The Antidote To Anxiety
January 12, 2022·Dan Hicks
If you are prone to reading and believing published reports, we are an anxious people. The amount of anxiety medication consumed all around seems to prove this.
With so many apparently having a struggle with anxiety, the question in my mind is, “How do we deal with it, and what do we do when anxiety attacks?”
In this week’s Pause reading plan, I read some things Jesus had to say about “anxiety.”
In Luke 12:29, Jesus is talking about things that we seek, which we shouldn’t really be worrying about. When we do, the end result is anxiety. “And do not seek what you should eat or drink, nor have an anxious mind.”
I read those words and then it hit me, just a bit earlier (Luke 10:40-42) Jesus was processing the issue of anxiety with Martha. She had become distracted from her relationship with Jesus by what she was doing. The result of her distraction was “anxiety.” The idea of distraction in the original language is that she was being “drug all around… in other words, disconnected.” When it came to relating to Jesus, she had grown anxious.
For Jesus, the matter of “anxiety” was a serious one, one which He spoke about quite frequently. With that being so, “How should we deal with it?”
I can recall at times, growing up, how my father would tell me to get up and get going and everything would be okay. I know now he was trying to reduce whatever my anxiety was at the moment. But how could he know if everything would be okay? Have you ever told someone it’s going to be okay, when really you had no idea if it was going to be okay?
There are plenty of situations in life where we don’t really know if it’s going to be okay. Yet, in our text(s), Jesus’ words seem to imply that nothing should get in the way of our peace.
Remembering my father’s admonition, I want to offer an antidote for anxiety. The word “antidote” is a remedy or treatment to counteract the effects of poison.
Anxiety can be like a poison in our soul. So here are three steps you can take to counteract the effects of anxiety.
1) Get Up. God often will give fresh perspective when you “get up and get going.” This was the Lord’s advice to Joshua, “So the Lord said to Joshua: ‘Get up!’” (Joshua 7:10).
2) Get Perspective. When you’re anxious, you have temporarily lost your perspective. Psalm 119:27-28, “Make me understand the way of Your precepts; so shall I meditate on Your wonderful works. My soul melts from heaviness; strengthen me according to Your word.”
3) Get Close. James 4:8, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you!” Psalm 73:28, “But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord God.”
If you step into this week with a desire to be “anxiety free,” it’s important to keep your balance. Just remember to: Get Up and Get Going, Get Perspective, and finally Get Close.
Shalom,
Pastor Dan Hicks
