Anxiety is aptly described as the experience of worry and concern. Anyone who has ever gone through anxiety attacks know that it is a lot of that and a whole lot more. Anxiety, uncontrolled can bring you entire life to a halt. It robs you of sleep, it disturbs your peace of mind, causes you to lose weight and generally become very sick.
So what does the Bible and more importantly God say about anxiety.
A) THE EXPERIENCE OF ANXIETY
The Bible seems to divide anxiety into two groups. There is appropriate anxiety and then there is inappropriate anxiety.
1) Appropriate Anxiety
- concern for family members
1 Samuel 10:2
When you leave me today you will meet two men near Rachel's tomb, at Zelzah on the border of Benjamin. They will say to you "the donkeys you set out to look for have been found. And now your Father has stopped thinking about them and is WORRIED about you. He is asking what shall I do about my Son ?
Luke 2:48
When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His Mother said to him, why have you treated us like this. Your Father and I have been ANXIOUSLY searching for you.
- anxiety at the thought of having sinned
Psalm 139: 23 & 24
Search me God and know my heart. Test me and know my ANXIOUS thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.
- anxiety for the welfare of other Christians
2 Corinthians 11: 28 & 29
Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. Who is weak and I do not feel week ? Who is led into sin and I do not inwardly burn ?
2 Corinthians 11:29
Who is weak, and I am not weak?
&c.] What church is so? or what particular believer is so? for he had not only the care of all the churches, but of all believers upon him; whoever was weak in the faith he was concerned for them, to instruct, establish, and strengthen them; and suited his discourses, reasonings, and language, to their capacity, that they might understand him, and take in right notions of things: or whoever was of a weak and scrupulous conscience about things indifferent, and fearful of using them lest they should sin in so doing, he was cautious of offending them, or doing anything by which their consciences should be defiled, and their peace be broken: or whoever was afflicted, either in body or mind, he sympathized and bore a part with them: "who is offended, and I burn not?" whoever was stumbled and made to fall by anything he said or did, or by the words and actions of others, it gave him sensible pain, it made him very uneasy; he was as one in a flame, all on fire, full of grief and trouble till the cause of the offence was removed, and the person offended made easy and restored; the word here used answers to the Hebrew word (Mge) , used in ( Job 30:25 ) where it is said, "was not my soul grieved for the poor?" which Mr. Broughton renders, "did not my soul burn for the poor?" Now by all this which the apostle did and suffered, by all actions and sufferings, care and sympathy, he fully appeared to be a true and faithful minister of Christ, and abundantly more than the false apostles, who could produce none of these things as testimonies in their favour.
ANXIETY FOR OTHER BELIEVERS (continued)
Philippians 2:20
I have no one else like him who will show genuine concern for your welfarePhilippians 2:26
For he longs for all of you and was distressed because you heard he was ill
Philippians 2:28
Therefore I am all the more eager to send him so that when you see him again your be glad and I will have less anxiety