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Consider the Lilies: Finding Perfect Peace in the Character of God
Find freedom from anxiety as you lift your gaze from the problems and pressures of this world to the changeless and powerful character of your heavenly Father.
Is my cancer back? Is my job secure? Will I ever get married? Are my children safe? Our lives are often a chronicle of trouble, pain, and uncertainty--and God's children yearn for peace. Many who wrestle with anxiety and despair know that the Bible calls them to "trust God," but what does that even mean?
In Consider the Lilies, pastor, podcaster, and speaker Jonny Ardavanis shows us God's consistent response to those who are worn down by worry and badgered by He proclaims His own character. Drawing on that perspective-shifting model, Jonny offers biblical insight on how to ground our thoughts and fix our gaze on who God is.
Compassionate, biblical, and timely, Consider the Lilies
How dwelling on the character of God is the surest pathway to peaceThe root causes of anxiety and worry in the BibleWhat the Bible says about the integration of our physical and spiritual livesWhy worry grieves God's heart as our Father
Consider the Lilies is for those who long for liberation from their anxiety and fear--and desire to deeply know the God they are called and enabled to trust. If you are starved for hope and gasping for peace, consider the character of your heavenly Father, who welcomes all who are anxious, fearful, and melancholy to trust in Him.
Is my cancer back? Is my job secure? Will I ever get married? Are my children safe? Our lives are often a chronicle of trouble, pain, and uncertainty--and God's children yearn for peace. Many who wrestle with anxiety and despair know that the Bible calls them to "trust God," but what does that even mean?
In Consider the Lilies, pastor, podcaster, and speaker Jonny Ardavanis shows us God's consistent response to those who are worn down by worry and badgered by He proclaims His own character. Drawing on that perspective-shifting model, Jonny offers biblical insight on how to ground our thoughts and fix our gaze on who God is.
Compassionate, biblical, and timely, Consider the Lilies
How dwelling on the character of God is the surest pathway to peaceThe root causes of anxiety and worry in the BibleWhat the Bible says about the integration of our physical and spiritual livesWhy worry grieves God's heart as our Father
Consider the Lilies is for those who long for liberation from their anxiety and fear--and desire to deeply know the God they are called and enabled to trust. If you are starved for hope and gasping for peace, consider the character of your heavenly Father, who welcomes all who are anxious, fearful, and melancholy to trust in Him.
255 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 8, 2024
1038 people are currently reading
8293 people want to read
About the author
Jonny Ardavanis
1 book59 followersJonny Ardavanis is the Teaching Pastor at Stonebridge Bible Church in Franklin, TN. Previously, Jonny served as the Dean of Campus Life at The Master’s University and as a Camp Director at Hume Lake Christian Camps in Central, CA.
Jonny’s passion is that people would come to know Jesus Christ and that they would love and obey His Word. Jonny is the author of “Consider the Lilies: Finding Perfect Peace In The Character of God” (October 2024, Zondervan) and is also the President and Founder of Dial In Ministries - which releases biblical resources weekly.
Jonny and his wife Caity have two precious daughters named Lily Jean and Scottie Joan.
Jonny’s passion is that people would come to know Jesus Christ and that they would love and obey His Word. Jonny is the author of “Consider the Lilies: Finding Perfect Peace In The Character of God” (October 2024, Zondervan) and is also the President and Founder of Dial In Ministries - which releases biblical resources weekly.
Jonny and his wife Caity have two precious daughters named Lily Jean and Scottie Joan.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 296 reviews
January 30, 2026
Hands down best treatment of anxiety I’ve ever read. This book is thoroughly biblical with equals parts conviction and compassion and I promise you will love Jesus Christ more and be more in awe of God’s abundant provision for growth after reading this book. Highly recommend!
2nd reading—the chapter on God’s sovereignty is worth the price of the book.
2nd reading—the chapter on God’s sovereignty is worth the price of the book.
June 2, 2025
One of the best books on how to overcome the sins of anxiety and worry. Highly recommended!
November 12, 2024
I am always challenged, convicted, encouraged, and compelled by Jonny Ardavanis’ sermons. If you haven’t ever listened to one, let me encourage you to check out his current series, Living in Babylon. Such a word for our current cultural moment! You can find Stonebridge Bible Church on YouTube or listen to Jonny’s sermons in podcast form. His Dial In podcast is also one of my favorites.
I immediately knew I would be reading Consider the Lilies shortly after publication. This book is incredible, a truth-filled balm for the weary soul. Each chapter draws us deeper into an understanding of the attributes of God. He is our Father who loves us like no one else. He knows our innermost being and is our ever present help in times of trouble. Jonny encourages us to look to God rather than dwelling on our worries. When we fix our eyes on God, seeking to know him more each day, and give of ourselves to others we can experience true contentment and joy. This is a book I’ll definitely be revisiting in the future. Highly recommend!
