Perhaps you’ve seen the old Bob Newhart comedy sketch entitled, “Stop It!” While it might be funny, it isn’t great advice when you’re worrying about the future. Newhart counsels the woman struggling with troubling thoughts to simply “stop it.” If you’ve ever struggled with anxiety, you know it isn’t that easy. You feel like it ought to be, but it isn’t. Fortunately, the Bible gives us much better counsel than the comedian.
In Philippians 4:6, we read, “…do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” I’m thankful that the God who created our amazing, complex bodies (including that fascinating organ we refer to as the brain) understands us as only a creator can. The Holy Spirit addresses the problem (anxiety) with a solution (prayer, gratitude, and trust in God).
Anxiety can be a debilitating condition, and it has many complicating causes/factors. Some argue there are factors related to diet that can exacerbate this condition. Certainly, the amount of information we’re exposed to daily, most of it unhelpful, negative, and meant to be anxiety-inducing so that we’ll click on the next post, is related to the rise of anxiety—especially among younger people. I’m not a licensed counselor, and my experience is just that, mine, but I do know this. The most significant spiritual battlefield in the world is your mind. It is here that the enemy attacks us—trying to steal our joy, foster doubt, form resentments as a result of unforgiveness, create ingratitude, etc. When I give the enemy free rein in my thought-life related to the above, I find that my anxiety levels rise.
So, what should we do? We should do exactly what we’re told to do in this passage—replace active worry with active prayer. However, the key isn’t prayer in and of itself. Our help and hope lies in the object of our prayer. According to a study conducted by Baylor University, “those who prayed to a loving and supportive God whom they thought would be there to comfort and protect them in times of need were less likely to show symptoms of anxiety-related disorders — symptoms such as irrational worry, fear, self-consciousness, dread in social situations and obsessive-compulsive behavior — than those who prayed but did not expect God to comfort or protect them.”
Just before Paul addressed the issue of anxiety, he reminded his friends that the Lord was near. They could rest in his presence. The same applies to you and me. Are you anxious about the future? Put down your phone and raise your head. Give thanks to God for the salvation He has provided you and for all the ways He has cared for you in the past. Trust Him. Bring every need to Him, and let him calm your anxious heart. Remember, He cares for you.
