We live in anxious times. The world has changing weather patterns with floods, landslides, earthquakes. These are troubling times with wars and the rise and fall of nations. It is easy to have concern for the future of our children and grandchildren. Many of us are getting older with greater need for personal care. It is appropriate to address these concerns head on with a biblical perspective. Let’s see how we can move from anxiety to trust.


A Word Study

Anxiety: Louw-Nida, a feeling of apprehension or distress in view of possible danger or misfortune. Proverbs 12:25, Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad. 1 Peter 5:7, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Charles Spurgeon, Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows but only empties today of its strength.  

Worry: Louw-Nida, to be very concerned about something, with the implication of placing too much value upon something. It is closely tied to anxiety and used only one time in the New Testament, Luke 12:29, And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. Oswald Chambers, Worry is an indication that we think God cannot look after us. Bernard Meltzer, Worry is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do but doesn’t get you anywhere. 


Fear: Our word phobia comes from this Greek word. Louw-Nida, a lack of courage or moral strength, anticipation of a future anxiety. Psalm 34:4, I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. George Macdonald, Fear is faithlessness. 


The Relationship of Anxiety to Doubt

Doubt: Louw-Nida, to think that something may not be true or certain. Elijah killed the false prophets of Baal but then fled in fear from Jezebel. Jesus cried out from the cross, Matthew 27:46, My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? I believe doubt is neutral - it is neither good nor bad of itself. Jesus had doubts but He did not sin. Hebrews 4:15, For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. If doubt is neutral, how can it become a positive instead of a negative in your life and in mine?


Doubt raises questions: God are you there? Is there more to life than what I can see? Henry Krause, Truth divorced from experience will always dwell in doubt. There are signposts in our lives, remembering how God has intervened in our daily affairs. God, do you care about me? At times, I feel so insignificant. God can seem so far away. God doesn't need us but He wants us which was proven at the Cross. Philip Yancey, Does God really want close contact with us? Jesus gave up Heaven for it. In person, He reestablished the original link between God and human beings, between seen and unseen worlds. God, I am so undeserving! Of course, we are undeserving. Our faith is based on grace not our efforts. Ephesians 2:8-9, For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Why do I feel overwhelmed? Doubts can be a cruel test of faith by Satan. 1 Peter 5:8, ... Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Why do I have problems everywhere I turn? It seems like the harder I try, the more difficult it gets. Job 14:1, Man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble. Philip Yancey, No one is exempt from tragedy or disappointment-God Himself was not exempt...Jesus offered no immunity, no way out of the unfairness, but a way through it to the other side. 


How to reduce anxiety: Pray and read the Word for wisdom and protection, Francis Bacon (16th C.), If a man begins with certainties, he shall end in doubts; but if he begins with doubts, he shall end in certainties. Correct improper attitudes and actions, Theodore Ledyard Cuyler (19th C,) Every step toward Christ kills a doubt. Every thought, word, and deed for him carries you away from discouragement. Seek counsel from other believers. James 5:19-20, My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth, and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death, and will cover a multitude of sins. Accept doubts as opportunities to grow spiritually, Helen Keller, It need not discourage us if we are full of doubts. Healthy questions keep faith dynamic. Unless we start with doubts we cannot have a deep-rooted faith. One who believes lightly and unthinkingly has not much of a belief. He who has a faith which is not to be shaken has won it through blood and tears-has worked his way from doubt to truth as one who reaches a clearing through a thicket of brambles and thorns. Look to the future, Philip Yancey, God promises an eternity beyond compare - Our disappointment is itself a sign, an aching, a hunger for something better. And faith is, in the end, a kind of homesickness— for a home we have never visited but have never once stopped longing for.


The Answer to Anxiety is Trust

The older I get the less I focus on doubt and the more I focus on trusting God. Consider the following verses and quotes on trust. Keep them close to at all times.


Psalm 56:3, When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.

Psalm 62:8, Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.

Proverbs 3:5-6, Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Ronald Dunn, We learn to trust by trusting.

J. Gresham Machen, The more we know of God, the more unreservedly we will trust him.

Oswald Chambers, It is not our trust that keeps us, but the God in whom we trust who keeps us.