Everyone knows what it feels like to be anxious. This past year and the election week demonstrated that!
Below are exerts and information are from "Grace for the Afflicted- A Clinical and Biblical Perspective on Mental Illness" by Matthew S. Standford. This book is in our church library along with many others on a small cart designated as Mental Health resources, available for check-out.
- "Anxiety is a normal cognitive and physiological response that God designed to call our attentions to the seriousness of an event or situation, and motivate us to actions. With an anxiety disorder, however, the anxiety is not mild and brief, but severe and chronic."
- "Panic attacks, a consuming wave of fear and dread, are a common characteristic of the anxiety disorders."
- "Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the US, affecting approximately 40 million adults, and often first surface in childhood or early adulthood. Like all mental illnesses, anxiety disorders result from a complex interaction of psychosocial, biological and developmental factors."
King David in the Old Testament suffered from major depressive disorder and anxiety (which often accompanies depression). In Psalm 55:4-6 David describes symptoms of anxiety and a panic attack, a feeling of overwhelming dread with trembling, racing heart, and heart pain. Throughout the Psalms David vents his feelings and cries out to the Lord for help. In Biblical times there were no treatments for anxiety, but today there are effective medications and CBT(cognitive behavior therapy). Thus it is so important to seek professional help when your anxiety is such that it affects your ability to enjoy life.
*Give your burdens to the Lord and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall. Psalm 55:22.
*But I will call upon God and the Lord will rescue me. Morning, noon and night I plead aloud in my distress and the Lord hears my voice He rescues me and keeps me safe from the battle waged against me. Psalm 55:16-18.
