The Christian Life and Anxiety

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Peter Chace. August 2, 2026. Matthew 6:19-34.

Summary

The world is full of worry, and there is a lot to be worried about, from war and AI to our jobs, our kids, and our health. Anxiety is nothing new. So what is it, and how do Christians respond?

The American Psychological Association defines anxiety as “an emotion characterized by apprehension and somatic symptoms of tension in which an individual anticipates impending danger, catastrophe, or misfortune.” Anxiety is fear displaced by time, and it is felt in the body: both words, anxiety and worry, come from roots that mean to squeeze the throat. In the United Kingdom, worrying also refers to dogs harassing sheep. Since 1953 it has been illegal for a dog to worry sheep, chasing, biting, and shaking them, not to kill but to harass. The sheep panic because they cannot get away, and fifteen thousand sheep a year in the UK die from literally being worried to death.

The Bible agrees. Anxious toil robs you of sleep (Psalm 127), anxiety weighs a man down (Proverbs 12:25), and the one who trusts the Lord “is not anxious in the year of drought” (Jeremiah 17:7-10). But God’s Word adds what the world does not tell us: worry is a sin, because anxiety is about trusting God. When we open the door to anxiety, or invite an anxious spirit over the threshold of our hearts, we are in the realm of sin, because we are trying to be God instead of trusting him. So here is the big idea: anxiety is an opportunity to trust God with your life.

Jesus begins with treasure. Earthly treasure decays or fails; heavenly treasure no one can take from you. “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also,” and “the eye is the lamp of the body.” So “no one can serve two masters.” Mammon literally means that in which one trusts. God told Cain that sin was crouching at the door and he must master it (Genesis 4). The only way to master sin is to have the right Master; otherwise it will master you.

“Therefore,” Jesus says, “do not be anxious about your life.” Anxiety is a stress test of the heart; it reveals your treasure and your master. Look at the birds; that is God’s providence flying through the air a thousand times a day. Consider the lilies; the verb means to learn. My own family learned this in the summer of 2020, with a new job, seminary, four little kids, and a fifth on the way: anxiety came knocking, and we considered the lilies. Then the promise: “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

So what is the Christian response? First, Christians must name worry and anxiety as God does. Worry is a sin. Anxiety is a sin. Worry is a sin because when we worry, we disobey God by trying to be God. But the point is not to become anxious about being anxious; it is to let go and give it to Christ, with the promise that “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Do not confuse anxiety with responsibility. And what some people call anxiety may have legitimate biological roots, issues within the body and the brain, or past experiences that predispose someone to anxious feelings. The mere presence of those feelings is not sin. But how we respond matters, because no biological reality, no brain disorder, no chemical imbalance, no past experience ever forces us to sin (1 Corinthians 10). And because anxiety is a sin, Christians must repent of it. It need not be a big emotional thing: “Lord, forgive me for worrying about my life. This concern weighs heavy upon me. But I repent and I trust you.”

This is where the therapeutic model of the world falls terribly short. The modern psychological fix is to cope, manage, or feel better. But if anxiety is a sin, which it is, and you try to cope with, manage, or feel better about your sin without repentance and faith, it does not matter what technique you use or what you call it. You will either develop a seared conscience, numb to your own sin and entering a hardened rebellion, or you will just keep failing and feel worse and worse. In that model you cannot transfer your anxiety anywhere; it is on you. It is a false gospel. The Christian response is to name it, repent, and give it to Christ: “casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).

Four practical responses. Rest: “he gives to his beloved sleep” (Psalm 127). Look: as God looms large, your concerns shrink. Learn: consider the lilies, as the sluggard is sent to the ant. Proclaim: the antidote to a false master is the true Master, so say it out loud, especially when you do not feel it, and your feelings will catch up. Make a list of verses for the moment anxiety knocks. Worry is a wolf we must not let into our hearts, but Christ is the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep (John 10). Rest in him, look at the birds, consider the lilies, look to the cross, and declare that Christ is Lord.

Key texts: Matthew 6:19-34; Psalm 127; Proverbs 12:25; Jeremiah 17:7-10; Luke 10:38-42; Genesis 4:5-7; Philippians 4:6-7; 1 Peter 5:6-7; 1 Corinthians 10:13; John 10; Psalm 91; Matthew 8

For reflection

• When a concern comes knocking, what is the difference between recognizing it and inviting it over the threshold of your heart?
• Where is your treasure, and what does your worry reveal about who is actually master in that part of your life?
• Which of the four responses (rest, look, learn, proclaim) do you most need to practice this week, and what verses would go on your list?