Rest For Your Soul — Anxiety

Hi George,

It sounds like you all are going through a pretty tough time. I’ll be praying for you both.

I don’t know very much about CBT and hypnosis. I do know something about anxiety, God, and the Bible.

If Sandy’s anxiety is not linked to the medication, but to the thoughts connected with the shaking problem, hope can be given because it is a spiritual problem, not a medical problem.

There are several approaches I have taken with people over the years who are battling with worry and/or anxiety. One is to view the thing causing the anxiety, the shaking in this case, as a gift from God to be embraced instead of to be feared or avoided. This is what Paul did in 2 Cor. 12:7-10. In this case, Paul, after asking God to remove the malady, when he was convinced it would never go away, embraced the thorn because he knew that its presence was making him into a more godly man.

Another tack, though very similar is to the “thorn” view, is to see the shaking as a test of faith. This is what God did with Abraham in Genesis 22. Abram was commanded by God to sacrifice his son. This command was a test of God to see if Abram would trust God for the circumstances (v. 1). It could be that God is giving Sandy the shaking problem to test her to see if she will draw nearer to him.

Another way to view it is as suffering. James (1:2-4) tells us to consider it joyfully when we encounter various trials because we know that the testing our faith produces endurance, and the end of endurance is perfection and godliness. The Greek of the first part of this text is more of a challenge to view struggles as an enemy to be attacked and overcome than some kind of passive resistance. It means to joyfully look forward to the trial because we know that the trial will work in us things that could never come to us if we didn’t overcome it. We overcome the trial by living joyfully through, or with it.

Another way to understand the James passage: Paul tells us in Romans 5, “we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Rom 5:3-5). In this view, Paul is assuming that suffering is what we need to grow in Christ. No suffering, no growth. So, Paul embraces the suffering with joy because he sees the suffering as a sign that God is working in him to create a godly man. We see this same attitude in Philippians where Paul, though chained up in prison, exhorts the Philippians to rejoice all the time.

Another way to think about suffering is found in John 16:33, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” Suffering and tribulation comes to us because of sin, but we can take heart because we know that Jesus has overcome the world and in the end, we win. We can take heart in the fact that pain happens, suffering is always present, and as long as we live in the world, we will experience things that drive us to our knees and into the throne room of God. Knowing that this is normal will help us to not be surprised when it comes and will help us to run to God with the pain rather than to turn inward into depression and despair.

One last thing: the Bible tells us that we are not alone in our suffering. God is there with us and Jesus went through everything we are going to through. He knows what we’re experiencing. Hebrews 2:18 says, “For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” The reason for this statement is so that we will know that Jesus is not just sitting up in the Heavens, eating bon-bons and not caring what his people are going through. Rather, because he has experienced everything we have, he is able to represent us as a high priest to God and to intercede on our behalf when we suffer (see 2:17).

God knows we are suffering and he wants to use that suffering for our good and his glory. When we suffer, we need to remember to go to him, pour our hearts out to him, and then trust him to take care of us. This is how the Bible’s admonition to not be anxious can be helpful to us, “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” (Phi 4:6-7). Anxiety flees away when we take concerns to Christ and leave them with him.

One more passage springs to mind: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Mat 11:28-29). Isn’t this what you and Sandy are looking for? Rest for your soul?

One mental picture I always have of this is of a young child who is suffering, snuggling up in her father’s arms, knowing that though it really hurts, he will take care of her. When my daughter broke her arm, at two years old, I carried her around for about three hours as we waited for a doctor to see her. She trusted me, and though it hurt, she believed that I would take care of her and do what was right for her. So, she rested in her discomfort, until something would happen to take the pain away.

Anxiety comes when we lose our trust in the God who will take care of us, even when it hurts; or maybe especially when it hurts.

If you would like to talk in person, I would be happy to come over to your house and chat with you both.

I hope this helps.