Favorite quotes:
“We too often hear and read Scripture but rarely chew and digest the truths found within it. As a result, we can confirm the existence of God’s power and sovereignty but be strangers to the experience those realities ought to produce in our hearts.”
“Through prayer- a courageous spine is dependent on bruised knees. You will never stand tall in biblical courage unless you kneel in pleading prayer. If we are to smash to smithereens our worries and fears, then we must hold up the shield of faith that blocks the blows of Beelzebub.”
“The most joyful people on earth are those who do not live for themselves. Service is the gift that keeps giving. Some people wonder why they are forlorn, and often (not always) it is because they have not sought someone to serve. Are you anxious? Are you despairing? Is it possible that you are waiting for someone else to serve you instead of thinking creatively and strategically about whom you can serve?”
I immediately knew I would be reading Consider the Lilies shortly after publication. This book is incredible, a truth-filled balm for the weary soul. Each chapter draws us deeper into an understanding of the attributes of God. He is our Father who loves us like no one else. He knows our innermost being and is our ever present help in times of trouble. Jonny encourages us to look to God rather than dwelling on our worries. When we fix our eyes on God, seeking to know him more each day, and give of ourselves to others we can experience true contentment and joy. This is a book I’ll definitely be revisiting in the future. Highly recommend!
Favorite quotes:
“We too often hear and read Scripture but rarely chew and digest the truths found within it. As a result, we can confirm the existence of God’s power and sovereignty but be strangers to the experience those realities ought to produce in our hearts.”
“Through prayer- a courageous spine is dependent on bruised knees. You will never stand tall in biblical courage unless you kneel in pleading prayer. If we are to smash to smithereens our worries and fears, then we must hold up the shield of faith that blocks the blows of Beelzebub.”
“The most joyful people on earth are those who do not live for themselves. Service is the gift that keeps giving. Some people wonder why they are forlorn, and often (not always) it is because they have not sought someone to serve. Are you anxious? Are you despairing? Is it possible that you are waiting for someone else to serve you instead of thinking creatively and strategically about whom you can serve?”
July 29, 2025
Convicting, encouraging and instructive, an excellent tool for any believer.
December 16, 2025
I loved this book! Super helpful book on fighting anxiety with the character of God. This is a book I will reread for sure. It’s similar to Jerry Bridges’ book, Trusting God, which I also love.
July 30, 2025
If you know me, I have likely mentioned this book in multiple of our conversations. It impacted me so much. I just think that if every Christian can grasp these truths about God, it can transform the way that we believe, trust, think, speak, act.
My timeline of reading is no indicator of how much I loved it. I was almost finished and then started over to go through with a couple of girls. Was super rich conversation!
My timeline of reading is no indicator of how much I loved it. I was almost finished and then started over to go through with a couple of girls. Was super rich conversation!
November 7, 2025
This is undoubtably one of the best books I have ever read. At the beginning of the year, Matthew 6 solidified itself into my daily life and became a frequent topic of conversation throughout the year. When it comes to anxiety and worry, my default is to work harder, prayer louder and more often, and strive in my flesh to defeat my own mind. What I should be doing—and what God commands his people to do—is fix my gaze on Christ and all that he is. Jonny Ardavanis took the words of Jesus recorded in Matthew 6, "Consider the lilies," and wrote an incredibly convicting book exhorting us to do exactly that: To turn our eyes upon Jesus and his character and rest in his perfect love.
Here are some of my favorite quotes:
"Natural temperament is never an excuse for ungodly worry."
"Worry is meditation. Whatever we worry about, we fixate on. And when we fixate unduly on our fears, concerns, and cares, we fail to exercise our faith in who God is as our heavenly Father."
"When we pool our anxieties rather than channel them toward God, we live as functional atheists. We may claim to believe in God, but when our hearts are weighed down by cares and concerns to the degree that we become anxious about them, Jesus said we are living exactly as the Gentiles who didn't know God at all."
"Fashions change. Minds dim. Faces wrinkle. The most beautiful flower begins to die the moment you pluck it. This world is passing away, so Jesus asks, "Why would you live for it?" If we do live for this world, of course we will be anxious! Because everything in this world is fleeting, fragile, and unpredictable. But if we set up for ourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don't break in and steal, we will live our lives with a blessed detachment from this world."
"Worry is the offspring of the mind not actively governed by faith in our Father."
"God doesn't simply want to remove your worry, he wants to replace your worry with trust. Praying "God, take away my worry!" is not the same thing as "God, help me to trust you as I feed my mind the truth of your word, meditate on your matchless character, fix my mind and set my gaze on your love, wisdom, and sovereignty, and give me a peace that can only come from you." The opposite of anxiety is not the absence thereof, but the presence of something only God can provide: perfect peace."
