Be Anxious for Nothing??? Mmmmmkay…
I’m writing under protest this week. Anxiety is not a topic I ever wanted to explore—privately or publicly. But I’ve had seasons where it came at me hard, and maybe you have too. So here goes nothing or maybe something.
I’m not talking about feeling anxious sometimes, which can hover before a work deadline or strike when blue and red lights flash in the rearview mirror. These anxious feelings submit quickly to Philippians 4:6. They can be Scriptured away.
Full-blown anxiety is a freight train. If you’ve felt it, you know. If you haven’t, please be kind. Anxiety is so closely tethered to fear and so the person who is experiencing it basically has a heart-racing, fight-or-flight sense of dread lodged inside. It’s awful. The meaning of anxiety is mind-blowing. The word reaches back to a Latin root that means to choke or squeeze. Anyone?
There is hope. And His name is Jesus.
Now. This isn’t a Pollyanna slice of “just get some Jesus” and your behavioral health diagnosis will disappear. That’s irresponsible at best and dangerous at worst. This is an especially fragile reality when addressing past trauma and abuse or unresolved grief. Therapists who can help you pinpoint the fear triggers, repair soul wounds, untangle past patterns, or unhook from toxic people are essential for healing.
This is not a Jesus-plus theology either. Walking with Jesus is everything and He is enough.
But while we walk with the Master, we still have to muster. While more trust—not more us—is the byproduct of walking with Jesus, we still have to function in this world. Healing and renewing our minds takes time. Often we need 360-degree resources—including therapy, books, support groups, family, medication, and exercise and nutrition that supports our health—that will help us reckon with our anxiety inducers. By all means let’s take the help.
But let’s not forget the Helper.
Jesus is the name that gets things done. His name breaks down walls. His name quiets fear. He reminds us over and over again not to be afraid. I don’t think all the “fear nots” are in the Bible because God wanted to be bossy. I think He just knew how often we’d be afraid.
He knows He’s not going to fall off His throne. He’s not out of His depth. He’s not wringing His hands, wondering how to reign. But He wants to remind us of that, too. So over and over and over again, He does.
We’re coming up on Easter and so I want to invite us for just a minute into the Garden of Gethsemane. This is the place where Jesus spent time agonizing in prayer the night before He was crucified. He uttered a prayer that you and I probably have, too:
“Father, if you are willing, take this cup of suffering away from me.” (Luke 22:42a)
It can be tempting to read crucifixion accounts and think Jesus had the unfair advantage of being God. But that strips Him of His humanity. It renders way too neat and clean the physiological and mental anguish of a man in a garden sweating actual drops of blood. Medical experts say this rare phenomenon, called hematohidrosis, is triggered by acute fear and extreme mental stress, which forces the capillaries that feed the sweat glands to rupture.
If there was any way around the wrath He was about to suffer, Jesus was face-down, asking the Father to find it. And that’s when the first drops of blood fell.
Friends, anxiety isn’t some off-topic taboo. Jesus understands, in every way we need to be understood. He knows how it feels. In His worst moment, He asked for the anguish to be taken away and in the same breath He prayed, “Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” (Luke 22:42b) The Father answered, not by removing the anguish, but sending an angel from heaven to strengthen Him.
Jesus is tender with us in our anxiety. He can make us strong.
But, don’t miss this: the peace “that passes all understanding” promised later in the New Testament, in Philippians 4:7, doesn’t just drift into our lives. It is activated by prayer. So, friend, call His name. Call it all the time. Ask Him to surround you with the resources—including His presence and His angels and every resource He can empty from heaven and on earth—to help you. Then live in Him. Really live in Him and trust Him to guard your heart and mind.
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7
Laurie Davies- ARISE Marketing Strategist and Content Creator
About Laurie
As a writer, speaker, lay counselor, and the newest member of the Arise staff, Laurie has a passion for helping women step into the beauty of their calling. She is a regular contributor to Guideposts and also works as lead editor on Shaunti Feldhahn’s ministry staff. She lives in Mesa with her husband Greg and son Morgan, who is the best story she’s ever written. Connect with her on Instagram or her website.