“This I know, that God is for me.
In God, whose word I praise,
in the Lord, whose word I praise,
In God, I trust; I am not afraid.
What can a mere mortal do to me?

My vows to you I must perform, O God;
I will render thank-offerings to you.
For you have delivered my soul from death,
and my feet from falling,
so that I may walk before God
in the light of life.”
(Psalm 56:9b-13)

I write these daily reflections as much for me as I do for you. These days are tough. With all that keeps happening this year, we can’t help but wonder what else can go wrong.

It is easy to lose sight of God’s goodness in the midst of the chaos of our world. That’s why it’s so important to spend time in God’s word to be reminded of God’s promises for us. We are not alone in this world. We are not left to our own wits and abilities to make our way through this world.

I love verses like this because it reminds us that we have nothing to fear in this world because God is with us and is for us.

This does not mean we do not go through difficult times. It’s that we are never alone through our difficult times. God has already delivered us from death and our feet from falling so that we might walk before God in the light of life.

Why? We can live life without fear not because we will not die a physical death, but because death can no longer defeat us. Christ has defeated death.

Take courage. Remember all that God has already done for us in Jesus Christ.

This day, take a moment to write down at least ten things that God has already done for you.

“This I know, that God is for me. In God, I trust; I am not afraid. What can mere mortal do to me?”

“I keep my eyes always on the LORD,
with him at my right hand,
I will not be shaken”
– (Psalm 16:8)

“So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came towards Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’ Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him” (Matthew 14:29-31)

Strong wind….Fear….Shaking….Sinking….

Ever have those feelings?

Life can do that to us sometimes.

Thank God, life is not always that way. Thank God we have our good days and good seasons too!

But when life gets hard, when the storms hit….hmmm….life is unbearable.

But you see, we were never meant to bear the unbearableness of life alone. We will never make it alone. Peter walked on water!!! Just picture that. But he began sinking when he took his eyes off Jesus and focused on the storm. That’s what happens to us too, when we lose sight of Jesus.

That’s why the psalmist reminds us to keep our eyes on Jesus and we will not be shaken.

You are not alone. You are never alone. God is with you at your right hand. With God, you will not be shaken.

“Do not worry 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 4:6-7)

“Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

Pay careful attention to those words: “anything” and “everything.”

Anything – do not worry about ANYTHING.

• But what about all the smoke in the air the fires? – Nope
• What about the covid-19 global pandemic? – Nope
• What about my kids? – Nope
• What about the elections? – Nope
• What about the racial unrest? – Nope
• What about the Mariners? – hmmm…..Nope

Why? Because we can lift up EVERYTHING to God in prayer.

• The smoke in the air and the fires? – Yup
• Covid-19 global pandemic? – Yup
• Kids? – Yup
• The upcoming elections? – Yup
• The racial unrest? – Yup
• The Mariners? – Yeah. Even the Mariners

When we cease worrying about ANYTHING because we lift up EVERYTHING to God in supplication and thanksgiving as a prayer, God promises to give us his peace that surpasses all understanding.

ANYTHING. EVERYTHING.

Makes all the difference in the world.