Putting an X Through Anxiety

Even though I walk

through the darkest valley,

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff,

they comfort me.

Psalm 23:4

Deliver me from my enemies, O God;

be my fortress against those who are attacking me.

Psalm 59:1

I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart;

    I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.

I will be glad and rejoice in you;

    I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.

Psalm 9:1-2

The problem for those who battle anxiety is there isn’t a physical weapon big enough to defend us from every fear we face in life. But, thankfully, we have a Shepherd who has pledged to defend us.

Every shepherd in the time of David had a rod, a formidable staff carved out of the center of the lower part of a tree trunk. With that rod the shepherd could fight off the lion, the cougar, the wolf, or the bear. With the staff it would guide the sheep, but with the rod it would pulverize anything that tried to snatch one away.

To put an “X” through your anxiety you are going to have to see Jesus as your defender. So often when we feel under attack, vulnerable or stressed we look for someone who will take up our cause no matter what. Someone, as we say, who has our back!

Some time ago when I was coming through a challenging season I traveled to speak at a conference in another country. Before the session started a large group of leaders and conference organizers gathered for prayer in an upstairs room behind the stage.

Afterward, a woman approached me with a word of encouragement. I had never met her before and she knew nothing about my personal life. But her words shot through me that night. She said, “I just wanted to encourage you…I sense someone’s trying to trip you up, but God’s got your back.”

What she didn’t know was that I was spending a lot of sleepless nights trying to watch my back.

I don’t need to know your situation to pass that encouragement on to you. I don’t know for sure what you’re afraid of right now, but I want to remind you, God’s got your back.

As a child of God in Christ, God Almighty has your back.

No evil plan, attack, or fear can stand up to your Shepherd, Jesus. And even while you are sleeping, He watches over you. He doesn’t just send you into the dark valley, he leads you through it with a rod in one hand and a staff in the other.

Call out to Jesus right now and thank him for promising to protect your life. Tell Him you are depending on Him to guard your life and those you care about. Because He is with you, you can close your eyes at night and know that He is watching every side, every angle. In fact, He sees your circumstances coming before you do. He protects you in ways you don’t even realize. Jesus is for you. He loves you. And He’s got your back.