Our minds can move in many different directions every moment of the day. This makes it hard to keep our minds fixed on what the Word of God teaches (2 Peter 1:3-4). We say that the Word of God is our anchor, but many people are still fearful, stressed, or feeling insecure about the times we are living in.
As I sit in my home writing this pastor’s corner, I know our family is in constant prayer for our nephew, the son of my brother and his wife, who has been struggling with cancer for three years, constantly in and out of the hospital. We have seen him hooked up to numerous machines, weight loss, great reports, and not-so-good reports test after test. Many people have struggled in the same manner; many among us have lost loved ones, and several struggle every day to release their children to school, not sure they will make it back home safely.
Some believers even struggle as to whether or not the Lord is listening even though they would quickly admit He knows everything and makes intercession for us every moment of every day (Romans 8:26, 28; Hebrews 8:1-2). David felt the same way when he was experiencing much turmoil, danger, and anxiety, but David made a willful decision to believe God in this manner; “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them…; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. Fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing.” (Psalm 34:7-9; NIV)
Our overwhelming, persistent troubling experiences can create all kinds of fears. Joshua felt the same way when he had to fill some of the big shoes of Moses and take on the big city of Jericho with large giants in the land. The Lord remedies Joshua’s fears by instructing him to; “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:7-10; NIV) Trusting the Lord’s Word guides us to understand; “My mind and my body may grow weak, but God is my strength; He is all I need.” (Psalm 73:26; 23)
Satan’s greatest victory is when He can rattle our lives so much, he is able to keep our minds away from God’s Word and the Lord’s church. (Ephesians 4:11-16)
Allow the Lord to be your Shepherd (Psalm 23).