Paraklesis – encouragement, exhortation, for life and ministry
May 2026
Peter Adam
Dear and beloved friends,
An anxious world
We live in an anxious generation, and in anxious times! People who are anxious often increase anxiety in others, an atmosphere of anxiety, a tendency to anxiety. World news increases our anxiety; local events increase our anxiety; and caring for others who are anxious increases our own anxiety. Paul carries ‘the anxieties [concerns, worries,] of all the churches’ [2 Cor 12:28]. We may find even the anxieties of one church or ministry a considerable burden.
The effects of anxiety
Anxiety taxes our energy, tests our endurance, tries our faith, and reduces our creativity. It drains our ability to focus on anything other than the cause of our anxiety, and makes us focus more and more on ourselves. Anxiety is counter-productive, not productive!
It is not always the case that the matters about which we are anxious are trivial: sometimes they are very demanding and serious. It is our response to them which matters. We can respond with destructive fear. We might respond with inappropriate arrogance or dismissal. We need to learn to respond with faith and trust in God, and praise and worship to God.
Our anxieties are often two-fold. We are anxious both about the subject of our anxiety, and also anxious about our response to that anxiety. ‘What should I do?’ ‘How can I resolve the issue?’ ‘Is a solution possible?’ ‘What will happen if I don’t know what to do, or don’t succeed in doing it and solving the problem?’
Paul rightly carries ‘the anxieties of all the churches’, and most of his letters are attempts to resolve the causes of these anxieties. He carries the weight of those anxieties, but is not weighed down by them, defeated by them, or dis-empowered by them.
As ordinary people, we carry the worries of our age. As believers, we carry the worries of our lives as believers. As people in gospel ministry, we also carry gospel worries, church worries, ministry worries.
Notice this progression in the kinds of prayer we might pray.
- Please help me to cope with this worry.
- Please work in my life to strengthen me to cope with this worry.
- I trust you about this worry, and I entrust this worry to you.
- I trust you that you are using this worry for your good purposes in my life.
- I thank you because you are a gracious God, and you order all things for our good and your glory, and I entrust this worry to you.
- I praise and worship you, because you are glorified in our weaknesses, and your grace is made perfect in our weakness. Please work your good purposes through this issue.
- We praise and worship you because you are a great and glorious God, our wise ruler and Saviour. I trust you to work all things for good, and for your glory, including this matter. To you be glory and praise forever!
Notice that these prayers grow from being self-centred to being more and more God-centred.
There is nothing wrong with self-centred prayers: God loves us to turn to him and ask him to help us! Begin where you are, not where you think you ought to be!
It may well take intentionality and time to make progress from anxiety and worry to praise and worship. Don’t be afraid of life-long learning!
Making progress in one of our worries or anxieties will help us make progress with other worries or anxieties as well. We are developing and exercising our trust muscles, our thanks muscles and our praise and worship muscles!
[If you have so many worries you don’t know where to start, begin with the biggest and most constant one!]
To make progress, you could put this habit into practice
When praying about a worry, discipline yourself to learn to spend 2/3rds of your prayer time praising and thanking God for who he is, for his power, grace, compassion, kindness, authority and constant care of us; and then 1/3rd of your prayer time lamenting and grieving about the subject of your anxiety, telling God that you trust him about this, and entrust this to him, and asking God to give you wisdom about what to do about it, and the strength to do it!
God-centred, God-focussed prayer is the best antidote to ineffective worrying! And God-centred, God-focussed prayer leads to a God-centred, God-focussed life!
Here are some Bible verses to use in your praise and thanks to God as you bring your anxieties and worries to him. I am sure you will add some of your own!
I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame [Ps 34:4,5].
The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms [Deut 33:27].[1]
The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised [Job 1:21].
The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing [Ps 23:1].
Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. Fear the LORD, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing [Ps 34:8,9].
Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, or his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, ‘The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him’ [Lam 3:22-24].
I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness [Jer 31:1].
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven [Matt 6:3-10].
The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD [Lam 3:25,26].
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light [Matt 11:28-30].
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, wehave peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And weboast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but wealso glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us [Romans 5:1-5].
In all things God works for the good of those who love him [Romans 8:28].
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord [Rom 8:38,39].
From [God] and through him and for him are all things. To him be glory forever, Amen [Romans 9:36].
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort [2 Cor 1:23].
Our light and momentary afflictions are working an eternal weight of glory that far outweighs them all [2 Corinthians 4:17].
My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness [2 Corinthians 12:9].
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen [Eph 3:20,21].
I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength [Phil 4:12,13].
Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God [Heb 12:1,2].
God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it [Heb 12:10,11].
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything [Jas 1:2-4].
[N]ow for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed [1 Pet 1:6,7].
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you [1 Pet 5:6.7].
And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen [1 Pet 5:10,11].
To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Saviour be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen [Jude 24,25].
May our gracious God move us to more and more thanks, praise, and worship of him, both in our lives and in our ministries, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
With warmest greetings, and love in our Lord Jesus.
Yours,
[1] NIV 11