Anxiety and fear are closely related, although I would say that fear might bring about a stronger emotional response. For anyone who has experienced a panic attack, it can be extremely frightening. Some have described it as feeling like they were dying or having a heart attack. Thankfully, I haven’t experienced panic attacks to that degree, but I have had them, and they were still scary nonetheless. I used to get them a lot when I was making my 40-minute commute home from work. At the time, I wasn’t a believer and would just keep repeating to myself, “You’re okay. You’re okay” until it passed. On the rare occasions I have a panic attack now, I immediately cry out to the Lord. However, if I’m just in an anxious state, I don’t tend to cry out to God. Instead, I try to distract myself in an attempt to forget about what is making me anxious, but it doesn’t work. Maybe some of you can relate.
When we are experiencing anxiety due to certain circumstances, our body is reacting to our emotions. Unfortunately, this is a symptom of not trusting the Lord for that situation, and not immediately seeking Him for comfort. Just to clarify, for those who have an anxiety disorder, that is a whole other realm, and although prayer would certainly help, some need medical intervention, and that is nothing to be ashamed of.
The story of Jehoshaphat can teach us a lot about how to approach prayer when we are anxious or fearful: “Jehoshaphat was afraid and turned his attention to seek the Lord; and he proclaimed a period of fasting throughout Judah...and he said, 'Lord, God of our fathers, are You not God in the heavens? And are You not ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in Your hand so that no one can stand against You. Did You not, our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land from Your people Israel, and give it to the descendants of Your friend Abraham forever? They have lived in it, and have built You a sanctuary in it for Your name, saying, "If disaster comes upon us, the sword, or judgment, or plague, or famine, we will stand before this house and before You (for Your name is in this house), and cry out to You in our distress, and You will hear and save us." Now behold, the sons of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, whom You did not allow Israel to invade when they came out of the land of Egypt (for they turned aside from them and did not destroy them), see how they are rewarding us by coming to drive us out from Your possession which You have given us as an inheritance. Our God, will You not judge them? For we are powerless before this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on You.'” 2 Chronicles 20:3-12
Let’s take a look at six approaches to prayer we can employ when anxious, as modeled above by Jehoshaphat:
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"I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears." Psalm 34:4
Is seeking the Lord immediately your go-to response when you are feeling anxious about something? Sadly, I confess, it’s not always mine. There are certain instances where I will go to the Lord immediately, but I’d say a majority of the time, it’s a process to get to that point, which is more about me trying to figure things out rather than seeking the One who has it all figured out.
Why should we seek the Lord immediately? Because He has called us to. Time and time again, He tells us that He is “our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble" (Psalm 46:1). And we’ve all experienced that help! You know that incredible peace you feel when you seek the Lord with your whole heart and profoundly sense His presence. Yet, we are a forgetful people…
Let’s change that and ask the Holy Spirit daily to remind us to seek the Lord first, especially when we are anxious. He will indeed answer that prayer, and we will be on our way to a peace that surpasses all understanding.
Not everyone is able to fast from food. I’m one of those people. But for the purposes of dealing with anxiety, there is something I can fast from—distractions. I would say that I am not alone in seeking to distract myself, especially through social with mindless scrolling, hoping to forget what is making me anxious.
What if, when we feel anxious, we fast from anything that we are using to disassociate from our situation and instead spend time in the Word, seeking our comfort and rest from Him? I can promise you that the Lord will speak life into your situation through His living Word, and you will feel the anxiety start to melt away.
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I love how Jehoshaphat declared everything about God that was true related to his specific prayer request. It’s no different for you or me. There are attributes of God that you can declare over the situation that is making you anxious.
Acknowledging the attributes of God for your circumstances reminds you of who God is and what He is able to do. It takes the focus off of self and puts it squarely on the Lord. You can believe God when He says, “You need not fight in this battle; take your position, stand and watch the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow, go out to face them, for the Lord is with you” (2 Chronicles 20:17).
When we trust in who God is, our anxiety will shrink under the power of God’s might for that circumstance.
Throughout the Bible and including Jehoshaphat’s story, many would “remind” the Lord of what He had already done for them. This did not mean that the Lord had forgotten, but it’s more an exercise of remembering, declaring, and trusting that He absolutely will do it again.
When we “remind” the Lord of what He has done, we are, in essence, giving Him glory once again and strengthening our faith, which will decrease our anxiety.
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Proclaiming God’s victory over the circumstances causing you anxiety is a powerful antidote. There are countless verses where God promises to be with us, strengthen us, protect us, and provide for us. How could we not proclaim God’s victory over what is causing us anxiety?
When we proclaim God’s victory over our circumstances, our anxious thoughts will cower!
"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you." 1 Peter 5:6-7
This verse says it all. When we don’t seek the Lord with our anxiety, we are, in essence, saying we will handle it. Instead, we must humble ourselves, express our need to the Lord, and He and He alone will exalt us.
When we humble ourselves, that’s when the Lord does His greatest work because we are not muddying the situation with our own devices, but wholly depending on God. What freedom from anxiety will come when we do just that?
Let us remember that “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7). The power we have is to seek Him immediately with our anxious thoughts in humility, filling our minds with His Word, remembering who God is and what He has done.
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