By Nicholas Hemming

When you fear the future, the struggle often feels all-consuming. “What ifs” seem to run wild in your mind. You strive to focus on the task at hand—but without fail, you surrender to a fear that feels insurmountable. What does tomorrow hold? What if the future feels hopeless?

While submitting your latest rent payment, you may fear living paycheck to paycheck for the rest of your life. As you prepare for another move, you may fear loneliness or isolation. After an unsuccessful dating relationship, you may fear life as a single person, without a spouse to love and cherish.

Regardless of the circumstance, it seems impossible to move away from this fear. The future makes you freeze; thoughts of tomorrow, and the next day, unearth unmanageable anxiety. You want to have a hopeful, confident outlook, though at this point, you only feel grief and uncertainty. You wonder if your anxiety about the future will ever pass.

In these moments, turn to God’s Word for encouragement, comfort and hope. Depend on the Lord as you wrestle with anxiety about the future. And continually seek him through prayer as you work to overcome your fear. These five Psalms will get you started:

Psalm 23:4 (GNTD)
Even if I go through the deepest darkness,
I will not be afraid, Lord,
for you are with me.
Your shepherd’s rod and staff protect me.

Psalm 34:4 (GNTD)
I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me;
he freed me from all my fears.

Psalm 55:22 (GNTD)
Leave your troubles with the Lord,
and he will defend you;
he never lets honest people be defeated.

Psalm 94:19 (GNTD)
Whenever I am anxious and worried,
you comfort me and make me glad.

Psalm 121:1-2 (GNTD)
I look to the mountains;
where will my help come from?
My help will come from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.

Nicholas Hemming serves as a Content Specialist with American Bible Society. As a child of Southern New Hampshire, he grew up exploring hidden towns along the rocky New England coast. Though he now resides in Philadelphia, PA, he continues to curiously explore his home—and the towns, cities and countries that lay beyond his home.

Our world is filled with events and situations that can cause great fear and anxiety. It’s easy to become overwhelmed and live imprisoned by fear.  We are promised in God’s Word that he is faithful and will protect us (2 Thessalonians 3:3).  God wants us to let go of fear and to live life to the fullest! (John 10:10) My family is in the path of Hurricane Nate, so I offer this prayer for safety.

Lord, I pray Your emotional, physical, and spiritual protection over my family. Keep evil far from them, and help them to trust You as their refuge and strength. I pray You will guard their minds from harmful instruction, and grant them discernment to recognize truth. I pray You will make them strong and courageous in the presence of danger, recognizing that You have overcome and will set right all injustice and wrong one day. Help them to find rest in Your shadow, as they live in the spiritual shelter You provide for them. Let them know that the only safe place is in Jesus, and that their home on earth is only temporary.

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:4-7

It’s been a difficult week. I was scrolling through Facebook and came across a post with these Bible verses. It reminded me that God is with me. He will guide me through the troubled waters ahead. I just have to trust in him. I have to rejoice that he is with me always. Reading these verses brought a certain peace that I haven’t felt in a long time. This week has made things tougher, but I hope the week to come brings answers and resolutions to my problems/issues. I pray that the Lord will stand by me in this time of need.