Book Review: Anxious for Nothing

Unlike in the previous months’ reviews, this week I will not be talking about a book on the writing craft. Instead, the book I have written on is about living the Christian life. My reason for doing so is because this book impacted me this past week, and I hope that by recommending it via this blog, it may touch the lives of others as well.

The book is Max Lucado’s Anxious for Nothing: Finding Calm in a Chaotic World. In this book, Lucado presents the truth of God’s peace in down-to-earth language that’s straight to the point. While he is honest about the realities of uncertainty and the trials we will face in this life, he consistently points to the Truth of the Gospel as the source of our joy, even in the midst of our anxiousness. The overarching theme for his book focuses on unpacking Philippians 4:4-8:

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”(ESV)

He goes into depth in this passage, discussing the need for us to rejoice in God, to thank Him for the work He has done, and to continuously dwell on Christ. Lucado’s words, too, are doctrinally sound, rich with references to Scripture, and seek to glorify Christ above all. I especially appreciated his repetition of pointing to Jesus as the source of our peace throughout his book.

If I hadn’t needed to do homework, sleep, or maintain my other social obligations last week, I would’ve read Lucado’s Anxious for Nothing in one sitting. As it so happened, I did end up reading it within 48 hours—I just didn’t want to put it down. It’s been a long time I’ve finished a book so quickly, especially during such a busy season of life. But it was almost as if God was speaking to me through the words of that book, as everything that was written in its pages spoke Truth into my current season of wrestling with anxiety. As a soon-to-be college graduate, I have no clue where I’ll be going or what I’ll be doing beyond May 12^th, and quite frankly, that terrifies me. Lucado’s book reminded me not to fret, but turn to God. It isn’t easy to do this—in fact, it’s a daily (sometimes hourly) battle I’ve been facing lately. All that to be said, I wanted to write my thoughts on Lucado’s book simply because of how deeply it impacted me in the last week. For anyone who struggles with anxiety or is in the midst of a season of uncertainty, I highly recommend reading Anxious for Nothing.