Beyond Relief: Knowing the God of Peace in Our Anxiety
“…do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus…. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”—Philippians 4:6-7, 9
What do you reach for when anxiety hits—a planner, a podcast, a prescription, a person? When your chest tightens and thoughts race, where does your soul run?
Though it is not wrong to seek relief from anxiety, God offers something more—He offers Himself. While He gives us His peace (Phil. 4:7), the far greater gift is that we can know the God of peace (Phil. 4:9).
Let’s look at how we can experience God in the midst of our anxiety.
Anxiety: A Whole-Person Experience
Anxiety is more than nervousness before a presentation or a vague unease. It’s a complex, whole-person struggle that touches both heart and body. Emotionally, anxiety can feel like dread, restlessness, irritability, or overwhelm. Thoughts spiral—“What if?” and “I can’t”—feeding a growing sense of helplessness or urgency.
Physically, anxiety can manifest in racing thoughts, rapid heartbeat, chest tightness, nausea, fatigue, dizziness, sleep troubles, or muscle tension. For some, it escalates into panic attacks—intense waves of fear that mimic heart attacks, often with no clear trigger. These physical responses are real and distressing, even when they stem from hidden fears rather than present dangers.
This embodied struggle reminds us: God created us as integrated beings—soul and body together. While our bodies can stir or intensify emotions, Scripture helps us discern what’s happening in our hearts. Our physiology may shape the experience, but it doesn’t dictate our faith or define our hope.
Anxiety is not simply a medical problem to fix, nor a sin to suppress, but a window into our longings, fears, and where we place our trust. Our anxious moments, then, are invitations for us to bring our whole selves—troubled hearts and trembling bodies—to the God who knows, cares, and draws near.
Understanding Anxiety: Two Ways of Seeing
Anxiety, according to the DSM-5, isn’t one condition but a cluster: Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, Specific Phobias, and more. These diagnoses focus on symptoms—persistent worry, physical arousal, avoidance, and daily disruption—and typically point to chemical imbalances, faulty thinking, or an overactive stress response.
Common treatments focus on managing these symptoms and can include medication (to adjust brain chemistry) and cognitive-behavioral therapy (to change thinking patterns). These can bring real relief and offer helpful supports. However, they fall short of lasting change because they often stop at management. In contrast, God invites us not merely to manage anxiety—but to grow through it.
Like the DSM-5, the Bible also speaks with nuance about anxiety. It distinguishes between godly concern (Phil. 2:20; 2 Cor. 11:28) and sinful worry (Luke 10:41). We see examples of anxiety, worry, fear, dread, and panic. But more than the DSM-5, it reveals why: an underlying disordered worship, with cravings for comfort, control, certainty, or approval.
The Bible doesn’t minimize anxiety; it tells the truth. We fear because the world is broken, our minds are fallible, and our hearts are divided. We forget what is true about God in moments of stress. We want to be in control, but we’re not. Anxiety reveals our loves, fears, and limits. It shows us where we turn when we feel vulnerable.
So while biblical counselors can appreciate the DSM’s descriptive value, we recognize its limits. It is helpful in labeling patterns but misses the heart: What are we trusting, fearing, or treasuring? These are spiritual questions that no diagnosis can fully explain—and no medication can fully resolve.
Let me be clear: There is no shame in receiving medical care. But don’t stop there.
Anxiety isn’t only a disorder to manage—it’s a doorway to deeper communion with God. Jesus promised trouble (John 16:33), but he also promised peace—not by removing anxiety, but by walking with us in it. This is the peace of God found in the presence of the God of peace (Phil. 4:7, 9).
Medications may quiet the body. Therapies can renew thought patterns. But only Christ restores the soul in the deepest, eternal sense (Ps. 23:3). One day anxiety will become a “former thing” that passes away (Rev. 21:4). Until then, the church offers a better hope: not escape, but companionship with Christ in the struggle.
From Fear to Faith: Walking with God Through Anxiety
You may be thinking, I don’t need a theology lesson—I need help now. Deadlines loom, health scares press in, and communion with God feels impractical. I understand.
But here’s a gentle reframe: if we trust Scripture, the treatment for anxiety must match its diagnosis. God doesn’t just offer relief—He offers Himself. Jesus faced dread deeper than ours at Gethsemane and trusted the Father without sin. He invites us to do the same—not later, but right now.
So instead of looking at this as a delay, look at it as the peek beneath the hood to identify the source. In this way, we’re not just applying a band-aid but finding true healing.
If you’re ready to take that next step, I invite you to grab a pen and do a little thinking.
Describing Your Anxiety
Let’s start first with identifying your unique “flavor” of anxiety.
