Letting go

Psalm 121 is my go to Bible verse in the midst of anxiety and stressful moments.

¹ I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?
² My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

³ He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
⁴ indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵ The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
⁶ the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

⁷ The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
⁸ the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.

My pastor in Williamsburg introduced me to this passage in April of 2008. In the midst of difficult times, I cling to these words to find both peace and reassurance that everything is ok. God's got it :) Psalm 121 is the basis for a couple of Christian songs (including "I Will Praise You in this Storm"- my favorite!) that I've been known to blare on the radio. While Psalm 121 happens to be my personal favorite, the Bible is full of comforting words- Psalm 23:4 I will fear no evil, Isaiah 41:13 I will help you, Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and courageous, Psalm 27:1 Of Whom shall I be afraid?, Hebrews 13:6 We Say With Confidence.

With the arrival of Lent, I always look forward to giving something up or taking something on in an effort to draw nearer to the Lord. This year I will be making a conscious effort to give up anxiety, casting aside worries and uncomfortable feelings of the unknown. For someone with type-A tendencies, I usually feel anxious when I don't have control over things. But as I've grown and matured, I have quickly come to realize that with life comes a plethora of unknowns. So over the next 40 days, I look forward to embracing this challenge of letting go, giving up control over my anxiety. Just the thought is comfort alone....