"Small thoughts of God and shallow levels of intimacy with him will always result in a small degree of peace and shallow levels of trust. Your stability amid the storms of life is in direct proportion to the degree that your mind is fixed on God."
"If He (God) is not sovereign, then you cannot trust him. If God is not in control, then our entire lives are out of control and we are left straining and striving to control all things ourselves, which only serves to perpetuate our anxiety and fear. Moreover, a failure to fix our gaze on the sovereignty of our Heavenly Father not only accelerates our anxiety, but it diminishes the entirety of the way we view God's character. Why? Because our Father's sovereignty is necessary for any of his other attributes to have any value or meaning to us. For example, if God is good and kind but lacks the sovereignty to extend and express his goodness and kindness, what good would his goodness be? If he is wise but lacks the sovereignty to carry out the wisdom of his will, what good would his wisdom be? If he is love, but his hands are tied and his fingers crossed because he lacks control, the value of his love would be diminished and the entirety of his character would be distorted. If God is not sovereign, he is not God."
"God's commandments are his enablings. Therefore, joy and pain and affliction is not only possible, it is a promised fruit for all who walk in the Spirit. Our Father not only offers his anxious and weary children a way out of the black pit of despair and anxiety, he offers us hope and joy in Christ Jesus."
Here are some of my favorite quotes:
"Natural temperament is never an excuse for ungodly worry."
"Worry is meditation. Whatever we worry about, we fixate on. And when we fixate unduly on our fears, concerns, and cares, we fail to exercise our faith in who God is as our heavenly Father."
"When we pool our anxieties rather than channel them toward God, we live as functional atheists. We may claim to believe in God, but when our hearts are weighed down by cares and concerns to the degree that we become anxious about them, Jesus said we are living exactly as the Gentiles who didn't know God at all."
"Fashions change. Minds dim. Faces wrinkle. The most beautiful flower begins to die the moment you pluck it. This world is passing away, so Jesus asks, "Why would you live for it?" If we do live for this world, of course we will be anxious! Because everything in this world is fleeting, fragile, and unpredictable. But if we set up for ourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don't break in and steal, we will live our lives with a blessed detachment from this world."
"Worry is the offspring of the mind not actively governed by faith in our Father."
"God doesn't simply want to remove your worry, he wants to replace your worry with trust. Praying "God, take away my worry!" is not the same thing as "God, help me to trust you as I feed my mind the truth of your word, meditate on your matchless character, fix my mind and set my gaze on your love, wisdom, and sovereignty, and give me a peace that can only come from you." The opposite of anxiety is not the absence thereof, but the presence of something only God can provide: perfect peace."
"Small thoughts of God and shallow levels of intimacy with him will always result in a small degree of peace and shallow levels of trust. Your stability amid the storms of life is in direct proportion to the degree that your mind is fixed on God."
"If He (God) is not sovereign, then you cannot trust him. If God is not in control, then our entire lives are out of control and we are left straining and striving to control all things ourselves, which only serves to perpetuate our anxiety and fear. Moreover, a failure to fix our gaze on the sovereignty of our Heavenly Father not only accelerates our anxiety, but it diminishes the entirety of the way we view God's character. Why? Because our Father's sovereignty is necessary for any of his other attributes to have any value or meaning to us. For example, if God is good and kind but lacks the sovereignty to extend and express his goodness and kindness, what good would his goodness be? If he is wise but lacks the sovereignty to carry out the wisdom of his will, what good would his wisdom be? If he is love, but his hands are tied and his fingers crossed because he lacks control, the value of his love would be diminished and the entirety of his character would be distorted. If God is not sovereign, he is not God."
"God's commandments are his enablings. Therefore, joy and pain and affliction is not only possible, it is a promised fruit for all who walk in the Spirit. Our Father not only offers his anxious and weary children a way out of the black pit of despair and anxiety, he offers us hope and joy in Christ Jesus."
August 26, 2025
"The average teen today is growing up with more opportunities, possessions, and 'friends' than ever, and yet they are lonelier and more anxious, panicked, and despairing than any generation that has preceded them. Students are growing up in a world where they are better fed, connected, and educated than ever before, and yet they are the most medicated generation in human history."
"It's estimated that between $42 and $47 billion are spent annually on anxiety treatments and medications."
This speaks volumes to the reality of this world we find ourselves in. And what is offered is a variety of "solutions" and "quick fixes" that simply mask and suppress the real issue at hand.
The answer to this problem, I believe, is a supernatural one. Scripture testifies to the reality of anxiety because of this broken, chaotic world, but its remedy is far from simply managing our anxiety or getting through it on our own. God calls us to come to Him through Jesus Christ and see who He is - the One who is good, loving, sovereign, and never-changing. He is the One who gives His children supernatural peace despite living in this ever-changing, broken world.
