Proverbial Anxiety || Anxiety in Anxious Times || Week 2

Welcome back to our series, “Anxiety in Anxious Times.” This four-week series examines a biblical view of anxiety and how we can apply its teaching to our daily lives. 

Last week, we talked about Jesus reminding us not to worry about what tomorrow has in store. We talked about how we’re like birds and must go out and get what God provided. We discussed how gaining this wisdom begins by examining and understanding where we are currently in all facets. We wrapped up with the reminder that we are not alone in our battles with anxiety because it has been around since the early days of the Bible. 

This week, we center our focus on wisdom. We will pick Solomon’s wisdom apart in Proverbs 3:5-8 and see how we can use that wisdom in our daily lives.

Before we dive into this, let’s review how the Bible defines “anxiety.” Anxiety, for this study, comes from the Greek word “merimnaó” (mer-im-nah-o). It translates to “being pulled apart in different directions.” As you observed the anxious moments of your week, did you feel like your life was pulling apart? 

This week’s format will be different than last week. We will go verse-by-verse in Proverbs 3:5-8. We will take apart crucial words and themes of the verse and link them to other places in the Bible. Once we’ve done that, we’ll piece it together with our take-home point. Let’s get into it!

Point #1: Don’t Trust What You Know

Turn in your Bibles to Proverbs 3:5 (ERV):

“Trust the Lord completely, and don’t depend on your own knowledge.”

What does it mean to trust God? The Hebrew word here, “batach” (baw-takh’), reflects ways of giving our trust to God, trusting in God, and trusting or relying on God. To give our trust, to trust in, and to rely on God. Three similar yet different ways of trusting God completely. What are the differences between these three concepts? 

Before starting this discussion, let’s define “trust.” According to the Oxford dictionary, to “trust” means to believe in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something. As Christians, we need to believe in the reliability, truth, ability, and strength of who God says they are. 

When we give our trust to God, we surrender our trust in ourselves. We no longer have the trust in ourselves solely that we can manage life. We believe in God’s reliability, truth, ability, and strength. We acknowledge that God does and will better guide our path than we could ever do. 

We trust in God. We give our trust to God and lean in on God’s ways of handling life’s circumstances. We recognize that God’s ways might differ from how we manage them ourselves. God’s ways might be more complex and uncomfortable, but that doesn’t mean we will return to our old ways. Instead, we will lean on God’s ways of doing things and embrace the myriad of feelings that will come with it. 

We rely on God. Through the good and bad parts of life, God keeps a seat next to him open for you to go to him. We can share the highlights of our days, like passing a test we didn’t think we could or that our crush has FINALLY asked us out after waiting for what felt like an eternity. We also share the stressors, like failing a test we studied for all night or getting rejected by our crush. 

Trusting God is a process. It’s not something we know how to do when we accept God into our lives. A transition period will occur as we learn what it means not to try and manage everything ourselves. In those moments, we can surrender them to God and lean on how God wants us to move. 

What does it even mean to not “depend on your own knowledge?”

Thankfully, the prophet Jeremiah gives us an example of this.

Turn your Bibles to Jeremiah 9:23-24 (ERV): 

“This is what the Lord says: ‘The wise must not brag about their strength. The rich must not brag about their money. But if someone wants to brag, then let them brag about this: Let them brag that they learned to know me. Let them brag that they understand that I am the Lord, that I am kind and fair, and that I do good things on earth. I love this kind of bragging.’ This message is from the Lord.”

According to Jeremiah, God doesn’t want to brag about the external parts of ourselves, like our strength or wealth. If we’re going to brag, then let it be about God. Brag to your friends about how much you know about God. Brag about how the God you follow is kind and fair and does good things on earth. This type of bragging is what God wants from their followers! What is one thing you can brag about God to others?

It’ll be weird at first because, well, who does this? Yet, the more you do it, the more comfortable you’ll become. Lean on God to guide your words and actions as you share the good news about Jesus with others. We don’t need to trust what we know, but we do need to trust God to guide our paths. 

Point #2: Watch Your Step

Turn in your Bibles to Proverbs 3:6 (ERV):

“With every step you take, think about what he wants, and he will help you go the right way.”