1. When anxiety rises, what does it most often feel like for you?
Do you notice anxiety (a general unease), worry (constant mental loops—Matt. 6:31 describes this perfectly), fear (a strong physical response to a perceived threat, real or imagined), dread (a heavy sense of foreboding), or panic (sudden overwhelm)? Look at how you respond physically, mentally, and emotionally.
2. What kinds of situations tend to trigger each of these responses in you?
For example, do you dread known events (like hard conversations), fear possible judgment (like social settings), or find yourself spiraling through endless what-ifs? Consider how your anxiety shows up in daily life. Think about the things that you tend to worry about or a recent situation that caused you to feel anxious.
3. How do you typically respond when these feelings surface?
Do you avoid, plan, withdraw, control, freeze, or seek comfort elsewhere? What do these responses reveal about what you fear or desire most in that moment—security, approval, certainty, control, or peace?
Mapping Your Anxiety Cycle
Now, let’s pull your observations together. Do you recognize any patterns of anxiety that tend to surface for you? Recognizing these can help you prepare for future moments.
Next, consider your responses a little deeper. What do they reveal about your desires, fears, or beliefs? Do you crave control, certainty, or approval? Do you withdraw, overwork, lash out, or turn numb? Recognizing these responses in connection to anxiety can help provide warning lights prompting you to pull over and check under the hood.
Lastly, notice the ripple effects or consequences of these responses. Evaluate how well they “work.” Do your actions bring peace or merely something to tide you over? Do they strain relationships and distort how you see God?
The goal here is not shame or guilt, but sometimes we need to face the hard truth about ourselves. These insights can help us understand our particular way of dealing with anxiety, which in turn helps guide us to a deeper trust in God.
Learning a New Cycle
Hopefully, this exercise has given you insight into your patterns of anxiety. But insight alone doesn’t change us—God desires transformation into Christlikeness.
This is where Scripture excels. The Gospel offers more than a ticket to heaven or even a diagnosis of our condition. It offers healing.
Pause and consider: We were created for joyful dependence on God, but sin fractured that relationship, introducing fear and shame. In love, Jesus entered our anxious world, experienced its weight, and bore our sin to restore us to peace with God. If our breach with God disconnects us from any true peace, then the Gospel is truly what the anxious heart needs, for it restores us to the God of peace. There is no treatment or medication on earth that can promise that.
If we are in Christ, not only are we forgiven and secure, we’re never alone, even in our most dreadful situations. His Spirit lives within us and brings real peace as we abide in Him. In Him, we get more than quick fixes. We find deep, lasting change—shaping us into people who love and trust.
Change From the Heart
Because we are united to Christ and adopted by God, we have new options when anxiety strikes. We can now pray as beloved children—not as a ritual, but as a relational lifeline. Prayer invites God into our anxiety and anchors us in His presence.
If you’re unsure how to start, let Scripture guide you. Start by remembering what is true about Him to help quiet your fears. For example, you can affirm His nearness (Ps. 34:18) or that He is strong and kind (Is. 40:10-11). Meditate on these truths and then from there, try praying:
“Lord, this is what I feel. Help me be honest.”
“This is what I want—and why I’m afraid.”
“I confess the false saviors I trust. You are near—and better.”
“Help me trust You, not just feel better.”
“Give me courage to take the next step in faith.”
Another exercise to try is keeping a journal of anxious moments. For each entry, briefly note the situation, your response, and what you were wanting or fearing.
But again, don’t stop there—pray through it using the ideas above to start. Over time, this will help you spot patterns, identify heart issues, and invite God into the places where change is needed most.
Stepping Forward in Faith
Though we’ve focused on spiritual responses, faith also calls us to act. Growth doesn’t require a 180-degree turn, but small, Spirit-led steps toward the image of Christ—one degree at a time (2 Cor. 3:18). For example, if you dread a situation, make time to pray and meditate on truth beforehand. Or if social settings overwhelm you, ask God for courage to stay rather than withdraw.
Knowing where your stressors lie can help you prepare. Bring them to the Lord, or better yet, invite a trusted friend to help you consider different responses. Together, identify moments in your day when anxiety surfaces or talk over challenging situations as you prayerfully plan small steps of obedience.
God doesn’t call us to be fearless, but He does call us to trust Him in the midst of our fear. What may be small steps of action can actually be big steps of growth in faith.
When to Consider Medical Help
With all this said, there may be time for medical help. Because anxiety can have a bodily element, medical support may be necessary especially if you are experiencing persistent, life-disrupting panic attacks, sleeplessness or appetite loss for weeks, inability to function at work or home, or suicidal thoughts.
