Fight, flight, freeze—
I’m begging on my knees
“Please don’t let me down,”
I said with a frown
My body didn’t react
My head was twirling with dread
I couldn’t even save myself
As my life was hanging by a thread
— A.C. McGuire (unreleased poetry)
I remember when I lived every single day of my life in anxious despair. Waking up felt like falling into a pit before my feet even touched the ground. My stomach would twist and turn itself into knots before I could even fully open my eyes. Some days I couldn’t eat at all because the fear had taken up so much space in my body that there was no room left for food or peace.
Those days were long ago—yet somehow recent. Before I came to Christ, anxiety ruled every corner of my mind. And to my surprise, it disappeared the moment I surrendered my life to Jesus.
I thought, “This is it. I’m healed. I’ll never struggle with anxiety again.”
Boy was I wrong.
Some of the deepest waves of anxiety came after I came to Christ, especially after losing two people I deeply loved within months of each other.
What Anxiety Feels Like
Anxiety has many faces, but at its root, it’s fear—persistent, intrusive, often irrational fear. For some people, it shows up in small questions like:
- Did I leave the stove on?
- Did I lock the door?
- Is that driver going to hit the brakes or hit me?
For others, it’s far heavier, more suffocating:
- Will I ever be okay again without this person?
- How do I move forward when my heart feels broken beyond repair?
- Why does it feel like I can’t breathe? Why does my chest feel like it’s caving in?
Anxiety isn’t simply “nerves.” It’s physical. It’s mental. It’s emotional. It hijacks your body as much as it hijacks your thoughts. The fight-flight-freeze response is your brain’s alarm system misfiring—shouting danger! even when you’re perfectly safe.
And the fear just… keeps… raging.
The Lie of Isolation
Anxiety often whispers (or screams) the same lie:
“You’re alone in this.”
The enemy loves to take advantage of our weakness—our vulnerability—and use it to isolate us. He wants us to feel defective. Ashamed. Hopeless.
But Scripture exposes his schemes for what they are.
“Cast all your anxiety on Him [God] because He cares for you.” — 1 Peter 5:7
This verse doesn’t pretend anxiety isn’t real. It doesn’t say, “Stop worrying,” or, “Just get over it.” It acknowledges that anxiety exists and then points us to the One strong enough to carry it. God says “Give Me your anxiety; you’re NOT alone.”
God does not shame us for our weakness. He meets us in our weakness.
God’s Power in Our Weakness
One of the most comforting truths for anyone struggling with anxiety is found here:
“My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.”
— 2 Corinthians 12:9
Notice what God doesn’t say.
He doesn’t say, “My power is made perfect when you’re strong enough.”
He doesn’t say, “My grace works once you’ve stopped being anxious.”
He doesn’t say, “I’ll help you when you pull yourself together.”
He says His power is made perfect in weakness.
Right in the middle of the panic.
Right in the middle of the spiraling thoughts.
Right when your chest is tight and your hands are shaking and you don’t know what to do next.
Anxiety does not disqualify you from God’s strength— it is the very place where His strength shines the brightest.
When anxiety tries to convince you that you’re failing, God gently responds: “No—this is where I hold you.”
Letting God Carry What We Cannot
The truth is, there is nothing too big, too heavy, or too messy for God to handle. We were never designed to carry the weight of our own fears. We were created to lean on the One who loves us more deeply than we understand.
Lay your burdens at His feet
Now they are only His to keep
Continue to release your pain to Him
And trust your life will never be grim
He provides you with eternal peace
He’s waiting for you to start and feast
On His words, His flesh, the only truth
Never look down on someone’s youth
Be a vessel of His glory
Live a life worthy of a story
— A.C. McGuire, Poems & Prayers
Once we surrender the false belief that we’re alone, and instead cast our anxieties on God, His peace begins to replace the fear. Not always all at once, but enough to keep going, enough to breathe again, enough to hope again.
You Are Not Alone
Anxiety is real. But so is God. Fear is loud. But God’s voice is louder.
Your weakness feels overwhelming. But God’s power is overwhelming – overwhelmingly strong, confident and loving.
Where anxiety drains your strength, God fills it. Where anxiety isolates, God draws near. Where anxiety makes you feel broken, God calls you beloved.
So stop right now—just for a moment—and hand it to Him.
Every racing thought.
Every fear about the future.
Every hurt that still throbs.
Every weight you cannot carry.
Cast it at His feet.
He cares for you.
His grace is enough.
A Prayer of Hope
As you walk through your own battle with anxiety, remember this promise:
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him,
so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
— Romans 15:13
God is not asking you to manufacture your own hope or try harder to feel peaceful. He is offering His joy, His peace, and His hope to fill the places where fear has been living.
When we trust Him—even with trembling hands and a fearful heart—He meets us with a supernatural peace that is unexplainable. As His Spirit strengthens us, hope begins to overflow where anxiety once took root.
So take heart. You don’t walk this road alone. The God of hope walks with you, fills you, and carries you through every anxious moment.
May His peace settle over you, His joy rise within you, and His hope overflow from you—today and every day ahead.