Jonathan Haidt’s recently published The Anxious Generation (read TGC’s review) is the latest book sounding the alarm about the deteriorating mental health of teens and children today. There’s consensus that youth mental health is in crisis—record numbers of children suffer from anxiety and depression. But opinions differ as to the causes and solutions.
One way Christianity can offer real help and true hope to this “anxious generation” is by pointing them to Jesus—the Good Shepherd, the One who offers rest to the weary, the One who calms the stormiest seas. And Christian music is a great way to center ourselves on this hope.
This is the heart behind the latest hymn from Keith and Kristyn Getty: “Jesus Calms the Storm (Hymn for Anxious Little Hearts).” The new recording (embedded below) features Keith and Kristyn along with their four daughters (Eliza, Charlotte, Grace, and Tahlia), Sandra McCracken, and Joni Eareckson Tada. Written by parents who are part of the Getty Music songwriting team—including Matt Papa, Matt Boswell, Sandra McCracken, Bryan Fowler, and Kristyn Getty—the new hymn is not only for children but for anyone who needs a reminder of the gospel’s hope in a world of anxiety.
“The title and subtitle convey the lyrical intention,” said Kristyn. “The fears and brokenness of the world weigh so heavily on our children’s shoulders. We see it more and more. But we know there is one voice who can calm the storm and breathe courage into a fearful heart.”
In the Q&A below, I asked Kristyn, Sandra, and Joni to reflect on the themes of “Jesus Calms the Storm,” other hymns and songs that bring calming hope, and how Christians can be a nonanxious presence in the world.
I also created a new playlist—Calming Worship for an Anxious Age—that includes “Jesus Calms the Storm” as well as a few other songs suggested by Kristyn, Sandra, and Joni. Enjoy it on Spotify or Apple Music.
In your own life, where have you seen the gospel speak directly into anxiety and fear?
Kristyn: Our fears always help us understand what our greatest loves are. It can waken us to see the places in life where love for the Lord and his gospel is no longer first. When I had my first baby I was almost frozen by fear. Some of that was just the shock of something so big turning our lives completely upside down! But it also shook up my faith in such a way that I had to really relearn what it meant to be a Christian and trust in the Lord. Trust his sovereignty, trust his grace, trust him for the future. A lesson I’m still learning!
Joni: Less than two decades ago, I was gripped with fear, thinking I would have to live the rest of my life with increasing chronic pain. But I was helped tremendously by Ephesians 1:17–19. I found refuge and strength in “the hope to which he has called [us], the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.” The gospel gives hope, a resource of rich grace, and incomparably great power. If this mighty strength raised Christ from the dead, then it certainly could raise me up out of my fear and anxiety about a future full of pain.
Sandra: Fear keeps us alive in so many risky situations we may face, but then that fear can take over and run on overdrive in our hearts and minds. With the world we live in—news feeds and how many people and situations we hear about each and every day—it just means that we need to hear the good news of the peace of Christ more than ever!
Joni, was there a particular Christian song or hymn that ministered to you in a painful stretch of your life when you were young, in the way ‘Jesus Calms the Storm’ might minister to a young person today?
Joni: Two hymns from childhood stuck with me all the way through my long hospitalization after I broke my neck: “Be Still My Soul” was one. The title says volumes to the anxious heart. And also “Abide with Me.” It was that line “Help of the helpless, O abide with me.” I think these are two wonderful hymns for children today who are fretful.
In a world of anxiety, what does it look like for Christians to be a nonanxious presence? What habits or disciplines can help Christian churches and households cultivate a peaceful, calm presence in a storm-tossed culture?
Kristyn: I think singing to remember his truth is so critical—and singing regularly of eternity and the hope we have. The psalms are helpful here because they carry all the waves of human emotion, but they settle on the shores of his truth. They keep us honest and grounded and hopeful.
Joni: I will speak from my experience with pain. When I am in excruciating pain, I do not reflect on or comment about anxiety. I do not say, “Oh, no! What if my pain doesn’t get better?!” Such fear-filled language only makes things worse. Fretting over anxiety only acquiesces control to these negative emotions. If I’m going to react to chronic pain, I will abide by my long-term habit of finding relief in God’s Word. And I will talk about that!
Sandra: Gospel faith is not just the power of positive thinking, but Christians in community have the power from Christ to speak encouragement and courage to one another in real time, in our real lives—when we’re late to school, or when someone loses their job unexpectedly, or when we receive a diagnosis of illness. Even in our small mistakes or on days when the storms come and we have to face the consequences, we trust that God is working these hard things for our good and his glory. We can make habits of worry, or we can learn to be people who pray and encourage one another in the middle of it. We can expect that sometimes it takes our fearful hearts time to catch up to the truth.
Why Do So Many Young People Lose Their Faith at College?
It’s often because they’re just not ready. They may have grown up in solid Christian homes, been taught the Bible from a young age, and become faithful members of their church youth groups. But are they prepared intellectually?
New Testament professor Michael Kruger is no stranger to the assault on faith that most young people face when they enter higher education, having experienced an intense period of doubt in his freshman year. In Surviving Religion 101, he draws on years of experience as a biblical scholar to address common objections to the Christian faith: the exclusivity of Christianity, Christian intolerance, homosexuality, hell, the problem of evil, science, miracles, and the Bible’s reliability.
TGC is delighted to offer the ebook version for FREE for a limited time only. It will equip you to engage secular challenges with intellectual honesty, compassion, and confidence—and ultimately graduate college with your faith intact.
