Everyone gets anxious at some point in life, and in today’s world anxiety attacks earlier than ever. According to the CDC, almost 10% of kids aged 3 to 17 were diagnosed with an anxiety disorder between 2016 and 2019 – almost 6 million young people! And this statistic only counts official diagnoses; the real number of kids struggling with anxiety is certainly far higher.
According to Oxford dictionaries, anxiety is “a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome.” Students worry about friends and likes and the future. Adults worry about marriage and kids and finances. The pace of life is faster than ever, and humans were not designed to handle the speed. It’s no wonder that we’re all so stressed out.
Here’s how the anxiety cycle works: something triggers an anxious thought and you immediately stuff it. Avoidance works in the short term, giving you temporary relief from worry. But inevitably it leads to more anxiety in the long term, triggering the cycle all over again.
The Secret
Anxiety has become an epidemic among people of all ages, but all hope is not lost. The Bible offers peace to followers of Jesus, and it reveals a simple secret for anyone with ears to hear.
Like the “love chapter” in the Bible (1 Corinthians 13), Philippians 4 is the “anxiety chapter”. In fact, check out these stats: the Bible is Kindle’s most highlighted book, and Philippians 4:6–7 is the most highlighted passage in the Bible! Here’s what it says:
Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT) Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
This passage gives us the secret to overcoming anxiety: replace your old, anxiety-producing habits with new, peace-producing habits. This replaces the “anxiety cycle” with what we’ll call the “peace cycle.” It has four simple steps.
Overthrow Worry
Paul writes, “Don’t worry about anything…” Step 1, then, is to overthrow worry. This does not mean to stuff it, but rather to take authority over it. Recognize anxiety for what it is and get ready to overcome it. Reject its control over your mind and life. Choose not to get stuck in the anxiety cycle.
Pauls says that nothing is worthy of your worry. Do you believe this? It’s so easy to convince ourselves that the object of our rumination is worth worrying about, whether it’s friends or kids or money or reputation. But it’s not. Nothing is.
Think about what caused anxiety for the Christians in Philippi. They were worried about Paul’s imprisonment (1:12) and their own suffering (1:29) – and all of this for the sake of sharing the gospel. Paul’s response? Don’t sweat it. Not even that is worry-worthy. If the eternal stuff isn’t worth getting anxious over, what does that say about the temporal stuff? Worry is a choice, and Paul’s message is clear: don’t worry about anything.
Replace It with Prayer
Paul continues, “…instead, pray about everything.” Step 2 is to replace anxiety with prayer. The enemy wants you to worry, so turn this tactic of his on its head. Here’s how: instead of letting your worries trigger the anxiety cycle, let them trigger prayer instead! Every time you feel anxious, pray. Let your day be filled with short, powerful, anxiety-fighting prayers.
[Related: Prayer – What? Why? When? Where? Who?]
Prayer is more than folding your hands and bowing your head. It doesn’t have to contain “thees” and “thous” and it can happen anywhere, any time. Pray when you’re driving your car or while you’re lying in bed. Pray before a big meeting or after a tough conversation. Pray for 30 seconds or 30 minutes. Your prayer doesn’t need to be formal or fancy. In fact, the most powerful prayers are the ones that are prayed in desperation. Let anxiety trigger that kind of prayer.
The people of Israel understood this. On the verge of an enemy attack, King Jehoshaphat threw up a desperate, anxiety-triggered prayer:
2 Chronicles 20:12 (NLT) “O our God, won’t you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help.”
What a simple, honest prayer. Just admit that you’re out of ideas. Then ask God to help. Here’s what you’ll learn, just like Israel did that day: the battle is not yours, but God’s.
Verbalize Your Needs
Next, Paul gets specific: “Tell God what you need…” Step 3 is to verbalize your needs. Getting specific with God about what you need can be a great way to calmly and objectively evaluate your anxiety. It’s probably not as hopeless or scary as you think. So put it on the table and let God hear about it. All of it.
Journaling is a great way to do this. Write out what’s bothering you and why. Boldly make your requests known to God. He won’t be mad or disappointed. He’s not surprised that you can’t handle it on your own. In fact, he knows what you need more than you do. But there’s something powerful about putting it into words for yourself.
Thank God for the Wins
Finally, Paul says to “…thank him for all he has done.” Step 4 is to thank God for the wins in your life. Even in the midst of our scariest trials, there is still so much to be thankful for. When you are overcome with anxious thoughts and feel your worries are too much to bear, refocus on your blessings. Make a list, and keep adding to it. This is what the Psalmist did:
Psalms 34:1-3 (NLT) I will praise the LORD at all times. I will constantly speak his praises. I will boast only in the LORD; let all who are helpless take heart. Come, let us tell of the LORD’s greatness; let us exalt his name together.
This is the simple secret to overcoming anxiety, taken straight from Philippians 4:6. Overthrow worry and replace it with prayer. Tell God what you need and thank him for the wins. Do this over and over, whenever anxiety gets triggered in your life. Make a habit of this, and eventually it will pay off with peace – which is the opposite of anxiety:
Philippians 4:7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
