God is not distant in the midst of what we are facing.

We say statements like this, but

do we really believe them? It’s scary when the facts in front of us seem to all point to
outcomes we’ve truly believed God would prevent. So what do we do when worry
seems to be the loudest voice in our minds?

We remember who God is.

We do not trust an absent God.

We do not follow a faithless God.

We do not serve a senseless God.

We serve a God who knows exactly what you are facing today and is not caught
off guard by your circumstances. Worship isn’t just about singing … it’s about
remembering. In the midst of it all, we want to offer you some practical ways
to remember who God is and help you stay connected to the Truth
found only in His Word.

From Worry to Worship is a seven-day devotional that will help you:

Find peace when you are tempted to panic.
Fight fear when it’s pulling your heart into worst case scenarios.
Practice trusting God in the midst of uncertain circumstances.
Finding Peace When We're
Tempted to Panic Lysa TerKeurst
“When Daniel knew that the document had been And do you know what he chose to pray?
signed, he went to his house where he had windows
“God, save me!”
in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He
got down on his knees three times a day and “God, it’s not fair!”
prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had “God, this is too much!”
done previously.”
Daniel 6:10 (ESV) “God, smite my enemies and wipe them out!”
No. None of the above.
Nothing can throw me into a pit quite like
circumstances I can’t control. It’s that place Daniel 6:10b tells us Daniel spoke prayers of
where anxiety threatens to swallow me whole as gratitude. “He got down on his knees three times
my mind races through all of the fear-inducing a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God,
what-ifs and unknowns. as he had done previously.”
Since Daniel’s response is so opposite of the
That’s why I’m so thankful for the example set way most of us would react, it makes me stop
by Daniel in Scripture. Daniel 6:1-15 gives us and ponder. And what I discover are three
such a clear picture of what we can do when all powerful truths I want to both remember and
that feels safe and secure in our lives begins to live out.
come under attack.

In Daniel 6:10, Daniel has just learned that 1) Thankfulness must

anyone caught praying to someone besides
King Darius will be thrown into the lions’ den. become a habit.
Can you imagine the level of fear this edict
could have stirred up in Daniel? He easily could Our initial responses are usually a
have found himself in a pit of despair before he by-product of the rituals we’ve established in
ever came close to that pit full of lions. But our life. Since gratitude-filled prayers were
Daniel’s reaction is amazing. Daniel’s reaction, that tells me gratitude and
trust in God were front and center in Daniel's
Daniel goes home, throws his windows open heart. Daniel was able to give thanks, even in
and prays anyway. I wonder if I could have been the midst of uncontrollable circumstances,
so brave? because it was a habit he’d already formed in
his life.
2) Fighting fear begins 3) We can’t always fix
the moment we start our circumstances, but
giving thanks. we can fix our eyes on
Being a thankful person seemed to help Daniel God.
combat fear. Never once does the story
mention Daniel trying to hide. He didn’t set Daniel’s posture during prayer is revealing.
about trying to control or manipulate his First, we see Daniel was praying toward
situation. He simply threw his windows open Jerusalem — a posture based on King
and prayed where anyone and everyone Solomon’s words in 1 Kings 8:35-51 during the
could see. temple dedication. Daniel knew where his help
and his hope came from — it came from God,
This wasn’t Daniel living in denial of his and God alone.
circumstances. This was Daniel turning to God
in the midst of his circumstances. Daniel’s deep level of trust is also revealed
in that he was kneeling as he prayed.
Prostration is a sign of both self-awareness and
God-awareness. (1 Kings 8:54; Ezra 9:5; Luke
22:41; Acts 7:60) It’s an act of deep humility.
We may not always be kneeling when we pray,
but we can always choose the posture of
Daniel’s heart.

Let’s ask the Lord to help us humbly and

gratefully fix our eyes on Him instead of
fixating on our problems today. And let’s allow
Daniel’s life to be proof to our hearts that the
words of Isaiah 26:3 are indeed true: God is
able to keep in perfect peace those whose
minds are fixed on Him, because they trust
in Him.
Freeing My Heart From the
Prison of Worry Shirley Desmond Jackson
“But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, Any one of these situations would have
where moths and vermin do not destroy, and caused angst, but the combination
where thieves do not break in and steal. For threatened to completely crush me. My
where your treasure is, there your heart will be heavy heart struggled to find peace as my
also.” Matthew 6:20-21 (NIV) thoughts exploded in a thousand different
directions. Unanswerable questions of “What
Sighing, I peered at the clock. Even before if …” flooded my consciousness.
my alarm announced the day, an
all-too-familiar sense of impending doom What do we do when the world shatters
enveloped my spirit. Not ready to begin my around us, making us feel powerless and
morning, yet unable to fall back asleep, I without hope? How can we restore peace to
wearily pulled myself out of bed. our hearts?

