Anxiety

 


There’s a bad myth that needs to be debunked – speedily..!  It’s a myth I’m sure you’re quite familiar with: The myth that if you’re a genuine Christian then you won’t be troubled by anxiety.  Or to put it more bluntly: being worried is a sign something is wrong in your relationship with the Lord.

Being human and living in a fallen and broken world means that a certain amount of anxiety is inevitable in daily life.  There’s a long list of very ordinary garden variety worries that trouble people – constantly.  The teenage lad worries that a couple of pimples will spoil his first date.  The young high school lass is anxious about her shyness around boys.  The young dad is anxious about his job because his company has gone into receivership.  And the young mum worries that her second pregnancy might again end up in a miscarriage.

Anxiety or worry is the tag we put on our psychological reactions to situations of stress in our lives.  It’s often accompanied by feelings of confusion, danger and helplessness.  In its mildest form, anxiety makes us pause and reflect on what is happening, before we “pull ourselves together” and get on with life.

More seriously, if it is not dealt with, our fears and anxieties can immobilise us and cause us sleepless nights.  And there are, of course, the extremes.  In Hobart I knew someone who had immense anxiety about travelling over the Tasman Bridge across the Derwent River.  She had been on the bridge in January 1975 when the Lake Illawarra crashed into it, demolishing part of it.  Her extreme anxiety became a phobia.  And there are many other such extreme anxieties: arachnophobia (fear of spiders) or agoraphobia (fear of crowds of people).

But let’s just limit ourselves to the ordinary garden variety anxieties that give us sweaty palms and that increase our pulse rate.  If we’re honest we’ll admit that we’re not strangers to anxiety.  And guess what?  I can even make a case for Jesus wrestling with anxiety.  What else is His prayer-time in the Garden of Gethsemane but His way of dealing with the stressful situation of His imminent betrayal, trial and execution?  And just think of the physical affect it had on Him – Scripture tells us that “His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.” (Luke 22:44).  Jesus was like us in all things – even in the reality of experiencing anxiety.

Anxiety is often expressed in the Bible in terms of ‘fear’.  A good example is in Psalm 34 where the song-writer states:
            I sought the Lord, and he answered me
            and delivered me from all my fears.
            When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears
            and delivers them out of all their troubles.
            The Lord is near to the broken-hearted
            and saves the crushed in spirit.

So it’s quite misguided to make worry, fear and anxiety the hallmark of an unbelieving person or of a Christian who just doesn’t have it “all together”.

There’s another reason why we must be more honest and transparent about our anxieties.  When speaking to an unbelieving worrier, we can too easily give the wrong impression.  “So, you’re anxious and afraid?  Well, no wonder!  You don’t read your Bible, pray or go to church and you’re wondering why you struggle with anxiety!  Me?  I’m a Christian so I don’t have anything to worry about!”

Not only is that a lie but it doesn’t provide a real opportunity to help the other person handle their anxieties.  It’s more honest and helpful to say, “Well, I have my worries and my fears too, but I have some wonderful ways of dealing with them that God has provided.  Would you like to know what they are?”

That gives us an opening to tell folk that we have a Saviour who loved us enough to give His life for us and that Jesus invites us to bring our worries and fears to Him – in the assurance that as the Son of God He is more than able to handle our problems and difficulties.  In fact he’s promised us that in all things He’s working for the good of those who love Him.

Today we too quickly tell those struggling with anxiety to see a psychologist.  Well, thank God for godly and reputable psychologists.  But before we recommend such professionals let’s remind people of the words of Scripture: “Cast all your cares upon Him for He cares for you.” (1Pet.5:7).

John Westendorp
2MaxFM 19/1/2025

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