God gives me power, patience, and perseverance when I am in trouble. Paul prayed this prayer for the Colossians in Chapter 1, verse 11, and we can pray it too: “that God will strengthen you with HIs own great power so that you will be patient and not give up when troubles come.” God is all powerful and when you have Him on your side, you can’t help but be successful, regardless of the trouble that comes your way. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead, lives in us (Romans 8:11). When we are in trouble, God gives us His presence, protection, deliverance, power, patience, and perseverance. I have concluded that God has already given us everything we need to face our troubles head on and rise above them. If we can remember these truths and meditate on them often, we can walk more confidently, knowing that we can handle any trouble that comes our way with God’s power and strength.

Psalm 34: 19 NIV says “The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all.” Trouble, let’s recap: God gives me protection (Nahum 1:7), God gives me his presence (Psalm 46:1), and God gives me deliverance from all of my troubles. These are the words that I must stand on when I get overwhelmed by all of my troubles and start to count them. When He says He will deliver me from ALL of my troubles, He means ALL of them.

Psalm 34:19 does not tell me when He will deliver me, but I don’t have to know when. All I need to do is believe Him and live like I believe Him until it happens. What I know about God is that he keeps His promises. In Chris McClarney’s song, “Speak to the Mountain,” it says: “Why would I worry when giants come calling my name? My God is so much bigger than troubles I face.”

I must remind myself that the troubles I face today are only temporary. So trouble, today, I’m singing this song from my COGIC choir days: “Trouble don’t last always. No, no, no, trouble don’t last always.”

Dear Trouble:

God is always present when I am in trouble. Psalm 46:1 NIV says “God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble.” Trouble, we talked last time about how God is my refuge when you come around. This means God keeps me safe and protects me. This time, let’s talk about how God is always present with me when I’m in trouble. God’s presence is always with me in trouble and out of trouble. This means God is going to be there for me no matter how hard it gets. I believe that the more trouble I face, the more dependent on God I become and the closer I get to God.

I love the words of a song called “Into the Sea (It’s Going to Be Okay).” This song is sang by Tasha Layton. The chorus says “Though the mountains may be moved into the sea, though the ground beneath might crumble and give way, I can hear my Father singing over me-It’s going to be okay, It’s going to be okay.” The bridge says “From beginning to the end, you’re so close. You have never let me down and you won’t. In the valley, in the shadow, I know, you’re so close, you’re so close.”

I am always in the presence of God. When I really lean in and embrace His presence, I feel so much peace and joy; and all is right with the world. The presence of God is so special, beautiful, and wonderful. You may come close to me, trouble, but God is closer.

Dear Trouble:

God is my refuge when you come around. Nahum 1:7 says “The Lord is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust in him” (NLT). He is the one I run to when I see you coming to get me, to scare me, to hurt me. He is the one I pray desperate, heartfelt prayers to when I feel weak because of you and when I don’t know what to do. When Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah were faced with three armies coming to attack them, they called out to God for help. This is what they said in 2 Chronicles 20:12: “O our God, won’t you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We DO NOT know what to do, but we are looking to you for help” (NLT). God heard and answered their prayer. He did more than save them from the 3 armies; he blessed them with their enemies’ belongings. He blessed them so much, that it took them three days to collect it all (2 Chronicles 20:25 NLT). Next time you darken my door, trouble, I know who to call on to save me.

Dear Anxiety:

God gives me strength when I am powerless. In Isaiah 40: 29-31 NLT, it says ” He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” When we feel weak, we must acknowledge God and ask Him for help. We must ask Him for strength and power. He freely gives good gifts to us, and that includes strength and power. One of the reasons God is so great is because He allows us to exchange our weakness for His power and our powerlessness for His strength. In 2 Corinthians 12:9 NLT, it says “Each time he said, My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness. So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.” God’s power and strength are on full display in our weakest moments. It is in those moments, that our relationship with God grows because we acknowledge how much we need Him. It is in those moments that we experience the fullness of His power and strength. It is ok to feel weak, and it is ok to feel powerless. We are human beings, and we will have days in which it is hard for us to go on. We will have days in which we pray desperate prayers for God to just help us make it through the day. It is wonderful to know that when we are weak and powerless, we have access to God’s strength and power.

Dear Anxiety: I can go through rivers of difficulty and not drown. The Word tells me: “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you” (Isaiah 43:2 NLT). This verse says when you go through, not if you go through. Anxiety, I know that life will have ups and downs. I know that you like to come around when there is uncertainty and when it’s unclear how things will work out. You like to come around when there’s water, fire, valleys, storms, trials, and tribulations to walk through. BUT GOD is stronger than you, more powerful than you, and is able to help me not give into you when I am walking through something difficult.

There is a beautiful song by Hillsong United named “Another in the Fire.” The chorus goes like this: “There was another in the fire, Standing next to me. There was another in the waters, Holding back the seas. And should I ever need reminding, Of how I’ve been set free. There is a cross that bears the burden, Where another died for me. There is another in the fire.” I dare say, that for the believer, having deep waters and fire to walk through, is not a sign to be anxious and worried. Having deep waters and fire to walk through are a sign that we need God, and if we depend on Him, we will come out on the other side stronger than ever before.

Dear 5th grade me:

You are a masterpiece. Ephesians 2:10 NLT says “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” You love art. You love everything about it. You are starting to discover your favorite artists and your favorite masterpieces.

You need to know that you are one of God’s favorite masterpieces. You see, God is an artist, and He takes His art very seriously like all great artists do. The definition of a masterpiece is “a work done with extraordinary skill” and “a supreme intellectual or artistic achievement.” That describes you completely.

Just remember: God,your creator, tells you who you are, not Satan. So the next time he whispers in your ear and tells you that you are a mess, just remind him of what you learned today and tell him the truth: that you are a masterpiece created by God to do good works.

Dear Anxiety, I belong to God. In Isaiah 43:1b, it says “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name and you are mine.”(NLT) When I think of my personal belongings, I think about how much I want to keep them. I want to make sure they work for me. I want to take good care of them because I don’t want to lose them. So if I belong to God, it means that He wants to keep me. He keeps me from hurt, harm, and danger. He takes good care of me and doesn’t want to lose our relationship. He watches over me all the time. I matter to God so much more than I realize. He loves me so much more than I can understand. My relationship with God is eternal and secure. I will always belong to Him; He will never turn me away.

Dear Anxiety, God comforts me. “I was worried and upset, but you comforted me and made me happy” (Psalms 94:19 ERV). God is so good to me. He loves me and cares so much about me. He cares about the things that worry me and upset me. When I am worried and upset, God comforts me and makes me happy. That is priceless to me. God’s comfort and peace are worth more to me than any amount of money. I am so blessed to have God in my life. Anxiety: you can’t steal my joy; you didn’t give it to me, and you can’t take it away.

Dear Anxiety:

God is with me. Isaiah 41:10 has been my go-to verse for you, anxiety, for a very long time. Get ready: I plan to continue to stand on this Word from God. It says “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand (NLT).

This is the verse I thought of over and over on the days when I had panic attacks several times a day. This is the verse that reminds me that God will help me and make me strong enough to handle my trials and tribulations that scare me sometimes. This is the verse that has helped me through some of my worst days. You lose your power, anxiety, when I stand on and believe in God’s Word. Get ready to become weaker and weaker as the days go by because God is making me stronger and stronger as I trust in Him.