What Is Anxiety?

Anxiety can rush at us when we are not in control of our circumstances or our future.

It could be what you feel before a school test, an office presentation, a first date, a wedding; or while awaiting the results of a medical test. Anxiety wants to be your companion when you’re facing a financial crisis or a relationship becomes irreparably damaged.

Feeling anxious is a normal response to sudden unexpected events, looming future uncertainties, or even past traumas. But anxiety often threatens to be more than just a fleeting emotion. When you’re not in control, anxiety wants to control you and take up residence in your heart and mind.

Once it settles in, anxiety can cause physical sicknesses, sleepless nights, and deep sadness. It can affect your relationships with others and perpetuate destructive cycles of unhealthy choices. People who struggle with anxiety find that it leaves no room for feelings of joy and peace.

But God doesn’t want you to live with anxiety. God promises to give you inward peace in exchange for your concerns (Psalm 62:5 CEV). He wants to be your refuge, the one you run to for shelter and protection from distress. What a tradeoff!

If you feel trapped in a constant swirl of anxious thoughts, God wants to calm the storm within you. And he has the power to do it! He knows the future, and today—now!—he stands ready to step into your circumstances and be your place of safety.

Here are some action steps to help you identify anxiety in your life and trade it for God’s peace.

• Read Psalm 62:5–8. Can you imagine what it would be like to depend on God alone? How would putting your hope in a powerful and loving God affect you in any anxiety-causing event you are currently facing?
• The psalmist urges God’s people to tell God all their troubles. Have you done that? What are you promised in return for putting your trust in God?
• What will it look like for you to take a step toward depending on God today?

Today’s Prayer:

Father, thank you for being a safe place for me to bring all my concerns. I am anxious again as I face ______________. Help me depend on you, God, to be my strong protector. I pray for your peace as I face circumstances I can’t control. Today, I place my hope in you and your infinite wisdom and power. In Jesus’s name. Amen.