Welcome to Part 3 of the God Meets You in Your Anxiety series. Be sure to catch Part 2 and Part 3.
Do you ever feel agitated, restless, fatigued, irritable, tense, nervous, or fearful? Maybe your heart beats faster, the muscles in your chest and shoulders get tight, your breathing becomes shallower. These can all be symptoms of anxiety (as well as other things). Alongside every sensation, there are promises of God for the different types of anxiety.
Dear one, you do not walk alone. God wants to meet you in your anxiety. This is why He gave us His promises!
Now, I’ve been around Christians who condemn anxiety as a sin, especially anxiety disorders or the accompanying depression. And though there may be sinful thoughts, attitudes, values, or idols which we need to deal with, God reaches out to us with hope and healing, not condemnation and anger.
Scriptural commands saying, “Do not be anxious!” are “used so often by people who are not anxious for people who are anxious, and then it ends up becoming a proverbial clobber verse: ‘Just pray and petition and give thanksgiving, and present your request to God and the peace of God will just transcend, and you’ll be guarded.'” {Dan Allender, 6:40 mark} As though an obedient Christian will cure themselves of anxiety through willpower and obedience.
My heart aches those of your for whom these commands have added burdens of guilt and shame on top of your very real anxiety.
What I want to share with you today, and in the rest of this series, can change the fabric of how you look at the commands in scripture regarding anxiety. I want you to see how near God is to those who hurt, to the wounded, to the brokenhearted. Scripture gives you very real and precious promises of God for the different types of anxiety.
Dear one, I’m sorry for the times you were shamed for your pain and suffering rather than being held. I’m sorry the Word of God has been used to bludgeon you rather than apply healing ointment on your wounds.
I see your pain. I understand the confusion of trying to see God in the midst of poorly applied passages.
Yet, I fear you might often avoid the scriptural commands about anxiety simply because they can be misused so foolishly.
Today, I want to take your hand and show you how your Savior walks with you and gives abundant promises of God for the different types of anxiety.
Will you join me on this journey to follow a gentle Jesus who does not bruise crushed read (Isaiah 42:3)? He longs to give you life abundant, free you from sin, comfort your wounds, bathe your soul in rest, and provide a way of freedom from specific anxieties.
But, before considering the promises of God for the different types of anxiety, we need to know what those different types of anxiety are.
Are there different types of anxiety?
I have noticed a few high-level categories of anxiety from my reading, walking through life with those who suffer from anxiety, and through observing my own anxieties. These types can have a high degree of overlap, but I want to break them apart for the sake of discussion and clarity.
We typically use “anxious” to describe a general sense, which at a minimum can look like a vague feeling of unease, and on the severe end can look like a panic attack.
There may be specific concerns or worries that trigger the body or cause these feelings of anxiety, but our general usage of the word describes the symptomatic feeling (either physical or emotional) rather than the concern itself (object), or the action of being concerned (worry).
The differences between the feeling, object of concern, and the action of being concerned are important because as we seek to cling to God’s promises, we find that different promises apply to different types of anxiety.
The first type of anxiety is general anxiety, which may manifest in mental health disorders (GAD, PPD, PTSD, etc).
Our first thought when we use the word “anxiety” is a general sense of fear, unease, worry, or tension. Rather than being grounded in an apparent concern, general anxiety manifests an overarching sense of fear and apprehension.
General anxiety is often present alongside instances of depression, especially with postpartum depression (PPD), and can be one of the features of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
A general anxiety disorder (GAD) is defined as: “A person feels anxious on most days, worrying about lots of different things, for a period of six months or more.”
If you think you may suffer from GAD, PPD, or PTSD, please consider Christian counseling!! There are wonderful counselors who can walk with you through the murky waters of mental health difficulties.
I am not equipped to discuss in-depth or do much more than recommend professional help for those who suffer from severe general anxiety, GAD, PPD, or PTSD.
Now, you may say, “Jessica, if you are not a counselor or a mental health professional, why are you talking about anxiety?”
Let me tell you who I am.
I am an advanced student of God’s word with multiple master’s degrees in the Biblical languages, Bible, and theology. I may not be a mental health professional, but I am qualified to talk about what the Bible is or is not saying.
As I walk through life with the people God has placed around me, I am becoming more trauma-informed so that I can engage both their stories and my own. Learning how the body and mind and soul work together is a great blessing. Yet, all of those things are rooted in the creation because of our Creator.
