How to Deal With Anxiety

ANXIETY ABOUT FAMILY 

"Shortly after my father died, my husband told me that he was seeing another woman," relates Janet.  "Soon afterward, without further warning or good-bye, he emptied his closet and left me and our two children."  Janet found a job, but her pay was not enough for her to keep their house. And she has faced more than just financial concerns.  "The crushing anxiety of all the new responsibilities that I now had to handle alone was overwhelming," she recalls.  "I felt guilty that I could not provide  as much for my children as other parents do. And even now, I worry about how others view me and my children. Do they wonder if I did all I should have to preserve my marriage?"

Prayer helps Janet tame her feelings and nurture her friendship with god.  "Nighttime is the hardest, when everything is so quiet and my anxious thoughts are so loud. Praying and reading the Bible help me to sleep. A favorite passage of mine is Philippians 4:6, 7:  "Do not be anxious over anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication along with thanksgiving, let your petitions be made known to God; and the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your mental powers.'  I have spent many nights  in prayer and have felt Jehovah's peace comfort me." 

Jesus' reassuring words about prayer in his Sermon on the Mount apply to anxieties  of all kinds:  "Your Father knows what you need even before you ask him." (Matthew 6:8) And we do need to ask him. Prayer is the primary way we can "draw close to God." The result of doing so? "He will draw close to you." -James 4:8.

Yes, prayer does more than simply make us feel better for having expressed out anxiety. Jehovah,  the "Hearer of prayer," also acts on behalf of all who seek him in faith. (Psalm 65:2) That is why Jesus taught his followers "always to pray and to give up." (Luke 18:1) We must keep asking God for his direction and help, confident that he will reward our faith.  We need never doubt his desire or ability to act.  To "pray constantly" in this way shows we have genuine faith. -1 Thessalonians 5:17. 

Next time: How to Deal With Anxiety - WHAT HAVING FAITH REALLY MEANS

From the Watchtower magazine, 2015