We live in times of anxiety, “critical times hard to deal with.” (2 Timothy 3:1) Many are reeling from financial crises, family breakdown, war, deadly disease outbreaks, and natural or man-made disasters. Add to this a variety of personal worries: ‘Will the growth I discovered on my body turn out to be cancer?’ ‘What kind of world will my grandchildren grow up in?’

Not all anxiety is bad. We naturally feel some stress before a test, a performance, or a job interview. And a healthy fear of danger helps us to avoid harm. But extreme or constant anxiety is destructive. A recent series of studies involving more than 68,000 adults revealed that even mild anxiety increases the risk of premature death. With good reason, then, Jesus asked: “Who of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his life span?” Indeed, worry lengthens no one’s life. Jesus therefore advised: “Stop being anxious.” (Matthew 6:25, 27) But how is that even possible?

The answer involves applying practical wisdom, nurturing real faith in God, and building a reliable hope for the future. Even if we do not now face dire circumstances, we may in the future. So let us see how taking these steps has helped Paul, Janet, and Alona to deal with anxiety.

“After runaway inflation struck in our country, food became expensive and scarce,” relates Paul, a husband and father of two. “We stood in lines for hours, but often the food ran out before we got to the front of the line. People got terribly thin from hunger, and some collapsed in the street. Prices for basic needs soared into the millions, then billions. Finally, the local currency became valueless. I lost my bank account, insurance, and pension.”

Paul was aware that, for his family to survive, he had to use “practical wisdom.” (Proverbs 3:21) “I was an electrical contractor, but I took whatever work I could find, at much less than normal pay,” he explains. “Some paid me in food or household goods. If I was paid four bars of soap, I’d use two and sell the others. I eventually got 40 chicks. When they got big, I sold them and bought 300 more. Later, I bartered 50 chickens for two 110-pound (50 kg) bags of cornmeal. From those bags, I fed my family and several other families for a long time.”

Paul also knew that the most practical thing anyone can do is trust in God. When we do what God commands, he helps us. In regard to obtaining life’s necessities, Jesus said: “Stop being in anxious suspense; for . . . your Father knows you need these things.”​—Luke 12:29-31.

Tragically, God’s great enemy, Satan, has tricked most of the world into centering their lives around physical concerns. People worry desperately about their needs, real and imagined, and strive anxiously to obtain things they do not really need. Many go into debt, learning the hard way that “the borrower is a slave to the lender.”​—Proverbs 22:7.

Some people make damaging decisions. “Many neighbors left their family and network of friends to search for ‘greener pastures’ abroad,” relates Paul. “Some went without proper immigration papers and were unable to find work. They often found themselves hiding from the police and sleeping in the streets. They did not give God an opportunity to help them. But we resolved to face financial problems together as a family, with God’s help.”

FOLLOWING JESUS’ ADVICE

Paul continues: “Jesus said: ‘Never be anxious about the next day, for the next day will have its own anxieties. Each day has enough of its own troubles.’ So my daily prayer was simply that God would ‘give us today our bread for this day’ in order for us to survive. And he did help, just as Jesus promised. We didn’t always get our first choice. Once, I got into a food line not knowing what was being sold. When I got to the front, I saw that it was yogurt. I don’t like yogurt. But it was food, so we ate yogurt that night. I am grateful to God that during that entire period, my family never went to bed hungry.”a

“Things are easier for us financially at the moment. But through our experiences we have learned that the most important antidote to anxiety is trust in God. Jehovahb will always help us as long as we keep seeking to do his will. We have seen the truthfulness of Psalm 34:8: ‘Taste and see that Jehovah is good; happy is the man who takes refuge in him.’ As a result, we are not afraid of facing difficult economic circumstances again.

