Helensvale Baptist Church

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"Anxiety"

Filed Under:  Thought for the Week   —   19th Feb, 2012

This emotion is a companion to most of us.  At times it can drag a person to the pits of despair and sometimes it can keep us there. I know that I have to deal with it regularly. While this issue can fill books there are probably two broad types of anxiety. Firstly, there is the anxiety of an unknown situation where you are stepping out into unfamiliar territory such as going onto a stage in front of many people or going on a journey into unknown territory. This anxiety is often linked to our flight or fight instincts. Secondly there is our anxiety about everything else. Our relationships, our job, our ability to survive in this world, our home and so on.

The Bible tells us that when Adam and Eve sinned a long time ago they broke the basic trust between God and Man. As a part of the consequence of not trusting God we have lived in a state of anxiety ever since. Basic Trust is the major element upon which our lives are built. When this gets damaged then anxiety sets up camp in our lives.

Jesus had a lot to say about this and if we want to tackle anxiety we can put His words from Matthew 6 in our heart.

²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

 ²⁸ “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labour or spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. ³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? ³¹ So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

If you are struggling or overcome with anxiety here is a simple prayer based upon one of David’s psalms that you might consider to help release this anxiety. “Lord lift my feet out of the miry pit and set my feet upon your rock. Increase in me my trust in you and help me to let go of this anxiety about (whatever your fear is). Please take this burden of (your fear of whatever) away from me and fill my heart with your peace.”

Of course any prayer will do because the Holy Spirit inside us hears our inner groans and conveys them to God on our behalf. The key is that you surrender your fear to God. One note of caution – in some cases this is a spiritual war and not one fight. This will depend upon many factors, one of which is how long you have been carrying this fear.

Ian