Faith-Based Therapy, General Therapy

Anxiety and Union with God

January 26, 2026

Isaiah 41:10

Fear not, for I am with you;
be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

1 Peter 5:7

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Philippians 4: 6-7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

A couple of weeks ago during a counseling session with one of my clients, we were talking about anxiety and what the Bible says about it. There are so many scriptures that say “do not worry” or “do not fear,” and sometimes it can feel like God is saying we should be able to go through this life without worry or fear.

But did you know that the Bible is not saying we won’t experience worry or fear — it is saying not to stay in it alone, but to bring it to God? The command is to depend on God with your worry and fear.

As we were talking about this, the Holy Spirit brought the concept of fasting to my mind.

Quick story… back in 2007, I was raising money to go to Malawi, Africa for a mission trip, and part of this process was to fast. This is when I learned how fasting actually works. It’s not just about withholding from something as a discipline. Instead, every time you feel hunger pains or the desire to run to the fridge, it is a reminder to turn toward God in that moment and bring Him your heart and the focus of why you are fasting.

Your hunger becomes the trigger to keep turning toward God — to bring your request or need to Him.

This is also what God desires when we experience anxiety or fear. What a different perspective, right? When we feel fear or worry, it should be a trigger to turn our face, heart, and mind toward Jesus. To bring our worries to Him. To connect with Him. To ask Him for help and strength (Isaiah 41:10), to lay down our fears (1 Peter 5:7), and to present our fears with thanksgiving to God (Philippians 4:6–7).

I love that the Holy Spirit whispered this to me.

What would it look like for us to turn our eyes, heart, and mind to Jesus whenever we felt fear or anxiety? What if this was our first response — not control, or avoidance, or deeper worry — but turning to Jesus right in that moment?

I think we should practice this together. I wonder how many more times we would encounter Jesus throughout our day. Even a short prayer like, “Jesus, I’m turning to You right now,” is a great place to start.

Let us pray:

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word. Thank You for Your Spirit who speaks to us. God, would You help us to turn to You this week whenever we feel worry, anxiety, or fear? Would You be the first place we turn to?

God, when we bring our worries to You, would You bring Your peace that surpasses all understanding? Would You meet us in a new way and help us to seek Your wisdom and comfort instead of our own?

God, would You help us to see where we normally turn — Google, others, AI, social media, addictions, distractions? I confess that I do not regularly turn to You as my first response. I long for You to be my shalom peace and the place I bring my heart and mind in both the good and the hard times.

Jesus, thank You for how You are teaching me this, and for the ways this practice will draw me closer to You and more deeply into union with You.

Written By Aubrey Hutchings, LMHC