VERSE:
Lamentations 3:21-23 — “But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
THOUGHTS:
Last night, for the first time in a long time, I battled an old foe of mine – anxiety about falling asleep. Maybe I drank coffee at small group and that was a bad idea. Maybe I have too much on my mind that I need to get done today. Maybe going away this weekend AND NEXT has me stressed about getting all my stuff done for church. Whatever the reasons, I began to slip towards not having control of my anxious thoughts – and thus not sleeping.
I used my strategies to cope and an hour or so later I was able to fall asleep. So now it is today – and I face the inevitable Second Battle. Here’s a highlight reel:
“Tonight’s going to be worse.”
“You aren’t as far along as you thought you were.”
“You’ll never be free of this.”
Not to mention the small surges of anxiety that spike through my system now and again, unbidden and certainly unwanted.
So it’s time to reach out, and not in. I will ask for prayer. I will talk about it. I will not isolate and feel bad about myself. I will not listen to the thoughts about being a failure, being stuck, or regressing. And I will go to God.
See, the Second Battle is just as important as the Battle last night. And this beautiful poetic piece of Scripture from Lamentations is a good one to hold onto today. “His mercies never come to an end, they are new every morning.” God knows what I need this morning. And his mercy is here for me. His mercy is here to combat my fears, to combat the lies, to combat the discouragement, and to combat the hopelessness.
If you are in a similar place this morning, you are not alone 🙂 Take time to meditate on God’s mercy that he created, just for you, just for today. This isn’t left over mercy – no – he knew where you’d be (where I’d be) right now, today. And he is offering fresh, brand new mercy, tailor made for the situation you find yourself in.
Go out there and tackle that Second Battle with God’s mercy filling your heart.
PRAYER:
God I pray that you would not allow me to isolate when I feel that I’ve taken a step back in my journey through anxiety and fear. Help me not to give up and become discouraged. I pray for your new mercy to flood my heart today. Right now. Thank you Jesus.
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