The Anatomy of Anxiety: God’s Prescription for Victory In Anxiety
This Thursday through Saturday I will be at the CCEF National Conference. To learn more about the conference, visit: Psychiatric Disorders: A Compassionate Look at Complex Problems. I will be speaking on The Anatomy of Anxiety. Below is a brief excerpt from the my introductory 
remarks.
Victory Over or Victory In?
My initial sub-title for this presentation was: God’s Prescription for Victory Over Anxiety. Then I was struck by something Philip Yancey penned.
“Much of what I read on depression, on doubt, on suicide, on suffering, on homosexuality, seems written by people who begin with a Christian conclusion and who have never been through the anguished steps familiar to a person struggling with depression, doubt, suicide, suffering, or homosexuality. No resolution could be so matter-of-fact to a person who has actually survived such a journey.”
I hope in what follows to convey something of what it’s actually like to be struggling with and fighting against anxiety. What does it look like to experience victory in anxiety and to do so in a biblical, Christ-honoring, gospel-centered way?
The Remedy to Take Two Verses and Call Me in the Morning
Here’s the stereotype; I hope you haven’t faced it. You share with a friend, counselor, or pastor that you’re struggling with worry, fear, or anxiety. Their response? “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Phil. 4:6).
In that scenario, it’s not even “take two verses and call me in the morning.” It’s “take one verse and don’t call me.” We need a much more robust, relational approach to changing lives with Christ’s changeless truth. What would it look like in real life?
Paul, who wrote Philippians 4:6, also said, “We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us” (1 Thess. 2:8). God calls us to share Scripture and soul—truth and love. Facing and fighting anxiety is a relational discipleship process, not an exhortational event.
Victory in anxiety requires a comprehensive, compassionate biblical theology of anxiety. I know what you’re thinking. “I’m struggling with anxiety and you’re talking about theology!”
Bear with me. If we’re to avoid the one-problem-one-verse-one-solution mentality and experience the relevance and power of God’s Word, then we need a biblical anatomy of anxiety.
We need to understand a Creation, Fall, Redemption, Consummation view of anxiety. That biblical anatomy lesson will provide us with the foundation we need to benefit from God’s prescription for victory in anxiety.
Join the Conversation
How do you apply theology to life?
In your life, do you typically experience victory over or victory in?
This was a refreshing read as I am a Christian counselor and human who deals with anxiety. Imappreciate the realization that the goal is not to simply avoid anxiety, but the the goal is victory in the midst of life circumstances. Taking from the writing of Stanton Jones, and Larry Crabb relationship are of vital importance to discipleship and healing in the life of the believer.
I really needed to read this at this time in my life. God bless.
While studying the Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane in gospels this summer for one of my classes I remember the text describing Jesus as “being in agony, praying fervently, His sweat becoming like drops of blood.” He prayed that the Father would remove that cup from Him and still yielded to the Father’s will. When we was praying He went away on His own and returned three times to the disciples who had fallen asleep. I think it’s interesting that Jesus “needed” to keep praying. He was in a highly stressful situation and He wasn’t trying to avoid it but rather to be prepared for what was to come despite discouraging the circumstances of His disciples failing to pray and knowing of the trial and pain to come. I find that that was “deeply grieved” to be comforting in a sense because there have been times in life when I have felt deeply grieved, anxious or saddened and I know that Christ knows exactly what I’m going through and has modeled dependency on the Father to bring Him through to victory.
A member of my church recently pointed out something that I’ve found very interesting and relevant to this question of “victory over vs victory in.” Its Php 2.28 – “I am the more eager to send [Epaphroditus], therefore, that you may rejoice at seeing him again, and that I may be less anxious.” Paul was anxious! The same Paul that said “be anxious for nothing” was anxious about something! And he not only mentions it, he mentions it in the same letter, just two chapters before he says not to be anxious! What was he anxious about? According to 2Cor 11.28 he is anxious for the churches (which seems to be the same case here). So if Paul was anxious himself, it seems unlikely he intended Php 4.6 to be used to shame those who struggle with anxiety.
David, Fascinating that you shared that when you did. Not moments before your post, I was reading all of Philippians, and I noticed the same truth–and I’ve read Philippians hundreds of times. Thanks for sharing. Bob