The Cause and Cure for Anxiety
Anxiety. This word seems to increasingly capture the mindset of the typical American. What is anxiety exactly? A definition might help. Websters tells me that anxiety is “an abnormal and overwhelming sense of apprehension and fear often marked by physiological signs (as sweating, tension, and increased pulse), by doubt concerning the reality and nature of the threat, and by self-doubt concerning one’s capacity to cope with it.” We’ve all faced moments like this but it seems like life has taken on a more anxious flavor of late. Why is that? Why are we so anxious?
We could just blame 2020. After all, the events of this year have certainly compounded our already anxious lives. However, this explanation isn’t very satisfying because we only have about 29 more days where we can use this excuse. I guess we could start blaming 2021 once January hits but that seems like a defeated way to live. We could blame our political scene. There are problems there for sure. We could blame the various media entities and outlets for playing to our fears. No doubt this has something to do with it too. However, there’s something deeper that allows all of these other things to influence us.
At the core, our theology is the problem. First, we have come to believe human beings have a near divine capability to control our world and every aspect of life. It is as if we believe we have the ability to fix every problem and right every wrong in this world. While these are noble inclinations and I certainly am not opposed to correcting problems and righting wrongs, we forget our limitations. After almost a year of dealing with a highly contagious virus that has disrupted life as we know it, many people speak and act as if we are in control of this thing. We have begun to see others as a threat to our health rather than individuals created in the image of God. No wonder we are anxious and divided! Psalm 24:1 gives a remarkably helpful corrective to the illusion that we are in control. “The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains. The world, and those who dwell in it.” Our control in this world is only an illusion. Instead of trying to fix things that we have no control over anyway, we can focus on the things that we do have control over. Perhaps one of the few things we can control is whether we will believe this truth. While it is relieving to know that I am not in control and that the whole world does not hang in the balance of each of my decisions, there is even more good news for us in Psalm 24.
That is we can rest in the fact that while we are not in control, God is. The world is not spiraling out of control even though our perfectly laid plans might be. Many times we do not fully understand what God is doing but that doesn’t mean He isn’t in control, nor does it mean He isn’t good. Romans 8 reminds us that the gift of God’s Son is sufficient evidence for us to trust God’s goodness in every area of our lives:
“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:31-32)
We don’t have to live in anxiety. God is in control and He has given us this promise! That’s good news!