Anxiety has become rampant in our society. From young students to adults, the enemy has unleashed a war of anxiety against us. Anxiety leaves us feeling helpless and hopeless as if there is no way out. We are, however, left alone in our anxiety. Scripture makes it clear that there is hope even in moments of anxiety. Today we will dive into what Scripture says about responding when anxiety rears its ugly head.
Break the ice
Who do you usually want to talk to when you are worried? Why?
Small group questions
Bible study questions
- What things cause anxiety among people?
- Read Philippians 4:6-7. Describe Paul's instruction's instructions in these verses.
6Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
- How do prayer and gratitude combat anxiety?
- Read Philippians 4:8. What is the result of shifting your focus on the things that are good and excellent? How have you seen this to be true in your own life?
8And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
Application
- Do you find praying instead of worrying difficult or easy? Why?
- Name one thing you are grateful for today that God has done for you. How does remembering help you to stop feeling anxious?
- What step can you take to shift your focus on things that are good, excellent, and true? How will this help you fight against anxiety?
Moving forward
As followers of Christ, we have the privilege of praying for each other when we are worried and in need. Take a few minutes for each group member to share something they have felt anxious about lately. When everyone has shared, pray together. Pray about the situations causing anxiety. Ask God to work in those situations and to give you all His peace as you walk through those situations. Commit to praying for each other throughout the rest of the week.
Going deeper
When choosing to trust God instead of giving in to anxiety, David set an incredible example in 1 Samuel 17. In a crowd of Israelite soldiers, David was the only person willing to fight against Goliath, one of the leaders in the Philistine army. Let's take a few minutes to compare and contrast the Israelite army and David's response to Goliath's threat and understand how David had peace when everyone else was overcome with anxiety.
The Threat:
Before we look at the response of the Israelite army and David to Goliath, we have to understand the threat against them. Take a few minutes to read in 1 Samuel 17 to understand the cause of fear and anxiety that many of the men in the Israelite army were facing.
1. Read 1 Samuel 17:1-10.
Goliath Challenges the Israelites
1The Philistines now mustered their army for battle and camped between Socoh in Judah and Azekah at Ephes-dammim. 2Saul countered by gathering his Israelite troops near the valley of Elah. 3So the Philistines and Israelites faced each other on opposite hills, with the valley between them.
4Then Goliath, a Philistine champion from Gath, came out of the Philistine ranks to face the forces of Israel. He was over nine feet tall! 5He wore a bronze helmet, and his bronze coat of mail weighed 125 pounds. 6He also wore bronze leg armor, and he carried a bronze javelin on his shoulder. 7The shaft of his spear was as heavy and thick as a weaver’s beam, tipped with an iron spearhead that weighed 15 pounds. His armor bearer walked ahead of him carrying a shield.
8Goliath stood and shouted a taunt across to the Israelites. “Why are you all coming out to fight?” he called. “I am the Philistine champion, but you are only the servants of Saul. Choose one man to come down here and fight me! 9If he kills me, then we will be your slaves. But if I kill him, you will be our slaves! 10I defy the armies of Israel today! Send me a man who will fight me!”
- Describe the threat that the Israelite army faced.
- What was at stake if the Israelite army lost to Goliath?
- How would you expect the average person to respond to Goliath's threat?
The Israelite Army's Response:
Now that we know the threat against the Israelite army and the entire nation of Israel let's look at how the Israelite army responded.
1. Read 1 Samuel 17:11-31.
11When Saul and the Israelites heard this, they were terrified and deeply shaken.
Jesse Sends David to Saul’s Camp
12Now David was the son of a man named Jesse, an Ephrathite from Bethlehem in the land of Judah. Jesse was an old man at that time, and he had eight sons. 13Jesse’s three oldest sons—Eliab, Abinadab, and Shimea[1]—had already joined Saul’s army to fight the Philistines. 14David was the youngest son. David’s three oldest brothers stayed with Saul’s army, 15but David went back and forth so he could help his father with the sheep in Bethlehem.
16For forty days, every morning and evening, the Philistine champion strutted in front of the Israelite army.
17One day Jesse said to David, “Take this basket[2] of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread, and carry them quickly to your brothers. 18And give these ten cuts of cheese to their captain. See how your brothers are getting along, and bring back a report on how they are doing.[3]” 19David’s brothers were with Saul and the Israelite army at the valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines.
20So David left the sheep with another shepherd and set out early the next morning with the gifts, as Jesse had directed him. He arrived at the camp just as the Israelite army was leaving for the battlefield with shouts and battle cries. 21Soon the Israelite and Philistine forces stood facing each other, army against army. 22David left his things with the keeper of supplies and hurried out to the ranks to greet his brothers. 23As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, came out from the Philistine ranks. Then David heard him shout his usual taunt to the army of Israel.
24As soon as the Israelite army saw him, they began to run away in fright. 25“Have you seen the giant?” the men asked. “He comes out each day to defy Israel. The king has offered a huge reward to anyone who kills him. He will give that man one of his daughters for a wife, and the man’s entire family will be exempted from paying taxes!”
26David asked the soldiers standing nearby, “What will a man get for killing this Philistine and ending his defiance of Israel? Who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God?”
27And these men gave David the same reply. They said, “Yes, that is the reward for killing him.”
28But when David’s oldest brother, Eliab, heard David talking to the men, he was angry. “What are you doing around here anyway?” he demanded. “What about those few sheep you’re supposed to be taking care of? I know about your pride and deceit. You just want to see the battle!”
29“What have I done now?” David replied. “I was only asking a question!” 30He walked over to some others and asked them the same thing and received the same answer. 31Then David’s question was reported to King Saul, and the king sent for him.
Translation notes (3)
- 17:13 Hebrew Shammah, a variant spelling of Shimea; compare 1 Chr 2:13; 20:7.
- 17:17 Hebrew ephah [20 quarts or 22 liters].
- 17:18 Hebrew and take their pledge.
- Describe the response of the Israelite army.
- How did anxiety play a role in their response?
- What was the result of the anxiety of King Saul and the Israelite army?
David's Response:
We have seen the Israelite army's response to Goliath's threat. Now let's look at how David responded to the threat posed against the nation of Israel. You will find that his response was very different than the Israelite army.
1. Read 1 Samuel 17:32-51.
1 Samuel 17:32-51
"Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results."
- Describe David's response to Goliath's threat.
- Why did David remain confident instead of anxious like the men in the Israelite army as he fought Goliath?
- What was the result of David's response to Goliath's threat?
Reflect:
After studying the different responses to the threat Goliath posed against the nation of Israel, reflect. We can learn a lot from the examples they set.
- Contrast the responses of David and the Israelite army to the threat of Goliath.
- What made David successful in battling against any potential fear and anxiety?
- What step can you implement based on David's example to battle against anxiety in your own life?
One of the ways David remained composed in moments of anxiety is because He remembered God's care and provision throughout his life. We see this when we look at David's response to King Saul as he pleaded with him to let him fight Goliath, "The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine! (1 Samuel 17:37). David knew that God would continue to care for him because of God's past provision. End your time together thinking back on how God has cared for you all in the past. Set a two-minute timer and have everyone in your group write ways God has cared for and provided for all of you until the timer stops. Then, have everyone share at least one of the things they have written down. After everyone has shared, pray together. Thank God for how He has cared for you all, and ask Him to help you all as you have confidence in His care and provision instead of anxiety.
MONTHLY MEMORY VERSE (Available for download on Sagebrush App)
Teaching about Money and Possessions
21Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.
Loading saved progress…
Your place is saved in this browser. It will not follow you to another device, and clearing browser data removes it.