Is fear of the unknown leading to anxiety? Turn the situation over to the God who knows everything and is in control of it all (Psalm 68:20). Is a broken relationship creating anxiety? Try to make peace (2 Corinthians 13:11). Psalm 32:1-5 says that the person whose sin is forgiven is blessed, and the heavy weight of guilt is taken away when sins are confessed. Many times, anxiety or concern is a result of sin, and the cure is to deal with the sin. If God takes care of simple things like grass, flowers, and birds, won’t He also care for people who are created in His image? Rather than worry over things we cannot control, we should "seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you" (verse 33). Using examples from God’s creation, Jesus teaches that our Heavenly Father knows our needs and cares about them. For the child of God, even necessities like food and clothing are nothing to worry about. Our Lord warns us against being anxious about the various cares of this life. Probably the best-known passage on anxiety comes from the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6. In this case, the anxiety isn’t a sinful fear but a deep, proper concern. In 1 Corinthians 7:32, Paul states that an unmarried man is “anxious” about pleasing the Lord, while a married man is “anxious” about pleasing his wife (ESV). Fear of death and the unknown is a key element of anxiety. Queen Esther is anxious because she was planning to risk her life on behalf of her people. In Esther 4, the Jewish people are anxious because of a royal decree allowing them to be massacred. Her distress is caused by unfulfilled desires and the harassment of a rival. In 1 Samuel 1, Hannah is distressed because she was unable to conceive children and she was being taunted by Peninnah, her husband’s other wife. In this case, the anxiety is caused by a broken relationship and a guilty conscience. Jacob is immediately anxious, expecting a horrible battle with his brother. Now, as Jacob nears his homeland, he hears that Esau is coming to meet him with 400 men. One of the reasons he had left home was to escape the anger of his brother, Esau, from whom Jacob had stolen the birthright and blessing from their father. In Genesis 32, Jacob is returning home after many years away. The specific causes of anxiety are probably more than can be enumerated, but a few examples from the Bible point to some general causes. Synonyms like trouble, heaviness, distress, and cares are used in its place. The King James Version does not use the word at all. ![]() In the New International Version, it is found 7 times. ![]() In the English Standard Version, it is used 8 times. The Bible has a lot to say about anxiety, but the word itself may not be found all that often.
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