Anxiety is not fun. It's that thing that plays the game of what-ifs. It's the thing that can affect you in many different ways. You lose hours of sleep because your mind is racing while you're trying to go to bed. Maybe your chest tightens, you feel dizzy, and start to have a panic attack. You start to avoid anything that looks like a threat.

You most likely are struggling with anxiety or know of someone that is. But why is anxiety even a thing? What is causing people to be anxious? Why is it consuming most of our lives?

I went to a bible study recently and we were talking about the things that we are stressed about. The major topic was the unknown future ahead of each of us. It's scary to not know what is ahead of you. For some of us, the unknown future triggers a lot of our anxiety.

In the midst of all this worry, we are doubting our Lord. We are doubting that He is going to provide for us. We worry about the future because our world is always changing, and we don't know if we will be able to handle all the things that life throws at us.

Let me tell you about a man named Paul. Paul was this man that did not have the best life. He persecuted Christians for the first half of his life and made a lot of bad decisions. However, he became a follower of Jesus and started teaching about Him all over the place. This was a good part of his life, but Paul had some enemies. In fact, Paul was arrested and imprisoned for a good while, and last time I checked, a prison was not the happiest place to be at. He was most likely treated like garbage in his chains.

You're probably thinking, "um why does this person amaze you? It kind of sounds like he had a bad life". Well, here's the deal. Even after all of the pain and struggle that Paul went through, He still always rejoiced in the Lord.

When we are attacked by Satan with fears of the future, remember that God is sovereign. God loves you just as much on your hard days, as He did when He sent His son to die for you.

"He is the same yesterday, today, and forever" - Hebrews 13:8

We have a whole book that has stories about people where God protected them and blessed them with the promises He had for them. Look at Sarah and Abraham. They thought they were never going to have a son and God provided. Look at Mary and Joseph. They thought they were not going to find a safe place for their son to be born, but God provided a stable and a manger. He will also provide for you.

"In everything, God works for the good of those who love him" - Romans 8:28

You can't take control of your anxiety. However, you can entrust it to God. Peace is available for us because of the presence of the Lord that we serve. In troubled times, do what Paul did and rejoice in the Lord's goodness. Remember that God is sovereign and will always provide for you.