Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”
NL Daily Devotion for Wednesday, February 1, 2023
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
I have an anxiety disorder. That doesn’t mean I have any more things to be anxious about than anyone else. Everyone finds themselves overwhelmed at times. I don’t know a single person who has not worried about money or a health issue or the way a child is or isn’t functioning. I am in excellent company. But what an anxiety disorder does is make it nearly impossible for me to follow Jesus’ advice. “Stay in the moment. God’s got this.” I might believe that on an intellectual level, but at three in the morning when I’m wide awake with all my challenges endlessly spinning through my head, God never enters the picture.
I’m one of the lucky ones who responds well to medication—many people do not. And even so, there are times when the issues confronting me seem too much to bear.
Jesus is right there with me. Whether I can even remember his name, whether I have a shred of trust that I can get through this, I am not alone. In ever-patient, ever-compassionate love, Jesus shares in my suffering and holds me in his arms.
Sooner or later, through sleep, medication, therapy, or other support, the anxieties die down a bit, until I can once again recognize the help I’ve been given by God. Then my faith, such as it is, is restored and I can be grateful that when I’m at my messiest and can’t see an answers, God stands ready to make today’s answers clear.
Today’s trouble is more than enough for today. Thank you God for helping me trust that you’ve got tomorrow’s trouble well in hand.
What things are the hardest for me to turn over to God?