When You're Afraid of What Might Happen
By Joseph Cutler
Faith does not mean you never feel fear; it means fear does not get to decide where you place your trust.
Sometimes the thing we're afraid of hasn't even happened.
But in our minds, it already has.
We imagine the phone call.
We imagine the doctor's report.
We imagine losing the job.
We imagine the relationship falling apart.
We imagine not having enough money.
We imagine something happening to someone we love.
And before we know it, we're carrying the weight of a tomorrow that hasn't even arrived.
If that's where you are today, I want to remind you of something very simple:
God is already in your tomorrow.
You don't know what's going to happen.
I don't know what's going to happen.
But God does.
And the God who will be there tomorrow is the same God who is with you right now.
Isaiah 41:10 says:
“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God…”
Notice what God gives as the answer to fear.
His presence.
“I am with thee.”
He doesn't tell us that we'll never face anything difficult.
He tells us that we will never have to face it without Him.
That's a big difference.
Sometimes we want God to remove every possibility that frightens us.
God often gives us something greater.
He gives us Himself.
Psalm 56:3 says:
“What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.”
I love the honesty of that verse.
David didn't say:
“I never get afraid.”
He said:
“When I am afraid…”
Faith doesn't mean you never feel fear.
Faith means fear doesn't get to decide where you place your trust.
You can be afraid and still say:
“God, I'm going to trust You.”
Jesus said something else that I think we need to hear:
“Take therefore no thought for the morrow…” — Matthew 6:34
Jesus wasn't telling us to be irresponsible.
He was teaching us not to carry tomorrow's troubles before tomorrow arrives.
There is enough grace for today.
And when tomorrow becomes today, there will be grace for that day too.
Maybe that's what you need to do right now.
Stop trying to live tomorrow.
Come back to today.
What has God given you enough strength to do today?
Maybe today you can pray.
Maybe today you can make the phone call.
Maybe today you can go to the appointment.
Maybe today you can take the next step.
Maybe today you simply need to breathe, open your Bible, and remind yourself:
God is with me.
You don't have to solve next month today.
You don't have to know how everything is going to work out.
You don't even have to understand what God is doing.
You can trust Him one day at a time.
Jesus told His disciples:
“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you…” — John 14:27
The peace Jesus gives isn't dependent upon knowing the future.
It's dependent upon knowing Him.
So when fear starts telling you everything that might happen, answer fear with something you already know:
God is with me.
God will help me.
God will strengthen me.
God will not abandon me.
And whatever tomorrow brings, I will not face it alone.
God's Word When You're Afraid
God tells His people not to fear because He is with them, strengthens them, helps them, and upholds them.
When fear comes, we can deliberately place our trust in God.
Jesus teaches us not to let anxiety about tomorrow control today.
Jesus gives His followers a peace different from what the world gives.
We can bring our anxieties to God through prayer, and His peace guards our hearts and minds.
God's presence gives us confidence because He will not leave or forsake His people.
What I Want You to Remember
You don't need tomorrow's answers today. You need today's grace and the assurance that God is with you.
Fear asks:
“What if?”
Faith answers:
“Even if, God will still be with me.”
Make It Personal
Today I refuse to carry tomorrow before it gets here.
I may not know what's going to happen, but God does.
When I feel afraid, I will choose to trust Him.
I will bring my fears to God instead of allowing them to live unchecked in my mind.
God is with me today.
God will be with me tomorrow.
And I do not have to face the future alone.
Let's Pray
Father, You know what I'm afraid of.
You know the thoughts that keep going through my mind and the things I am worried might happen.
Today I give those fears to You.
Help me stop trying to live tomorrow before it arrives.
Give me the grace I need for today.
When my mind begins imagining the worst, remind me that You are with me.
Give me wisdom for the things I need to do and peace about the things I cannot control.
Help me trust You even when I don't know what is going to happen.
Thank You for promising to be with me.
I place my tomorrow in Your hands.
In Jesus' name, Amen.
My Response
What are you afraid might happen?
Write it down honestly.
Then ask yourself:
Has this actually happened, or am I carrying something that might happen?
Now write:
“God, this is what I'm afraid of, and today I place it in Your hands.”
Add your response to My Devotional Journal.
My Final Thought
Fear likes to take you somewhere God hasn't asked you to go yet.
Tomorrow.
Next week.
Next month.
Next year.
It shows you everything that could go wrong and then asks you to carry all of it today.
You don't have to.
Come back to today.
God is here.
And when tomorrow gets here, God will already be there.
So take the next step.
Say the prayer.
Make the call.
Go to the appointment.
Do what you know to do today.
And leave tomorrow where it belongs:
in the hands of God.
Related thoughts
God is infinitely greater than our finite comprehension, and embracing this mystery invites us into a dynamic, ever-unfolding relationship with Him rather than a static understanding.
Life has seasons of 'red, yellow, and green lights' that are part of a greater, purposeful rhythm. Finding peace means trusting this rhythm and using each season constructively, especially the pauses.
