Intro: A pastor in the countryside was retiring after 35 years of serving in the church. As he came to clear out his bedroom, he found a small bowl with five eggs and $1,000 in it. Baffled, he called his wife, "Honey, what is this little basket under the bed with five eggs and $1,000 in it?" "Oh," she said, "I must confess that every time you preach a bad sermon, I put an egg in the basket." Surely the pastor was pleased. "Not bad five bad sermons in 35 years," he thought. "And what about the $1,000?" "Well, every time I get a dozen, I sell them!" I don't know how many eggs my wife has sold in the past 31 years of my ministry.
Today we will continue the sermon series on "The Bible and Emotional Problems." We will learn about anxiety. Did you know that anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults in the United States, age 18 and older, or 18.1% of the population every year? According to Max Lucado in his book "Anxious for Nothing," the United States is now the most anxious nation in the world. The land of the Stars and Stripes has become a country of stress and strife. This is a costly achievement. Lucado says, "Stress-related ailments cost the nation $300 billion yearly in medical bills and lost productivity, while our usage of sedative drugs keeps skyrocketing; just between 1997 and 2004. Americans more than doubled their spending on anti-anxiety medications like Xanax and Valium, from $900 million to $2.1 billion."
Before we learn from the Bible how to deal with anxiety, we need to understand the complexity of anxiety. Like depression, we learned last week that not all anxiety can be cured only with prayer and the Bible. That is why we need to understand what anxiety is, its symptoms, various types of anxiety, and the factors that cause it.
Understanding Anxiety
You may wonder whether anxiety is similar to worry. The answer is "yes" and "no." Let me explain. Anxiety has three main components: emotional, physiological, and cognitive. Imagine you have a presentation coming up at work. You might notice feelings of fear and dread, two examples of the emotional component. You may also notice bodily sensations, such as heart palpitations, sweating, or tightness in your stomach, representing the physiological component. Finally, you might think, "I can't do it," or "I'm going to embarrass myself." Worries and negative thoughts like these about what might happen in the future are the cognitive component. So, while worry is an integral part of anxiety, it is only one of the three main building blocks.
Anxiety is a normal phenomenon. It is a natural way in which the body responds to danger. It is your body's biological threat response system. When your brain believes you are in danger, it sends signals to your body, resulting in the fight-or-flight response. However, anxiety becomes a challenge or problem when it becomes chronic or leads to mental disorders. It can be challenging and frustrating to live with an anxiety disorder. You may suffer from chronic anxiety when you always feel fearful, nervous, or anxious, even when you are not undergoing any form of stress or danger. Therefore, it is essential to identify when you have just normal or mild anxiety and experiencing chronic ones that require medical attention.
Symptoms of Anxiety
Common anxiety signs and symptoms include:
- Feeling nervous, restless, or tense
- Having a sense of impending danger, panic, or doom
- Having an increased heart rate
- Breathing rapidly (hyperventilation)
- Sweating
- Trembling
- Feeling weak or tired
- Trouble concentrating or thinking about anything other than the present worry
- Having trouble sleeping
- Experiencing gastrointestinal (GI) problems
- Having difficulty controlling worry
- Having the urge to avoid things that trigger anxiety.
Types of Anxiety
According to the National Institutes of Mental Health, there are five primary types of anxiety disorders are:
1. Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). It is an anxiety disorder characterized by chronic anxiety, exaggerated worry, and tension, even when little or nothing is to provoke it.
2. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). It is an anxiety disorder characterized by recurrent, unwanted thoughts (obsessions) and or repetitive behaviors (compulsions) such as hand washing, counting, checking, or cleaning.
3. Panic Disorder. It is an anxiety disorder characterized by unexpected and repeated episodes of intense fear accompanied by physical symptoms, including chest pain, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness, or abdominal distress.
4. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). An anxiety disorder can develop after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal where grave physical harm occurred or was threatened. Traumatic events that may trigger PTSD include violent personal assaults, natural or human-caused disasters, accidents, or military combat.
5. Social Phobia (or Social Anxiety Disorder). It is an anxiety disorder characterized by overwhelming anxiety and excessive self-consciousness in everyday social situations. Social phobia can be limited to only one type of situation, such as a fear of speaking in formal or informal situations or eating or drinking in front of others. It may be so broad that a person experiences symptoms almost anytime around other people in its most severe form.
The good news is, anxiety disorders are highly treatable, yet only 36.9% of those suffering receive treatment. People with an anxiety disorder are three to five times more likely to go to the doctor and six times more likely to be hospitalized for psychiatric disorders than those who do not suffer from anxiety disorders.
The Bible and Anxiety
The Bible has a lot to say about anxiety. Someone posted 53 verses in the Bible that talk about anxiety on his homepage. But the word itself on used eight times in the English Standard Version and seven times in the New International Version. The King James Version does not use the word at all. Synonyms like trouble, heaviness, distress, and care are used in their place. The Bible shows some cases of anxiety. For example, Genesis 32 tells when Jacob was returning home after many years away. Jacob had left home to escape the anger of his brother, Esau, from whom he had stolen the birthright and blessing from their father. As Jacob neared his homeland, he heard Esau coming to meet him with 400 men. Jacob was immediately anxious, expecting a horrible battle with his brother. His anxiety is caused by a broken relationship and a guilty conscience.
When God appeared to Moses in the burning bush, He asked Moses to go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt (Exodus 3:10). But Moses responded, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?" (Exodus 3:11). Moses was worried that he would not be able to accomplish this task because he was a "nobody." Even after God told His plan to Moses about how he would come out victorious, he was still doubtful and anxious about it all.
Also, in Esther 4, the Jewish people were anxious because of a royal decree allowing them to be massacred. Queen Esther was anxious because she was planning to risk her life on behalf of her people. In the New Testament, we read about Martha, a good friend of Jesus. She is mentioned in Scripture three times. She lived in Bethany with her sister, Mary, and her brother, Lazarus, whom Jesus raised from the dead.
One day she was hosting Jesus and the disciples. It was an honor to have Jesus at her house. Martha was focused on being a good hostess, for Jesus' sake. Her sister, Mary, however, was taking the time to listen to Jesus. This brought Martha great anxiety, which many of us can relate to. Luke 10:40-42 says, "But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me." But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her." (ESV)
Not all anxiety is sinful. But Anxiety and worry can be tools that the Devil has used throughout history to hinder God's people from moving and doing God's works, like in the case of Moses. It causes us to fail to focus on the right/essential things, like in the case of Martha.
Closing:
Anxiety disrupts our daily activities, steals peace and joy from our hearts. And more than that, it hinders us from being Christ's witnesses to the world. That is why in Matthew 6:25-34 that we learned last Sunday, Jesus tells His disciples, "Do not worry or be anxious" three times! Apostle Paul tells us not to worry: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." (Phil 4:6). Peter also says: "Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you." (1 Peter 5:7).
Next week, we will learn more about what the Bible teaches in dealing with anxiety so that we may experience peace, joy, and love in our lives and can fulfill our call to do His will. May God help us! Amen!