It's not easy. It's not perfect. And it's not some simple fix or hack for us to live some comfortable and prosperous life. But it is the reality of this messy life and the calling of God to His people - faithful turning to the Lord throughout every season of life.
"It's estimated that between $42 and $47 billion are spent annually on anxiety treatments and medications."
This speaks volumes to the reality of this world we find ourselves in. And what is offered is a variety of "solutions" and "quick fixes" that simply mask and suppress the real issue at hand.
The answer to this problem, I believe, is a supernatural one. Scripture testifies to the reality of anxiety because of this broken, chaotic world, but its remedy is far from simply managing our anxiety or getting through it on our own. God calls us to come to Him through Jesus Christ and see who He is - the One who is good, loving, sovereign, and never-changing. He is the One who gives His children supernatural peace despite living in this ever-changing, broken world.
It's not easy. It's not perfect. And it's not some simple fix or hack for us to live some comfortable and prosperous life. But it is the reality of this messy life and the calling of God to His people - faithful turning to the Lord throughout every season of life.
December 6, 2025
This book is both phenomenal and practical. I can’t recommend it highly enough! Do you struggle with anxiety? Other than knowing you need to trust God, perhaps you struggle to know how to practically fight something that unfortunately may seem like a normal part of your life. This book offers a deeply biblical solution rooted in meditating on the character of God. It sounds simplistic, but it’s packed with truth and practical steps to take in light of God’s character, and I’ve already found it so helpful for my own life. This is one I expect I’ll read again and again.
January 15, 2026
4 1/2 stars. This book was a really helpful read and gives really valuable biblical insight to anxiety. As one who is especially prone to anxiety and worry, this pointed me to the great character of our Sovereign God.
August 1, 2025
so incredible. I have no words!! highly highly recommend.
January 13, 2026
This is by far the most helpful and biblically rooted resource I’ve read concerning anxiety.
February 3, 2025
There are no words to describe the beauty of this book. I have a feeling this book will be read many times for years to come. If you struggle with anxiety you need to read this. If I only I knew these truths when I was a kid. I know His plans are best and I can help others.
September 9, 2025
Used this book with three men who struggle with anxiety. It was good book based on the strategies of biblical counseling. Very good.
January 8, 2026
Amazing!! One of the best Christian books I’ve read in a while. It’s convicting as well and encouraging.
Jonny asks the reader if they can say this with an honest heart: “If I never receive another blessing outside of what I have already received in Christ, I would still have overwhelming reasons to rejoice.” This made me stop and think. The obvious answer is yes, but the sinful, selfish answer is no! I’m so thankful for his honesty and getting into the nitty gritty.
“Joy isn't the absence of sadness—it's the presence of God's Holy Spirit in our lives. Joy is more about our perspective than it is our circumstances.”
5/5: I would recommend this to anyone, not only those who suffer with anxiety. Worrying about our future is not the same as being anxious. Any sort of worry or fear should lead us to question: am I trusting the Lord with this?
Jonny asks the reader if they can say this with an honest heart: “If I never receive another blessing outside of what I have already received in Christ, I would still have overwhelming reasons to rejoice.” This made me stop and think. The obvious answer is yes, but the sinful, selfish answer is no! I’m so thankful for his honesty and getting into the nitty gritty.
“Joy isn't the absence of sadness—it's the presence of God's Holy Spirit in our lives. Joy is more about our perspective than it is our circumstances.”
5/5: I would recommend this to anyone, not only those who suffer with anxiety. Worrying about our future is not the same as being anxious. Any sort of worry or fear should lead us to question: am I trusting the Lord with this?
January 27, 2026
The command in Philippians 4:6 to not be anxious is too often heard as telling you to calm down while your house is on fire. Worse, it often launches the anxiety cycle: not only am I anxious about the original thing, but now I’m anxious about being disobedient for feeling anxious in the first place.
Ardavanis refuses to defuse this tension by softening Scripture’s command. Instead, he argues that when God commands His people not to be anxious, He also provides the means by which such obedience is possible: not by robotic emotional restraint or the latest therapeutic fads, but by directing believers to the character of the God who commands it and the ordinary means of grace He provides. Through these means, trust is slowly formed and the command to not be anxious is revealed not as a cruel demand, but as an invitation grounded in who God is.
Ardavanis refuses to defuse this tension by softening Scripture’s command. Instead, he argues that when God commands His people not to be anxious, He also provides the means by which such obedience is possible: not by robotic emotional restraint or the latest therapeutic fads, but by directing believers to the character of the God who commands it and the ordinary means of grace He provides. Through these means, trust is slowly formed and the command to not be anxious is revealed not as a cruel demand, but as an invitation grounded in who God is.
