The Antidote for Anxiety
When the trials of life unexpectedly come knocking at our door, the last thing we may be thinking about is joy. Yet, the Bible calls us to have joy in life’s most turbulent moments (Jm. 1:2-3). How is this possible? Can a Christian really smile, pray, rejoice, and serve even as the weight of the world presses in?
If there was ever anyone who knew hardship, it was the apostle Paul. The missionary lived a life of snakebites and shipwrecks. Once, while locked up in prison, he told the Christians in Philippi how to remain stable in troubled times.
Rejoicing the Right Way
The antidote for anxiety begins with rejoicing (Phil. 4:4a). Instead of taking a day off work, trying yoga, or “venting” to a friend, the wise apostle says to pause and spend time praising God.
Before we think this “rejoicing” is merely suppressing evil thoughts, we may rest assured that this kind of rejoicing has divine intervention written all over it. It is rejoicing “in the Lord” (Phil. 4:4b).
When we rejoice in the Lord, we can be in the midst of pain and still find comfort knowing that Christ is the Prince of Peace (Is. 9:6), the sympathetic High Priest who has been where we’ve been (Heb. 4:14-16), the coming King who will wipe every tear and abolish all evil (Rev. 19:16). He is our loving Lord. He cares deeply for us (Rom. 8:38-39).
The Bible doesn’t dismiss the pain and emotion of our trials. Still, it does allow rejoicing in those trials because our sovereign Lord controls them. The spiritually stable Christian rejoices, knowing Christ is Lord.
Enduring the Right Way
Against human reason, Paul says that the antidote for anxiety also includes a gentle response in tough times.
A typical human response to pressure is fight or flight. But Paul says the Christian responds with forbearance (Phil. 4:5). Forbearance is a loaded Greek term that commentators translate as big-heartedness, generosity, considerateness, gentleness, leniency, and charity toward others’ faults.
When we contrast these words with the world’s way of dealing with anxiety, we see how different a Christian is. The world deals with tough times by declaring, “I demand...” But God says the Christian is forbearing; not demanding, but instead enduring, knowing that God is near the broken-hearted (Ps. 34:18) and returning soon (Rev. 22:12).
This gentle response is well summarized by the puritan Thomas Watson, who wrote, “A contented Christian being sweetly captivated under the authority of the Word, desires to be wholly at God’s disposal and is willing to live in that sphere and climate where God has set him.”
Praying the Right Way
Recent studies suggest that 85% of what we worry about doesn’t happen, and the average person spends up to 6.5 years of their life in some state of worry(1). Want to cut down on some wasted time? Paul says don’t be anxious (Phil. 4:6), but pray. He then explains how.
First, we are to pray about everything (Phi. 4:6a). Spiritually stable Christians don’t depend on comfort food, yoga, marijuana, alcohol, complaining, and distraction; instead, they pray. No Christian is perfect, but as we mature, habitual prayer becomes the deep rudder that guides us through stormy seas. We eventually learn that the best thing to do when anxiety strikes is to go straight to our knees, knowing that God cares for our worries and has asked us to cast them at His feet (1 Pet. 5:7).
Second, we are to pray with thanksgiving (Phil. 4:6b). Spiritually stable Christians are thankful in prayer because their joy isn’t wrapped up in how God answers. Instead, they know their sovereign God is in control. His purposes turn out for good (Rom. 8:28), all His ways are pure (Deut. 32:4), and He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him (Ps. 18:30).
For the believer, praying the right way leads to true peace (Phil. 4:7). Even when we don’t receive the answer we were hoping for, peace is always available.
Thinking the Right Way
Ultimately, the mind is where the battle with anxiety takes place. We cannot rejoice, endure, or pray right unless we get our thinking right. So Paul concludes (Phil. 4:8) with seven things we need to dwell (think) on:
First, we need to dwell on whatever is true. If Satan is the father of lies and accuser of the brethren, peace will only come to the mind focused on truth.
Second, we dwell on what is honorable. This Greek word describes a dignified nature, meaning our minds ought to be filled with respectful, noble, and serious thinking.
Thirdly, what is right means that God’s moral standard must set the bar of our thinking. God is just, and our contemplation ought to be like His.
Fourth, we must dwell on what is pure. All impurity must be confessed (1 Jn. 1:9), and His grace joyfully received (John 1:16). When we dwell on thoughts filled with lust, malice, and greed, it will rob us of lasting peace.
Fifth, we must dwell on what is lovely. The Greek word here also appears in the LXX to describe the beauty of Queen Esther. Therefore, our minds are to focus on things attractive, pleasing, and agreeable to God.
Sixth, we need to dwell on what is of good repute. This is the opposite of a mind in the gutter. Constant complaining, negativity, selfishness, a loss of perspective, and fear are all the antithesis of a healthy mind.
Finally, dwell on the praiseworthy. As believers, there is always something excellent and worthy of praise to rejoice over. Christ has won the victory, made us heirs of grace, and promised us eternity in worship and service.
In Christ alone, we most assuredly have the antidote for anxiety.
NOTES
https://www.achnet.com/content/85-percent-of-what-we-worry-about-never-happens
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[This post was first posted on For the Gospel. For more information, visit forthegospel.org.]