I tossed my backpack onto the passenger seat of my fully loaded car and began the seven-hour drive to Los Angeles. My parents waved from the garage, full of their own moving boxes—they were headed to the other side of the country. As I entered LA, one among millions, I didn’t know where I was going to live or how I was going to pay for it.
I should have been terrified. Downright panicking.
But I wasn’t. I was excited to see what God was going to do.
Why?
Because I’ve seen God work.
This move to Los Angeles was actually my third move that year. First to Los Angeles, then to the country of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and now back to Los Angeles. The first move to LA, out on my own for the first time, I comforted myself with the knowledge that if I fell on my face, all I needed was a tank of gas and I could come running back to my friend’s guest room.
But in that time, God showed me what it meant that he is “Jehovah-Jireh,” provider. I woke up anxious most days and struggled with panic attacks, but slowly, gently, God asked me to let go of my control and trust his leading. He taught me that anxiety doesn’t equal responsibility, that I can be responsible without being afraid.
Instead of trying to figure it all out on my own, he helped me to follow his lead. And as I obeyed when it was scary, he provided far beyond all I prayed for. It didn’t always look like I wanted it to. Dreams and hopes and plans had to die and change. But I have learned to trust him.
What he asks each of us to do will look different. But when you face a scary change, you can have peace because he is your safety net. Your safety net is not your parents, spouse, job, health, or savings. God himself is the one who allows you to lie down and sleep.
I’m still in the trenches with you. My fiancé and I are getting married this month, and our future is far from “secure.” Division in our church, family far away, and a ministry worker’s finances are daunting. But while these things may not be secure, we are safe in the ways that matter.
Safe in our God. So are you.
Lord, thank you for your safety. That we can have courage through your presence, love, and power in the changes and transitions in our lives. Here is everything that is weighing on me right now and the fears that plague me. Please lift them when I cannot and provide for what I need. I choose to trust you. Amen.
Throughout this day: Think about what concerns you today. What are the top three to five worries that distract you or keep you up at night? Consider writing God a letter, telling him about these concerns and committing them to him. Then trust him to care for them, and for you.