“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
100 Days of Strength in Any Struggle, will take you on a journey of learning to see God clearer and to know Him deeper in the middle of your struggles. As you experience pain, move through daily challenges, or get bogged down by anxieties big or small, you’ll learn to find Him right in the middle of it, ready to strengthen you and give you rest.
Enjoy 100 devotions divided up into 10 key themes — all designed to give you the spiritual strength you need for any struggle you face. The devotions are paired with Scripture and journaling space so you can process with God and have a written record of how He strengthens you!
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What happen to my life Jesus is you change it and changed me from my old life to a better life than the one I living before I got saved. I wouldn’t change my life in Jesus for anything. I have the most fabulous life now in Christ than I had before I got saved. Yes I will never be perfect and I will sin. But no one or anyone not saved can convince me there life is better. No way am I ever going to turn back to my old life. I am blessed Jesus is my Lord and Saviour and saw I was worth dying for and he loved me so much to do that. Plus to do that for the whole world. No greater love than that. AscI was writing this. I began to cry that Jesus loves me enough to die for me and my sins. I am not popular I wouldn’t want to be. I have very little Friends tried to make friends but no one wants to know. The friends I have two sisters that never married live 86 miles away from me. I have another one I never see because she always busy. But I still have the best Friend that is always there for me and keeps caring for me and that is Jesus. He will never leave me or forsake Me even though the world does Jesus will never forsake me or leave me. Hebrews 13:5 tells me this ” Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.” That is so lovely to know that Jesus will never leave me. Other my but Jesus no. I say Amen to that. Love Dawn Ferguson-Little Enniskillen Co.Fermanagh N.Ireland xx
Dear Barb and the (in)courage women that I love so much, First I have had that wonderful book “100 Days of Strength in any Struggle” for years and have gone through it 3 times. I must admit that I do worry too much due to the season I am experiencing now. After reading your devotion this Sunday morning, I have decided to start again and read the whole book again.Most of my worries are based on ” Will I ever be able to accept the reason why my now ex husband, 54 year old son and his wife have abandoned me and have accused me of the most awful things you can think of and they are all made up things. They are obscene, horrific and I can’t even explain what all the other things my son has called me, but the biggest worry is he and his wife have told me I can never see or talk to my 1 grandchild, who was 11 when this started and now in 2 weeks will be 15. He and I had such a close feeling for one another from the beginning, but I fear that they have turned him against me too with their lies. They have blocked off all ways of communication except the US Mail and when I send cars to my grandson, they intercept them before he gets home from school and destroy them, just rip them up without looking at them and there have been checks or money in some of them that they just ripped them up along with what was in them. Checks not cashed and money gone. There is nothing more that I can do. I have surrendered all of these worries to Jesus and for awhile I was doing better, until the next bomb dropped. My now ex-husband has a very violent type of dementia and did try to kill me and to tell my son all these things that were not true hurts so much as my son did not even ask me about them. He has dismissed me as his mother and has not talked to me in almost 5 years. There is so much more to this season, more than I could ever write, but Barb, thank you for reminding me of your wonderful book and after church today, I will begin it again. My mind just does not seem to put it away and I have and do pray every day for peace. I quote I found that was anonymous is one I try to hang on to. ” Before your feet hit the ground in the morning, think and say, Everything is working in my favor and even if I can’t see it ,something good is coming. I need to get ready for church now, but I send my prayers to you and love to you and ask if you can pray for me as well. I, ask with gratitude as I need all the help I can get. Your words today have given me hope. Please enjoy Sunday and all our church services…………Betsy Basile
Thank you, Barb! “Desperate times call for desperate measures!” Or we can choose to pray and receive peace. Our choice. But it’s a hard one sometimes. Peace on!
Barb,
About 10 years ago I was caregiving for my aging dad with dementia. His dementia turned into psych issues. We had to put him in a geriatric psych unit at local hospital. My life got a bit more scary. Wasn’t sure what to expect. There were many many days I would sit in the lobby & cry out to Jesus. Asking Him to fix the situation one way or the other. It took 1 month & a change in meds. Dad was better than before. That lasted one year. At the end of January something happened to dad. Not sure if stroke or what. I went to see him at assisted living (day before my birthday). He seemed fine at first. Suddenly his attitude & demeanor changed. He got a bit out of control. Definitely not himself. We put him back in same geriatric psych unit. Eleven days later God chose to take him home. In midst of that I sensed God & His peace. I worried a little but I knew God would handle the situation.
Blessings 🙂
THANKS for reminding us of the precious gifts given to us as we lean on the BLESSINGS of His Promises: I am leaving you with a gift…PEACE of mind & HEART. And the PEACE I give is a gift the world CANNOT give so don’t be troubled or afraid (John 14:27).
In John 16:33, Jesus told His disciples, “In this world, you WILL have trouble. But take Heart! I have overcome the World.” Jesus faced plenty of adversity, but He chose to be an overcomer. He is calling on you to overcome adversity too. With His STRENGTH, you can do it!
Romans 8:34 Promises that in this very moment, Jesus is at the right hand of God, interceding for you. Pointing you towards the One who is GOOD and KIND and FAITHFUL in every storm!!!
Thank You In-courage for reminding us of His Promises…God Bless!