February 19, 2025
This is truly one of the best & most impactful books I’ve ever read. Especially a book about anxiety. Tbh it’s often hard for me to get through Christian books quickly because there isn’t a plot like other books, but wow. I wanted to soak up all this info as quickly as I could because it was SO good. I’m so excited to start back up on chapter 1 next week w/ my Bible Study!
The way Jonny talks about anxiety & provides biblically sound & provoking thoughts/scripture to combat the anxiety we face daily & instead turn to the Lord in practical ways, will quite honestly change the way I go about life. He brings scripture in perfectly & I can tell this book was so guided by Holy Spirit!! So thankful this book was written, I can’t wait to recommend it to everyone I know!!
The way Jonny talks about anxiety & provides biblically sound & provoking thoughts/scripture to combat the anxiety we face daily & instead turn to the Lord in practical ways, will quite honestly change the way I go about life. He brings scripture in perfectly & I can tell this book was so guided by Holy Spirit!! So thankful this book was written, I can’t wait to recommend it to everyone I know!!
July 22, 2025
Excellent! Will definitely read again!
October 15, 2025
If I let myself go highlighter-crazy, I would have highlighted 90 percent of this book.
This book really helped me through current anxieties & uncertainties in my personal life.
This book really helped me through current anxieties & uncertainties in my personal life.
August 30, 2025
4.5/5 ⭐️ A beautiful book about the character of God for anxious and worried sinners. As the author writes, “Gazing at God’s glorious character is the pathway to peace.” By considering the lilies, we reflect on our God and rejoice in who He is. What a comfort!
January 30, 2025
“When we look at our circumstances, our happiness will inevitably wane, but when we fix our gaze on God, He gives us both peace and indescribable joy.”
An amazing book on anxiety. The entire book points us back to God, the gospel, and scripture to show us the peace we have in Jesus. Sooo good.
Read this for book club and answered the questions after each chapter, but would also recommend as an individual read/study.
An amazing book on anxiety. The entire book points us back to God, the gospel, and scripture to show us the peace we have in Jesus. Sooo good.
Read this for book club and answered the questions after each chapter, but would also recommend as an individual read/study.
October 31, 2025
this is GOOD
February 3, 2026
One of the best books I have read in a long time.
Even for someone who doesn’t struggle with anxiety Jonny does a fantastic job explaining how Gods attributes, specifically his sovereignty, create a peace that surpasses all understanding.
Excellent writing, flow of logic, and practical wisdom.
Even for someone who doesn’t struggle with anxiety Jonny does a fantastic job explaining how Gods attributes, specifically his sovereignty, create a peace that surpasses all understanding.
Excellent writing, flow of logic, and practical wisdom.
January 5, 2025
Summary…
This book is a short work on anxiety and how to battle against it. Although it is such, the book acts as a reminder of the character of God the Father and how gazing at His glory calms the soul. Jonny Ardavanis begins the book by explaining his history as the camp director at Hume lake. He explains how his own ministry experiences exposed him to students with many anxiety issues, such as self harm, depression, fear about family issues and future. These fears and anxieties were/are also present at The Master’s University, where Jonny served as student life director. As a pastor at Stonebridge church, he also pointed to the anxieties his congregants expressed, ranging from financial issues and wayward children to job security and family stability.
Chapter 2 covers the necessity of turning our gaze upward to the character of God when we suffer anxiety.
Chapter 3 explains how the human is a composite of body and soul. The soul is the willing of the person and therefore needs to be properly understood. The body and the soul both need to be cared for when dealing with anxiety. Factors that lead to anxiety include personal temperament, physical infirmity, exhaustion, loneliness, and trauma.
Chapter 4 covers the the ultimate issue with anxiety is a measure of unbelief. It is a lack of looking to our great physician. This is often accompanied by sins such as bitterness and unconfessed sin.
Thinking is in chapter 5. Ardavanis explains that what our minds are set upon affect where our emotional states lie. We do not have a sufficient understanding of the Father’s character when we worry inappropriately.
Charters 6-12 focuses on the character of the Father. Where we know God as Father we can grow in our confidence in Him as the great physician. We are no longer enemies. How we come to this peace with God is through repentance and faith/trust.
Chapter 7 points to Yahweh's essential nature. He doesn’t need anyone else to exist. He’s always eternally existing. And we know Him personally. This steadfastness of his essence and goodness ought to bring us confidence to bring our cares to Him.
God’s knowledge is also expansive and exhaustive. He knows all things in creation, nation rulers, and individual hearts and their desires. We ought to respond to this omniscience with worship, and a freeing trust.
God’s sovereignty is expansive over all creation. God is in control of kings and kingdoms, creation, time, suffering and evil. We can trust in His control.
Chapter 10 reminds readers that we can trust in the Father’s love for us. God’s love is holy, just, fatherly, and consummated in Christ and His sacrifice for us. We can rest in this character of the Father.
