) knew this.

You may not look like the picture of spiritual health and overcoming but if you are in despair and crying out to God as the one who can save you then you are probably in the best place spiritually that you’ve ever been.

How?

Because there is nothing of you or in you that you are relying on— ONLY ON GOD!

This is where great victories begin. And this is how you overcome fear and anxiety— by taking it to the feet of Jesus.

Do not let the enemy lie to you and shame you into putting on false fronts. It’s okay to weep but weep at his feet.

“For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may endure for a night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning.” Psalm 30:5

Your shout of joy will come. Though the night appears long and your grief feels like it will never end; your joy will last through all eternity.

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Thank you for sowing into all that the Lord desires to do in 2026

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