“It’s My Anxiety”
Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.
Isaiah 53:4 (NKJV)
There is a song by Doechii called “Anxiety” that seeks to express how individuals may feel when they are overcome by feelings of worry, nervousness, and unease. In the refrain, Doechii sings:
Anxiety, keep on tryin’ me
I feel it quietly, tryna’ silence me, yeah
Anxiety, shake it off of me
Somebody’s watchin’ me, it’s my anxiety, yeah.
As great as this song may be for some, we as followers of Jesus don’t want to get comfortable with anxiety. Isaiah 53:4 tells us that Jesus took on our griefs and carried our sorrows. He paid a high price for our salvation at the cross and also took on the burden that anxiety brings.
Therefore, we no longer have to feel as if someone is watching us. We no longer have to feel as if someone or something is trying to silence us. In fact, we no longer have to suffer in silence.
Anxiety bows to the authority of Jesus. We only need to:
- Accept what He has already accomplished on the cross. “It is finished” means it is finished!
- Refuse to do more than the moment requires. Philippians 4:6 tells us to be anxious for nothing. We should, instead, take our concerns to God. So instead of trying to give an answer in the moment, consider going to God for instructions and absolutely refuse to act out of desperation. Your aim is to regain a clear conscience (sober mind). Everything else can wait.
- Commit to a life of prayer. Because how else are you going to talk to God? Prayer has a way of putting things into perspective. Instead of our problems looking like mountains that are impossible to climb, a word of prayer makes our issues look like things we can overcome with the help of God. Because you can, indeed, overcome everything with the help of God. Commit to establishing prayer time every day for 30 days and watch how much your life transforms.
Anxiety is not the final say in the life of a believer. God has given you overcoming power that is accessible through prayer and acceptance of the finished work of the cross.
