Anxious for Nothing by Max Lucado

Week 6: Chapter 5 — God Is Near

Read Chapter 5 of Anxious for Nothing. Primary Scripture: Philippians 4:5; Psalm 46:1.

Before the famous peace passage in Philippians 4, Paul slips in a quiet but explosive sentence: 'The Lord is near.' This chapter unpacks why God's nearness is the foundation beneath all the CALM practices.

Discussion Questions

7 questions

1.Philippians 4:5 says, 'The Lord is near.' Lucado points out that this sentence comes just before the command 'be anxious for nothing' — as if Paul wants to establish the theological foundation before issuing the practical instruction. Why does God's nearness logically precede and enable the CALM practices?

2.Lucado distinguishes between believing God is near in a general, theological sense and actually experiencing or practicing his presence moment by moment. Do you tend to live in the first category or the second? What is the gap between what you believe and what you experience?

3.Lucado draws on the image of God as Emmanuel — 'God with us' — as the heartbeat of the Christmas story and of the whole Christian life. How does the incarnation (God becoming flesh and living among us) specifically address the fear of being alone in our suffering?

4.Lucado describes anxiety as fundamentally a crisis of perceived aloneness — the feeling that we face our threats without adequate backup. How does the reality of God's nearness directly challenge that perception? What would it look like in a practical moment of anxiety to remind yourself that you are not alone?

5.Lucado writes with characteristic honesty that there are seasons when God feels far away — when prayers seem to bounce off the ceiling. How do you respond to God's nearness as a fact of faith when your feelings say otherwise? What practices help you return to a sense of his presence?

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Closing Prayer

Full guide

Lord, you are not a distant God watching my anxiety from a safe remove. You became flesh, you wept at a tomb, you sweat blood in a garden, and you are near to me right now. Forgive me for the moments I live as a practical orphan — acting as if I face my fears alone. You are the God who is with us. Let that truth reach from my head to my gut, from my theology to my body, in the next anxious moment I face. Come quickly, Lord Jesus — and until you do, be near. Amen.

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