In this article you’ll learn a little bit about the neurobiology of anxiety, a little bit about what the Bible has to say about anxiety, and you’ll learn about what you can do to have a healthier relationship with anxiety.
Anxiety is God’s idea…
Weird, right? But it’s true.
Your brain, including the sympathetic nervous system, the amygdala, the vagus nerve, the adrenal glands, the ventral medial prefrontal cortex (does your face hurt yet from all the neurobiology terms?), were all spoken into existence by your Creator.
God gave you anxiety on purpose. When it’s functioning in a healthy way it’s actually VERY helpful.
You see, anxiety is your body, your sympathetic nervous system, signaling you about something that needs your attention and doesn’t feel safe. Think about it kind of like a smoke detector. If the alarm is blaring, it might mean the house is on fire! Get out QUICK! Or, it might mean the cookies you forgot to set a timer for are charring in the oven. Or, maybe it’s just time to change the batteries.
Either way, you don’t want to ignore the alarm! The smoke detector is your friend.
But you also don’t want it to keep blaring in your ears. What then shall you do? Stay tuned to the rest of the article to find out.
First, let’s look at what the Bible has to say about anxiety.
In the book of Matthew in the Bible, Jesus identifies the underlying fears that drive many of our anxieties—will I have my basic needs met (food, clothing, shelter), life and death (Matthew 6:25-34)—saying “your Father in heaven knows you need these things.” Notice he doesn’t shame you, saying, “these things don’t matter so stop being dumb.”
He invites you to acknowledge the fears you have and bring them into relationship—bring them to him. God invites you to bring to him the fears that your anxiety alerts you to because he cares about you (1 Peter 5:7 (LEB): casting all your cares on him, because he cares for you.)
Again, in Philippians the Apostle Paul says, don’t just be anxious, let your anxiety alert you to what’s going on and lead you to Christ (…in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Philippians 4:6)
