Kyle Zunker began suffering terrifying panic attacks in his late teens, which only worsened over time. By 2015, desperate for answers, he underwent an MRI while clinging to anxiety medication and hope. The scan was clear, leaving doctors puzzled and Kyle still searching for relief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Seven years earlier, Kyle had left home for college. Though raised Christian, his faith was nominal and quickly unraveled. He writes, \u201cI wanted to be the most successful and important person in the world. The more self-oriented my life became, the more I subscribed to intellectual arguments against the existence of God. By my early 20s, I was a staunch atheist.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As he chased achievement, his health collapsed. His first panic attack at 19 left him desperate and overwhelmed. Anxiety became a constant presence, and he bounced from doctor to doctor, self-medicating to cope. He pinned his hope on passing the bar exam and proposing to his girlfriend, Hannah. When both dreams came true, he was shocked to find no peace: \u201cIf those hadn\u2019t brought peace, then what could?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Before their wedding, Kyle and Hannah often passed Pearl Street Church in San Antonio. Hoping to boost his respectability, he suggested they attend. Expecting to scoff, he was instead moved by a sermon on Genesis 22. Kyle recalls, \u201cGod\u2019s instruction to Abraham was not a sadistic test; it prophetically foreshadowed the work of Jesus\u2026 God did not require Abraham to pay that price but chose instead to pay it himself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Over the next months, he read the New Testament and kept attending church, but anxiety persisted. One sleepless night, exhausted and broken, he finally prayed, \u201cThy will be done.\u201d He writes, \u201cEverything changed that night. The peace of God\u2026 changed my life. It gave me power over anxiety and fear, and my body began to heal as joy and hope replaced depression and despair.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"template":"","tax_ctp_audience":[],"tax_ctp_authors":[],"tax_ctp_categories":[165],"tax_ctp_format":[171],"tax_ctp_illustration_types":[],"tax_ctp_multimedia":[],"tax_ctp_point_editor":[],"tax_publications":[140],"tax_ctp_tags":[3422,3450,3517,3558,3689,3897,4010,4088,4089,4457,4537,4541,4586,4615,4782,4787,4877,5139,5283],"tax_ctp_topics":[],"class_list":["post-66444","sermon-illustrations","type-sermon-illustrations","status-publish","hentry","tax_publications-ct-pastors","tax_ctp_tags-anxiety","tax_ctp_tags-atheism","tax_ctp_tags-born-again","tax_ctp_tags-changing-lives","tax_ctp_tags-conversion","tax_ctp_tags-evangelism","tax_ctp_tags-forgiveness","tax_ctp_tags-grace","tax_ctp_tags-grace-of-god","tax_ctp_tags-mental-illness","tax_ctp_tags-new-birth","tax_ctp_tags-new-life","tax_ctp_tags-panic","tax_ctp_tags-peace","tax_ctp_tags-redemption","tax_ctp_tags-regeneration","tax_ctp_tags-salvation","tax_ctp_tags-testimony","tax_ctp_tags-witness"],"acf":{"scripture_references":[{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null}]},"yoast_head":"\n