This concept of thinking about what God wants or acknowledging God is the Hebrew word “yada” (yaw-dah’), meaning to know or to ascertain by seeing. 

Let’s see “yada” in action in 1 Chronicles 28:9.

Turn your Bibles to 1 Chronicles 28:9 (ERV):

“And you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father. Serve God with a pure heart. Be happy to serve him, because the Lord knows what is in everyone’s heart. He knows what you are thinking. If you go to him for help, you will get an answer. But if you turn away from him, he will leave you forever.”

David’s asking his son to know the God that David knows by serving God with a pure and happy heart. Notice the focus on the heart. It doesn’t matter to God how we choose to serve him, but what does matter is your heart posture while serving him. Are you serving God because mom and dad said so or because your friends are doing it, or are you serving God because God has called you in a specific way?

God knows our thoughts, which can be a scary place at times. That’s why God first tells us to lean on God’s ways of understanding things instead of our own. 

In David’s case, his plea goes deeper.

Turn your Bibles to 1 Chronicles 22:11-13 (ERV):

David also said, “Now, son, may the Lord be with you. May you be successful and build the Temple for the Lord, you God, as he said you would. He will make you the king of Israel. May the Lord give you wisdom and understanding so that you can lead the people and obey the law of the Lord your God. And you will have success, if you are careful to obey the rules and laws that the Lord gave Moses for Israel. Be strong and brave. Don’t be afraid.

David’s plea resembles what God tells Joshua. God reminds Joshua to meditate on the law both day and night and follow what it says. If Joshua does this, he will be successful and wise in everything. David’s asking Solomon to do it. We can pick up the connections here with David being a man after God’s heart. Solomon asked for this and received it. He learned the value of spiritual counsel from God and passed it on to future generations in the book of Ecclesiastes. 

How do we learn what God wants? By studying scripture. We can read about what God wants throughout the Bible. We can see how God’s chosen people will fail repeatedly, yet God’s grace and mercy still prevail. We will see what God wants through the teachings of Jesus. God’s plan is shown to us from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22. 

As we study, we will hear God speak to us and plant the seeds of what we’re to do in life. The more we study, the more clarity we can receive, and our path in life gets easier to walk down. What challenge can you make for yourself this week regarding studying scripture?

Point #3: Fear and Respect Can Be the Same Thing

Turn your Bibles to Proverbs 3:7 (ERV):

“Don’t trust in your own wisdom, but fear and respect the Lord and stay away from evil.” 

Let’s begin this discussion by defining two key words in this verse: fear and wise. 

To be wise is the Hebrew word “chakram” (khaw-kawm’), which means intelligent, crafty, or cunning. We see this used in Proverbs 12:15.

Turn your Bibles to Proverbs 12:15 (ERV):

Fools always think their own way is best, but wise people listen to what others tell them. 

Being wise is not letting your intelligence dictate what you say and do. Solomon says that fools are the ones who think their ways of doing things are the best, while the wise ones listen to the input of others. Does this mean that we need to listen to others mainly? No. Our wisdom should come from God first and foremost. It’s good to seek wise counsel in certain circumstances, but God’s guidance should be first and foremost. It’s why we see the concept of fearing and respecting God come into play. 

Fear and respect seem like two wildly different terms in today’s culture. Fear makes us believe that someone or something is dangerous enough to cause pain. Respect makes us admire someone or something due to their abilities, qualities, or achievements. How do these topics connect then when we talk about God? We have to see a person that respects and honors God with everything. Let me introduce him to you.

Turn your Bibles to Job 1:1 (ERV):

There was a man named Job who lived in the country of Uz. He was a good, honest man. He respected God and refused to do evil. 

Job was not perfect or sinless. From what we can read, Job trusted God for his redemption and faithfully lived a life that honored God with integrity and integrity. He ensured he honored God personally, in his marriage, and with his kids. 

We hear that he respected God. Other translations state that he feared God. What does fear mean, then? The Hebrew word for fear is “yare'” (yaw-ray’), which means showing fear, reverence, or honor. Fear, in this context, is a healthy respect for God. Fearing God is about understanding the power that God has and what God can do. Job has this to say.

Turn your Bibles to Job 28:28 (ERV): 

“Then said to humans, ‘To fear and respect the Lord is wisdom. To turn away from evil is understanding.'” 

