Challenging Verses Series: Philippians 4:6-7 (and many other verses)
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Medical Definition of Anxiety: Any of a broad range of disorders characterized by a continuous state of anxiety or fear, lasting at least a month, which are marked by constant apprehension, difficulties in concentration and heart palpitations. Anxiety disorders are attributed to a state of heightened exogenous and endogenous mental stress, anxiety and panic in response to perceived danger.
Statistics
Anxiety disorders affect 10–15% of Americans and account for 1/3 of mental health costs.
Etiology
Mental or physical trauma (e.g. immune response to infections, substance abuse); genetic components.
Types
Panic attack, agoraphobia, specific phobia(s), social phobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, acute stress disorder, anxiety disorder associated with medical conditions, substance abuse, or NOS (not otherwise specified).
Clinical Findings
Anxiety disorders can aggravate medical conditions. Headaches, sweating, irritability, nausea, depression.
There are many verses on anxiety in the Bible. These verses can be incredibly difficult for those afflicted with mental illness because of the misunderstanding of the clinical definition and Biblical definition of anxiety. The word “anxiety” as used in the Bible refers not to a mental disorder as described above, but rather to worry and fret. Unfortunately, our churches unwittingly stigmatize those hurting with anxiety disorders when we think we are helping them. I don’t mean Christians have malicious motives, but their lack of understanding and experiences hinder their ability to help in a constructive manner. We must be careful not to discourage our brothers and sisters that are afflicted with mental illness, especially those diagnosed with an anxiety disorder.
As we examine the Bible and anxiety, God reveals His love and care for us. Somehow, many Christians label anxiety as sin, rather than a human reaction to stress. God weaved this reaction into our fragile emotional being which is marred by sin. In Psalm 94:19, the psalmist is crying out in great anxiousness, because his trust of God is inconsistent and weak. David (Psalm 139:23) calls out to God to test his anxious thoughts because of his wandering faithfulness in God. Occasionally, when we are guilty or sinful, we become full of the anxiety demonstrated in Psalm 38:18. None of these verses are about anxiety as sin or about suffering with clinical anxiety. God speaks to us through His Word to come to him in any condition, but when a person suffers from clinical anxiety they don’t understand His love during episodes. God is with them even when they can’t understand He is there. This is not sin. This is a serious illness just as real as a heart condition. Even the great warrior, King David, felt this kind of anxiety, and God never forsook him.
In the New Testament, Jesus addresses anxiety six times in the Sermon on the Mount. He commands us “do not worry,’” because he is encouraging us to trust in His Father, our God. Also, He is trying to refocus our mindset, not on this world, but a heavenly eternal supernatural mindset. (Matthew 6:25-33) Paul, who struggled with “a thorn in the flesh,” urges us in Philippians 4:6-7, not to be anxious about anything. Again, his warning is against worry and fret, not a mental illness. Frequently, we allow worldliness to manipulate us into an unchristian mindset of worry about provisions, or performance, or reputation which clouds our focus on the eternal. This worry infects our faithfulness in God, but this is not sin. We are all fragile, marred humans affected by inconsistency in our faith in God. We struggle with misunderstanding control over our circumstances or failure to have a consistent mindset focused on the eternal. (Matthew 6:25-34; 10:19; Mark 13:11; Luke 11:11-12; 11:22-34)
The Bible doesn’t address anxiety as a mental illness, but as a common state of our humanity that God weaved into fragile emotions. People afflicted with mental illness feel rejected by Christians, even though their motivations may be well intended, when they use these verses as a cure-all for anxiety without clarifying God’s definition. Do no harm, by not judging their anxiety as just worry but with the compassion to understand that anxiety is a serious illness that can be fatal. Do not assume that someone is anxious because they are consumed with worry or that they have weak faith in God. If you want your church to be a place of belonging, the following would be very impactful: Like Jesus, look to them with compassion and walk along, serve them, and love them by serving through them. Don’t try to fix the situation, because God made us for His glory like the blind man in John 9:1-3. Learn about their condition. Ask to pray with them or for them. Be slow to speak and long to listen. This is how you can be the hands and feet of Christ to those with a mental disorder who may not otherwise be able to acknowledge God’s presence and help in the midst of their affliction.