Answers

Q:

The doctor has put me on medicine for my anxiety, but I'm not sure it does much good. My wife tells me to read the Bible and pray, and I do sometimes, but I can't see that it really helps, either. What am I missing? Am I wrong to take this drug?


A:

The most important truth I can tell you is that God knows all about your situation, and He loves you and wants to help you overcome it. And this can happen, as you learn to thrust your worries into His hands.

This doesn’t mean it’s necessarily wrong for you to be on medicine for your anxiety; it may be one of the ways God uses to help you. Our minds and our bodies are enormously complicated; sometimes things don’t work the way they should, and medicine may be necessary.

But the most important discovery you can make is that God loves you just as you are, and therefore you can commit every fear and every worry into His hands. If He didn’t love you, you’d have no reason to do this — but He does love you, and therefore you can. If He loved you enough to send His only Son into the world to die for you, won’t He continue loving you, both now and forever?

Begin by turning to Jesus Christ and asking Him to come into your life. Then ask Him every morning to remind you of His love during the day — and when anxieties threaten to overwhelm you, thank Him once again for His presence with you. In addition, let the Bible’s promises fill your mind and heart. The Bible says, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).