By Jane Burkett, ‘13

Anxiety weighs down the human heart, but a good word cheers it up – Proverbs 12:25

Over the last few years, I have periodically seen admonitions from Christians (including many pastors) not to worry or be anxious. Now, the Bible certainly enjoins us not to be anxious, on multiple occasions and in multiple places. But what strikes me by the typical Christian’s admonition is that it is not like the typical biblical passage on this same topic. Very frequently, my contemporaries come across as scolding: you shouldn’t be anxious because it shows a lack of faith, a lack of trust in God. It’s a sin, because God commands us not to be anxious, just like he says “thou shalt not kill” or “thou shalt not steal.” If you want to be a good Christian, stop being anxious right now, by golly! 

When I have gone through periods of intense stress and anxiety, I found these condemnatory messages about anxiety counterproductive. In addition to the various problems in my life, I now was being told that I had weak faith! 

There’s an important distinction between true and helpful. Small-o “orthodox” Christians, frustrated by progressives’ seemingly more blasé approach to sin, can sometimes overvalue speaking truth harshly. Sometimes harshness is needed to wake people up, but many times it’s not. For example, someone who is very nervous about public speaking will be most helped by encouragement and praise, not criticism of their shaking hands and voice. 

So, let’s take a closer look at how the Bible addresses anxiety, and see what we can learn pastorally from it. 

First, let’s look at some biblical examples of people who experienced anxiety. It’s hard to beat Mary and Joseph when it comes to godly examples, but when 12-year-old Jesus went missing in Jerusalem, Luke 2:48 says that Mary and Joseph had “been looking for [Jesus] anxiously (ὀδυνώμενοι).” Was their anxiety proof of a lack of faith, or the normal reaction of loving parents? 

When Queen Esther heard King Ahasuerus’ decree to murder all the Jews, she was seized with deadly anxiety (ἐν ἀγῶνι θανάτου) [and] fled to the Lord…. She prayed to the Lord God of Israel, and said: 

O my Lord, you only are our king; help me, who am alone and have no helper but you, for my danger is in my hand. Ever since I was born, I have heard in the tribe of my family that you, O Lord, took Israel out of all the nations, and our ancestors from among all their forebears, for an everlasting inheritance, and that you did for them all that you promised (Greek Esther C:12-16, follows 4:17). 

Esther’s response to anxiety was to take her concerns to God in prayer, relying on God’s history of keeping his promises. These actions show that she was not weak in faith, but instead quite the opposite.

Even Jesus, in the garden of Gethsemane, is described as being in a state of anxiety (ἀδημονεῖν) (Matt. 26:37). I think we can all agree Jesus didn’t lack faith. Also, notice what Jesus’ response to his anxiety was: intense prayer, just like Esther.

What these examples show us is that anxiety is not necessarily an indicator of the quality of someone’s faith. 

On the other hand, in the section of the Sermon on the Mount on anxiety (6:25-34), Jesus says “do not be anxious” three times. He also calls his audience “people of little faith” (ὀλιγόπιστοι) (Matt. 6:30). There we have it! Jesus scolds people’s lack of faith because of their anxiety and commands them to be less anxious!

We need some perspective on Jesus’ statements here. This section about anxiety is 10 verses long. There is literally one word about faith, while there are five whole verses about how God takes care of such minor things as birds, lilies, and grass (and even Gentiles!), providing them not only the necessities of life, but abundance. Jesus assures his audience that God knows what we need and cares more about us than about birds or grass. 

We see, then, that Jesus’ approach is not focused on obedience or quality of faith. His approach is focused on assurance of God’s love and care. In other words, he speaks to build up the listeners’ faith, to reiterate that God can be relied upon. 

And not only that: in verse 33, Jesus shifts the focus from human to divine things: he tells us to “seek first [God’s] kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.” Shift your focus from your worries to God and his kingdom, the ultimate source of everything you need. 

Jesus’ approach in the Sermon on the Mount is similar to those in other places in the Bible. Here are a couple of examples:

• 1 Peter 5:7: “Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.” 

  • Peter reassures his audience of God’s care, which means God can be trusted with our troubles.

• Philippians 4:5b-8: “The Lord is at hand. Have no anxiety 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 passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” 

  • Why shouldn’t we have anxiety? Because the Lord is near! Notice the actions commended in this verse: take everything in prayer before God and focus your thoughts on the things of the kingdom: whatever is lovely, gracious, excellent, worthy of praise.

As we see from all of these examples, the Bible acknowledges that people are going to have circumstances in their lives that produce anxiety. This is normal, and even great saints have experienced it. Experiencing anxiety is not the problem; it’s what you do with the feeling that matters.

When we feel anxious, the Bible repeatedly counsels us to flee to the Lord. Take your concerns to God in prayer. The Psalms provide a wonderful selection of prayers for those in fear and distress. 

In addition, remind yourself of God’s faithfulness and lovingkindness. Read in the Bible about how he cares for his people. The lives of the saints are another wonderful resource. So many saints underwent such adversity. 

Make these reminders personal. Call to mind all the good things God has done in your own life and the lives of those you know. Contemplate how, in the words of Fr. Jacques Philippe:

In abandoning myself to God, I experience in a concrete fashion that “it really works,” that God makes all things work together for my good, even evil, even suffering, even my own sins. How many occasions that I dreaded, when they arrived, in the final analysis proved to be supportable, and finally beneficial, after the first impact of pain. That which I believed to be working against me revealed itself to be to my benefit.

Finally, seek the kingdom of God: look for places the kingdom has broken into our world and focus on those things that are lovely, gracious, excellent, and praiseworthy. Focus on good news, generous people, beauty in art and nature, and times when justice was done. 

Christians are right in saying God doesn’t want us to be anxious, but we need to consider what actually helps people overcome anxiety. Anxiety stems from a focus on the wrong thing: the future that is out of our control. The solution is to focus on the right thing: the God who is Lord of the universe, who loves us, who has already won the victory, and whose kingdom is coming. The biggest problem with telling people that anxiety is a deficiency of faith is not that it’s necessarily wrong, it’s that it keeps the focus in the wrong place, on the anxious person’s thoughts and feelings. We need to look outside ourselves to God to overcome anxiety, for it is only in God that we will find the peace that passes all understanding. 

Jane Burkett holds an MDiv from Nashotah House (2013) and a ThM in Biblical Studies from Duke Divinity School (2015). She resides in Northern Virginia with her hairless dog, who likes Virginia’s winters a lot better than Wisconsin’s. She is employed as an analyst at a consulting firm and is a member of Church of the Epiphany Anglican. You may follow her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jane.burkett