Jesus teaches us we need to focus:

Focus, I reminded
myself. Remember “But store up for yourselves treasures in
heaven, where moths and vermin do not
to focus. destroy, and where thieves do not break in
and steal. For where your treasure is,
My battle with anxiety began as a young child. there your heart will be also.”
Whenever I fear failure, or my life begins to Matthew 6:20-21
spin out of control, stress steals my peace and
kills my joy. Worry loves to take my heart
hostage.

On this particular morning, three equally

distressing events set the stage for anxiety to
capture my heart and create chaos:

An aging parent’s health began to fail.

An adult child made a painful choice.
A work environment suddenly turned hostile.
In this passage, Jesus uses the word
“treasure” figuratively. Translated as a
A light to pierce
storehouse of riches, it includes the my darkness.
treasured thoughts we store up in our
(JO HN 8 :1 2)
hearts and minds. Jesus promises our
hearts will follow wherever we put our
treasure.
A shepherd to
This means I can determine the condition
of my heart simply by choosing where I
guide my path.
store my treasure. It really does come (JO HN 10:1 4 )
down to focus.

The Apostle Paul mirrored this message A partner to lighten

when he reminded us to “[fix] our eyes on
Jesus” (Hebrews 12:2). In order to fix our my load.
eyes on Jesus, we must turn them away (MAT THEW 1 1 :29-30)
from everything else. So when anxiety
presses in and fills my heart with wild, As I focused on Jesus that morning, my
unsettling thoughts, I have a choice. heart finally found its place, nestled in
Where will I place my treasure? Jesus, my treasure. Finally ready to face
my day, I stepped out, not with dread, but
If I focus on uncertainty and allow my determination.
thoughts to run rampant, my heart will
remain worry’s prisoner. But I have With Jesus as my treasure, anxiety no
another option. I can focus on Jesus. longer holds my heart captive.

Fixing my eyes on Jesus will not cure my

mother, shield my child from the
consequences of a bad decision, or
restore harmony to my workplace. But
when I dive into my treasury of Jesus, I
find these precious gems:
How to Fight Back When
Fear Wages War Kaitlin Garrison
"And let the peace of Christ rule in your
hearts, to which indeed you were called in
1. "Let the peace of Christ rule …"
one body. And be thankful. Let the word of
The Greek word used for rule is brabeuō, meaning "to be an
Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and
umpire." Umpires always have the last word. When we let
admonishing one another in all wisdom."
the peace of Christ be the "umpire" in our hearts, we cling to
Colossians 3:15-16a (ESV)
Gospel truths that bring us peace and eject the lies. For me,
this looks like carrying around a "battle book" filled with
The battle began the moment I opened my
verses that target anxiety. Reading these verses out loud
eyes. Morning after morning, feelings of
puts both fear and God in their rightful place.
dread and anxiety invaded my mind. I was
in the thick of my first year of teaching
and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't 2. "And be thankful …"
find relief from anxiety.
Recently, scientists have released research showing the
I kept reminding myself: Fear is a liar. But impact thankfulness has on diminishing stress and worry.
its response was so loud: Things will always When we are in a state of anxiety, we see all the places we
be this way; you will always feel this way. are lacking. However, when we thank God for even the
Day after day, I was the victim of a battle I smallest things, we acknowledge the abundance in our story.
couldn't see and felt powerless to win. It is harder for anxiety to cloud our vision when we are
frequently acknowledging the provision of God throughout
New seasons of life can fuel anxiety our day.
because we're unsure of the unknown and
feel incompetent in navigating new waters.
Any kind of change tends to challenge our 3. "Admonishing each other in all
comfort zone and cause us to question wisdom …"
who we are and what we're capable of.
Thankfully, in his letter to the church at God has graciously given us the body of believers who
Colossae, Paul gives us a three-step battle possess different strengths and gifts. During those
plan that reminds us of our identity in fear-ridden mornings, I would call or text a friend, and they
Christ and can help us fight fear, especially would pray for me, encourage me, or send me a word of
in the midst of uncharted waters: wisdom that carried me through my day. It's a beautiful
thing to invite your tribe into your struggle and watch God
"And let the peace of Christ rule in your fight for you through them.
hearts, to which indeed you were called in
one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Friend, the Lord has equipped us to fight fear through His
Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and Word, the body of believers and through the power of
admonishing one another in all wisdom" Christ in us. Though anxiety may wage war for control of our
(Colossians 3:15-16). minds, we can call on the name of the Prince of Peace who
silences every fear.
Keeping Our Minds in
Perfect Peace Sarah E. Brooks
“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is I looked over to where my daughter slept
stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” soundly in her bassinet. She smiled and
Isaiah 26:3 (ESV) sighed in her sleep. She wasn’t worried about
tomorrow. God brought to mind the
I used to be fearless. Now, I was so afraid I words I had read earlier that day in
could barely breathe. I wiped my tears with my Isaiah 26:3: “You keep him in perfect peace
sleeve and struggled to slow my ragged whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in
breathing. My heart continued racing as I you.” In that moment, I felt God whisper,
ended the call with the doctor’s office. “Do you trust Me?”
My five-month-old played happily on the floor
— completely oblivious to the situation we God didn’t promise me the surgery would be
were facing. In two weeks, I would hand her successful. He didn’t promise that all my
over to a pediatric neurosurgeon for her first problems would be solved in an instant, but He
brain surgery. A genetic defect meant that my reminded me that He is trustworthy. Even if
daughter’s life was at risk, and emergency brain my greatest fears came true, He would be with
surgery was the only solution. me every step of the way.

