Finding Peace Amidst Anxiety and Uncertainty

 

Summary

In today's discussion, we delved into the pervasive issue of anxiety, especially in the context of the tumultuous year we've experienced. With the pandemic, economic instability, and political unrest, anxiety has been amplified for many. My friend Rick Blackman, a clinical psychologist, joined us to share his insights on managing anxiety and finding peace. Rick emphasized that the core of anxiety is uncertainty, a theme echoed throughout the Bible. The biblical approach to anxiety involves surrendering our uncertainties to God, the one who holds the future.

Rick shared practical strategies for managing anxiety, likening them to arrows in a quiver. The first arrow is spiritual, involving the practice of entrusting our future to God. This aligns with the biblical teaching of surrendering outcomes to God, which can alleviate the burden of anxiety. The second arrow is physical, focusing on calming the body through relaxation techniques, exercise, and proper sleep. A relaxed body can help ease an anxious mind, making it easier to hand over worries to God.

The third arrow is mental, which involves a counterintuitive approach to anxiety. Instead of resisting anxiety, Rick suggests welcoming it. By acknowledging and accepting anxiety, we can reduce its power over us. This approach is akin to the psalmist's practice of owning emotions without enthroning them, ultimately surrendering them to God.

Rick also shared his personal journey with uncertainty, particularly in the face of his wife's health challenges. His experience underscores the importance of community and faith in navigating uncertain times. The conversation concluded with a reminder to welcome our worries and invite the Prince of Peace, Jesus, into our lives.

Key Takeaways:

- The Core of Anxiety: Anxiety often stems from uncertainty about the future. The Bible encourages us to surrender our uncertainties to God, who holds the future. This act of faith can alleviate the burden of anxiety and bring peace. [04:22]

- Spiritual Practices for Peace: Entrusting our future to God is a powerful spiritual practice. By surrendering outcomes to God, we can find peace amidst uncertainty. This practice aligns with the biblical teaching of faith as surrender. [06:17]

- Physical Relaxation: A relaxed body can help calm an anxious mind. Techniques such as meditation, exercise, and proper sleep can reduce physical tension and make it easier to hand over worries to God. [08:16]

- Welcoming Anxiety: Instead of resisting anxiety, we can reduce its power by welcoming it. Acknowledging and accepting anxiety allows us to own our emotions without letting them control us, ultimately surrendering them to God. [10:32]

- Community and Faith in Uncertainty: In times of uncertainty, community and faith are vital. Sharing our burdens with others and trusting in God can provide strength and support, as seen in Rick's personal journey with his wife's health challenges. [12:22]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:20] - Upcoming Live Event
- [00:56] - Introduction to Rick Blackman
- [01:31] - The Year of Anxiety
- [02:17] - Understanding Anxiety
- [03:32] - Biblical Perspective on Anxiety
- [04:22] - Surrendering the Future
- [05:21] - Practical Steps to Peace
- [06:04] - Spiritual Arrow: Trusting God
- [06:52] - Physical Arrow: Relaxation Techniques
- [08:16] - Mental Arrow: Welcoming Anxiety
- [09:57] - Naming and Owning Anxiety
- [11:15] - Personal Journey with Uncertainty
- [12:50] - Foundation in Jesus
- [13:00] - Conclusion and Invitation to Peace

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide: Managing Anxiety and Finding Peace

Bible Reading:
1. Philippians 4:6-7 - "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
2. Matthew 6:34 - "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
3. Psalm 55:22 - "Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken."

Observation Questions:
1. According to the sermon, what is identified as the core of anxiety, and how does this relate to the biblical perspective on anxiety? [03:17]
2. What are the three "arrows" or strategies mentioned in the sermon for managing anxiety, and how do they differ from each other? [05:35]
3. How does Rick Blackman suggest we should approach anxiety, and what biblical practice does this resemble? [10:09]
4. What role does community play in dealing with anxiety, according to Rick's personal journey shared in the sermon? [12:22]

Interpretation Questions:
1. How does the biblical instruction to "be anxious for nothing" in Philippians 4:6-7 align with the sermon’s suggestion to surrender our uncertainties to God? [04:22]
2. In what ways does the practice of welcoming anxiety, as discussed in the sermon, reflect the psalmist's approach to emotions in the Bible? [10:32]
3. How might the physical relaxation techniques mentioned in the sermon help someone to better practice the biblical command to cast their cares on the Lord? [08:16]
4. How does Rick's experience with his wife's health challenges illustrate the importance of faith and community in navigating uncertainty? [12:22]

