Fear of the Future

by Richie Thornton | May 12, 2021

I want to talk about something that I have certainly struggled with in the past—and maybe you have too. That is: fear of the future, or fear of the unknown. If this is you, I want to share some biblical truths. It’s my prayer that as you begin to believe and trust in these truths, they will bring peace and assurance into your life.

God Goes Before You

Psalm 139:5 – “You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head.”

Here’s the thing: we may experience situations that take us by surprise, but nothing surprises God.

We exist in time, so we experience life moment by moment. But God exists outside of time—He sees the whole picture.

So even when I don’t know what tomorrow brings, I can trust the One who does. The One who goes before me. The One who fights my battles. The One who is working all things together for my good because I love Him and I’m called according to His purpose.

I know this: whatever I go through, it had to pass through God first. Nothing takes Him by surprise.

God Values and Cares for You

Matthew 6:25-26 – “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear... Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”

We take care of the things we value, right?

Have you ever heard, “If you paid for that, you’d take better care of it”? The principle is: if you value something, you take care of it.

Jesus tells us to look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest, yet God takes care of them every day. And then He says: “Are you not much more valuable than they?”

You are valuable to God. And God cares for what He values.

This Scripture encourages us to stop worrying about temporary, earthly things and focus instead on eternal things—like our relationship with God and with others.

God Will Equip You As You Go

Lamentations 3:22–23 – “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.”

(Another translation says: “His mercies are new every morning.”)

One of my biggest struggles has been letting my mind spiral over problems that never even happened.

Someone once said, “If you worry about a problem, you experience it twice: once in your mind and again if it ever actually happens.”

The problem with worrying about what could happen is that God hasn’t given you grace for the future—He’s given you grace for today.

Tomorrow might bring its own challenges, but God will provide new mercy to meet those challenges when the time comes.

He equips us as we go, if we trust Him.

So if you're struggling with fear of the future—remember this:

God goes before you. God values you. God will provide for you.

He will equip you along the way when you trust Him.

Next Steps

• Today, if you want to fight the battle against fear, it begins with accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior.
• If you're facing something scary, stop and pray for God’s grace right now.
• If you’re struggling to see your value, reach out. We want to equip you with a “Who You Are in Christ” resource.
• Don’t battle fear alone. Find a prayer partner. Pray together. Life was never meant to be done solo.

As always—my heart is to bring those far from God close to God.

If you’re facing something that’s filling you with fear, reach out. I may not have all the answers, but I serve the One who does. His name is Jesus.

I love you, Journey Students.

—Pastor Richie