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That word can have a lot of different meanings, and we all experience it differently. Some of us are just natural worriers, and for some, the anxiety is a little deeper rooted. Despite your situation or how anxiety affects you personally, anxiety does have an effect on us. I've always struggled with social anxiety. I despise public speaking, I'm not fond of meeting new people, I don't do great in large crowds, and there are so many other instances where I tend to feel very anxious. And the past few days it has seemed to kick into overdrive. I felt constantly uneasy, unsettled, and simply anxious.
As I was reading my devotional today, I came across Romans 15:13. This scripture is actually a part of a prayer from the Apostle Paul to some Christians (just a little background for ya'll). The verse says "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." This verse seemed to just speak to me during a time when anxiety and stress were at it's peak.
The first part of the verse says "the God of hope". Isn't it amazing that our God is a God who provides us with hope? Hope is literally in God's nature. And if we don't know that our future is secured and satisfied by God, then we are bound to be excessively anxious. This usually results in paralyzing fear or in self- managed control, both of which will fail you.
The second part of the verse says "fill you with all joy and peace". Doesn't that sound so lovely. When you're filled joy and peace there is no room for anxiety. There's no room for comparison. There's no room for worry. When you fill yourself with God, and with scripture, and with Godly things, you have no room for all the bad. Does that mean bad things won't happen? No. Does that mean you'll never experience an ounce of anxiety or worry? No. But fill yourself up with the Lord until there is no room for anything that He does not want in your life.
But we can't just simply fill ourselves up with joy and peace. If you try to do it yourself, or if you try to do it without changing your mental habits, then peace and joy will give way to anxiety. The next part of that says to ask God to fill you with joy and peace "AS YOU TRUST IN HIM". That's the key! Trust! Trust Him! Let Him be your rock! The last part of the verse gives you the ending to the formula. "so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
So TRUST IN GOD=JOY & PEACE=HOPE The only way we will ever experience that peace and that unconditional joy that the Lord has to offer, the only way we will be able to have true hope, is by trusting in the Lord.