ANCIENT WISDOM FOR MODERN ANXIETY: WHAT SCRIPTURE TEACHES ABOUT WORRY
Scroll through your phone and you’ll see news alerts about a political scandal, an economic warning, a natural disaster. On social media you’ll see people ranting about what’s wrong in their lives and in the world, or humble-bragging about their perfect kids and amazing vacations – you wonder, "What am I doing wrong that I don’t have that?"
All of it will make your heart rate spike and your mind start racing.
It’s been said that we are living in the age of anxiety. And ... it’s true.
THE NUMBERS DON’T LIE
The statistics are staggering. In 2025, an estimated 42.5 million U.S. adults are living with an anxiety disorder, making it the most common mental health condition in the country. Even more telling, 43% of adults say they feel more anxious than they did the previous year — and that number has been climbing steadily from 32% in 2022.
Adults are particularly anxious about current events (70%) — especially the economy (77%), elections (73%), and gun violence (69%). We have access to more information than any generation in human history, and it's overwhelming us.
But the antidote to our modern anxiety isn't found in the latest self-help book or meditation app. It's found in ancient wisdom that's been available for over 2,000 years.
WHEN JESUS TALKED ABOUT WORRY
In the middle of His most famous sermon, Jesus addressed anxiety head-on. Speaking to a crowd gathered on a hillside, He said: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear... Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" (Matthew 6:25-26)
Jesus wasn't dismissing real concerns or telling people to be irresponsible. He was addressing the kind of worry that consumes us — the anxiety that steals our peace and robs us of the present moment.
His prescription? Remember who your Father is. You are not alone. You have a perfect heavenly Father.
THE STORM THAT REVEALED EVERYTHING
There's another story that perfectly captures how we experience anxiety and how Jesus responds to it. The disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee when a violent storm arose. The waves were crashing over the boat. They were experienced fishermen, and they were terrified.
And Jesus? He was asleep in the back of the boat.
When they finally woke Him, panicked and shouting, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?" Jesus stood up, spoke to the wind and waves, and everything became completely calm.
Then He asked them a penetrating question: "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" (Mark 4:35-41)
I read that and realize: The disciples weren't afraid because they were in a storm. They were afraid because they forgot who was in the boat with them.
THE DEEPER PEACE
But there's something even more profound happening in this moment. Jesus' peace wasn't so much about His divinity—it was more about His divine surrender.
Throughout His ministry, Jesus embodied complete trust in the Father's will, even when that will led to suffering and death. His peace came not from controlling circumstances, but from absolute confidence in His Father's character and plan.
This reveals the deeper source of our anxiety: we're desperately trying to control outcomes that were never ours to control. We worry because we've made ourselves responsible for results that belong to God. True peace comes not from managing our circumstances, but from surrendering our outcomes to a Father we can trust completely—even when His plans include suffering.
WHEN ANXIETY BECOMES A TEACHER
Here's a perspective that might surprise you: sometimes our anxiety isn't the enemy we think it is. What if those moments when your heart races and your mind spirals are actually invitations to spiritual growth?
Anxiety often reveals the exact places where our faith is being stretched, where God is calling us to deeper trust. That financial pressure you're feeling? It might be God's way of teaching you to depend on Him rather than your bank account. That relationship conflict keeping you up at night? Perhaps it's an opportunity to learn what it means to cast your cares on Him.
The disciples' fear in the storm wasn't just something to overcome—it was the very thing that led them to a deeper revelation of who Jesus was.
THE SAME MISTAKE WE MAKE
This is exactly what happens to us. When financial pressure hits, when relationships crumble, when health scares arise, when the news cycle spins out of control — we get overwhelmed with anxiety not so much because of the storms, but because we forget who is in our boat.
We forget that the One who has power over every storm is with us.
Jesus never promised to keep us from storms. In fact, He warned us that in this world we would have trouble. But He did promise: "I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:20).
WHAT CHANGES WHEN WE REMEMBER
When the disciples saw Jesus calm the storm, something shifted in their understanding. They asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and waves obey him!" That's the question anxiety forces us to answer: Who is Jesus to you?
Is He just a historical figure? A good teacher? A religious icon? Or is He the Son of God who has authority over every circumstance that threatens to overwhelm you? When we truly grasp who is in our boat, it doesn't eliminate the storms, but it transforms how we navigate them.
PRACTICAL STEPS FOR ANXIOUS HEARTS
So how do we apply this ancient wisdom to our modern anxiety? Here are some practical ways to remember who's in your boat:
Start with Scripture, not the news. Before you check your phone in the morning, spend a few minutes reading God's promises. Let His truth shape your perspective before the world's chaos bombards you.
Practice the discipline of "just today." Jesus said, "Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own" (Matthew 6:34). Anxiety thrives when we project today's problems into an imagined future.
Name your storms out loud to God. The disciples cried out to Jesus in their panic. Don't try to manage your anxiety alone. Tell God specifically what you're worried about.
Remember past rescues. Keep a record of how God has been faithful to you before. When new storms arise, remind yourself of His track record in your life.
Focus on His character, not your circumstances. Storms are temporary. God's love, power, and presence are eternal.
Ask what your anxiety might be teaching you. Before rushing to eliminate anxious feelings, pause and ask: "What is this revealing about where I need to grow in trust?"
WHEN ANXIETY MEETS AUTHORITY
Your anxiety is not stronger than God's authority.
The same voice that calmed the wind and waves is the voice that speaks peace over your worried heart. The same hands that the disciples saw stretched out in power are the hands that hold your future.
That doesn't mean following Jesus eliminates all anxiety from your life. Even the disciples felt fear in the storm. But it does mean that your anxiety doesn't have to have the final word—and it might just be the very thing God uses to draw you closer to Himself.
THE QUESTION THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING
The next time worry threatens to overwhelm you, ask yourself this question: "Who is in my boat?"
Is it just you trying to navigate life's storms with your own strength and wisdom? Or is it you and the One who created the wind and waves, who holds tomorrow in His hands, and who has promised never to leave you?
When you remember who's in your boat, the storms don't disappear — but your perspective on them completely transforms.
TAKE ACTION
For the next week, try this experiment:
When anxiety begins to rise, pause and literally say out loud: "Jesus is in my boat."
Read one of these passages each morning: Matthew 6:25-34, Psalm 23, Isaiah 41:10, or Philippians 4:6-7
Before trying to eliminate anxious feelings, ask: "What might God be trying to teach me through this?"
Remember, you don't have to wait for the storms to pass to experience peace. Peace comes from knowing who controls the storms—and sometimes, from discovering what He wants to grow in you through them.
*If this has been helpful, please send me a message at brad@bradjenkins.me and let me know. My writing aims to help people enjoy a vibrant relationship with Jesus, and it is an honor to be on this journey with you.
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