When Your Future Gives You Anxiety

Scripture (Jeremiah 29:11, NKJV):

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not evil, to give you a future and a hope."

Devotional:

Anxiety has a sneaky way of showing up when someone or something walks out of your life. It's not always about missing them or it - sometimes it's about losing the picture you had of your future with them or it in it. When you can't see yourself in that future anymore, your heart panics and your mind races trying to fill in the blanks.

But that anxiety isn't punishment - it's an invitation. It's Jesus asking, "Will you trust My plan even when you can't see yours?" Sometimes God lets people and things (jobs) exit so He can redirect. You weren't erased; you were repositioned.

What feels like rejection is often redirection. The future you imagined wasn't the one He designed. You don't need to understand the "why" to rest in His "what's next." When you stop fighting for clarity and start trusting His character, peace comes rushing in.

Questions to consider:

1. Have I ever mistaken someone's presence for my peace?

2. What part of my future am I still trying to plan without letting God have the pen?

3. How might God be using this season of uncertainty to strengthen my trust in Him?

Prayer:

Father, when I can't see myself in someone else's future or my future with something in it - remind me that I'm still written in Yours. Calm my anxious heart when it starts rewriting what You already finished. Help me to release control, trust Your timing, and believe that every closed door is still covered by Your goodness. Let Your peace guard my heart while I wait for what You've planned next. In Jesus' name, Amen.