One of the greatest struggles in my life is anxiety. I’m constantly asking, “What if?”, and thinking through every situation that could ever possibly happen. But sometimes my anxiety is more than just overthinking and overanalyzing. A couple months ago I got contacts for the first time. When I was trying to practice using contacts, I was having a hard time taking them out, and I could feel my anxiety starting to bubble up. My hands started shaking, I felt light-headed and dizzy, and it was almost hard to breathe.
Maybe you can relate. Maybe you have anxiety that hits you out of nowhere and takes your breath away. Maybe you panic at the thought of potentially awkward social situations, or you overanalyze what your friends or co-workers think of you. Maybe you feel like you just can’t help thinking through the worst-case scenarios. As believers, we’re often taught that we should never feel anxious, and this may make us feel like we’re failing as Christians. But this is not quite what the Bible teaches.
John Piper once said,
“The Bible does not assume that true believers will have no anxieties. Instead, the Bible tells us how to fight when they strike.”[1]
The Bible does not teach that we will never, ever experience anxiety again once we become Christians. It teaches us how we, as Christians, can fight against it. And we do that by humbling ourselves, praying, and trusting God.
When anxiety strikes, we first must humble ourselves. In his first epistle, the apostle Peter commented,
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:6-7, ESV
God is all-knowing, all-powerful, and sovereign, totally in control of everything that happens in our lives. We, on the other hand, are not, and no matter how hard we try, there will always be areas of our lives that we can never control. But God deeply loves us and cares for us, and He wants us to cast our anxieties and our cares on Him. Humble yourself by reminding yourself of who is really in control.
Once we humble ourselves before God, we then must turn to Him in prayer. The apostle Paul taught the church in Philippi-
“do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Philippians 4:6
God wants us to cast our cares on Him, and we can do that by praying to Him. When you feel anxiety start to bubble up, pray. When you begin to panic about an upcoming situation or event, pray. When you are worrying about your relationships in your life, pray. Don’t keep your anxiety bottled up inside you. Let God into your innermost thoughts and concerns.
After we’ve prayed to God and cast our cares on Him, we then must trust Him. I know what you’re thinking. Easier said than done. I know first-hand that trusting God in my anxieties can be a very difficult thing to do. But we truly can trust God! If he feeds the birds and clothes the lilies, how much more will He take care of us (Matthew 6:25-34)?
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.” Jeremiah 17:7-8
What is the result? What happens to us when we cast our cares on God by humbling ourselves, praying, and trusting Him? We will be filled with an unexplainable, other-worldly peace (Philippians 4:7, John 14:27). We will be given rest for our weary souls (Matthew 11:28-29). And we will be sustained by our Father in heaven-
“Cast your burden on the LORD, and He will sustain you; He will never permit the righteous to be moved.” Psalm 55:22
Next time you feel overwhelmed with anxiety, remember that you are not in this fight alone! As Phylicia Masonheimer once wrote,
“overcoming anxiety is not about white-knuckling, emotional self-control but about choosing to trust in Christ’s provision.”[2]
Humble yourself. Remember that God is sovereign and in control. Pray. Cast your cares on the God who loves you no matter what. And trust. Trust that, no matter what happens in your life, that God will take care of you and that He has good plans for you. In the midst of our anxieties, may we be like this psalmist-
“When the cares of my heart are many, Your consolations cheer my soul.” Psalm 94:19
[1] John Piper, “How to Fight Anxiety,” last modified September 10, 2012, https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/how-to-fight-anxiety/.
[2] Phylicia Masonheimer, Stop Calling Me Beautiful: Finding Soul-Deep Strength in a Skin-Deep World (Eugene: Harvest House Publishers, 2020), 97.
