In America today, over 6.8 million people have been diagnosed with anxiety. Many more Americans struggle with feeling anxious, even though they don’t have a medical diagnosis.
Sometimes, anxiety strikes because you’re facing specific life challenges: marriage trouble, financial strain, or pressure at work. Other times, it can be more difficult to pinpoint why you’re feeling anxious. You might have racing, repetitive thoughts that are hard to stop. Or, you might suddenly feel anxious when you’re around other people or trying to focus on tasks. Even when it’s hard to pinpoint an explanation, anxiety is a real problem that can seriously affect your life.
If you’re a Christian, you know the Bible is the best place to seek answers to life’s problems. Christians with anxiety often wonder, “can reading the Bible help me with this specific problem?”. The answer is yes! Although there are many other important reasons to read the Bible, Bible reading
can help with anxiety by focusing your mind on stabilizing truths, establishing a predictable routine, and promoting God-honoring meditation.
Motivation Matters
Bible reading can certainly help with anxiety. However, it’s important to remember all the other important reasons to read your Bible regularly and faithfully. If you only read when you’re feeling anxious, you won’t be building a long-term relationship with God. Building this relationship requires long-term time and effort. If you commit to Bible reading even when things are going well, you’ll have a deeper relationship with God and understanding of His Word. This will help to sustain you when anxiety strikes.
Bible reading isn’t optional for Christians. In 1 John, the apostle writes that people who really know Jesus will keep His commandments. We can only really know Jesus’ commandments, and who God is, by reading and studying the Bible. God uses the Bible to reveal His will for our lives and help us grow more like Jesus. Thus, reading the Bible is crucial, regardless of your current circumstances.
Stabilizing Truths and Promises
The Bible is full of wonderful truths and promises that offer Christians certainty and peace. No matter how you’re feeling or what’s going on around you, you can cling to these promises as a source of hope. The Psalms are an especially great resource for Christians facing anxiety. Many are written by David, the King of Israel, who was forced into hiding by his enemy, Saul. David cries out to God while fleeing for his life, knowing he could be killed at any moment. David’s life circumstances were unsteady and frightening. However, he wrote many songs about God’s faithfulness and goodness during this time. They’ve been comforting anxious believers ever since.
In Psalm 56, David tells God that when he is afraid, he will trust in Him. David then asks what any human being can really do to hurt him? It’s a rhetorical question, and the answer is nothing. In fact, Romans 8:38-39 promises that nothing–not even death–can separate a Christian from God’s love. Death–the worst thing that could happen to a Christian–will ultimately bring us into God’s presence. Reading the Bible reminds us to see the world from a heavenly perspective. If you know you are saved, then your eternal destiny is secure. Even when it feels like your world is falling apart, no crisis can separate you from God and His love.
Establishing a Daily Routine
Many people who struggle with anxiety find that daily routines can help provide some stability. Bible reading is the most profitable daily habit you can form, and it has the added benefit of bringing some rhythm and structure into your life. Experts have found that daily routines can not only help us cope with anxiety, but also other conditions such as insomnia and ADHD. If you don’t already have a daily Bible-reading routine, try starting out with a pre-set plan. Bible Gateway offers plans with just a few verses a day, and more strenuous plans that will get you through the whole Bible in one year. Start small, and increase at a pace that’s manageable for you!
Biblical Meditation For Stress and Anxiety
We often associate the word “meditation” with Eastern religions and practices. Some types of yoga involve a lot of meditation, and it’s a key part of practicing as a Buddhist or Hindu. In many cases, the goal of Buddhist or Hindu meditation is to empty the person’s mind and decrease their sense of self.
However, meditation is also a Biblical practice. Throughout the Bible, it’s a consistent principle: we should be thinking about God’s Word throughout each day. In Psalm 119:15, for instance, the psalmist tells God that he will meditate on God’s law and pay attention to God’s ways. In the New Testament, Philippians 4:8 tells Christians to think about truths that will make them more like Christ.
Biblical meditation is different from meditation in other religions. The goal isn’t to empty your mind, but to fill it with the truths and principles found in Scripture. Meditating on who God is and what He is like can help decrease anxiety by focusing your mind on truth. This focus can help prevent racing thoughts and keep you from feeling worried and panicked about life circumstances.
What does Christian meditation look like? It can start with memorizing a verse or passage. By repeating a verse over and over again to commit it to memory, you learn to see it from different angles and think about it in different ways. Once you have a passage memorized, you can meditate on it by recalling it from memory. You can try meditating on scripture aloud with your eyes closed, while listening to ambient nature sounds, or watching a candle flame flicker. Christian meditation can also involve journaling, or freewriting, about a Bible passage. You can even try writing your prayers in a journal, instead of speaking them out loud. Many believers find that this simple meditative practice helps them focus while praying.
We Are Here For You!
If you’re living with anxiety, you are not alone. There are many churches in Galesburg, IL and the surrounding area that can help. At Harmony Baptist Church, you’ll find a welcoming group of believers. We’re glad to talk and pray with you, no matter what circumstances you’re facing. Visit our Contact page today!
