{"id":26472,"date":"2024-08-06T01:24:57","date_gmt":"2024-08-06T07:24:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.boundless.org\/?post_type=blog&p=26472"},"modified":"2024-08-05T14:47:25","modified_gmt":"2024-08-05T20:47:25","slug":"when-anxiety-keeps-you-up-at-night","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.boundless.org\/blog\/when-anxiety-keeps-you-up-at-night\/","title":{"rendered":"When Anxiety Keeps You Up at Night"},"content":{"rendered":"

Somehow it always seems to happen in the middle of the night: I think of some worry or fear and obsess over it when I\u2019m trying to sleep. There is something about the nighttime hours that makes the shadows of my fears seem larger than real life.<\/p>\n

What if those coworkers whispering the other day were talking about me?<\/em><\/p>\n

What if my fears about relationships (or relationship prospects) are true? <\/em><\/p>\n

What if my career never takes off?<\/em><\/p>\n

What if my future doesn\u2019t turn out the way I hope it will?<\/em><\/p>\n

What if I stay up so late worrying that I can\u2019t function normally tomorrow?<\/em><\/p>\n

Cue more career worries.<\/p>\n

Anxiety is based on lies<\/h4>\n

The subject of anxiety has rocketed into public conversation as well as daily life. Ranging from mild to severe, anxiety affects somewhere around 18 percent of American adults<\/a>, though some experts argue the number could be much higher.<\/p>\n

Anxiety is complicated, often with multiple layers and causes, and can be very serious. Sometimes seeking out professional help is necessary, but all anxiety requires help on some level \u2014 help that God and others around us can give.<\/p>\n

Anxiety throws many lies at us. When we are anxious, we are often worrying that God will not come through for us or isn\u2019t concerned about our struggle. Maybe we worry that it\u2019s up to us to fix our situation, or that Jesus will love us less because of our failures.<\/p>\n

When we identify the lies we are subconsciously believing, we find new weapons to fight our anxiety.<\/p>\n

Even giant-killers can be anxious<\/h4>\n

We aren\u2019t the only ones who get anxious. Even the guy who killed a giant warrior with a few pebbles was anxious sometimes. Often, in fact. King David penned most of the psalms in our Bibles, and in them he wrote over and over about his fears and feelings.<\/p>\n

David wrote about a sleepless night when he was worried beyond words, even wondering if God would ever come through for him again: \u201cHas [God\u2019s] steadfast love forever ceased? Are his promises at an end for all time? Has God forgotten to be gracious?\u201d (Psalm 77:8-9<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Scary questions.<\/p>\n

David didn\u2019t get a verbal answer from God, and it doesn\u2019t look like he received any special signs of God\u2019s presence. But David chose to remember. He thought back through Israel\u2019s history (not just his own) and reminded himself how God was always faithful, saying:<\/p>\n

\u201cThen I said, \u2018I will appeal to this, to the years of the right hand of the Most High.\u2019 I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds.\u201d (Psalm 77:10-12<\/a>)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

God had always been faithful, so David knew God would be faithful again. Even when his heart was quaking inside him as he tried to sleep, he was as safe as a little baby in his daddy\u2019s arms.<\/p>\n

Start here<\/h4>\n

We have the finished Bible now \u2014 including David\u2019s psalms \u2014 and have every reason to never fear again. No matter what we feel or fear, we can bank our souls on the truths in the pages of Scripture.<\/p>\n

Look over some of these verses, or search the Bible for a passage that speaks to the fears of your heart. Go over each word and mine every bit of meaning you can out of it. Memorize it<\/a>. Grab hold of that verse \u2014 that promise \u2014 and do not let go. When a storm of anxiety rages around you, remember Jesus is holding you safe.<\/p>\n