Stop Worry In Its Tracks

Read Psalm 9 here.

Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.

Never. That’s a mighty long time. I’ve often said to my children, “Never is a strong word. Do you really mean that?”

Yet here the word is. Does David, the writer, really mean that? If this is true, then we have more reason than we could have ever hoped for to believe that everything will be ok. No matter what we are going through, if we trust in the Lord, he will NEVER forsake us.

Doesn’t that take such a load off our minds? We can get weighed down so heavily. We worry and are anxious about so many things. In fact, there’s an epidemic of worry and anxiety these days. Mental Health America studies show that 1 in 5 Americans will have a diagnosable mental health condition in any given year and that anxiety disorder are the most commonly diagnosed. Furthermore, 46% will meet that criteria at some point in their life, and 50% of those people will develop conditions before age 14.

I am one of those statistics. I struggle with worry and anxiety. I have learned that I don’t have to worry so much because God is with me and won’t forsake me or leave me alone.

I have learned to lean into God and his promises when I begin to worry. I go to him as soon as I catch myself feeling anxious. I remind myself through Bible verses like this one to trust him. To trust that he hasn’t and won’t forsake me.

I’ve also learned that a way to practically infuse this into my worry and bust it apart is to recount who God is. I specifically remind myself of who he is. He is my Refuge, Strength, Helper, Creator, Sustainer, Redeemer, Rock, Healer, Salvation, and on and on.

Is it easy? No, it takes lots of practice to catch myself when I feel the worry coming on and to consciously pull those verses and names of God to my mind to meditate on.

It’s gives such relief and peace to know that God will NEVER ever forsake us if we are a seeker of him and trust him.

Act and Ask:

Thank God today that he is with you. Consciously recount, speak, and or write down how you know God. Memorize this verse. Have it ready to recite to combat worry and anxiety the next time it tries to invade your mind.