My heart’s desire is to point you to Jesus, to glory in the Gospel, and to accurately discuss the text of scripture so that real-to-life, practical conclusions can be made.
God’s word is powerful and sharper than a two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12-13). Let us wield it carefully with a full view of the Gospel, an understanding both God’s creation (trauma-informed neuroscience), the text of scripture (Biblical languages, exegetical principles), and the need to apply the intersection of the two to daily life.
The second type of anxiety is physical anxiety.
Physical anxiety is our body’s response to potential or perceived danger. Anxiety is linked with a nervous system event where your physical body reacts to stimuli, surroundings, or trauma by staying in a hyperaroused state. {1}
Mice, dogs, people, and all other flesh and blood creations have this kind of anxiety. Our brains and nervous systems were created by God to respond to danger. Anxiety can be an outflow of our body’s reaction to a perceived threat.
If someone pulls out in front of you in traffic and you slam on the breaks – your heart pounding, your shortness of breath, and the shakiness you still feel as you walk into the grocery store, are all symptoms of a physical response to potential danger.
Physical anxiety can be generated by real or perceived danger, whether physical or anticipated. Our experience of general anxiety and specific anxieties also can impact our bodies in the form of physical anxiety. If we are worried about a meeting with our boss, then our body may start pumping adrenaline and stay in a fight/flight/freeze/fawn state {2} until the meeting is over. If you feel triggered by something a well-meaning friend says or does, your body may be remembering a previous situation in which you felt unsafe, dragging that memory back into the present. {3}
We have little if any initial control over the onset of our physical anxiety. However, there are numerous techniques on how to calm and release anxiety from the body. I recommend Aundi Kolber’s book Try Softer or my free self-calming worksheet as starting points. A professional counselor will also have numerous resources that can be tailored to your personal needs.
The third type of anxiety is specific anxiety or worry.
Typically, for those of us who do not have a diagnosable anxiety disorder, this is the type of anxiety we face on a daily to weekly basis.
A specific anxiety, as I use the term, is an apparent and concrete concern (a worry):
- Will we be late for church?
- Will my son be ready for kindergarten?
- Is my daughter being bullied at school?
- Will the grocery budget last the month?
- Will I get a raise or be passed over again?
- Is my friend mad at me?
- How do I handle X problem?
Sometimes we may have a sense of anxiety where we can’t quite pin down a specific and concrete concern. In my experience, on days where I feel an overarching sense of anxiety, I haven’t yet been able to pin down the exact reason yet. There is usually a specific and concrete concern at the root of my anxious feelings, but it can take time to sort out.
General anxiety MAY at times manifest because there are so many specific anxieties that sorting them out feels nearly impossible. This is where the help of a professional counselor or doctor can be invaluable.
Remember, there is extreme overlap of these types of anxiety.
Physical anxiety will often accompany general and specific anxiety. General anxiety may include both specific anxieties and physical anxiety. Rarely do these categories function alone or independently of one another.
But, I purposely draw a distinction between the three types because certain promises of God apply to one type, but not necessarily another. Now, let’s look at three promises of God for the different types of anxiety.
The promises of God for the different types of anxiety mean He will always meet you in the dark.
All throughout scripture the God’s promise echos:
I will be with you! I will never leave you or forsake you.
God first made the promise to Abraham’s son Isaac when famine had engulfed the land. No food was to be found. And God says, “I will be with you” (Genesis 26:11, ESV). In the midst of anxiety-inducing circumstances, when the temptation is to run, God promises His presence.
All throughout scripture, when His people encountered danger, change, or fearful circumstances, God responded.
- When Jacob had to take his family away from his father-in-law and return to the land where his brother might kill him – “I will be with you” (Genesis 31:3)
- After Moses is commissioned to personally confront Pharaoh, the most powerful ruler in the known world – “I will be with you” (Exodus 3:12).
- During the change in leadership, when Joshua becomes the leader of Israel and is about to start a great war – “I will be with you” (Deuteronomy 31:23; Josh 1:5; 3:7).
- When Gideon finds himself leading the battle against occupying forces – “I will be with you” (Judges 6:16)
- To Israel when they were displaced, removed from their homes, exiled – “I will be with you” (Isaiah 43:2)
- When Jesus returns to heaven leaving the disciples with the task of telling the world about Him – “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).