I felt hopeless. Peace comes not when our problems

disappear but when we choose to fix our
I felt anxious. hearts and minds on who God is. He is the
keeper of our peace. When I focus on my
The future was no longer something to look problems, I worry. When I focus on my God,
forward to but something to fear. I experience His peace and presence.
It’s a daily, minute-by-minute choice to
My mind focused on all the things that could focus my mind on Him.
go wrong. What if she suffered brain damage?
What if the surgery fails? What if I lose her? Peace comes when we learn to fix our hearts,
Each “what if” led me further down a hole of eyes and minds not our situation but on our
anxiety and fear. The more I focused on my Savior. As we learn to trust, we learn that He is
problem, the more worry wove its way into my trustworthy. A mind kept “in perfect peace”
heart. It was a fear that felt tangible. The night will be able to endure life’s storms, because she
before her surgery, I begged for God’s peace trusts the one who is in control of the waves.
and protection. I wanted Him to promise me
that everything was going to be OK.
Trusting in His Faithful Love
“But I have trusted in your faithful love; my heart
will rejoice in your deliverance.”
Psalm 13:5 (CSB)
Julie Sunne
But why can’t I trust Him without such obvious
The knot in my stomach tightened. Soon, I’d affirmation? Why do I insist on evidence of His
need to tell him. I glanced at the clock for what consistent care and presence? I want to trust
seemed to be the hundredth time. Any minute God no matter how uncertain or dire a situation
my boss would call it a day, and the opportunity appears. And then I read Psalm 13 and received
to tell him I quit would have to wait. Yet doubt fresh insight into how to have such faith. Our
crept in. Maybe I’m being hasty. Or lazy. Or key verse, Psalm 13:5, reads, “But I have trusted
worse, foolish. Maybe there’s still a way to make in your faithful love; my heart will rejoice in your
it work. deliverance.” Amazingly, King David penned this
declaration of faith only a few verses after
Quitting my part-time job at the funeral home expressing his hopelessness in his current
required days of prayer and discussion with my situation: “How long, LORD? Will you forget me
husband. We wrestled with the implications, forever? How long will you hide your face from
weighing the pros and cons. And we felt at me?” (Psalm 13:1, CSB).
peace about my decision to quit. As caregiver to
our 21-year-old daughter with intellectual From an expression of despair to a declaration
disabilities, I needed to be more available to her. of absolute certainty in his deliverance! How
So why was I hesitant to follow through? Didn’t could King David be so certain of God’s
I trust God to see us through whatever deliverance in the face of such difficult
consequences the change would bring? situations? The first half of verse 5 tells us: “But
I have trusted in your faithful love ...” (Psalm
Finally, I spun my chair to face my boss 13:5). David had seen God’s faithful love in
and blurted, “I have to quit!” While explaining action. God had been trustworthy in the past,
my reasons to a somewhat surprised yet and David remembered. And since God’s
understanding man, my phone rang. It was my character never changes, the king knew he
youngest son — he never called. I swiped up on could still trust Him.
my cell phone screen. “Hi hon, what’s up?”
We can have the faith of King David. We can
Any previous doubt about quitting quickly trust God when all seems hopeless or uncertain.
melted away as Joey explained that once again, It involves reflecting and remembering. Looking
no one had shown up to care for Rachel. I thank back on our lives and seeing God at work.
God he was home on Christmas break and Looking back and remembering His faithful
would watch his sister until my husband or I love. And as we do, we can walk confidently into
made it home. Tears slipped down my cheeks. an uncertain future, trusting in our unchanging,
God had graciously given me the confirmation I steadfast Lord.
so desired.
Crossing the Bridge Between
Suffering and Peace
“I have told you these things so that in me you may
Teresa Fritschle
have peace.” John 16:33a (CSB)

“Why?” But there weren’t any answers to my whys.