Application Questions:
1. Reflect on a current uncertainty in your life. How can you practice surrendering this uncertainty to God this week, as suggested in the sermon? [04:22]
2. Identify one physical relaxation technique you can incorporate into your daily routine to help manage anxiety. How will you implement this practice? [08:16]
3. Think of a time when you resisted anxiety. How might welcoming anxiety, as suggested in the sermon, change your approach to similar situations in the future? [10:32]
4. How can you engage your community or support network to help you manage anxiety and uncertainty in your life? What specific steps will you take to reach out? [12:22]
5. Consider a situation where you are worried about the future. How can the biblical teaching in Matthew 6:34 help you to focus on the present and reduce anxiety?
6. What is one practical way you can invite the "Prince of Peace" into your daily life to help manage anxiety, as encouraged in the sermon? [13:00]
7. Reflect on Rick's personal journey with uncertainty. How can his story inspire you to trust God more deeply in your own challenges? [12:22]

Devotional

Day 1: Surrendering Uncertainty to God
Anxiety often arises from the uncertainty of the future, a common human experience that can be overwhelming. The Bible encourages believers to surrender these uncertainties to God, who holds the future in His hands. This act of faith is not about ignoring the challenges or pretending they don't exist, but about trusting that God is in control and has a plan for each of us. By surrendering our worries and fears to Him, we can find peace and relief from the burden of anxiety. This spiritual practice aligns with the biblical teaching of faith as surrender, allowing us to live with a sense of calm and assurance. [04:22]

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." (Jeremiah 29:11, ESV)

Reflection: What is one specific uncertainty in your life that you can surrender to God today? How can you practically entrust this to Him in your daily routine?


Day 2: Entrusting the Future to God
Entrusting our future to God is a powerful spiritual practice that can bring peace amidst uncertainty. This involves a conscious decision to let go of our need to control outcomes and instead place our trust in God's wisdom and timing. By doing so, we align ourselves with the biblical teaching of faith as surrender, which can alleviate the burden of anxiety. This practice is not about passivity but about actively choosing to trust God with our lives, knowing that He is faithful and His plans are for our good. [06:17]

"Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act." (Psalm 37:5, ESV)

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you struggle to trust God with the future? How can you begin to practice entrusting this area to Him today?


Day 3: Calming the Body to Ease the Mind
A relaxed body can help calm an anxious mind, making it easier to hand over worries to God. Physical relaxation techniques such as meditation, exercise, and proper sleep can reduce physical tension and create a sense of peace. By taking care of our physical well-being, we create a foundation for spiritual and mental peace. This holistic approach to managing anxiety recognizes the interconnectedness of body, mind, and spirit, and encourages us to be intentional about nurturing each aspect of our being. [08:16]

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own." (1 Corinthians 6:19, ESV)

Reflection: What is one physical practice you can incorporate into your daily routine to help calm your body and mind? How can this practice become a spiritual discipline for you?


Day 4: Welcoming Anxiety with Acceptance
Instead of resisting anxiety, we can reduce its power by welcoming it. Acknowledging and accepting anxiety allows us to own our emotions without letting them control us. This approach is akin to the psalmist's practice of owning emotions without enthroning them, ultimately surrendering them to God. By welcoming anxiety, we can diminish its hold over us and find freedom in the act of surrender. This counterintuitive approach encourages us to face our fears with courage and faith, trusting that God is with us in every moment. [10:32]

"When I am afraid, I put my trust in you." (Psalm 56:3, ESV)

Reflection: How can you practice welcoming your anxiety today instead of resisting it? What might it look like to acknowledge your fears and surrender them to God?


Day 5: Community and Faith in Times of Uncertainty
In times of uncertainty, community and faith are vital. Sharing our burdens with others and trusting in God can provide strength and support. This is especially true when facing personal challenges, as seen in Rick's journey with his wife's health issues. By leaning on our faith and the support of our community, we can navigate uncertain times with resilience and hope. This reminder encourages us to seek out and invest in relationships that uplift and encourage us in our walk with God. [12:22]

"Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." (Galatians 6:2, ESV)

Reflection: Who in your community can you reach out to for support in times of uncertainty? How can you also be a source of encouragement and strength for someone else today?

