Earlier this week, one of my heroes of the faith, Tim Keller, went home to be with Jesus.

As I write this post about anxiety to wrap up our four-part series on the topic, it is only befitting to quote this man who fought the good fight with grace and wisdom.

Here is one of Dr. Keller’s quotes that counsels my heart as I walk through anxious times.

“God looks at the anxious and says, I tore my Son to shreds for you, and you’re afraid I will not give you what you need?”

In his iconic practical and wise way, Tim Keller takes us straight to the truth. And it echoes what I’d like to highlight for the last part of our series too: The way out of anxiety is to look to the Cross. 

As you look to the Cross, see His hands that were pierced for you and remember that He has inscribed you in the palm of His hands.

As you look to the Cross, see the crown of thorns on His head and remember that His thoughts toward you outnumber the grains of sand on the shore.

As you look to the Cross, hear His cry: “My God, My God why have you forsaken me?” and remember that while He was alone when He bore our sin, He has promised to never leave nor forsake you.

How can we not trust the One who would give up His kingship for a Cross? The gospel of grace rescues us from our sin and redeems us from our anxiety.

Our focus verse for this series has been 1 Peter 5: 6-7:

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you

Friend, this isn’t a God who simply says that He cares for you. This is a God who shows you that He cares for you by stretching out His arms on a cross.

He made Himself nothing but He says that He will lift you up in due time.

Friend, I know that it is almost involuntary to worry. I get it. None of us plan on being anxious. But you know what we can do? We can plan on following a Biblical pattern when those anxious thoughts worm their way into our lives. We can work on getting rid of the “I.” We can take a moment to stand in awe of God. And we can be intentional about looking to the Cross because we never outgrow our need for the gospel.

As we do, we are able to say: “Lord, I don’t want to be consumed by my worries and fears. Instead, consume me with Your love.”

We cast all our anxieties on Him, not some of them, but all of them. And we trust Him to work all things out for our good and His glory. This is a daily battle. So put on the full armor of God. Put on that helmet of salvation especially because the enemy tries to attack our thoughts. Pick up that sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God and remind yourself of Who God is and who you are in Christ.

The battle is real. But it belongs to God. And He gives the victory.

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Thank you for reading through this four-part series on overcoming anxiety. You can also download my YouVersion devotional  “Do Not Worry…” But How???  and dive into some practical Biblical ways to overcome anxiety.

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