Part 9: Anxiety, Worry, Pessimism, And Fear Series

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Anxiety

Few problems can do more harm to both the body and the spirit than intense, prolonged anxiety.

Not all distress is sinful. Jesus was extremely upset at times, and yet was without sin. Evil should bother us. Anxiety becomes problematic when it becomes obsessive and eclipses our joy, or when it turns to worry, sinful fear, or fretting. One sign that this is happening is when the stress begins to cause health problems, such as ulcers or chronic headaches from tense back and neck muscles.

God designed us to become tense at times and to be relaxed at other times. When a person is unable to relax, it is evidence that the anxieties of life have eclipsed joy in God.

Receiving a bill you cannot pay, a child bringing home a bad report card, and impossible deadline at work, laundry piling up—those things should cause a degree of tension so that you will be motivated to address the problem. If the purpose of the tension is to drive you to action, however, then once you have taken whatever action you can take, there is no value in remaining tense.

Casting Anxiety on God

The solution to anxiety is to cast it upon the Lord.

1 Peter 5:6,7 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Suffering with humility

The phrase God’s mighty hand is an Old Testament concept that refers to the sovereign, mighty work of God. Sometimes it is a work of punishment or chastening, sometimes it is a work of amazing deliverance, sometimes a work of provision, sometimes a work of testing. But in each case, it is comes to us as hardship.

The first step in helping a person who is struggling under the mighty hand of God is teaching him to accept it. Teach him not to resist what God is doing. People become tense when they think things are spinning out of control. But things are never spinning out of God’s control, and God only does good things. Even when people and Satan are doing evil things, the work God is accomplishing through it is only good – and is far greater than what evil men and Satan are doing.

To accept and even appreciate the mighty hand of God requires humility. Pride resists God’s mighty hand, like a baby who does not want to be held—arching his back and struggling in his parent’s arms. If your child does that, and for some reason you cannot set him down at that moment, your only recourse is to overpower him and grip him more tightly, which is uncomfortable and distressing to the child. But when the child accepts the idea of being held and snuggles up in his mother’s arms, there is not a more beautiful picture of peaceful rest in all the world. When God sends the stresses of life by the dozen and we arch our back and struggle against it, we only make matters worse. Urge the person to humble himself and accept what his Father is doing. Only then will he be able to cast his cares on Him.

Cast Cares on the Lord One at a Time

When asked how he could handle all the stresses of the massive responsibilities that were upon him, George Mueller replied very simply:

“I do not carry the burden. … It is not only permission, but positive command that He gives, to cast the burdens upon Him. Oh, let us do it! My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, “Cast thy burden upon the Lord and He shall sustain thee.” Day by day I do it. This morning sixty matters in connection with the church of which I am pastor, I brought before the Lord.”[1] Mueller began his day offloading burdens from his shoulders onto God’s, mentioning them specifically and individually, giving them to God. He never carried the burden. Teach the counselee that when God sends difficulties into our lives we must deal with them as much as we are able, but we must not carry them. Let God bear the weight of responsibility for outcomes that are beyond our control or responsibility.

The Big Picture

When we cast all our anxiety on Him, it reminds us of the big picture —the perspective from heaven. The smaller one’s perspective, the easier it is to become overwhelmed. An unexpected bill, a conflict in the home, or even watching the evening news can be like a small cloud that blocks the entire sun. But when we say, “God, I now offload the weight of this burden onto You. Do with it as You will. I trust You,” that kind of prayer has a way of reminding us of how small the burden really is. When you see that “giant” problem sitting there on God’s shoulders, suddenly it does not look so massive. In fact, in light of His immensity, the problem shrinks into nothingness. Is God sliding off His throne in helpless dismay because your son brought home an F? Are the armies of angels paralyzed as the kingdom of God grinds to a halt because your health insurance dropped you? Casting my cares on Him provides the “big picture” perspective that delivers us from being overwhelmed.