Anxiety. Maybe you would call it your enemy. It hangs around so many like an unwanted friend. Handling anxiety sounds like a good idea; yet, many find themselves trying one more thing. Even handling anxiety becomes an anxiety-producing exercise. Who knows how many people I have heard describe both the tiring nature of anxiety and the more tiring nature of trying to deal with it. To be honest, it is not easy. However, my friend Isaiah Wells shared a passage with me this week that I think can help anyone who is struggling with anxiety. As I listened to him talk about the text, my mind immediately thought of those many people.
David, Psalm 3, and Anxiety
When David wrote Psalm 3, he was running for his life away from Absalom his son (for the full story, check out 2 Samuel 13-18). No doubt, running for your life would tend to produce a bit of anxiety. In this context, he expresses his thoughts in this psalm. It is a short psalm, so I will include it all here.
1 Lord, how they have increased who trouble me!
Many are they who rise up against me.
2 Many are they who say of me,
“There is no help for him in God.” Selah
3 But You, O Lord, are a shield for me,
My glory and the One who lifts up my head.
4 I cried to the Lord with my voice,
And He heard me from His holy hill. Selah.
5 I lay down and slept;
I awoke, for the Lord sustained me.
6 I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people
Who have set themselves against me all around.
7 Arise, O Lord;
Save me, O my God!
For You have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone;
You have broken the teeth of the ungodly.
8 Salvation belongs to the Lord.
Your blessing is upon Your people. Selah (Psalm 3:1-8)
Notice how his enemies seem to be multiplying. He describes them as ten thousands of people. David is convinced that they see him running away from his son for his life and say that God cannot be for him or with him. He understands God differently than all those people though. His personal experience with God is different than what people think it is. He understands something much deeper than his enemies about God. What he understands, you and I need to understand as well.
Pay Special Attention to David’s Relationship with God
David cried out to God. He proclaimed God as his shield, his protection, and the One whose opinion about David matters most. Basically, through a prayerful lament, David prayed truth. He proclaimed back to God what was true about God.
God, You are my protection. You are my shield. I cannot do this on my own. You defend me. God, You alone restore me and make it possible for me to be restored back to my former position. Only You can do this.
David spoke truth to God. When he did, he also heard truth about God. David’s voice repeated God’s voice. He spoke what was true about God. When we preach gospel truth back to ourselves, we encourage our own hearts and remind ourselves what is true. Notice the shift here. Most of the time we share our feelings with ourselves, our desires, and our disappointments. We rehearse what we are worried about, how it is not as we expected, and how miserable we are. We do this over and over. However, although David is very honest with God (and, we need to be), he also shared truth with himself as well.
What happens when David shares truth with himself about God?
Four things happen when David speaks truth to himself about God. All four of these things help in our battle against anxiety.
- David finds rest. He laid down and slept. How? Because he remembered it was God Who sustained him, not primarily his own efforts. Rest. Doesn’t that sound good? However, for most people who are anxious, they do not get much rest. Even though David was physically running for his life and did not know if he would live through the night, he rested and slept – because he trusted God to sustain him.
- David was not overcome by fear. Even though thousands were against him, he was not overwhelmed by fear. Why? Because David focused his attention on God, God’s strength, God’s character, and God’s ability. Although thousands were against him, the Bible truth remained the same – God was for him. Friend, that is true for you today as well. God is for you.
- David saw his future deliverance as guaranteed. This is interesting. David understood that God controlled the future and would take care of him. The more he focused on truth, the clearer the future became. He focused on what he knew about God and God’s provisions, rather than the unknowns of the story. Our anxiety increases whenever we focus on what we do not know. It increases when we look at our circumstances and the unknown rather than what is true from the Bible about God, His provision, His power, and His presence.
- David praised God for His blessings. Can you imagine this? In the middle of the pressure, running for his life, and not knowing the ultimate circumstantial outcome of the story, David rejoiced in God’s deliverance and His taking care of His people. This is important for you and me as well. In the middle of tough circumstances, we can rejoice in God as our deliverer. He does indeed take care of us. In Christ, we see these things, hope in these things, and rest.
Handling Anxiety – What about your anxiety?
If you are struggling with anxiety today, let me encourage you of some key truth. God is still in control today as much as He was when David penned this psalm. He cares as much about you as He did David. He is trustworthy now as He was then. All of these things are true. Jesus Christ proves them to be true. David did not even realize the full extent of the Gospel as you do. He did not know that Jesus would come to earth as the final Adam to decisively win over Satan, death, and the grave. He was unaware Jesus’ substitutionary sacrifice, incredible love, and the future body of Christ. Even without these things, David could still rest, sleep, not be fearful, trust his future in God’s hands, and be grateful. Think then how much more it is possible with us!
If you have anxiety, place your story in this psalm. Pray your lament prayer to God. Remind Him of the truth you know from the Bible. Keep focused on Bible truth rather than your circumstantial difficulties. Go back again and again to truth. When your mind drifts back to your circumstances over which you are anxious, start the process over. Praise God for Who He is, what He does, and His trustworthiness. Do this even if you are struggling believing it in the moment. Pray your lament prayer by faith. Over time, you will also learn to rest, sleep, trust, and hope in God even in the midst of the difficult circumstance.
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