34 “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. 35 For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. 36 Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”
31 “So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
23 Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. 24 Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25 The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We're going to drown!” 26 He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. 27 The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
17 “Be on your guard against men; they will hand you over to the local councils and flog you in their synagogues. 18 On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. 19 But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, 20 for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.”
5 For when we came into Macedonia, this body of ours had no rest, but we were harassed at every turn--conflicts on the outside, fears within. 6 But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, 7 and not only by his coming but also by the comfort you had given him. He told us about your longing for me, your deep sorrow, your ardent concern for me, so that my joy was greater than ever.
16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. 17 In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
21 “See, the LORD your God has given you the land. Go up and take possession of it as the LORD, the God of your fathers, told you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
29 Then I said to you, “Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them. 30 The LORD your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, 31 and in the desert. There you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place.”
5 Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and 6 my God.
“If I allow my concern about the future to cripple me in the present, I am guilty of worry.” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
“‘Don’t be afraid, just believe.’ (Mark 5:36) But if you ever are afraid, simply look up and say, ‘When I am afraid I will trust in You.’ Then you will be able to thank God for His school of sorrow that became for you the school of faith.” A. B. Simpson
“God in wisdom conceals the comforts He intends to give you at the various stages of your life, so that He may encourage your heart to full dependence upon His faithful promises now. Thus, to try the metal of Abraham’s faith, He let him go on, until his hand was stretched forth to slay Isaac, and then He came to his rescue. Christ sent His disciples to sea, but stayed behind Himself, with the design to test their faith, and show His love. Comfort yourself with this: though you do not see God in the way, yet you will find Him in the end.” William Gurnall
“Every day we have to decide which verse we’ll live by, Genesis 42:36B: “Everything is against me!’ or Romans 8:28: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Disappointments and disasters will come, but we have to choose our response – either all these things are against me, or all these things are working together for those who love God.” Robert J. Morgan
“God will never fail the eyes of them that look up to Him. His people will never be ashamed to put their hope in Him. His Name is a strong and mighty tower. Cast your care upon Him and He will sustain you. He will never let the righteous fall.” BHY
“Your anxiety decreases as your understanding of your Father increases.” Max Lucado
“Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, but only empties today of its strength.” Charles Spurgeon
“Anxiety comes from strain, and strain is caused by too complete a dependence on ourselves.” Thomas Merton
“Even faithful people will go through the wilderness, even faithful people will have to surrender the most precious things. Yet because of the Lord’s great love, we are not consumed. We are not consumed by our circumstances. We are not consumed by rejection. We are not consumed by cancer or divorce or infertility or trauma or abuse or anxiety or fear or even death. Because of His great love, we are not consumed. We open our hands. We offer him the entire portion of Hard. Every last bit of it. Our anger, too? Yes, even our anger. We say, ‘Here it is. All of it. It’s a horrible mess. I cannot do anything here that will make this better. So I’m opening up my hands and I’m giving you the whole tangle.’ And then we do it again. And again. And again. A few times every hour, if needed. After all, His mercies are new, His compassions never fail. We choose to open our hands when what we’d rather do is clamp shut, protect, defend. We offer instead of hide. This is the only way I know to make the journey. You are held. It is all held. You are not lost. You are not broken. You are not disqualified. You are not sidelined. You are not silenced. You are not swallowed whole. You are held. Benevolently. Faithfully. Held. There is always a hand reaching toward you. There is always grace available. And there is always a chance to begin again.” Leeana Tankersley