God’s presence doesn’t depart from His people. If you, dear one, are in Christ, the Holy Spirit lives in you (Romans 8:9-11; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19; 2 Timothy 1:14). Even during the darkest nights of depression or anxiety, God has not abandoned you. Nor will He.
Nothing can separate you from His love – not your sin, anxiety, depression, trauma, mental illness, catastrophe, war, exhaustion, or failure (Romans 8:31-37).
When anxiety has you in its grip and you despair of getting free. Hold on to Jesus with hope. He will not let you go.
Right now, dear one, Jesus stands praying for you (Hebrews 7:25). When you cannot figure out what words to say because anxious thoughts cloud your mind and your body is flooded with physical anxiety, Jesus stands before the Father praying for you. The Holy Spirit cries out to God on your behalf. You have the best intercessory team advocating your case day and night.
“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words” (Romans 8:26, ESV).
God is not only with you – He is fighting for you in prayer Himself.
Jesus sympathizes with our physical anxiety.
Though, not exactly a promise of God for the different types of anxiety, Jesus’ incarnation profoundly impacts our understanding of how God relates to emotions.
God can meet you in your physical anxiety because Jesus has experienced the full range of human experience.
“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:15-16, ESV).
I believe Jesus encountered intense physical anxiety in the garden as to prayed about His upcoming death on the cross. Jesus’ sorrow and grief were all-consuming to the point where He sweated drops of blood.
He would not have been anxious in the “what if” worry sense. Jesus went to the cross of His own will, and He desired to save humanity (you!). But, since He was God in the flesh, His divine forsight could have created immense stress and anxiety response in his physical form.
Yet, though His physical body responded to the very real threat of the death He knew was coming, Jesus did not sin. He stood in the middle of the intense emotional overwhelm and trusted God with His day and future. He knew what was coming. And He walked forward anyway.
So, dear one, as you face anxieties in your day, whether a feeling or a concrete concern, you can trust Jesus is with you. He is familiar with how the fight/flight/fawn responses feel in your body. He knows what it means to face potential agony and long for a way out.
He hears your prayers.
God promises peace to us when we give Him our specific anxieties.
I have carefully made a distinction between general, physical, and specific anxieties because I believe the commands in scripture “Do not be anxious” (Matthew 6:25-34; 10:19; Mark 13:11; Luke 12:11, 22;Philippians 4:6) are commands against specific anxiety, not general or physical anxiety (See NOTES at the bottom for a discussion on whether “anxiety” is a sin.). There are promises of God for the different types of anxiety, but not all promises apply to every type equally.
Philippians 4:4-6 says, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (ESV).
The Apostle Paul in Philippians 4:6 discusses the action of being concerned about a specific object (specific anxiety), not an overarching sense of unease (general anxiety), or flight/flight state of the body (physical anxiety). {4}
Nowhere in scripture is this Greek word used for the general or overarching sense of unease, physical sensations having to do with real or perceived threats, or what psychologists commonly refer to as an anxiety disorder. {5}
In the TIGCT commentary, Peter O’Brien, assumes Paul to be giving instructions regarding specific anxiety, “He [being Paul] urges his readers not to be anxious about anything, or, more correctly, to stop worrying about anything. . . the way to counter ‘anxious harassing care’ is by specific petitionary prayer, offered along with thanksgiving.” {6}
So, if we are to follow Paul’s commands in Philippians 4:4-7 regarding our anxiety, we must first make sure the anxiety we are working through is the anxiety Paul addresses.
We do not want to mis-appropriate God’s specific promise of peace in Philippians 4:7 for something He is not talking about. Though prayer and presenting our requests to God is always a good idea, God’s promise in Philippians 4 doesn’t directly apply to general anxiety without a specific anxiety referent.
God may give you a feeling of mental calmness and a “certain aloofness from [your] wishes …. a liberation from care” when you lay our worries at His feet like Philippians 4 describes. {7} He can use our process of prayer and submission to His will to calm our physical anxiety as it relates to our specific anxiety and He will give us peace about our specific concerns.
There is still peace available for those who struggle with general anxiety!
Now, for those of you who struggle with general anxiety, or an anxiety-related disorder, the truths about God’s character, presence, and goodness still apply to you.