Nobody could tell me why God had called my
It’s one of the first questions we ask when we dad home when He did. And not even science
begin to speak. As children, the question helps could tell me why I had cancer, with no family
us learn about the world. It also helps us learn history or genetic markers present.
the difference between right and wrong. But at
some point, it will be a cry born out of suffering. Then one night, as I was crying out to the Lord,
1 Corinthians 13:12 whispered in response. God
The most difficult year of my life began in the reminded me that sometimes it’s enough if He
summer of 2008, when my father passed away knows why: “For now we see only a reflection as in
unexpectedly at the age of 65. We were a mirror, but then face to face. Now I know in part,
celebrating his retirement and looking forward but then I will know fully, as I am fully known”
to the adventures ahead of him and my mom. (CSB).
They had so many plans. And just like that, it
was over. Why? This took me back to John 16:33: “I have told you
these things so that in me you may have peace. You
A brief eight months later, I was diagnosed with will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I
breast cancer at the age of 41. Again, why? have conquered the world.”

During that year of loss and sickness, I wrestled Jesus tells us we will experience suffering. But
with God a lot. I literally screamed the question first, He promises us peace in Him. As I realized
into heaven. “WHY, LORD?” God was asking me to hand my why’s over to
Him, to trust Him with them, I found the bridge
Here’s the thing — my head knows this is a between my sufferings and Christ’s promised
fallen world. The sin born in the Garden of Eden peace.
brought death and sickness with it. On top of
that, as much as I wish it weren’t true, I’m not God is trustworthy and faithful in all things. I
perfect. We all mess up a lot. And Jesus tells us know everything I need to know right now,
in John 16:33 we will experience suffering. because I know Him. If He wants or needs me to
There I was in the thick of it. And I thought if I know more, I will. But when there is no answer
only knew why, I would feel so much better. If I to why, I need to stop and ask “who?” instead.
knew why, it would all make sense, and I would That question always has an answer: God. And
have some peace. He is good.
When the Weight of Anxiety
Won't Lift Sarah Marr If the God of the universe can create the birds to
“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky glide through the air in a choreographed dance, I
above proclaims his handiwork.” can trust that the God of the universe is
Psalm 19:1 (ESV) choreographing a dance with my life.

The air was beginning to turn brisk, leaves hinting I pulled into the junior high parking lot a little bit
of orange, yellow and red. I drove my routine lighter in my heart. My problems were not
route to the carpool line. My shoulders throbbed untangled. I still had pending questions. I still
from the tension of toting anxiety around like a wondered how God would come through. But the
weighty blanket. It had been a distressing season, tension of my anxiety broke for the afternoon as I
perhaps the most exhausting of my life. I couldn’t pondered the Master Choreographer’s handiwork
seem to unburden my heart from anxiety and in creation and handiwork in my own life.
worry over one of my children. Doctor’s visits,
unanswered questions, Googling for answers, Perhaps you are under anxiety’s weight today too.
whispering prayers for guidance, and wondering if Maybe you’re praying for answers, but the
we would find the help we needed preoccupied answers don’t seem to be coming. Maybe you’re
my mind most days. Every car ride where I was feeling hopeless for help and desperate for the
solo for a few minutes became a desperate prayer anxiety and stress to lift. You’ve tried to shake the
for God’s help and healing. tension off by simply blocking the anxiety out of
your mind, or you’ve tried searching the
I reached a standstill at the stoplight to prepare to internet for answers. Maybe you’ve run out
turn right. A cluster of blackbirds caught my eye of prayers to pray, or you’ve lost hope
as they danced in unison right, left, up and down. for a breakthrough.
As if they had rehearsed this dance oodles of
times, they lined themselves up perfectly side by When the weight of anxiety won’t lift, let the One
side and in one swift, fluid swoosh descended who choreographed creation into place lift your
from the air and onto the power line. I glanced up head. Look up and out and all around you and
in awe as they perched on the power line side by consider the artistry of God’s creation. Notice
side, a line of 20 or so of them, catching a breath the intricate handiwork of your Creator and allow
before their next choreographed flight. the wonder of His care in creation to settle your
anxiety. God is choreographing a miraculous
A flicker of hope stirred in my heart as I turned dance with your life, and you can trust Him to
right and remembered Psalm 19:1: “The heavens orchestrate every detail. You can let go of striving
declare the glory of God, and the sky above to figure out your next step and trust the One
proclaims his handiwork.” who wants to lead your life. Your heart can be free
from the burden of anxiety as you trust God with
the dance of your life.