Feelings of anxiety and worry are common to us all. It’s probably fair to say that we all have a backstory of experiences that may make us sensitive to certain areas of stress.
Several years ago, I went through a season of life that contributed to feeling abnormally prevalent anxiety. Our family was dealing with some unexpected financial stress at the time, and I was starting to get nervous about how it was all going to work out.
I was also feeling exhausted from my ministry responsibilities and some of the challenges I had been experiencing while seeking to lead our church through a season of adversity.
At the time, I noticed that I was finding it very difficult to fall asleep at night. I would toss and turn without getting any real rest. I would lay my head on my pillow, but my eyes were wide open as I stared at the clock and contemplated all the worst-case “what-if scenarios” my mind could invent.
Eventually, I came to the place where I realized I needed to remind myself of what God’s Word teaches about anxiety and worry.
In His Word, the Lord teaches us several ways to address our worries, and He likewise encourages us to be people who walk by faith and trust Him to handle the things we can’t handle in our own strength.
So, what does the Bible encourage us to do if we’re struggling with worry?
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus(Philippians 4:6-7).
Quite often, we make the mistake of keeping our struggles to ourselves. At times, we may not want to bother God with the burdens of our hearts. But the Lord invites us to bring our requests before Him with an attitude of thanksgiving.
When we present our requests to the Lord through prayer, we’re opening ourselves up to the peace of God, which will guard our hearts from experiencing further anxiety.
Because of our standing in the family of God through our relationship with Jesus, we can rest with confidence in the knowledge that our lives are under His care and protection.
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?" (Matthew 6:25-27).
I think we sometimes worry because we forget how valuable we are to God. Yet if God is willing to graciously provide for birds, how much more will He provide for us?
Jesus directly told us that we are more valuable than the other creatures that roam this planet, and He demonstrated that value by enduring the punishment we deserved when He went to the cross.
If the Father would send the Son to take our sin and condemnation upon Himself at the cross, does that not convince you that God values your life? What more could He do to convince us of that reality?
Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you (1 Peter 5:7).
Recently, a box was delivered to our house. It contained a shelving system that my wife ordered for her office. I didn’t want to leave it on our front porch, so I attempted to bring it inside where it could be assembled.
I was shocked at how heavy it was, and as I attempted to bring it through our door, I asked one of my adult children for assistance so I didn’t damage it. I was glad I had help lifting it.
Most of our anxieties in this life come from trying to carry things we weren’t meant to carry alone. There are struggles, trials, and seasons of adversity that we aren’t meant to shoulder without divine help.
In fact, it’s often through those experiences that the Lord teaches us what it really looks like to trust Him.
When your heart is weighed down with anxious thoughts, hand those worries off to the Lord. Give them to Him and let Him carry them. He cares for you and will show you that He can be trusted to do the heavy lifting in your life.
Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved(Psalm 55:22).
Have you ever looked back over the course of your life and traced the hand of God at work through your challenges and experiences? Have you noticed any patterns? Isn’t it obvious that He was sustaining you through the valleys and seasons of adversity you experienced?
That’s what He promises to do when we entrust our concerns to His merciful care. He promises to sustain us. He assures us that His children will not be ultimately shaken or destroyed.
The Lord is holding our lives, securing us in His hands, and regardless of whichever unforeseen experience we may be facing, none of it surprises Him. He will never abandon us but will uphold us and carry us through to the other side of our trials and tribulations.
For further reading:
What Does the Bible Say about Anxiety?
How to Have Hope in Anxious Times
Prayers for Anxiety: What Does It Mean to Give Your Anxiety to God?
3 Things to Remember When You Can’t ‘Not Be Anxious’
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/vladans
John Stange is the Lead Pastor at Core Creek Community Church and a professor at Cairn University where he leads the Digital Media and Communication program. He also leads an online community called Platform Launchers where he helps people build message-based online platforms.
John has authored over 30 books and presently hosts several podcasts on the LifeAudio podcast network. His shows have been downloaded millions of times by listeners throughout the world.
You can learn more about John’s ministry, books, and podcasts at BibleStudyHeadquarters.com.