“The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?”
– Psalm 27:1
We live in an anxious age. Rising numbers of people report symptoms of anxiety. We’re anxious about the past, present, and future. We’re anxious about new diseases, old hurts, environmental problems, politics, finances, terrorism, war, crime, and the list goes on and on. For people who don’t know God, that makes sense, there is truly much to be worried about.
For the people of God, those who have committed their lives to following Jesus, the Bible is clear – God doesn’t want us to be anxious and afraid. Will bad things happen in our lives? Absolutely, we live in a fallen world! There will continue to be bad things in this world and in our lives until Christ returns to make all things new. But we don’t have to be anxious about them or live in fear. Jesus came so that we would have life and have it abundantly, not anxiously!
When we are in Christ, He is in us. God is with us in all circumstances. He is with us in the storms and pain we suffer. He is with us when no one else is. He will strengthen us and guide us through rough waters. Philippians 4:6-7 teaches that as we grow in our prayer life – in our faithful commitment to God of EVERYTHING that weighs on our hearts, God gives us peace and comfort that makes no sense to the world, but makes complete sense to those who are in Christ!