The Lies of Anxiety

Feeling anxious? Check out - 8 Arguments For Why You Should Be Anxious Today and How the Bible Responds by Justin Taylor

An important lesson of the Christian life is that the heart of the battle is a fight not between abstract commands (do this! don’t do that!) but rather arguments. Unbelief does not just offer dictates; it offers reasons why we don’t need to trust the Lord. And to counter that, gospel-flavored belief argues with our unbelief. In other words, it provides reasons for why trusting the Lord is always the good and wise things to do.

Here are some notes on how this might work with the temptation to fret and worry and be anxious and unsettled, rather than acting in joyful, confident, restful faith. I’ve included the argument of unbelief, a Scripture passage, and some observations on how the argument works.

1. ANXIETY IS WORTH IT BECAUSE GOD IS TOO FAR AWAY TO HEAR MY NEEDS.

Philippians 4:5-6: ”The Lord is at hand; [therefore] do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

• The truth: “The Lord is at hand”
• What is prohibited as a result: “do not be anxious about anything”
• The alternative that is prescribed as a result: “in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God [i.e., the Lord who is near to hear and to help].”

2. ANXIETY IS WORTH IT BECAUSE GOD DOES NOT CARE FOR ME AND I NEED TO GET MYSELF OUT OF THIS HUMILIATING STAGE OF LIFE.

1 Peter 5:6-7: Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

• The truth: God cares for me.
• The command: I am to humble myself.
• How? By casting all of my anxieties on him.
• A corollary: Carrying rather than casting my anxieties is an expression of pride.

3. ANXIETY IS WORTH IT BECAUSE IF MY PROBLEMS AREN’T SOLVED I COULD DIE.

Matthew 6:25: “Do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?”

• You still have eternal life even if you have no food
• You will still have a resurrection body even if you are physically deprived.
• Even if your struggle ends in death you will not have lost the most important things; therefore, don’t spend your time being anxious about lesser things.

4. ANXIETY IS WORTH IT BECAUSE I HAVE NO PRACTICAL EVIDENCE IN THE WORLD THAT GOD VALUES ME OR WILL TAKE CARE OF ME. 

Matthew 6:26, 28-30: “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? . . . And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?”

• God values the birds and the grass, which he richly provides for and adorns.
• God values me much more than the birds and the grass.
• Therefore, as an argument from the lesser to the greater, obviously he will be even more invested in providing for all of my needs.

5. ANXIETY IS WORTH IT BECAUSE OF HOW MUCH IT HELPS MY LIFE.

Matthew 6:27: ”Which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” [Answer: no one.]

• The truth: Anxiety can’t add a single hour to my life.
• Presupposition: I shouldn’t spend my time on pointless activities that have no benefits.
• Result: I shouldn’t be anxious.

6. ANXIETY IS WORTH IT BECAUSE NO ONE ELSE IS GOING TO LOOK OUT FOR MY NEEDS.

Matthew 6:31, 33: “Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For . . . your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

• The truth: God knows I have needs for food, drink, clothing
• The implication: When God knows a need and he loves the needy he is glad to be the supplier of the need.
• The result: My focus can be on God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness, knowing that my needs will be taken care of.

7. ANXIETY IS WORTH IT; AFTER ALL, EVERYONE DOES IT AND IT SEEMS TO WORK FOR THEM.

Matthew 6:31-32: “Do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things. . . .”

• The truth: Unbelievers are anxious about how their needs are going to be met.
• Presupposition: Christians are not to act like unbelievers.
• Result: We should not be anxious like the world is anxious.

8. ANXIETY IS WORTH IT BECAUSE SO MANY TROUBLES ARE COMING TO ME IN THE FUTURE IF I DON’T WORRY ABOUT THEM NOW.

Matthew 6:34: “Do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

• Tomorrow is going to do just fine without your help, but thanks anyway.

Reading the Bible to Your Fears

Are you anxious and afraid? Try this - Read the Bible to Your Anxiety by John Piper:

I created three labs teaching through Matthew 6:24–34 on anxiety. My objectives were both to understand how Jesus helps us overcome anxiety, but also to draw out six lessons for how to read the Bible for ourselves. With this short series, I have methodology, theology, and application in mind. Here are the six lessons I highlighted for Bible reading. Click on the links below to find the study guides and videos for all three labs.

Click through to the link to get the study guides

Christmas Conceived In My World

From Ann Voskamp

More Gospel Implications

Ready for some more Gospel Implications?  Here we go!

Gospel Implications: Since Jesus is praying we’ll be filled with his joy, staying dour, smug, & cold is not an option.

Gospel Implications: Because Jesus has perfectly obeyed the law for us, we don’t have to, we GET to.

Gospel Implications: Because Jesus cannot possibly love us more than he already does, we can focus on loving others.

Gospel Implications: Since Jesus is our Advocate & Intercessor, who even purifies our prayers, we can pray big & boldly.

Gospel Implications: Since Jesus is the ONLY perfect spouse, let’s not expect our spouse to be Jesus to us.

Gospel Implications: Since Jesus IS a perfect spouse to us, let’s love our spouse more sacrificially & extravagantly.

Gospel Implications: Since Jesus ONLY & ALWAYS speaks words of life to us, how dare we harm one another with OUR words?

Gospel Implications: Because Jesus is redeeming a pan-national Bride, we must decry & repent of all racism & tribalism.

Gospel Implications: Since we are in Christ and condemnation free, all self-contempt must be repudiated as unbelief.

Gospel Implications: Since Jesus came to set prisoners free, we must not stay enslaved to bitterness, greed and vanity.

Gospel Implications: Do not think/act like an orphan, for you are a legally adopted, dearly loved child of your Father.

 Can't get enough of this!

Some Gospel Implications

Love this! Need this! From Gospel Implications, Part 1 @ Provocations & Pantings:

Gospel Implications: Jesus’ imputed righteousness demolishes our hope of meriting God’s favor and fear of losing it.

Gospel Implications: Because Jesus is currently making all his enemies his footstool, our right to anxiety & fear is gone.

Gospel Implications: Since Jesus took our guilt & shame on the cross, we can’t use those dark tools in our relationships.

Gospel Implications: Since Jesus in making all things new, we can’t disengage from the culture & abuse the environment.

Gospel Implications: Since God promises the sufficiency of his grace, we can’t bail as quickly from difficult situations.

Gospel Implications: Because Jesus said “It is finished”, all attempts at supplementing his work are blasphemous.

Gospel Implications: Because the throne of heaven is occupied, you can get off of your high horse.

Gospel Implications: Because one day we will be as lovely & loving as Jesus, holiness should be a passion & joy today.

Gospel Implications: Because Jesus will not sleep or slumber tonight, we can.

More to come.  Glorious (and truthful) stuff!

Hold Fast To Things That Endure

Grant that I, Lord,
may not be anxious about earthly things,
but love things heavenly;
and even now, while I am placed among things that are passing away,
hold fast to those that shall endure;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

- The Book of Common Prayer

Hat Tip:  A Prayer for When You’re Anxious : Kingdom People