We have all been there. We have all experienced times when our minds wouldn’t shut up. Those seasons are when we can’t get to sleep or stay asleep because of our worries—problems we can’t quite solve, issues and conflicts that are out of our control and impact us like a sledgehammer. And, as the old saying goes, when it rains it pours. Those worries seem to multiply and push out everything else. Almost everything.
The Psalmist writes, “When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your comfort delights my soul.” (Psalm 94:19, NASB 2020) There is one sure thing that our anxious thoughts cannot overwhelm: God’s comfort, promise, and hope.
God’s comfort touches us in many ways. He reminds us that in those moments, we are His. “Know that the Lord Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.” (Psalm 100:3, NASB 2020) It is a comfort to know we have a good shepherd.
Nothing in our worries is a surprise to Him. He knows the valleys we must walk and promises to be with us. “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4, NASB 2020) His promise to be with us is sure.
God knows the road yet in front of us. He is our beginning and our ending. “Let’s run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking only at Jesus, the originator and perfecter of the faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1b–2, NASB 2020) Our hope is in him for today and for eternity.
I’ve been there, friend. I’ve been driven from sleep by my anxious thoughts that wouldn’t let me go. I’ve prayed, prayed again, and prayed some more for answers to those thorny issues. God didn’t instantly lift me from the valley. I had to walk the rocky path to the end. But He was with me every step of the way. His Word became ever more precious, “Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:105, NASB 2020) His comfort was unmistakable, His guidance was undeniable, and His love was unshakable. Turn your eyes toward Jesus. He is there with you on your rocky path. Let Him comfort you.
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