I was having dinner with a dear friend the other evening. I asked him to share with me any issues in his life that were causing him anxiety. After naming a few, he inquired as to the reason for my question.

He knows I am an intovert and don’t really do well with small talk. So he nodded in an understanding way when I explained that it’s just natural for me to ask the people I care about such questions as “Are you encouraged or discouraged today?” or “What are you anxious about right now?” This is just my way of getting down to brass tacks and discovering how I can pray for my friends and loved ones. Which I do!

In his book Walden Henry David Thoreau made the observation that “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” Though Thoreau may have had the idea of resignation in mind, I think the word “desperation” covers a lot of territory and can include the dynamics of anxiety and despair. How sad, if true, that most human beings are walking around each day with low levels of anxiety rumbling beneath the surface of their conscious thoughts, motivating problematic attitudes and actions in an unnoticed way.

This is why I think it’s important for us to be in touch with what we’re anxious about. It’s only then that we can ask others to pray for us with the kind of specificity that triggers powerful responses. It’s only then that we can make the quality decision to surrender our anxiety to God a la Philippians 4:6 and experience his peace instead.

So, I ask you what I ask all my friends: What are you anxious about today?