We live in an increasingly dangerous world. Since COVID-19, women in the workforce are experiencing drastic increases in anxiety and depression. According to a recent survey by Total Brain, anxiety levels among working women have increased 52%, versus 29% among working men. The same survey found that working women’s level of a depressed mood has increased 83% versus 36% for men (Forbes).
If the COVID pandemic wasn’t enough, with the onset of the COVID vaccine, anxiety is at an all-time high. Vaccine injuries (from medical peer reviewed articles) include over thirty deadly injuries: myocarditis, thrombocytopenia, cerebral venous thrombosis, vasculitis, and the list goes on. The death rate in the U.S. among the healthiest sample (19-59 years) since the COVID vaccine, is up 167%. (Biotoxinjourney.com)
Life insurance companies paid out 163% more for deaths of working people ages 18-64 in 2021. Total claims/benefits were $6 billion plus. Death rates in Europe are highest among the vaccinated. All data now shows that COVID did not cause any more deaths than is normal for a flu season! All the above data comes from official government agencies. Why haven’t you heard this you might ask? Ask Big Gov, Big Media, and Big Pharma. (Biotoxinjourney.com)
Statistics now show there was no spike in deaths during the COVID “outbreak.” But there has been a significant spike in deaths since the vaccine roll-out. For those who are informed, do research, and thoughtfully consider the importance of their health, the data is disturbing. Knowing what we know can cause stress and anxiety. (Ibid.)
An Ancient Practice
So, how do we navigate the growing pressure we feel? The knowledge that most of our government officials don’t have our best interest in mind is frightening for some. How do we handle the temptations to fear as we see the growing power of “The Great Reset”? (see my sermon on the subject at theroad.org/sermons) How do we journey forward in the new year with such anxiety all around us?
May I suggest an ancient practice from God. Moses taught it to Joshua. David followed it. Jesus practiced it. The apostles understood its value.
As Moses handed over the reins of leadership to Joshua, he instructed him, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” (Joshua 1:8 NKJV)
Meditation in God’s Word is still the most powerful way to navigate anxiety in your life. I have written extensively about meditation in past blogs (my most popular was “Sage’s Bone.”) But what I haven’t written on are the benefits of meditation. Here are a few benefits that come with taking time to meditate.
Benefits of Meditation
- Meditation slows us down enough to hear from God. God speaks quietly. God speaks in ways that force us to calm down and listen. If you want to hear God’s voice for your life, slow down and meditate in God’s Word.
- Meditation increases attention. A 2018 study led by the University of California, Davis, Center for Mind and Brain, and published in the Journal of Cognitive Enhancement, revealed that increased ability to sustain one’s attention was more deeply developed through meditation.
- Meditation reduces stress. An immediate and long-proven benefit of meditation is reduced stress and a decreased level of cortisol in our brains and bodies. A 2013 study, also from the Center of Mind and Brain at UC Davis, confirmed the immediate connection between concentration and cortisol and underlines that participants saw major benefits in only a few weeks of meditation.
- Meditation boosts memory. Research conducted over the past decade and published by the American Psychological Association (APA) found a direct correlation between men in the military who had practiced meditation compared to those who followed normal protocol and found a dramatic increase in knowledge recall under stressful conditions.
- Meditation curbed overreaction to stressful situations. In an early study also published by the APA, people who meditated and practiced mindfulness were better able to disengage from emotionally upsetting content and were able to better focus on tasks compared to other participants who were introduced to the same content but had not meditated.
The Benefits of beginning each day by taking just a few minutes to meditate in God’s Word can have huge ramifications as we navigate an increasingly dangerous world.
Pastor Steve
