How Reading History Helps With Anxiety

I am currently reading a history book by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard called Confronting the Presidents that gives an overview of all the presidents, from George Washington to President Obama—with an eye to how much good or bad they did for the country. (Afterwards by both authors—one a liberal, one a conservative—give some perspectives on Trump and Biden.)

What I glean from reading history—and the Bible—is perspective. Though today’s political climate in the U.S. is more polarized than it ever was since the Civil War, I see how many of the current issues are repeats of other times in history—albeit with a modern twist–and yet we prevailed. This helps calm the “emotional inflammation” I feel these days from the little news I consume.

It’s also interesting to see what to me are glimpses of God’s grace in some of the details of history.

For instance, another book I’m reading is 100 Bible Verses that Made America, by Robert J. Morgan. It highlights “defining moments that shaped [the U.S.’s] enduring foundations of faith,” as the subtitle states.

One example that I thought is relevant is the prayer offered by the head Navy chaplain on the occasion that President Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill met aboard the battleship HMS Prince of Wales in Newfoundland. It’s something we can pray today for the war-torn areas of the world:

Let us pray for the invaded countries in the grief and havoc of oppression; for the upholding of their courage; and the hope for the speedy restoration of their freedom. O Lord God whose compassions fail not, support, we entreat Thee, the peoples on whom the terrors of invasion have fallen; and if their liberty be lost to the oppresson, let not this spirit and hope be broken, but stayed upon Thy strength till the day of deliverance. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

I am also studying the book of Revelation from the Bible with a small group from my church, and that is especially perspective-forming. The theme of good vs. evil, and what God has done and will ultimately do about it, is woven all through the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. In between, you see the same themes of power-hungry people oppressing the poor, injustice, indifference, and the turning away from God.

Photo by Anika Huizinga

Reading the Bible not only helps me see how history repeats itself as well as God’s gracious hand, but strengthens my faith that ultimately, in the end, God has history in the palm of his hand. And he’s actually guiding everything that happens for his ultimate glory, the revealing of his grace in the lives of human beings.

Better than an antacid, better than anti-anxiety or anti-depressants. (Not that those aren’t sometimes needed.) Put away your screen, pick up a good history book and the Bible and gain some perspective!