God created our bodies, and they matter to Him. Again, medication doesn’t replace heart work, but it may create space for it. Biblical counselors who are also medical doctors, like Dr. Charles Hodges, acknowledge that wise, limited, and informed use of medication can help when symptoms impair a person’s ability to engage with truth. Once you feel a bit more stable, I hope the suggestions in this post will be your next step.
Also, if you’re already on medication, don’t panic. Relief is not wrong, but relief alone is not enough. I hope you also will take the suggestions here to heart and seek the ultimate healing the Lord provides.
Receiving help for anxiety does not mean you’ve failed spiritually. Receiving medical support, when used wisely, can be an expression of God’s common grace—a tool that can stabilize the body and help create space to engage more deeply with God and others. What matters is not whether we use these helps, but how we use them—in humility, in faith, and in dependence on the Lord who remains our ultimate Healer.
Helping Others Walk from Fear to Faith
Hopefully, you’ve taken time to work through the exercises above with the Lord. The help He gives may be some of the best equipping you’ll ever receive to help others. As you learn to recognize your own tendencies, you’re better prepared to walk with others through theirs.
Helping someone with anxiety is sacred work. It’s not about giving quick fixes or polished answers, but gently guiding others to the God of peace who meets us in our mess. As ministry leaders, we may feel anxious in these very moments—afraid of not knowing what to say, or offering help that unintentionally causes harm. In our discomfort, we may default to truth without tenderness—like “Just trust God” or quoting Philippians 4:6–7. Though true, these responses can bypass the heart, shut down conversation, and leave people feeling dismissed or ashamed.
But God never short-circuits our suffering with platitudes. He enters it with presence, truth, and grace. We can do the same. Here’s what that can look like.
1. Start with Compassionate, Patient Presence
Fear is often isolating. That’s why God’s “fear not” is so often followed by reminders of His presence (Isaiah 41:10; Psalm 23:4). God draws near to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18)—and so must we.
Simply being present can be a profound ministry. Calm companionship helps settle anxious hearts. No wise words required—just a quiet, faithful presence can speak volumes. Don’t underestimate the power of simply sitting with someone.
2. Ask Good Questions and Listen Well
The best counsel often comes not from what we say, but from the questions we ask. This takes practice, humility, and patience. Deeper understanding takes time, and if we rush to conclusions, we may miss what’s really going on.
So listen like a detective. Use reflective, gentle questions to draw the other out:
“When did you first notice this kind of fear?”
“What do you usually do when that anxious feeling shows up?”
“What thoughts run through your mind in those moments?”
“What feels most overwhelming right now?”
“What are you afraid might happen?”
As you listen, look for patterns: What stressors trigger the anxiety? How do they react—internally and externally? What has this produced in their relationships or walk with God? Most importantly, listen under the surface for deeper heart desires or beliefs—things they may not yet recognize.
Afterward, summarize what you’ve heard. This helps confirm accuracy and builds trust. If something sounds like a ruling desire or false belief, gently offer it as a question, not a judgment: “I wonder if part of this might be a desire for control?” This opens space for honest reflection.
3. Speak the Truth in Love
Sometimes people simply need to be heard. Naming fears and being received with grace is a powerful first step. When they do, don’t miss the opportunity to affirm God’s work in them—especially when they take risks to be honest or express a desire to honor Him.
Encourage them by pointing out godly desires or steps of faith. This isn’t flattery—it’s recognizing and affirming God’s grace already at work. When truth must be shared, do it gently. Help them remember the Gospel—not just as a concept, but as comfort.
You may eventually share Philippians 4:6–7 or encourage them to trust God—but after listening thoroughly, your counsel will be better timed and received. You might also reflect back the patterns you’ve observed. Help them trace their response, question their beliefs, and root their hope in Christ. Pray with them. Invite them to confess what they’ve been clinging to and turn again to the Lord. Gently help them imagine what faith could look like in the face of fear. Even a small step of obedience is worth celebrating.
Remember Your Role
You’re not their Savior—Christ is. You’re not responsible for their transformation—God is. But your presence, questions, and reminders of truth are means of His grace.
Helping someone with anxiety isn’t about eliminating anxiety altogether. It may never fully go away. But we can walk with others honestly, prayerfully, and patiently toward the God who is near, kind, and able to calm every storm.
The Peace of God and the God of Peace
When anxiety presses in, the world urges us to manage it—strategize, suppress, distract, escape. But Philippians 4 invites us to something far better: to bring our burdens to God Himself. He offers not only His peace—but His presence as the God of peace. In Him, we don’t just find relief—we find relationship. We can come honestly, dependently, and confidently to the One who sees, knows, and cares.