Anxiety is a cruel taskmaster. His minions accompany him: tension, worry, panic, dread. They afflict us with wild imaginations, edginess, and sleeplessness. I found only one remedy—a change of focus that shifts our eyes from what we see to the One who is above it all.
In my book, I Was Broken, Too, I wrote a section about the importance of Holding your Eyes Higher, and referred to Israel’s fears and feelings of abandonment while in captivity. Isaiah gave them simple but sage advice: “Look up into the heavens.”
He followed this with a question, “Who created all the stars?” Then he assured them that God “brings them out like an army, one after another, calling each by its name. Because of His great power and incomparable strength, not a single one is missing” (Isa 40:26). Like the stars, God created us. He knows each of our names and has not lost or forgotten a single one of us.
Look up, my friend. Don’t focus on what you see on Earth’s level, because there is always more at play than we can see. God is sovereignly in control. He has a plan and the power and authority to execute it. As your Creator, He knows you better than you know yourself. His purposes will not be thwarted. We cannot comprehend the wonder of His intentions or the glory of His objectives.
Wars, on battlefields and in our hearts, are in His control. Answers are in place before we ask. Trust Him; your survival depends on it.
- Pray about everything and thank Him, and His peace will guard your heart and mind (Philippians 4:6-7).
- Believe Jesus’ promise to gift you with peace of mind and heart that is unlike anything the world knows. Let His words comfort you: “Don’t be troubled or afraid.” (John 14:27)
- Share Isaiah’s confidence in God and declare, “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!” (Isaiah 26:3)
Personal peace can be ours when we choose to shift our focus from here to there, from what we physically see to what we spiritually believe. I leave you with this blessing from 2 Thessalonians 3:16:
Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you His peace
at all times and in every situation.
The Lord be with you all.
Image by Jill Wellington from Pixabay
BARBARA HIGBY 