Anxiety solution

     “Don’t be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to God.”

     This Bible verse, Philippians 4:6, was the most searched verse in 2019, according to statistics released recently by the 400-million-user YouVersion Bible App.

     Ours is not the only, or first, blog published this year highlighting this statistic. But more than reprinting an interesting fact, we are more concerned about discussing what may be behind the large search for a Bible verse about “anxiety.” It seems that there may be a significant rise in anxiety and fear afflicting people both inside and outside the church:

Not only Christians search the Bible for answers to life’s problems.

     Living in fear and anxiety is difficult for followers of Jesus Christ as well as those who are not in His Kingdom, but faith in an all-powerful, all-loving God should ease the believers’ suffering. If this is not the case then, perhaps, the church’s message about God’s goodness and protection isn’t getting through. Or is the church promoting a confusing, double-minded message concerning the goodness of God?

      Sound advice in these anxious and fearful times is found in 2 Corinthians 10:4-5: “We destroy arguments and every proud obstacle raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to obey Christ.” Other Scriptures describe how to attain peace. Philippians 4:8-9 says: “Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.” And then 1 John 4:18 reminds us that that our certainty concerning God’s perfect love and unconditional forgiveness, will effectively free us of fear: “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear . . .”

     Sounds incredibly wonderful, doesn’t it? And it’s all true, too!

      But what if, buried deep inside our subconscious, we hold a false knowledge of God? This will definitely be an obstacle to finding peace through the many Bible verses about God’s goodness, perfect love, unconditional forgiveness, and protection.

     If we (or someone teaching us) form God into our own human image then anxiety and fear will abound. We, and other humans, have limits. God does not. We withhold good things from ourselves and others. God does not. We are punitive in our dealings with each other. God is not. We are fickle and unfaithful. God is not.

     And most importantly, we hate, we are angry, we resent, we condemn; God has never been, is not now, nor ever will be hateful, angry, resentful, condemning.

     Once the revelation of God’s magnificent goodness and love is firmly planted in us by the Holy Spirit, all fear and anxiety will be dispelled from our lives. As is written in Colossians 1:27, it is “Christ in you” that is the “hope of glory.”

     Jesus addresses anxiety and fear directly in John 16.33: “I have said this to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world!”

     Author Max Lucado states in his book Anxious for Nothing (which is centered on Philippians 4:6), “Fear sees a threat. Anxiety imagines one.” In other words, we are to cast down vain imaginations and fill our minds with the truth about God; that He is always for us. This will inspire profound gratitude and joy, which will cast out anxiety and fear.