We live in an anxious world. In our fast-paced culture, it’s easy to let our minds take control and live by feelings rather than the Word of God. I would argue that anxiety is one of our greatest debilitating factors we face as Christians. It keeps us from ever truly finding rest. It keeps us from moving our lives where God may call us. It keeps us from walking across the street and meeting a neighbor.
It’s no surprise that anxiety is a major obstacle in mobilizing the future generation of missionaries. We encounter it regularly in our work.
So how do we deal with anxiety? How do we trust that God will get us where He wants us? How do we trust Him with our job? How do we trust that He cares about us finding a spouse, having kids, making enough money to pay the bills?
Anxiety and fear may be Satan’s tool to paralyze us, but we are not left defenseless. God has given us His Word to preach over our anxiety. John Piper walks through how to “read the Bible to your anxiety.”
Do you struggle with anxiety? Is it keeping you from resting in who Christ says you are and who He’s called you to be?
John Piper put together three different "labs" on how to speak God's Word to our anxiety. He walks through Matthew 6:
My objectives were both to understand how Jesus helps us overcome anxiety, but also to draw out six lessons for how to read the Bible for ourselves. With this short series, I have methodology, theology, and application in mind. Here are the six lessons I highlighted for Bible reading. Click on the links below to find the study guides and videos for all three labs.