Chapter 11 shows us how God is our refuge and our strength. His omnipresence reminds us we have the goodness of God all around.
Jonny ends section two of the book with a summary of prayer and how we have the privilege of prayer with God through Christ. We ought to pay with more praise and thanksgiving. Not being thankful leads to anxiety.
In the concluding chapter of the second part of the book, chapters 12-13, Jonny ends with a call to act. We are to continue serving and ministering in the church, and family. We are also to meditate on heaven more. Finally we are to rejoice in our salvation and the character of the Father.
Personal Comments….
The book was okay. Not earth shattering but fine with what it was intended to do. I found the sections on doctrine of God to be the least helpful. The doctrines were presented in their usual form but with little nuance. Having been a bit into analytic theology and reading on issues of omniscience and determination, theories of Providence, models of theism, etc I noticed my theoretical structuring of issues while reading those chapters. Most Christians assert God knows all things. I want to assert God knows all things, but what about the things that haven’t happened? Does God know those things? I want to claim God’s sovereignty but how does this tie into His providence? Jonny does not provide enough explanation of some subject. Three examples will suffice.
On page 81, he explains how one becomes a Christian. He talks about faith and repentance but never actually explains in detail what repentance is. I found this a disappointing lack.
On page 119 Jonny explains sovereignty and ties it to providence. From my gathering a sovereign is a being with all power, complete aseity and self sufficiency. Sovereignty technically doesn’t imply providence. Providence needs to be founded on his character. Sovereignty seems to be a necessary consequence of being before all creation and creating everything (Col. 1:15-17). Providence deals with the why of things. One possible explanation of Providence can be based on God’s moral perfection. What founds God’s moral perfection philosophically is more complicated. The fact that God created implies him to be a personal being. There has to be a personal purpose of creation. Maybe it’s friendship with God. Friendship needs to be based on healthy love and care for each other. This is now getting to some of the bare bones of providence. I found Ardavanis to necessitate providence from sovereignty without arguing well for providence itself. On page 123, he notes that sovereignty and providence are not disconnected in scripture. I wish he expanded on this necessary connection between providence and sovereignty.
On page 133 there is the claim that God ordains everything yet is not responsible for sin. Although a fair point, he spends no time explicating this seemingly contradictory theory. Again a little disappointing.
With this in mind and excluding the lack of rigorous analytical discourse, Jonny is addressing the laymen. The average congregant is generally going to assume God is good, and knows all things. The laymen may have heard of the issue of predestination of free will, but may not have seriously wrestled with it. Some people I’ve noticed really have struggles with predestination. There are thoughtful, thorough answers out there and I wish Ardavanis spent some time negating those issues.
Other than this criticism I enjoyed the book as a healthy reminder. I found the last few chapters to be the best in the book.
Chapter 12 contains a section on prayer that is wonderful. He states that a prayerless person is an anxious person. One thing I have noticed is that during trials I am much more prayerful and getting closer to God. In anxiety I pray more. In non anxiety I have less to supposedly worry about so I don’t pray as much as I ought to. Praying is communion with God. I ask too much for God to help me on x, y, or z but not enough time praising or thanking God. I don’t really know how to be grateful like I was when I was younger.
On page 198 of Chapter 13 I am encouraged to keep doing ministry. I sometimes want to isolate myself from ministry because I feel tired from anxiety, etc. But it’s actually a healthy antidote to anxiety. Anxiety is ultimately self centered. Ministry is other centered. Being focused on others makes you more joyful and inadvertently you become less anxious because you are less focused on your own anxiety. Jonny continues providing helpful tasks every Christian ought to get after in their walk with Christ (pg. 202-204).
Finally Jonny ends the book with a call to look forward to Heaven. This brings joy and comfort to the ailing soul. I rarely think about the awesomeness of being written in the book of life.
In conclusion, I would recommend this book but prefer Dane Ortlund’s book Gentle and Lowly.
This book is a short work on anxiety and how to battle against it. Although it is such, the book acts as a reminder of the character of God the Father and how gazing at His glory calms the soul. Jonny Ardavanis begins the book by explaining his history as the camp director at Hume lake. He explains how his own ministry experiences exposed him to students with many anxiety issues, such as self harm, depression, fear about family issues and future. These fears and anxieties were/are also present at The Master’s University, where Jonny served as student life director. As a pastor at Stonebridge church, he also pointed to the anxieties his congregants expressed, ranging from financial issues and wayward children to job security and family stability.
Chapter 2 covers the necessity of turning our gaze upward to the character of God when we suffer anxiety.
Chapter 3 explains how the human is a composite of body and soul. The soul is the willing of the person and therefore needs to be properly understood. The body and the soul both need to be cared for when dealing with anxiety. Factors that lead to anxiety include personal temperament, physical infirmity, exhaustion, loneliness, and trauma.
