“Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?”
Matthew 6:27 NLT
Everything seemed so bright. We had a wonderful life, complete with happy kids, good salaries, and a hopeful future. But with one crisis after another, that life faded away, leaving behind a pile of debt, unemployment, arguments, and so much anxiety.
What happened to my life, God? Did we do something wrong? Tell me what kind of magic-button prayer will get us out of this mess!
I cried every day. I begged God to rescue us from the land of uncertainty and give us back our old life. I coped with the only strategy I knew: worrying. I thought I could protect myself from more pain if I imagined all the worst-case scenarios in advance: What if we can’t pay this month’s bills or the medical test? What if we need a new transmission? What if our life never gets better? However, obsessing over my “what if” worries didn’t make me feel better. Instead, I felt worse!
Maybe you’re like me, faced with an uncertain season of life and stuck in the middle of hardship or heartache. Jesus understands. Jesus knew one day His closest friends would be fearful of the future and worries would overwhelm their hearts and minds. So, before His death, He made this promise: “I am leaving you with a gift — peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid” (John 14:27 NLT).
The peace Jesus gives provides supernatural calm in the midst of chaos and hardship. It’s the kind of peace we absolutely need when we’re not sure what will happen next.
It took a few years of stressed-out days and sleepless nights for me to learn to surrender my worrying ways in favor of Jesus’s peace. Though our difficult season continued, God was faithful to remind me of His promised peace.
We can rest assured that God’s promise doesn’t have an expiration date. It never runs empty. And when our “what if” worries try to steal our calm, we are only a prayer away from unshakable faith and receiving shalom from the Prince of Peace.
by Barb Roose, as published in 100 Days of Strength in Any Struggle
Pray with us.
On the first Sunday of every month, we make space to intentionally pray for one another. Do you feel like Barb today, asking, What happened to my life, God? Are you in desperate need of the peace Jesus promises? Share your heart in the comments, then pause to pray for another sister.
Together we will encounter the Prince of Peace.
Leave a Comment
Reader Interactions
No Comments
We'd love to hear your thoughts. Be the first to leave a comment.