Anxiety and Peace

Anxiety can rob you of the enjoyment of life.

The causes of anxiety are numerous: health issues, work (or lack of it), finances (debt, unpaid bills, and so on), and much else besides. Some of the biggest causes of anxiety are those dealt with in today’s New Testament passage: relationships, marriage, singleness, and divorce.

In our Old Testament passage, the book of Ecclesiastes suggests that much of the anxiety we experience is caused by something deeper. This could be described as the anxiety of meaninglessness. In the midst of all this, you are called ‘to live in peace’ (1 Corinthians 7:15).

Speak to God about your anxieties - Psalm 94:12-23

Do you know what it is like to experience great anxiety (v.19a)?

The psalmist certainly did. He writes, ‘You grant… relief from days of trouble… When I said, “My foot is slipping,” your love, O Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul’ (v.13a,18–19).

He goes on, ‘But the Lord has become my fortress, and my God the rock in whom I take refuge’ (v.22).

When surrounded by great anxiety, turn to the Lord for help. ‘When I was upset and beside myself, you calmed me down and cheered me up’ (v.19, MSG). In God’s love, we find relief, consolation, and joy. God provides ‘a circle of quiet within the clamor of evil’ (v.13, MSG).