Chapter 4 covers the the ultimate issue with anxiety is a measure of unbelief. It is a lack of looking to our great physician. This is often accompanied by sins such as bitterness and unconfessed sin.
Thinking is in chapter 5. Ardavanis explains that what our minds are set upon affect where our emotional states lie. We do not have a sufficient understanding of the Father’s character when we worry inappropriately.
Charters 6-12 focuses on the character of the Father. Where we know God as Father we can grow in our confidence in Him as the great physician. We are no longer enemies. How we come to this peace with God is through repentance and faith/trust.
Chapter 7 points to Yahweh's essential nature. He doesn’t need anyone else to exist. He’s always eternally existing. And we know Him personally. This steadfastness of his essence and goodness ought to bring us confidence to bring our cares to Him.
God’s knowledge is also expansive and exhaustive. He knows all things in creation, nation rulers, and individual hearts and their desires. We ought to respond to this omniscience with worship, and a freeing trust.
God’s sovereignty is expansive over all creation. God is in control of kings and kingdoms, creation, time, suffering and evil. We can trust in His control.
Chapter 10 reminds readers that we can trust in the Father’s love for us. God’s love is holy, just, fatherly, and consummated in Christ and His sacrifice for us. We can rest in this character of the Father.
Chapter 11 shows us how God is our refuge and our strength. His omnipresence reminds us we have the goodness of God all around.
Jonny ends section two of the book with a summary of prayer and how we have the privilege of prayer with God through Christ. We ought to pay with more praise and thanksgiving. Not being thankful leads to anxiety.
In the concluding chapter of the second part of the book, chapters 12-13, Jonny ends with a call to act. We are to continue serving and ministering in the church, and family. We are also to meditate on heaven more. Finally we are to rejoice in our salvation and the character of the Father.
Personal Comments….
The book was okay. Not earth shattering but fine with what it was intended to do. I found the sections on doctrine of God to be the least helpful. The doctrines were presented in their usual form but with little nuance. Having been a bit into analytic theology and reading on issues of omniscience and determination, theories of Providence, models of theism, etc I noticed my theoretical structuring of issues while reading those chapters. Most Christians assert God knows all things. I want to assert God knows all things, but what about the things that haven’t happened? Does God know those things? I want to claim God’s sovereignty but how does this tie into His providence? Jonny does not provide enough explanation of some subject. Three examples will suffice.
On page 81, he explains how one becomes a Christian. He talks about faith and repentance but never actually explains in detail what repentance is. I found this a disappointing lack.
On page 119 Jonny explains sovereignty and ties it to providence. From my gathering a sovereign is a being with all power, complete aseity and self sufficiency. Sovereignty technically doesn’t imply providence. Providence needs to be founded on his character. Sovereignty seems to be a necessary consequence of being before all creation and creating everything (Col. 1:15-17). Providence deals with the why of things. One possible explanation of Providence can be based on God’s moral perfection. What founds God’s moral perfection philosophically is more complicated. The fact that God created implies him to be a personal being. There has to be a personal purpose of creation. Maybe it’s friendship with God. Friendship needs to be based on healthy love and care for each other. This is now getting to some of the bare bones of providence. I found Ardavanis to necessitate providence from sovereignty without arguing well for providence itself. On page 123, he notes that sovereignty and providence are not disconnected in scripture. I wish he expanded on this necessary connection between providence and sovereignty.
On page 133 there is the claim that God ordains everything yet is not responsible for sin. Although a fair point, he spends no time explicating this seemingly contradictory theory. Again a little disappointing.
With this in mind and excluding the lack of rigorous analytical discourse, Jonny is addressing the laymen. The average congregant is generally going to assume God is good, and knows all things. The laymen may have heard of the issue of predestination of free will, but may not have seriously wrestled with it. Some people I’ve noticed really have struggles with predestination. There are thoughtful, thorough answers out there and I wish Ardavanis spent some time negating those issues.
Other than this criticism I enjoyed the book as a healthy reminder. I found the last few chapters to be the best in the book.
Chapter 12 contains a section on prayer that is wonderful. He states that a prayerless person is an anxious person. One thing I have noticed is that during trials I am much more prayerful and getting closer to God. In anxiety I pray more. In non anxiety I have less to supposedly worry about so I don’t pray as much as I ought to. Praying is communion with God. I ask too much for God to help me on x, y, or z but not enough time praising or thanking God. I don’t really know how to be grateful like I was when I was younger.
On page 198 of Chapter 13 I am encouraged to keep doing ministry. I sometimes want to isolate myself from ministry because I feel tired from anxiety, etc. But it’s actually a healthy antidote to anxiety. Anxiety is ultimately self centered. Ministry is other centered. Being focused on others makes you more joyful and inadvertently you become less anxious because you are less focused on your own anxiety. Jonny continues providing helpful tasks every Christian ought to get after in their walk with Christ (pg. 202-204).
