5 Things to Remember When Worry Steals Your Joy

From the time I was a little girl, I struggled with fear. Not just being afraid of the boogie man in the closet, but real crippling fear. There were many nights when I would have nightmares and be unable to sleep. My mom had the discernment to pray over me and she put a small Bible open to Psalm 23 under my pillow. I slept that way until I left for college.

I still struggle with fear from time to time and I still find comfort in the words of that Psalm. Recently I also found comfort in Isaiah 41:10:

Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. (NLT)

5 Things to Remember When Your Trials Frighten or Worry You

Psalm 23 was my anchor chapter throughout my childhood. Anytime fear would grip my heart I would go back to those verses. As I have grown in my faith I have added other verses to my go-to arsenal. Isaiah 41:10 is one of those anchors. It’s a short verse but it is full of a lot of comfort for me when fear and worry attack.

God is with you!

This verse starts off by saying don’t be afraid. And then you find out why … because God is with you. You can go through your trials without fear because you are not alone. When you are a Christian, God is always with you. He does not leave you to suffer and go through trials alone.

God is yours!

God is not some stranger to His children. He is yours! Just like your parents or closest friends. He knows you. And He invites you to know Him too. He loves you and wants to help you through your trials.

God will give you strength!

On those days when I felt like I just couldn’t even get out of bed I reminded myself of this promise. God gets to really show off who He is and what He is capable of when we are too weak to do anything. Usually for me it means that I’m not able to get in the way and mess things up.

God will help you!

I remember a time when I was going through something really hard. I felt isolated and alone. It seemed that no matter who I reached out to no one answered. I was tempted to throw in the towel and declare defeat until I remembered this promise. When it seemed like no one was willing or able to help me out I went back to the promise that God will help me. I just had to remember to ask.

God will protect and sustain you!

Here is my favorite part of this verse. God promises to keep you during the trials. I love the imagery here. God tells us that He holds us in His hands. When the storms come, picture Him cupping His hands together to cover you. He provides a shelter from the storm.

The next time you are tempted to give in to fear and worry I want you to remember these 5 promises. Your God is with you. He will keep you safe, help you, and give you the strength you need to make it through any trial. All you have to do is ask!