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Anxious for Nothing – John MacArthur
We all deal with anxiety in our lives, whether it is being worried about something specific or feeling anxious without knowing why. How do we deal with those feelings as Christians? How do we continue to live our lives for God’s glory when we feel like we cannot do anything? Are we as Christians supposed to respond to anxiety differently than the rest of the world? In John MacArthur’s book Anxious for Nothing, he uses the Bible to outline how we can avoid those anxieties through prayer, replace those intrusive thoughts with thoughts of God, destroy those spirals of emotions by casting our cares on God, and turn those worries into contentment.
One of the first chapters of the book is entitled “Avoiding Anxiety Through Prayer.” According to Merriam-Webster dictionary the definition of the word “avoid” is “to keep away from” or “to refrain from.” Anxiety is not something that we have to let take over us, but something we can overcome. MacArthur says that the best way to avoid a bad habit is to replace it with something else. His solution? Prayer. He shows us that prayer is our best weapon against these thoughts by giving us a verse that perfectly backs up this claim: Philippians 4:6, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Praying to God not only replaces that anxiety with something good, but it is also a way to trust more in Him. We pray to God asking him to take away our anxiety or to help us get through it, and He will. How do we know He will help us? We know because He cares for us.
Another strategy that MacArthur gives us for our battle against our own intrusive thoughts is knowing God cares for you. This idea may seem obviously simple, but it is important. MacArthur shares that when we genuinely believe and observe God’s care, we have a powerful weapon against anxiety. To illustrate the difference between seeing God’s care and observing it, MacArthur quotes a dialog between Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. Holmes starts by asking Watson questions about objects that he sees every day, Watson knows they are there, but cannot answer the specific questions about those objects’ details. Holmes then states that it is because Watson sees, but does not observe. MacArthur then shows us how that applies to us as Christians. We hear and see that God cares, we know it to be true, but do we really observe it? Do we take the time to observe God’s care for all his creatures? MacArthur then shares a verse that goes along with this illustration. In Matthew 6:25-34, Jesus tells us to not be anxious, He says to observe all of God’s creation and how He cares for it. “Are you not of more value than they (vs. 26b)?” When we take the time to observe how much God cares for His creation, and us, we will be more prepared for when those anxious thoughts come
When our mind is spiralling out of control, all we want is peace; but how do we find peace in our whirlwind of emotions? MacArthur tells us that God’s solution is to cast all our cares on Him. One of the best verses to highlight this, and one of my favorites as well, is 1 Peter 5:7, “Casting all your anxieties on Him, because he cares for you.” The “Him” the verse is referring to is God. He cares so much for us we can trust him to take care of us even in times of great anxiety. Why should we cast our cares on God? He cares for us, but why should we trust Him with our anxieties. MacArthur shows us that the verse before gives us the answer. 1 Peter 5:6, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the right time he may exalt you.” MacArthur tells us that the phrase “mighty hand of God” is used in the Bible to show God’s control and power. God is powerful, and he is in control of everything. When we are in the mighty hand of God nothing can harm us. Anything that comes our way, God has allowed to happen. MacArthur tells us to remember that God is with us in everything and will help us through whatever we are facing. We can rest easy knowing God has us in His mighty hand. .
In the last chapter of the book, MacArthur brings up a word that encompasses everything he had talked about before—contentment. He paints the picture of contentment as being the opposite of anxiety. No fast-racing heart, just calm. No thoughts out of control, just peace. But how to find this contentment? In whom are we to be content? In God. MacArthur gives Paul as an example of someone who was content in God. Philippians 4:11-13 says, “Not that am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” If we learn to be content in God, to know that He is in control, to trust that He cares for us, to practice coming to Him in prayer whenever we need to, we can overcome this thing called anxiety. We can overcome it with the help of God.
As a Christian who has anxiety, I have always struggled with how to deal with my anxiety in a way that would be pleasing to God. This book was a great encouragement to me. It made me think more on how God is with me in any situation that I am in. He is enough for me. There is so many more truths in this book that dive deeper into the topic of anxiety for those who are interested.
This book is a great tool for anyone who is struggling with anxiety or worries. It can be a great comfort to anyone who needs a reminder of where their focus should be. In the back of the book there are discussion questions. These questions are there for either group study use or for your own personal use. They include a chapter theme, icebreakers, group discovery questions, and personal application questions. There are also some suggestions on how to pray based on what you have learned in the chapter. Chapter assignments are there also to help you study deeper into what you read. Throughout the book MacArthur said how there are many psalms that are a comfort to the anxious and added a list of comforting Psalms to the back of the book.
A blog post by Lindsay Brunt, Edited by Nathalie Davidson
March 18, 2022.