My Struggle Against Anxiety

I have been suffering from chronic attacks of anxiety for which I refuse any medication. My lifetime struggle against anxiety begins in the mind which imagines dreadful things of foreboding doom. Tension, edginess worry and fear have been constant companions. Uncontrollable intrusive thoughts of disaster, trouble, and misfortune would overwhelm me with dread.

     

Anxiety is slightly different from fear, in the sense that the cause is vague, and none-specific. One may know the object of his fear but the anxious person is frightened or worried by feelings of dread or uneasiness as a reaction to a perceived stressful situation. This psychological condition could bring about physical symptoms affecting one’s health. About 25 per cent of the world’s population are anxiety sufferers.

When I became a Christian I discovered that the  Bible has a lot to teach about this general malaise.   

John Piper sharply observed: "if it is right to feel grief and anguish at some loss, then it would seem right also to be anxious about the possibility of that loss."

It is normal to be affected by life’s distressing events. I have come to deal with this problem by trusting God’s promises and assurance.

The words of St. Paul to the Philippians could far surpass any professional counseling:  “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”(Philippians 4:6-7)

Nothing more could be uplifting by meditating upon these words. They are more effective than any pill or medication. Like medicine the words are healing to the anxious soul. They come in four separate prescriptions but may be taken in a single dose. These are: Praying, Asking, Thanking, and Presenting to God all of our cares and anxious thoughts. The effect is Peace, which no one can really explain.

The great Apostle has revealed to us the secret of overcoming worry and anxiety. It is faith in a Powerful God who is far bigger than any of our concerns. “The beginning of true faith.” said George Mueller, “is the end of anxiety.”

The Lord Jesus Christ speaks to this issue today.

He said,  “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? ²⁶Look 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? ²⁷And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his span of life? ²⁸And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; ²⁹yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰But 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 men of little faith? ³¹Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' ³²For the Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. ³³But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.

³⁴"Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day's own trouble be sufficient for the day."(Matthew 6:24-34)

“The implication of the message” of Jesus,  writes Richard Beaton,  “is that much of what matters to us today, the material aspects of our lives ought not to be taken seriously and can be completely entrusted to God who cares for us.”

If instead  of worrying, we have confidence and faith in God’s provision then we need not worry about worldly cares. Deep and strong attachment to worldly pleasures, possessions, or position and desperate grasping at one’s life are usually the marks of the anxious and faithless person. A life of simple faith produces a detachment which drives away worry and anxiety. Our Lord calls our attention to look at the birds of the air or the lesser creatures in the forest. He provides for all their necessities and they neither worry a bit. They simply trust in the bounteous grace of their Creator.

The command not to worry does not mean careless abandon or to be thoughtless about anything. The implication is not to be passively idle or apathetic to the concerns of life. Our Lord is not teaching that we stop from planning or working. As the Lord declares in the Gospel of Mathew, to be not anxious about our life, means to keep away from faithless  anxious thoughts fearful apprehension about possible danger or misfortune. Christ is saying if we trust God we will not worry. God is all there is. He is the Giver of life and we can entrust our lives to Him. He promised to take care of us, even as He cares for the lesser creatures, under any and in all circumstances. He positively declares that absolutely nothing, not even death can ever separate us from His love.(Romans 8:38-39)