We could be concerned about a lot of things right now. The world is filled with trauma, and all of us are feeling that trauma in one way or another. For many people, it’s expressing itself through strong anxiety.

“How are we going to survive this? What will happen next? Are we safe? Are we good? What can we do? Is there any hope?”

If that’s you, know you’re not alone.  

Here are a few ways to fight back when anxiety is trying to drown you.  

1. Stop reading/listening to voices that increase your anxiety.

Shouldn’t you know what’s going on? Shouldn’t you be aware of situations as they unfold?

Sometimes, yes. But the price of anxiety can be high. Give yourself a break, and turn off the voices that are keeping you trapped in fear.

Don’t just do this with the news or social media—also do it with your own thoughts. Are you listening to a mental “voice” that isn’t the voice of God? Are you dealing with a thought pattern that’s pushing you to feel more and more afraid, not more and more peaceful? Take that mental voice or thought pattern captive and make it “obedient” to Jesus.

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (2 Cor. 10:4–5 NIV)

2. Write down a prayer you can pray when you’re anxious.

When anxiety is bad, we have trouble thinking straight. So it can be helpful to write a prayer in advance and have it available for those times when we feel like we’re spiraling.

Write down a prayer that declares your trust in the Lord, and put it somewhere obvious, where you can see it and pray it on a regular basis. Here’s an example:

“Father, I trust You with this issue: _________. I trust You with my heart and with all the other hearts involved in this issue. I know You are guiding me and You are guiding them. I trust the things You’re saying to me. I also trust that You have good things in mind for me and for the other people involved in this. Thank You that I don’t need to second-guess what You’ve told me or live in fear. Thank You for how You’re working in my life. I know You love me, and I trust Your heart in this matter.”

3. Pray the Scriptures.

The Word of God is powerful. It is a light in dark places (Ps. 119:105). Choose a verse from Scripture, and pray it back to the Lord. Here are a few examples of what this might look like:  

Psalm 56:3–4: “Your Word says that I can trust You when I’m afraid, so that’s what I’m doing right now. I feel fear, but I am choosing to place my trust in You instead.” 

Jeremiah 29:11: “You have good plans for me, not plans to harm me. You have plans to give me a good future, not fear and despair. I know this is true and that I will see it in my life.”

John 3:16: “Your Word says that You love the world, and I choose to believe You’re loving the world right now, even though there are wars and acts of violence. We are going to see Your love appear in unexpected ways and places. You are watching over us. Your love is our story, not pain or despair or discouragement.” 

4. Practice looking at God.

It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible. (Heb. 11:27 NLT)

The Bible talks about looking at the One who is invisible. Obviously, from a natural standpoint, that cannot be done! It’s impossible. “How can I see something that can’t be seen?!”

But faith lets us see what our natural eyes cannot:

Faith assures us of things we expect and convinces us of the existence of things we cannot see. (Heb. 11:1 NOG)

Faith doesn’t need what the world needs, nor does it need to understand everything before it steps forward. With faith, you can “look” at God and really see Him. That’s what Moses did.

When you’re struggling, turn your gaze away from what’s making the anxiety worse and look at the Lord. This is a strong act of worship, and it will increase your peace. Be stubborn about looking at God in this season.

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