Finally Jonny ends the book with a call to look forward to Heaven. This brings joy and comfort to the ailing soul. I rarely think about the awesomeness of being written in the book of life.
In conclusion, I would recommend this book but prefer Dane Ortlund’s book Gentle and Lowly.
January 16, 2026
Will be reading this over and over.
August 21, 2025
It’s hard for me to give this 2 stars because this book was filled with so much truth about God and his word. I heard the author on a podcast saying that God responds to anxious people in the Bible by showing them or telling them who he is (Moses, Elijah, Sermon on the Mount, etc.) I thought that was a fantastic take and would make an incredibly helpful book for people struggling with anxiety. However, that isn’t exactly what this book was. It was instead a book about all kinds of topics (heaven, prayer, brotherly love, sorrows, etc.) A sort of primer on various aspects of the Christian Faith. Really basic stuff that would be excellent to put in the hands of a new believer or teen, but not really a book about anxiety. Overall, this book would be greatly helped with a kind, editorial scalpel taken to it and perhaps made into more than one book.
May 4, 2025
This has been one of the most complete, biblical, and in-depth explorations of this topic I’ve ever read. Walking through it during a season of trials has been emotional and challenging—but above all, it has been uplifting, refining, and has kept my gaze fixed on Christ. I plan to revisit the reflection questions at the end of each chapter regularly. Every chapter offers value, and several struck me deeply. A true treasure for any follower of Christ.
December 11, 2024
Overall, a really good book.
I appreciated the deep and concise explanations of trusting God with your anxiety. Jonny does a fantastic job of comforting the reader and letting them know that it's going to be okay. This book does an excellent job of hitting the aspect of anxiety that affects our daily lives: the environmental anxiety and willful anxiety. It's a perfect reminder that in our ever-changing world, and fast-paced lives, we can trust in a God who doesn't change and is constantly there to comfort us in the most challenging times.
Although this book does a great job of attacking willful and environmental anxiety, this book severely lacks in addressing the anxiety of the body and those who have been diagnosed with uncontrollable urges to panic. Yes, it's a great reminder, even in uncontrollable times, to trust in the Lord. Still, it was unfortunate that the topic of bodily anxiety and medical anxiety was not fully brought out and explained.
Still, this book was excellent, and I believe it can be a great resource and comfort for those struggling with daily anxiety.
I appreciated the deep and concise explanations of trusting God with your anxiety. Jonny does a fantastic job of comforting the reader and letting them know that it's going to be okay. This book does an excellent job of hitting the aspect of anxiety that affects our daily lives: the environmental anxiety and willful anxiety. It's a perfect reminder that in our ever-changing world, and fast-paced lives, we can trust in a God who doesn't change and is constantly there to comfort us in the most challenging times.
Although this book does a great job of attacking willful and environmental anxiety, this book severely lacks in addressing the anxiety of the body and those who have been diagnosed with uncontrollable urges to panic. Yes, it's a great reminder, even in uncontrollable times, to trust in the Lord. Still, it was unfortunate that the topic of bodily anxiety and medical anxiety was not fully brought out and explained.
Still, this book was excellent, and I believe it can be a great resource and comfort for those struggling with daily anxiety.
February 10, 2026
WOW! This is an incredible book that unpacks anxiety through the lens of a follower of Christ. The author presents this deeply convicting — and deeply reflective — exploration of the supernatural peace that God provides in His Word. We often treasure what we don’t possess and are fearful/anxious to lose, and this book gently redirects us to the sovereignty, love, hope, and character of God — things that can’t be lost. It challenges us to activate our minds, anchor our hopes, meditate on the Word, and fixate our gaze on the character of God.
“Consider the Lilies”!! If God so lovingly cares for the flowers… how much more does He love & care for us?
5/5 - I highlighted so much throughout this book & will definitely keep it as a yearly reread staple!
“Consider the Lilies”!! If God so lovingly cares for the flowers… how much more does He love & care for us?
5/5 - I highlighted so much throughout this book & will definitely keep it as a yearly reread staple!
January 18, 2026
True joy and peace is found in the perfect Character of God. Jonny Ardavanis helps Christians consider the riches we have in Christ in this short, simple, and encouraging book. I highly recommend this for any one who has dealt with anxiety, is dealing with anxiety, or knows someone dealing with anxiety - which means I recommend it to all of you.
“The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace
Because he trusts in You.
Trust in Yahweh forever,
For in Yah—Yahweh Himself—we have an everlasting Rock.”
— Isaiah 26:3-4
“The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace
Because he trusts in You.
Trust in Yahweh forever,
For in Yah—Yahweh Himself—we have an everlasting Rock.”
— Isaiah 26:3-4
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