Prone to Worry

CONQUERING ANXIETY WITH GOD

I remember the first time I got lost in a department store. You know the feeling: one minute you’re looking at something you hope your parent will buy for you, and the next you’re looking around wondering where that parent went. It’s an awful feeling because your kid brain starts panicking. Worry turns to pure dread as you wonder whether you’ll ever see them again. You can’t even think straight enough to find someone to ask for help, so you just hide away in a clothing rack.

Little did we know that getting lost in a store is a minor anxiety compared to what life could offer. Anxiety is considered a mental health crisis plaguing the world at large. It doesn’t matter where you live or whether you’re a Christian. All human minds are prone to worry. I know I’m no stranger to it. Some days it feels like all I’m doing is worrying about conversations I haven’t had yet or thinking of how to fix something I worry I did wrong. There’s no quick fix for panic, but when I’m anxious, I have a good friend that asks, “Well, what do you know is true?” Here are three things I know for sure:

Jesus doesn’t tell us how to manage our anxiety; He tells us to repent of it.

God is not indifferent to how we feel and wants us to bring all our anxieties to Him because He cares about us (1 Peter 5:7).

If you want to address your anxiety, you should consider your view of God. Do you believe that when you trust in Jesus’ sacrifice, you can come to God with confidence? He says that He will hear you and wants to give you the peace you’re looking for. Hebrews 4:16 says, “So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most” (NLT). In his letter to the church in Philippi, Paul tells the readers that they should bring their worries to God in prayer and ask for what they need. He says that by doing this, God’s peace, which is above their understanding, will guard their hearts and minds (Philippians 4:6-7). If you’re battling anxiety and fear, according to the Bible, you’re in a great position to experience the love and care of God. He invites you to go to Him with it.

Jesus says not to worry about our lives (Matthew 6:25), and when we come to Him, we’ll be given true rest (Matthew 11:28-30).

365 times the Bible states, “Do not fear.” Both Paul and Jesus command this. It is true, then, that persistent worry and anxiety are sinful. Ultimately, they expose a lack of trust in God and a desire to control our own lives. Jesus doesn’t tell us how to manage our anxiety; He tells us to repent of it. Romans 6:14 says, “Do not let sin have dominion over you.” Worry and anxiety shouldn’t control you. Being in bondage to them is a miserable way to live. The world defines anxiety as a disorder, which makes those who experience it a victim, and there is little hope besides trying to think positive and self-soothe. If worry is a sin as the Bible says it is, then I am not a victim of it. I can confess my worry before God. I can repent of believing God won’t take care of me and that I have to handle things myself. A Christian giving up their worries to trust God’s plan will, in the end, experience the peace that comes only from Him. In Christ, we have the power to conquer our anxious thoughts through the Spirit we are given: “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control” (2 Timothy 1:7, ESV).

We can take things day-by-day (Matthew 6:34).

Matthew 6:34 says, “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today” (NLT). Each day you choose to follow God, you have the mission of loving others and telling others about Him. This requires us to be present where we are and attentive to those around us. Anxiety, on the contrary, is a response to the uncontrollable and the impending. It robs us of the ability to live a life attentive to the needs of others. Living in the moment allows us to put our faith into action. It simplifies the focus of our lives and helps us to fulfill Jesus’ first and second greatest commandments: love God and love others (Matthew 22:37-38).

It seems easier to find our own ways to deal with anxiety. We try to numb it, distract ourselves from it, or embrace it, and accept that it’s just who you are, but these solutions never work long-term. God knows best and wants to give you an abundant life. He has the solution to our anxiety. It is our dependence on Jesus, both for the forgiveness of our sin and to take care of our needs, that brings rest, not our striving to coordinate everything. True rest comes from trusting that Jesus is a better Lord of your life than you are. Surrendering control to Him brings relief from you having to make all the right choices. 

The simple gospel of Jesus shows us the big picture: we’re screw-ups, we can be saved and made whole, and we know what the future holds for those who trust Him. A life surrendered to God brings Him glory and brings us peace. God cares deeply about the health of our minds and His answer to stress and worry is to rely on Him. He is the Father that will search every clothing rack until He finds you. And if that doesn’t work, He’ll run to the customer service desk and have you paged over the intercom. The Bible records an intimate moment between Christ and His Father just before Jesus’ death. It says in Luke 22:44, “Being in agony, He [Jesus] prayed more earnestly” (NKJV). Let your agony bring you close to Him, too. Because we live in a broken world, there will always be something to worry about. For that reason, it is all the more beautiful that Christians, because of Jesus, can be a picture of joy and peace in the middle of mental chaos.

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” Isaiah 26:3, ESV