“Fear not” (Luke 12:7).

Y GRANDFATHER expressed his faith through an oil painting he finished not long before a delivery truck ended his life. The primitive-style painting¹ shows a large rock cross surrounded by lashing waves. A woman with long black hair (like my grandmother’s) clings to the cross with one arm and steadies herself by pressing an open Bible against the foot of the cross. A ray of light shines down on the cross. The picture hangs in my home and has been an object of comfort for several years. It shows me how to confront fear and anxiety.

These two states differ. Fear is natural to all of us and has a place in saving life. It protects from danger and teaches caution. Chronic anxiety and phobias (irrational fears), on the other hand, tend to undermine life. In the recent World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks fear was normal. And for millions fear gave way to mild anxiety—also normal in the short term. But some, especially survivors and eyewitnesses, are prone to severe chronic anxiety.²

Research indicates that anxiety comes from a chemical disruption in the brain, can last for years, and can result in anxiety disorders.³ It may be genetic; caused by trauma, or a physical ailment, or continual stress; or learned. Psychiatrists tell us it is not so much the initial fear and anxiety but what we do with it that counts. Anxious feelings continue because fearful thoughts have set up a pattern in our neural pathways.

This process began when Adam and Eve first experienced fear after they sinned. They became afraid of their own Creator. Ever since then, the Lord and His angels have had to approach humans with the words “Fear not.” Like wild creatures run from us, we run from God—afraid and mistrusting. Sin left us with myriads of real and irrational fears, and some people use sinful behaviors (such as drinking) to cope with them. Humans created belief in an immortal soul to compensate for the formidable fear of death. The belief pervades almost all religions, and the adversary uses it to his advantage (Gen. 3:4). We even fear each other—for reasons ranging from shyness to hatred. Many superstitions based on fear cause humans to perform ridiculous rituals in a desperate attempt to control their destiny (refusing to walk under a ladder or even performing religious works).

Waves of Fear
Maybe I was genetically predisposed to anxiety, but when I faced the loss of family members, life transitions, and a medical scare, I went through a personal time of trouble. I will not forget my first panic attack.⁴ I describe it as being trapped, believing that I might die in the next minute. Sometimes I would be dizzy and have a rapid heart rate. But the feeling of panic that washed over me like a giant wave remained the most horrifying symptom, and I limited my activities to avoid its return. The fact that no danger existed didn’t change the feeling. I wanted to flee, get help, or go to bed.

Sufferers may go from physician to physician only to be told they are healthy. In my case an alert physician finally discovered thyroid disease. With thyroid medication the symptoms and, thus, the panics ceased, but it took a while to overcome the residual anxiety. Body and mind do affect each other.

Millions of people endure anxiety disorders. Does this mean all of them don’t trust God? For years I believed that of myself, and the guilt became as distressing as the condition. Some may say we don’t have enough faith. We live with the thought that we are poor examples of our faith.

Clinging to the Cross
One wonderful day while reading an inspirational book I let the Holy Spirit enlighten my mind—anxiety is only a feeling. It may be caused by biochemical imbalances, but in itself it is not dangerous. Anxiety does not necessarily indicate a lack of faith. All during my experience I never felt that God had left me. This apparently surprised a hospital chaplain. While being prepared for minor surgery, I expressed my anxiety to the chaplain. He responded, “I guess God seems a long way away, doesn’t He?”

“No,” I replied. “He is always with me.” The chaplain moved back in surprise, almost shock. Apparently he didn’t comprehend that one can have trust while troubled.

Understanding its nature freed me from being dominated by anxiety. The feeling is not sinful,⁵ and it need not block trust in God. I experienced a testing trust when I held on to Him in spite of my feelings. I made a reasoned decision to trust.

Sufferers should not feel guilty if they need medication, therapy, and time to heal. They do the right thing for themselves and their loved ones. Those who refuse assistance reject the help God sends them. Both human and divine mechanisms help us heal. Many psychiatrists consider faith, prayer, and Bible study as divine cognitive therapies. Evidence shows that they do modify brain function.