“We now understand clearly that what humans need to survive is, not work or money, but food. We eagerly await the time when God’s promise will be fulfilled: ‘There will be an abundance of grain on the earth.’ In the meantime, ‘having food and clothing, we will be content with these things.’ We draw strength from the Bible’s words: ‘Let your way of life be free of the love of money, while you are content with the present things. For he has said: “I will never leave you, and I will never abandon you.” So that we may be of good courage and say: “Jehovah is my helper; I will not be afraid.”’”c

It takes genuine faith to ‘walk with God’ as Paul and his family are doing. (Genesis 6:9) Whether we now face a serious financial crisis or may face one in the future, Paul’s example of faith and practical wisdom teaches us important lessons.

But what if family problems are causing us anxiety?

“Shortly after my father died, my husband told me that he was seeing another woman,” relates Janet. “Soon afterward, without further warning or good-bye, he emptied his closet and left me and our two children.” Janet found a job, but her pay was not enough for her to keep their house. And she has faced more than just financial concerns. “The crushing anxiety of all the new responsibilities that I now had to handle alone was overwhelming,” she recalls. “I felt guilty that I could not provide as much for my children as other parents do. And even now, I worry about how others view me and my children. Do they wonder if I did all I should have to preserve my marriage?”

Prayer helps Janet tame her feelings and nurture her friendship with God. “Nighttime is the hardest, when everything is so quiet and my anxious thoughts are so loud. Praying and reading the Bible help me to sleep. A favorite passage of mine is Philippians 4:6, 7: ‘Do not be anxious over anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication along with thanksgiving, let your petitions be made known to God; and the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your mental powers.’ I have spent many nights in prayer and have felt Jehovah’s peace comfort me.”

Jesus’ reassuring words about prayer in his Sermon on the Mount apply to anxieties of all kinds: “Your Father knows what you need even before you ask him.” (Matthew 6:8) And we do need to ask him. Prayer is the primary way we can “draw close to God.” The result of doing so? “He will draw close to you.”​—James 4:8.

Yes, prayer does more than simply make us feel better for having expressed our anxiety. Jehovah, the “Hearer of prayer,” also acts on behalf of all who seek him in faith. (Psalm 65:2) That is why Jesus taught his followers “always to pray and not to give up.” (Luke 18:1) We must keep asking God for his direction and help, confident that he will reward our faith. We need never doubt his desire or ability to act. To “pray constantly” in this way shows we have genuine faith.​—1 Thessalonians 5:17.

WHAT HAVING FAITH REALLY MEANS

But what really is faith? Faith involves “coming to know” God as a person. (John 17:3) We do so first by absorbing God’s thoughts through the Bible. We learn that he sees each of us and wants to help us. Yet, real faith involves more than just knowing something about God. It also means having a bond of respectful friendship with him. As is true with a human friend, we cannot forge such a bond overnight. Our faith “continues to increase” over time as we learn more about him, as we “do the things pleasing to him,” and as we experience his active help. (2 Corinthians 10:15; John 8:29) That is the kind of faith that helps Janet deal with anxieties.

“What has truly helped build my faith is seeing Jehovah’s hand every step of the way,” says Janet. “Many times we faced injustices that seemed impossible to deal with. With much prayer, Jehovah always made a way out for us that I never could have figured out on my own. When I thank him, it reminds me of how much he has done for me. He has always come through for us at the right time, often just in time. And he has given me true friends who are genuine Christian men and women. They are always there for me and are good examples for my children.”a

“I know why Jehovah says at Malachi 2:16: ‘I hate divorce.’ For an innocent mate, it’s the deepest of betrayals. Years have passed since my husband left, but at times I still feel hollow inside. When I do, I try to do something to help someone else, and that always helps me too.” By thus applying the Bible principle to avoid isolating herself, Janet lowers her anxiety.b​—Proverbs 18:1.

“My greatest comfort,” Janet says, “comes from knowing that God is ‘a father of the fatherless and a protector of widows.’ He will never abandon us as my husband did.” (Psalm 68:5) Janet knows that God does not test us “with evil things.” On the contrary, he gives wisdom “generously to all” and gives “power beyond what is normal” to help us deal with our anxieties.​—James 1:5, 13; 2 Corinthians 4:7.