Quotes

"Anxiety that the way that I have learned to think about anxiety, um, you've heard me say before that the psychological core of depression, something we all deal with, is always loss. And in similar way, uh, the psychological core of anxiety it's very clear to me, is the issue of uncertainty. How do we human beings deal with the things that we can't know, the things that we're uncertain about, and one of the natural outflows of that is the emotion that we call anxiety or worry." [00:02:47]

"And it turns out that the definition in the Bible of anxiety is almost always what we're talking about right now. It's worry about tomorrow, it's uncertainty about what's going to happen. Um, and so be anxious for nothing and let not your heart be troubled are the various ways that, um, the biblical authors and Jesus himself would talk about dealing with anxiety and it basically is the idea that the Bible's prescription to dealing with uncertainty and the future which by definition is uncertain, is to put the future in the hands of the one who owns the future." [00:03:40]

"Rick practically how do people roll up their sleeves and actually try to pursue peace because you can't make yourself stop worrying by just trying not to worry. That is very true well, uh, so I think, uh, anxiety management is a challenge for everybody so, I will think about having a, like an arrow a quiver full of arrows that you can pull out if necessary when you're feeling anxious, and I tend to think of them as spiritual, physical and then mental." [00:05:18]

"The spiritual one is very much what we've been talking about, is training yourself to put the future into the hands of the one who owns a future trusting God, and many of your own teachings John, you've talked about faith you define faith as surrendering outcomes and putting outcomes in God's hand, so I think that's part of the practical benefit of walking with Jesus, is having that capacity to put your worries about tomorrow or next year or your job or your health or you somebody's health in your family that sort of thing in God's hand and take the onus of it uh off of your own shoulder." [00:06:00]

"Physical ways that you can, an author years ago said you can't have an anxious tense mind in a relaxed body, so finding ways to calm your body down sometimes you can do that by meditating, meditating on scripture, um, doing relaxation, um, exercising, work looking at your sleep just all of the ways that you're physical, I've just finished reading a book that I reread called the body knows the score, and it's really a book about this idea that the body will tell you if you're holding trauma holding anxiety holding worry." [00:06:57]

"And then targeting you know strategies, um yoga I think you've done some yoga that sort of thing, and you know any emotional challenge can be helped by of course focusing on things like your relaxation and your sleep and your nutrition and your exercise so people listening to us right now could take a moment and scan their bodies and see is there tension in my shoulders, am I breathing shallowly and just a deep breath and to relax it's amazing when we do that with our bodies, it's easier spiritually to hand problems over to God." [00:07:44]

"The third arrow and, um, is sort of an interesting idea that it's come up in maybe the last 10 or 15 years of my practice and that is it used to be back when we were getting our training John we were in the late 1890s, yeah way way long ago we were trained that basically when you have anxiety or depression or anger you should argue with the thoughts that give rise to them and that still does hold water, but sort of a new development has been to work at maybe again I would say train yourself to allow or bring on or welcome anxiety when it comes to you." [00:08:23]

"It turns out that if you feel anxious or you worry and you hate feeling anxious, and you hate worrying you end up exacerbating or amplifying the anxiety the problem and so one of the ways to play with that is to sometimes you have to do this kind of aggressively, and a stupid example is I don't like uh heavy traffic, I'm going to go into LA to see the Dodgers or go to some kind of event in LA um I'll always hit a lot of traffic, and I don't naturally like traffic so I have, you know as I was learning about this way of dealing with anxiety, I will sometimes say out loud and my kids will make fun of me when we run into a traffic jam this is exactly what I need right now bring this on." [00:09:07]

"Or I had a client a few years ago a pastor's wife who had a big problem with anxiety and we were talking about how much he hated anxiety and it turned out that was the biggest problem for her if she could hate it less and allow it more and welcome it, we would use the the psalmist idea of owning but not enthroning your emotions and that ended up being very helpful for her about anxiety, one of the things she did was she named the anxiety she called it Wilma, and so she would always when she started to worry or start to feel anxious she would say, welcome Wilma and there was something about just taking that moment and and allowing it, um rather than fighting it rather than being very self-critical uh that she had it." [00:09:56]

"Boy this whole idea of uncertainty um really speaks to me even as I'm thinking about the question because I don't know how this is going to turn out, I don't exactly um no but I'm just gonna trust God, and I've got friends like you and a wife like Sherry that helps me with that and I think I get to help her with that as well so thank you for telling us about that and I, I think how often when we talk there'll be an expression that you will often use that I won't quote exactly but it will be an expression of uncertainty and the pain of uncertain outcomes and it drives both of us back to there's only one foundation and it's not outcomes and that's Jesus." [00:12:07]

"Okay and everybody today it's the prince of peace, and uh if you want one phrase to take with you welcome Wilma, welcome worry welcome troubles I hope you invite the prince of peace to bring peace into your life and your day-to-day and I'll see you tomorrow." [00:12:56]

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Transcript
What was the most surprising thing in this sermon?
Were there any personal stories shared?