We can all agree that feelings of worry, stress, fear, anxiety, and doubt are unfortunately normal and natural parts of life. There are very real reasons in our lives and in our world to feel these feelings, but thankfully there is a bigger Truth at play. There is only one way to live above worry, stress, and fear and that is by faith in God.  It is by faith in Him that we can get through the very real feelings that hard situations and challenging circumstances bring. Our God promises to be with us through everything and that is a promise that is bigger than anything in this world!

“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. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.” (Isaiah 43:2-3 NLT)

By faith, we are able to cast off worry, stress, and fear by turning away from those negative feelings and turning to our all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-loving God. When we put our trust and confidence in Him, we become free from having to bear the hard parts of life on our own shoulders. Faith allows us to give all worries and cares to Him, believing that He is capable of handling what is too much for us to bear. We are not designed to carry God-sized worries, but He is!

Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you (1 Peter 4:7 NLT) 

What a blessing that our God is willing, wanting, able, and made to carry our heavy burdens. Matthew 11:28 reads: Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light” (NLT). 

This verse is so powerful because it is calling and inviting the weary souls and the burdened hearts to come to Jesus. If we start to view moments of worry, fear, and stress as opportunities to become closer to Jesus and cling on to Him, our souls will be able to find rest and we will also grow in faith. When you feel fear, run to Jesus. When anxiety attacks, run to Him. When doubt is determined to sneak in, call out to Jesus.

It is only in Him and by faith that we are able to find true rest and real freedom.   The truth that His yoke is easy and His burden is light is such a source of comfort during our hardest moments. When we feel the burdens of this world weighing down on us, we are to immediately lay everything down at the feet of Jesus.

The lyrics of Chris Tomlin’s song, “Home”, speak to this truth so well:

Lay down my burdens, I lay down my past
I run to Jesus, no turning back
Thank God Almighty, I’ll be free at last.

Another worship song that beautifully depicts the power of faith is “He Is With Us” by Love & The Outcome. The below lyrics portray the most beautiful picture of His outstretched hand in times of fear, worry, and doubt. We don’t know what is coming and we might be heartbroken over what has come to pass, but no matter what, we can find comfort in the truth that we have Him through it all.

Remember when your hope is lost and faith is shaken,
Remember when you wonder if you’re gonna make it,
There’s a hand stretched out through your deepest doubt.
We can’t pretend to see the ending or what’s coming up ahead,
To know the story of tomorrow, But we can stay close to the One who knows.