ANXIETY
13th Sep 2023
Anxiety is a very common problem, and there is not one of us who has not been anxious about some issue or other in our lives. However, Paul in his letter to the Philippians states that there is an answer to anxiety.
Philippians 4:6-7 are the key verses. The KJV is very blunt - it states, “Be anxious for nothing” that’s quite straightforward! So what is the answer to anxiety, it continues, “But in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
Now comes the answer from God, “And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
So how do we do this in practice? Many years ago a friend, Barry Kissell, said to me. “You can pray or you can worry, you can’t do both at the same time.” First, we need to deal with the past; worry and anxiety can stem from past experiences. We need to find peace for the past, through forgiving someone who caused a situation, or forgiving ourselves for our unwise actions.
We then need to pray and off load the present anxiety onto God, with thanksgiving, because we will all know of times when God stepped in and resolved many situations in our past. We may be carrying burdens that we don’t need to. Psalm 55:22 says, “Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you. He will never permit the righteous to be moved.”
When we have done this, the promise kicks in, “And the peace God which transcends all understanding…” there is a key point here, “transcends all understanding” means we may not have the answer to our situation, the problem may not be resolved, but peace will replace anxiety. We can trust God to be working in the situation and we can rest and not fret.
There is another factor that is very helpful, Galatians 6:2 says, “Carry each other’s burdens and in this way you fulfil the law of Christ.” Other believers can come alongside us and pray into our situation, and that is a source of great strength. Isolation is where the enemy of our souls wants to keep us, and that is when fear can get in and increase the problem.
by Charles Sibthorpe
