Theology Matters: Your Anxiety

Anxiety is common to most of us. At times life seems chaotic and we feel like we are losing control. For some of us this anxiety can lead to depression and despair as we feel like we have lost control.

The world has many answers for this including pills, chanting, breathing exercises, or the latest self-help book that promises to put everything in perfect order.

Yet the truth is our anxiety and fear is rooted not in our psychology or situation, but in our theology. You may be saying "wait a second, what does theology have to do with anxiety?" The answer is everything.

Let's look at two stories from the Bible


How stressed do you think Pilate was when he had an unruly mob threatening his power and status? The Jews were demanding the death of Jesus and Pilate was losing control. I can only imagine the angst he felt about Caesar catching wind that Pilate could not maintain control of his jurisdiction. So faced with the choice of allowing the death of a man he knew was innocent or losing control, Pilate lived out his theology, and his anxiety guided him into a devastating reality of letting Jesus be crucified.

In Luke 7 we see a another story about anxiety. A Roman leader came to Jesus in situation that would cause anyone great stress and despair. He had just learned that one of his closest and most loyal servants was sick and would soon die. The Roman Centurion sought out Jesus for help. Jesus was willing to come to the sick servant and heal him but the Centurion told Jesus that he knew he was a man of great authority and if he even said the word his servant would be healed. In a situation in which the Centurion is about to lose someone close to him and anxiety would be expected we see his theology lived out. His faith is demonstrated and his conviction that God is good is what he leans into. Instead of anxiety, we see a trust in the power and goodness of Jesus. Anxiety would actually be silly in light of the Centurion's reality of a Good savior who is able to and willing.

Did you catch that? Our theology shapes how we respond to difficult situations. If you are prone to deep anxiety and fear I would simply ask you what is your understanding of God's goodness? Have you resolved what the character of your God is and how that will sustain you in times of tragedy, and strife?

The truth is when we are struggling long term with deep issues of wanting to always be in control and feeling constant anxiety about losing it, our solution is not a psychological one but a theological one. It is a steadfast conviction and understanding that the Lord is good. For the rest of your life you will constantly testify over and over again about what you believe about the goodness of God.

I would hope as a church we would all GROW in our understanding of theology and who God is. Not just so we can win at Bible trivia, but so we can live well and in a manner that reflects who our God is.

Here are two critical verses I would challenge all of you to meditate on about God's goodness.

The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The LORD is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made (Psalm 145:8-9).

In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins (1 John 4:9-10).