Anxiety comes in many shapes and forms. Do you ever have a feeling of dread? Does your chest ever tighten in fear? Do you feel like you can’t slow down your mind?
How can we escape anxiety’s clutches? Let’s look at how Jesus responds to those gripped by fear.[i]
Jesus first points us to the sovereignty of God. As Jesus departs the upper room where he and his disciples ate the Last Supper and he stooped and washed their feet, the hearts of the eleven were in turmoil. Jesus had shared the frightening news that Judas had allowed Satan to enter his heart and that Peter would deny him three times before the sun came up. Furthermore, Jesus had just shared with his disciples the startling news that they were to eat his body and that his blood was the cup off the new covenant.
Seeing the anxiety in their faces, Jesus directs them to God’s sovereignty, “Let not your hearts be troubled,” Jesus says. And then he offers a direct and simple solution to their anxiety, “Believe in God; believe also in me” (John 14:1). Navigating anxiety begins with entrusting ourselves to God. A life without God is an anxious life. The onus is on us to control our surroundings, to protect ourselves from harm, and to shape our future.
At another point, Jesus asks the pointed question, “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” (Lk 12:25). Jesus’ point is simple: God is sovereign over our days. The hour of our death is in our sovereign Lord’s hands. Do we trust that God is sovereign or are we living as functional atheists, believing that we have control over our lives?
When calling us out of sin, Paul points us in a different direction, he invites us to place our trust in the justice of God. Responding to the ongoing feud between two women in the church (anxiety and conflict are close bedfellows), Paul admonishes the church at Philippi, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 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” (Phil. 4:4-7). Did you catch how Paul invites us to be freed from anxiety? It’s the promise that “The Lord is at hand.” What Paul means is that the coming judgment of Christ is near. Because the return of the great Judge is imminent, we can release our need to be right. Jesus will make all things right. He is just and he will punish the evildoer, he is true and will confront the lies.
Isaiah speaks of this same truth. “Say to those who have an anxious heart,” God speaks through Isaiah, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you” (Is. 35:4). You can trust God’s justice.
We experience God’s peace when we entrust judgment to him.
Finally, Jesus tells us that the way to peace is to trust his goodness. Jesus marvelously points our burdened hearts to his pure heart in Matthew 11 (interestingly, this comes right after a passage where he ensures that he will judge the unrepentant). Jesus says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matt. 11:28-29). Many speak of anxiety a weight on their chest. Is anxiety pressing in on you? Look to Jesus and trust his heart. He is gentle and lowly. He is kind, caring, and good. You can trust him. God is good.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus commands us not to be anxious and then explains how we can move from anxiety to peace. Listen to Jesus speak of the kindness and care God has for his creation:
“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? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matt. 6:25-34).
Look around you and consider how God cares for nature. Of how much more worth are you, dear image bearer of God than a wren? How much more does God care for you, who he shed his blood for than a saguaro? God is good. And God’s heart is bent toward you.
Do you feel like the claws of anxiety won’t release you? We have a God who we can trust to release us from its cold, hateful grip. He is sovereign. He is Judge. And he is good.
[i] It is important to note that while every challenge is spiritual, some are also physiological in origin. In other words, Jesus’ invitation to those who are suffering anxiety is for all. But some will also need to consider the use of psychiatric medication.
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