You may find benefit from the exercises and explanations of scripture I will share in this and following articles, but I do not believe that I have the answer for general anxiety, nor do I believe it can be cured simply by praying it away (unless God desires to do a miracle, which He is fully capable of doing).
Even counselor Ed Welch with CCEF admits passages like Philippians 4 “work very well as counters to low-level anxiety. But, in the face of an anxiety assault—they aren’t enough.” (The Secret to Dealing with Fear and Anxiety)
I think Welch is distinguishing between a specific anxiety and a nervous-system event where the whole body is reacting in an anxious way (combination of general and physical anxiety).
Following the commands of God, like Philippians 4:4-7, are ALWAYS a good idea. But, obedience to God is not a “Scripture as a pill. Take one passage twice a day for two weeks and your symptoms will be gone” (Ed Welch).
At this point, you may be asking, “Since there are promises of God for the different types of anxiety, does God not promise peace to those who struggle with general anxiety or have an anxiety disorder?”
Oh, dear one, God does offer you (even with the darkest of anxiety disorders) a special peace. This peace may not look like the clean picture of mental health and untroubled emotional life that we think it should.
God’s peace is a person offering a relationship:
“The peace we have walks with us through the joys and agonies of life. He doesn’t always take away the pain or make life work out. Instead, He holds our hand when we feel like we’re drowning. He gives us supernatural grace when we just cannot anymore. He breathes God’s truth in our ear when we need hope. Our peace is ever-present and never leaving. He will never leave or forsake you!
The goal of life cannot be the internal feeling of peace. Look to Jesus to be the peace you desperately need, when the peace you want is out of reach. Cling to Him even when He feels far away and your body can’t feel anything but pain or buzzing.
Even with the easily triggered nervous system, the chronic pain, the physical and emotional trauma, the hard parenting days, and the unreasonable job environment, we can still have God’s peace because Jesus has overcome. In fact, His overcoming is so great that all of these difficulties in our lives (and any others you can think of) become grace to us.”
So, dear one, no matter which type of anxiety grips you today, remember, You are not alone. Jesus is your peace, who holds you secure in this life, and the life to come.
Run to Him with your worries. Rest in Him when you are overwhelmed by the physical sensations of danger. Cling to Him when waves of general anxiety attack your heart.
He is with you, and will never forsake you.
NOTES:
“Is anxiety a sin?”
I would say, choosing to worry, by continuing to hold onto our specific anxiety is a sin.
Physical anxiety absolutely is NOT sinful. Though, we may respond with sinful actions when we feel flooded by this type of anxiety (i.e. snapping at our spouse or kids, flipping someone off in traffic, etc.).
There can be underlying elements of sin, poor values, and idols in our general anxiety that may event contribute to its intensity. However, I do not believe having general anxiety itself is a sin.
{1} Aundi Kolber, Try Softer, (Tyndale publishing), p. 33
{2} Aundi Kolber, Try Softer, (Tyndale publishing), p. 28
{3} Read The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk or Anatomy of the Soul by Curt Thompson for more information on how the mind, body, memory, trauma connections function.
{4} The Greek word “μεριμνάω” means “to care,” as in caring for someone or something (e.g. children). This concern has an obvious object, rather than being a general sense. (Rudolf Bultmann, “Μεριμνάω, Προμεριμνάω, Μέριμνα, Ἀμέριμνος,” ed. Gerhard Kittel, Geoffrey W. Bromiley, and Gerhard Friedrich, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1964–), p. 589)
{5} The Greek word used for “anxious” in Philippians 4:4 is used elsewhere in the New Testament to describe a person’s specific and concrete concern about:
- Food, drink, clothing, health/life – Matthew 6:25-34
- What you should say when confronted about the Gospel – Matthew 10:19
- Household tasks/entertaining guests – Luke 10:41 & 12:11
- Concerns of earthly life rather than God – 1 Corinthians 7:32-34
- For one another – 1 Corinthians 12:25
- For someone else’s welfare – Philippians 2:20
{6} Peter T. O’Brien, NIGTC: The Epistle to the Philippians, p. 491-492
{7} Rudolf Bultmann, “Μεριμνάω, Προμεριμνάω, Μέριμνα, Ἀμέριμνος,” ed. Gerhard Kittel, Geoffrey W. Bromiley, and Gerhard Friedrich, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1964–), p. 591.
