How To Be In God’s Word When You’re Struggling with Anxiety
I stared out the window from my office chair as the morning sun stretched over the field in our yard. The twins slept in their cribs, their tummies full of milk. In the background I heard the sounds of my toddler’s TV show. An herbal tea brewed beside my Bible and notes. This was one of the few times of the day I had alone to read and study God’s Word.
Despite the peaceful aura this morning resonated, my heart clambered with unnameable anxiety. My heart beat like a wild bird trapped in a cage trying to free itself. My breath was shallow. My mind sat on edge, scattering frantically through memories and thoughts. My fingers felt weak and shaky. My entire body wanted to lunge out of the room and run away from this peaceful scene from some unknown threat it perceived.
Perhaps you know these feelings well. Maybe you’ve been told all your life that God’s Word will put your mind at peace and calm your fears, yet they still rage and flicker inside no matter what you do. Even as you repeat Bible verses to yourself, your heart stamps and tumbles in your chest. You try to focus on the text before you, but anxiety fogs and clouds your brain. Concentration is out the window, and you can hardly sit still enough to read. I’ve lived these feelings—at times daily. How do we stay in God’s Word while anxiety fills us?
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