Anxiety in the Middle of the Storm

8 min readPublished on April 10, 2020

There are seasons when your heart beats faster and you can’t say why. You sleep badly, your mind circles, and the future feels like a dark room.

As a pastor, I believe one of the most unfair burdens is feeling anxious and, on top of it, thinking something is wrong with your faith. Read this article without guilt. We will look at what anxiety is, what the Bible shows in a famous storm, and what you can do today.

What is anxiety?

A study by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) of U.S. adults, conducted from 2001 to 2003, estimated that about 1 in 5 (19.1%) had an anxiety disorder in the past year, and about 3 in 10 (31.1%) will have one at some point in their lives. Those data are old: a reference point, not today’s count.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that in 2023, 470 million people in the world had an anxiety disorder. The same WHO fact sheet (September 15, 2026) says that only about 1 in 4 people in need of treatment (27.6%) receive any. The sheet gives no year for it; it comes from a 2018 study and does not describe the whole world.

Stress and anxiety are not the same thing

The NIMH defines stress as the physical or mental response to an external cause, such as having a lot of homework or having an illness. Anxiety is your body’s reaction to stress, and it can occur even when there is no current threat.

If that anxiety doesn’t go away and begins to interfere with your life, the NIMH says it could affect your health: your sleep, and your immune, digestive, cardiovascular, and reproductive systems.

When it is more than a rough patch

Everyone worries, but an anxiety disorder is different: the WHO describes it as fear and worry that are both intense and excessive, and it can last a long time if it goes untreated. You don’t have to wait months to ask for help.

My opinion as a pastor, which does not come from the WHO: anxiety is not a matter of character or of faith. It is a human experience that sometimes needs health care.

Another pastoral opinion, not a diagnosis: healthy concern moves you to prepare with what you have in hand, while anxiety that overwhelms you wears you out. Not sure which you are living with? Ask a professional.

Jesus and the disciples in the storm

In Mark, when evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” (Mark 4:35, NIV) They were following his lead.

Then the storm hit: “A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, ‘Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?'” (Mark 4:37-38, NIV) They brought their fear to Jesus first.

He answered: “He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Quiet! Be still!’ Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, ‘Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?'” (Mark 4:39-40, NIV) Jesus calmed the storm first, then asked about their fear.

I won’t hide that last verse; it can sound like a rebuke. This is my reading as a pastor, not a claim of the text: I hear an invitation to trust, because before asking anything Jesus had already taken care of them. He didn’t throw them out of the boat or leave them with the storm. They also faced real danger. Anxiety with no storm outside is different, and it deserves care too.

Feeling Anxious Is Not a Sin

Many people carry guilt that was never theirs: feeling anxious is not a sin. It is a human reaction and, at times, a health condition, and you don’t have to endure it in silence.

Scripture tells us to bring our burdens to God. Paul writes: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (Philippians 4:6, NIV) In today’s words: tell God what you need, with gratitude, instead of letting worry rule.

Jesus spoke of this too: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?” (Matthew 6:25, NIV) In short, your life is worth more than your worries about food and clothes.

Then: “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” (Matthew 6:26, NIV) God cares for the birds, and you matter far more to him.

Later, Jesus says: “If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?” (Matthew 6:30, NIV) Yes, Jesus says “you of little faith,” and I won’t hide that either. This is my reading as a pastor, not a claim of the text: Jesus speaks like a Father inviting you to trust, not like someone shaming a person who is overwhelmed.

If your anxiety comes from painful experiences in the past, that is not a failure of willpower either. A professional trained in trauma can help you go at your own pace.

Composite example, not a real person. Picture a father who wakes at 3 a.m. with a tight chest, going over bills and unanswered calls. He tells no one at church, because he believes that if he prayed well enough, this would have passed. One night he tells his wife, and she answers, “Let’s find help together.” Talking about it was the first step, not the last.

Five ideas for coping with your anxiety

These are a first step, not a replacement for a professional. Ideas 3, 4 and 5 follow the NIMH fact sheet in Sources; the rest is my own advice.

1. Notice your anxiety with curiosity, not judgment. Ask what set it off: a relationship, a burden, a decision you’ve put off. If this stirs up memories or feelings that overwhelm you, don’t keep going alone; a professional can walk with you.

2. Pray calmly. Spend 5 minutes talking with God and reading a passage slowly. It is no formula to make anxiety vanish; it is a reminder that he is in the boat with you.

3. Challenge your thoughts. When you tell yourself, “Everything is going to go wrong,” ask whether that is a fact or an assumption.

4. Write before bed. Jot down what is on your mind, even in 3 lines. If what you write distresses you more, share it with a professional.

5. Look after your sleep routine. One tip of mine, not from the source: get up at about the same time on Sunday too, and move gently, like climbing stairs or watering plants for 10 minutes, if your health allows.

A safety note: if you feel chest pain, faint, or have trouble breathing, get urgent medical care or call 911. Don’t assume it is only anxiety.

When to ask for help

The NIMH says that if you are struggling to cope, or the symptoms of your stress or anxiety won’t go away, it may be time to talk to a professional. It adds that psychotherapy (also called talk therapy) and medication are the two main treatments for anxiety. If you wonder about medication, talk it over with your doctor or the professional who treats you.

Asking for help is caring for what God entrusted to you: your life. Today you can set your anxiety before him and, if you need to, before someone who can walk close beside you.

What would change in your week if you treated your anxiety with the care you would give someone you love?

Would you like to talk with a professional? Call (407) 559-7093 (Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern) or find professional help here. For general questions that are not an emergency, write to drduany@zodugroup.com. Please do not send health information by email.

This article is for education only. It does not offer diagnosis or personal advice, does not replace evaluation or treatment by a health professional, and reading it or writing to us through this site does not create a therapeutic or pastoral counseling relationship. This site is not an emergency service and is not monitored continuously: do not send health information through comments or public forms. The author is a licensed psychotherapist and pastor, and is part of ZODU.

Sources

National Institute of Mental Health. (n.d.). Any anxiety disorder. NIMH. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/any-anxiety-disorder
National Institute of Mental Health. (n.d.). I’m so stressed out! Fact sheet. NIMH. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/so-stressed-out-fact-sheet
World Health Organization. (2026, September 15). Anxiety disorders. WHO. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/anxiety-disorders
New International Version. (2011). Mark 4:35-41. BibleGateway. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+4%3A35-41&version=NIV
New International Version. (2011). Matthew 6:25-34. BibleGateway. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+6%3A25-34&version=NIV
New International Version. (2011). Philippians 4:6-7. BibleGateway. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Philippians+4%3A6-7&version=NIV

Keep reading

Emotional Intelligence

What are the limiting beliefs that are sabotaging your life?

The limiting beliefs that we carry in our life script can hold us back. Let's apply this concept to the people of…

5 min read

Emotional Intelligence

Living in Times of Crisis: God Is Still in Control

Some nights fall on a whole life at once: bad news, a loss, a season in which the ground seems to move under your feet…

9 min read

Spiritual growth

How Faith Can Walk With You Through Anxiety and Depression

Faith can be real support when you are going through anxiety or depression, and it can walk alongside professional…

5 min read

Next read7 Ways to Cope with Loneliness

Read now →