Anxious: Fighting Anxiety with the Word of Godናሙና

Anxious David

Day One: Pretend Insanity

Read 1 Samuel 21:10-15.

Today, in 1 Samuel, we read about when David was so afraid of how King Achish might treat him that he pretended to be a crazy person. Pretty brilliant, right? It is amazing how our worries can lead us to behave. Maybe you tend to get tense and angry when you feel anxious about how others think about you or what they might say or do to you. Maybe you get defensive. Maybe you, like David, behave in ways that will scare people away. I mean, lion- and giant-slaying King David, of God’s own heart, literally scribbled and drooled. Or maybe you isolate and put your phone on airplane mode so the texts and expectations can just stop for one minute, please!

Read Psalm 34.

Psalm 34 was actually written by David about this very time in his life—when he pretended to be a crazy person in the presence of Abimelech (probably the same guy mentioned earlier as “King Achish” in 1 Sam. 21:10-15).1 David clearly knew what it was like to be anxious when he wrote this psalm.

Sometimes, when I’m afraid, I forget how to pray. I forget how to think like a daughter of God. I panic and don’t know what to say.

In verse 11, David talked about teaching “the fear of the LORD.” Fear is not a bad thing when it is focused on our Father. It’s when we fear the wrong things that we feel anxiety. When we fear the Lord, we gain. When we fear the Lord, it is easier not to worry about the things the Lord has already defeated. When we fear the Lord, we remember He is our shield and protector.

Reread verse 9.

I’m not into war movies or battle-y things in general, but the idea of being shielded sounds awesome to me. If I could just be shielded, at all times, from danger, from conflict, from sadness—my heart longs for that. David’s interpersonal conflicts were much more murder-y than mine tend to be, but it’s convicting and inspiring to me that he sought protection and refuge in the Lord.