God may not show us all God’s wisdom during our lives, but we must honor God and avoid sin. We must give everything in-between to God through prayer and faith. All we can do is trust God and do what is needed. This mindset is the basis of wisdom. We may never figure out the answers to the complex parts of life, but we can have faith in God that those answers will be given to us when necessary. After hearing what Job has to say about fearing and respecting God, what are your thoughts?

Fearing God and respecting God is, in fact, the same thing for Christians. When we fear God, we are in awe of God’s power and acknowledge the mighty things God can do. When we respect God, we acknowledge his power and pledge to do good and avoid sin. 

When we think about anxiety in these contexts, our fear of God shows us that God can help us overcome it. We see God do big and mighty things throughout the Bible, including resurrecting Jesus. If God can do that, we can respect that God will help us overcome our anxiety. We can surrender it to God and have faith in the process. 

Point #4: The word of God can nourish and heal our soul. 

Turn in your Bibles to Proverbs 3:8 (ERV):

If you do this, it will be like a drink and medicine for your body.

The concept of “healing our flesh” represents the deep, inner parts of us. It’s compared to the marrow in our bones. Healing will occur in the deepest parts of our souls and permeate our bodies. God promises physical well-being to those who live wisely according to God’s will. The type of physical well-being is what David ended up forfeiting before he confessed his sin against Bathsheba and Uriah.

Turn in your Bibles to Psalm 32:3-4 (ERV):

Lord, I prayed to you again and again, but I did not talk about my sins. So I only became weaker and more miserable. Every day you made life harder for me. I became like a dry land in the hot summertime. 

Now turn to Psalm 51:8 (ERV):

Let me hear sounds of joy and happiness again. Let the bones you crushed be happy again. 

Based on the historical events of David’s life, Psalm 51 came before Psalm 32. We will talk about Psalm 51 first. 

Psalm 51 is all about repentance and God’s forgiveness of sin. David recognized how terrible his sin was against God, blamed himself, and asked for God’s forgiveness. We notice David’s prayer to be morally clean. 

David’s asking for forgiveness for the horrible things he committed. He’s ready to move past it and be made clean. He wants to feel joy and happiness again instead of guilt and shame, to feel this experience deep in his bones. 

He wants a pure heart and a strong spirit. He doesn’t want to leave God’s presence or have the Holy Spirit leave him. David knows the happiness he can feel with God and wants that again. 

Psalm 32 is about learning life’s most important lessons about sin, confession, and forgiveness. David shares this by remembering his lessons and relaying his lessons. Verses 3-4 are about remembering his lessons about resistance. They show very vivid descriptions of the physical effects of his shameless state. 

David acknowledged that talking to God and not talking about his sins made him weaker and miserable. Each day got harder and harder for him. Have you ever felt those days where life feels harder and harder to deal with? How have you dealt with them?

With all this in mind, let’s look at how Solomon views the healing of the flesh.

Turn in your Bibles to Proverbs 4:20-23 (ERV):

My son, pay attention to what I say. Listen closely to my words. Don’t let them out of your sight. Never stop thinking about them. These words are the secret of life and health to all who discover them. Above all, be careful what you think because your thoughts control your life.

We are to keep all of God’s wisdom in our hearts. The “heart” commonly refers to the mind as the center of thinking and reason, but it also includes emotions, the will, and the whole inner being. The heart is where all wisdom should go, and it’s the source of whatever affects speech, sight, and conduct.

We must hang on to God’s wisdom and place it in our hearts. When we go through our anxious moments, we can pull from the wisdom storage box and remind ourselves that God is with us and will help us through it. We can hang on to the anxious moments and try to manage them ourselves; they can change how we think, act, and feel. Yet, God’s wisdom brings us joy and can heal us. It gives us new life and new energy to make it through the rest of our lives. 

So, what did we learn today? We learned that we shouldn’t trust what we know and instead lean on God’s wisdom. We learned that we should watch where we step by studying scripture and leaning into God’s plan for us and the path God creates for us. We learned that fearing God and respecting God is the same and can shape how we view our anxious moments. We learned that God’s word nourishes and heals our souls at the deepest levels.