ANXIETY can be like a heavy weight on our heart. (Prov. 12:25) Have you experienced the crushing pressure of anxiety in your life? Do you ever feel that your emotions are at a breaking point? If so, you are not alone. Many of us may have become caregivers, lost a loved one in death, experienced a natural disaster, or faced some other situation that has drained us physically, mentally, and emotionally. But what can help us cope successfully with anxiety? a

We can learn much about how to cope with anxiety by considering the example of King David. He experienced many difficult situations in his life, even facing death at times. (1 Sam. 17:34, 35; 18:10, 11) How did David successfully cope with anxiety? How can we imitate his example?

David faced multiple trials all at once. Consider, for example, a situation that arose while he was on the run from murderous King Saul. When David and his men returned from a military campaign, they were shocked to find that enemies had stolen their possessions, burned down their homes, and taken their families captive. How did David react? “David and the men with him began weeping loudly until they had no strength left to weep.” Adding to David’s distress, his trusted men were “talking of stoning him.” (1 Sam. 30:1-6) David now faced three major problems all at once: His family was in danger, he was afraid that his men would kill him, and King Saul was still chasing him. Imagine the anxiety David must have felt!

What did David do next? He immediately “strengthened himself by Jehovah his God.” How may David have done this? David’s pattern was to pray to Jehovah for help and to reflect on how He had helped him in the past. (1 Sam. 17:37; Ps. 18:2, 6) David saw the need to seek Jehovah’s direction, so he inquired of Jehovah as to what he should do. After David received Jehovah’s direction, he acted immediately. As a result, he and his men were blessed by Jehovah and they recovered their families and possessions. (1 Sam. 30:7-9, 18, 19) Did you note the three actions David took? He prayed to Jehovah for help, reflected on Jehovah’s past dealings with him, and acted on Jehovah’s direction. How can we imitate David? Consider three ways.

1. Pray. Anytime we begin to feel anxiety, we can pray to Jehovah for help and wisdom. We can unburden ourselves by lingering in prayer and pouring out our heart to him. Or we can say a brief, silent prayer if that is all our circumstances will allow at the moment. Every time we look to Jehovah for help, we echo David’s confidence: “Jehovah is my crag and my stronghold and the One who rescues me. My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.” (Ps. 18:2) Does prayer really work? A pioneer sister named Kahlia says: “After praying, I feel at peace. Prayer helps me to align my thinking with Jehovah’s  thinking, and my trust in him is heightened.” Indeed, prayer is a powerful provision from Jehovah that helps us cope with anxiety.

2. Reflect. As you look back on your life, can you think of trials that you were able to endure only because of Jehovah’s help? When we reflect on how Jehovah has sustained us as well as his servants in the past, we gain inner strength and greater confidence in him. (Ps. 18:17-19) “I have a list of answered prayers,” says an elder named Joshua. “This has helped me to remember the times I asked Jehovah for something specific and he gave me just what I needed.” Yes, when we ponder over what Jehovah has already done for us, we gain renewed strength to combat anxiety.

3. Act. Before we decide what to do in a situation, we can turn to God’s Word for the most reliable guidance. (Ps. 19:7, 11) Many find that when they do research on a particular scripture, they are better able to understand how the verse applies in their life. An elder named Jarrod explains: “Doing research helps me to see all the aspects of a verse and understand what Jehovah is telling me. This sounds it down into my heart so that I can act on his guidance.” When we seek Jehovah’s direction from the Scriptures and follow through on that direction, we are better equipped to deal with anxiety.

David understood that to cope successfully with anxiety, he needed Jehovah’s help. He appreciated Jehovah’s support so much that he was moved to say: “By God’s power I can scale a wall. The true God is the one who clothes me with strength.” (Ps. 18:29, 32) We may feel that our trials are like unscalable walls. But with Jehovah’s help, we can scale any wall-like trials! Yes, when we pray to Jehovah for help, reflect on all that he has done for us, and act on his direction, we can be confident that he will give us the strength and the wisdom we need to cope successfully with our anxieties!