Anxious about What's Next!
Bible Readings
Take a few minutes to read the Bible verses listed and ask the Holy Spirit to lead you in how this verse applies to you this week.
Psalm 28:7, Psalm 46:1-2, Acts 13:22
Memory Verse
The one who chose you can be trusted, and he will do this. (CEV)
Whether you try something new, like tofu pizza, or choose something you’ve had before, like a hamburger and fries, we all love to choose from a menu and have a super friendly person bringing tasty things to eat.
Have you ever thought about how it is to be the one serving you?
Think about it: servers approach a table of strangers, introduce themselves, try to be nice, and do their job well, but they don’t know ahead of time what the customers will be like. Would you be nervous? I imagine some people would feel anxious about a job like that, because customers are not always nice to servers.
Anxiety is a nervous or tense feeling we get in situations when we don’t know how things will turn out. Everyone feels anxious at some time in their lives. For example, you might feel anxious about a doctor’s visit. Will the doctor give me a shot? That nervousness about not knowing is anxiety. It’s important to pay attention to how you are feeling and understand what makes you anxious and why. If a server has too many rude customers in one day, they may become anxious about their next shift or even about dealing with people in general. When they can recognize that feeling, pray about it, and maybe take a break, they’re more likely to be able to stop the anxiety they are feeling.
In 1 Thessalonians 5:24, we are reminded that we can trust God no matter what we're going through.
Do you think Joseph felt anxious while living in Egypt? He had been sold into slavery by people he trusted—his brothers! He was accused of a crime he didn’t commit and thrown in jail. What might happen to him next? But Joseph put his trust in God, who equipped him to serve the entire nation of Egypt, as well as the family that had sold him into slavery, during a famine. Joseph must have known that God could be trusted through all the ups and downs of his life—even through anxiety and fear.
Prayer
Lord, you are faithful when I am anxious about what’s coming next. Help me to hope in you. Thank you for giving me the faith I need to trust you. Amen.Related Resources
Gwen Veltema Klemm
Since graduating from Calvin University, Gwen Veltema Klemm has traveled the US and worked as a newspaper reporter, a technical writer for manufacturing and IT, and won a creative writing contest in 2019. She currently lives in Holland, Michigan warming her bones because winter is coming.