But what if we are anxious because our life is in danger?

“When I hear the siren, my heart starts racing and I run to a bomb shelter,” says Alona. “But even there I feel anxious. It’s worse when I’m outside, with no place to hide. Once, while just walking down the street, I started to cry and couldn’t breathe. It took me hours to calm down. Then the siren went off again.”

War is only one of many sources of danger. For example, the discovery that you or a loved one has a life-threatening illness can make you feel as though you have been hit by a bomb. And for others, fear of the future can cause anxiety. They worry, ‘Will our children, or their children, have to live in a world of war, crime, pollution, climate change, and epidemics?’ How can we deal with such anxieties?

Knowing that bad things happen, “the shrewd person sees the danger and conceals himself.” (Proverbs 27:12) And just as we try to protect our physical well-being, we can take steps to shield our mental and emotional health. Violent entertainment and even news reports filled with horrific images add to our own and our children’s anxiety. To avoid unnecessary exposure to these things is not hiding our head in the sand. God did not design our minds to dwell on evil. Instead, we should fill them with “whatever things are true, . . . righteous, . . . chaste, . . . lovable.” If we do, “the God of peace” will give us peace of mind and heart.​—Philippians 4:8, 9.

THE IMPORTANCE OF PRAYER

Real faith helps us to deal with anxiety. The Bible urges us to “be vigilant with a view to prayers.” (1 Peter 4:7) We can ask God for his help and for the wisdom and courage to make the best of our situation, confident that “he hears us concerning whatever we are asking.”​—1 John 5:15.

The Bible explains that Satan, not God, is “the ruler of this world” and that “the whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one.” (John 12:31; 1 John 5:19) Therefore, Jesus used no mere figure of speech when he taught us to pray: “Deliver us from the wicked one.” (Matthew 6:13) “Whenever the siren goes off, I ask Jehovah to help me control my feelings,” says Alona. “Also, my dear husband calls me and prays with me. Praying really helps.” It is as the Bible says: “Jehovah is near to all those calling on him, to all who call on him in sincerity.”​—Psalm 145:18, footnote.

OUR HOPE FOR THE FUTURE

In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught his followers to pray: “Let your Kingdom come.” (Matthew 6:10) God’s Kingdom will root out all harmful anxiety forever. Through Jesus, the “Prince of Peace,” God will bring “an end to wars throughout the earth.” (Isaiah 9:6; Psalm 46:9) “He [God] will render judgment among many peoples . . . Nation will not lift up sword against nation, nor will they learn war anymore. . . . No one will make them afraid.” (Micah 4:3, 4) Happy families “will build houses and live in them, and they will plant vineyards and eat their fruitage.” (Isaiah 65:21) “And no resident will say: ‘I am sick.’”​—Isaiah 33:24.

Today, despite all precautions, it is not always possible to prevent “unexpected events” or to avoid being in the wrong place at the wrong time. (Ecclesiastes 9:11) As they have for centuries, war, violence, and disease continue to kill good people. What hope do those innocent victims have?

Countless millions, their number known only to God, will live again. For now, they sleep, safe in God’s perfect memory, until the day when “all those in the memorial tombs will . . . come out.” (John 5:28, 29) Speaking of the resurrection, the Bible assures us: “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, both sure and firm.” (Hebrews 6:19) And God “has provided a guarantee to all men by resurrecting [Jesus] from the dead.”​—Acts 17:31.

For now, even those who are trying to please God will face anxieties. By taking practical steps, drawing close to God through prayer, and building faith in the Bible’s hope for the future, Paul, Janet, and Alona are all dealing successfully with anxiety. As he has in their case, “may the God who gives hope fill you with all joy and peace by your trusting in him.”​—Romans 15:13.