A few years back, I had a chance to sit down with some friends of ours at CCEF, the Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation in Philadelphia. This included Ed Welch, a Bible counselor and the author of a wonderful book titled "Running Scared, Fear, Worry, and the God of Rest." Ed has called the battle against anxiety a blessed struggle, and I asked him how.

How is this struggle against anxiety a blessed struggle? Here's what he said. The battle against fear is a blessed struggle. That sounds a bit odd, doesn't it? But I think I've said those very things and thought those very things, so there's something to it. And here's one of the ways to look at it.

When John Wesley was dying, allegedly, he had a group of people around him just speaking and praying and reading the promises of God. And he said to them, "Yes, all these things are true, but the greatest is this, God with us." And in that, the struggle with fear, if you're prone to fear and anxiety, it is a wonderful struggle, because it seems as though the most beautiful things that God says are reserved to people who wrestle with fear.

Psalm 23, it all turns on, "I am with you." "I am with you." I think for those who are interested in larger theological matters, there are these covenant renewal ceremonies that go through the Old Testament where God rehearses the covenant. It seems as though what's happening there is there are people who rightly should be afraid.

I mean, the covenant with Noah. What's going to happen the next time a cloud comes overhead? And here's the Lord making promises. And the promises to Noah, to Abraham, to Isaac, to others throughout the Old Testament, they are consistently, "I know you're going to have reasons to be afraid." So let me say it again.

Let me rehearse my promises to you once again. So in that sense, it is a blessed struggle, because you anticipate hearing the most beautiful things that God says to human beings. That was Ed Welch. Ed is the author of the book "Running Scared, Fear, Worry, and the God of Rest." He has also written books like "When People are Big and God is Small" and "Addictions, a Banquet in the Grave." We will hear from Ed again next week.

But tomorrow we hear from another one of our friends at CCEF, Dr. David Powleson, on exposing the roots of sinful anger. I'm your host, Tony Reinke. I'll see you tomorrow.