Our society faces the possibilities of war and terrorism. Fear mobilizes us to act, but if we leave our thoughts open to imagined terrors, we become immobilized. Chronic anxiety sufferers do not necessarily become more afraid than others in times of crisis. And those who conquer personal demons with God’s help can cope with other stresses.

Remembering that body and mind are inseparable, we especially need to take a wholistic approach in anxious times—get plenty of exercise, sleep, water, and good nutrition; feed the mind on uplifting material and avoid disturbing media productions. While keeping up with the news, limit exposure to it. Do what you can to help others. Practice proven techniques such as “thought stopping.”⁶

The Bible Gives Stability
Now is the time to give ourselves completely to Christ. That means setting biblical priorities and living by biblical principles. It means praying frequently. And it means asking every morning for the Holy Spirit to fill us and give us the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22, 23). This is how we learn to trust.

For one of our major fears is a spiritual one. Unfortunately, a significant percentage of church members do not believe they are saved, nor do they understand how God saves. In spite of (or sometimes because of) Bible classes, sermons, and Sabbath schools, many of us have not fully learned that we can do nothing to save ourselves. Maybe someone taught us we must measure up, or our human pride demands that we be in control of our eternal life. “If you are good, you will go to heaven” is also the secular view of salvation. We need to study our Bibles for the truth.

Seeing the Light—Trusting Christ to Save Us
We often use the words “righteousness by faith” to describe our fitness for heaven. I would prefer to call it “faith in Christ’s righteousness” or the “doctrine of love.” All human beings have broken the law in deed and in thought and aren’t fit for heaven. Eternal life demands perfect obedience. Thus we would all be lost. But Christ came to earth (as a human), lived (to teach and to show obedience), died the second death (in our place), and rose in His glorified body (victory over death). That is the good news. We do not have to die that second death of Revelation (20:13, 14). His righteousness is our ticket to eternity. We didn’t live it—He did. That gift is ours— every one of us on this planet. But we must accept it by not rejecting His Spirit (Matt. 12:31). Then we are saved, so long as we trust Him to save us. This gives the Holy Spirit permission to change us—not to make us more saved but to reveal Christ to others. Loving people is the most important evidence (John 13:35) of this new life. We become dead to sin in that it no longer dominates us. We grow at different rates, and these changes will not happen all at once.

That, briefly, is the “doctrine of love” as I understand it from the Bible. It can be incredibly freeing. His perfect love casts out fear. Gradually the shadows lift as we live by faith. And our feelings change.

Layers of rubble crushed not only the victims on September 11, 2001, but those they left behind. Yet beneath layers of destructive feelings a seed grows—the seed of faith. It grows and overwhelms anxiety as days, weeks, even years go by. Despite the fallen buildings in our lives, we have hope. We trust our Lord to return and rebuild our world.

I look forward to meeting my grandfather and telling him how much his painting meant to me in troubled times.

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¹ Joseph Warram, artist
² Marianne Szegedy-Maszak, “Cold Sweat and Flashback,” U.S. News & World Report, Sept. 24, 2001, pp. 54, 55.
³ Anxiety has multiple meanings that mental health professionals call “anxiety disorders”—
generalized anxiety, panic, phobias, obsessive-compulsive, and post-traumatic stress disorders are the most common. “Answers From Mayo,” MayoClinic.com.
⁴ A type of anxiety known as panic disorder.
⁵ Guilt can be behind some anxieties—guilt caused fear in Adam and Eve. So it is important we be right with God, especially in challenging times. We need to confess our sins and have a sense of cleansing and forgiveness.
⁶ “Thought stopping” is one way of dealing with frightening thoughts so that they are not reinforced. Simply say Stop and turn the mind to something pleasant.

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Ella Rydzewski is editorial assistant at the Adventist Review. Lou Bozzetti, M.D., professor of psychiatry, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, California, shared a few insights for this article.