Lent Devotion Guide #3 – Overcoming The Lies: Anxiety and Worry

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 24, 2021

An Introduction
Hello Connect Church Family! As we prepare for the coming of Easter I will be sharing a sermon series titled, “Overcoming the Lies.” To accompany the sermon series and help us grow as individual Christians, we have also put together this devotional guide. I hope this will be a blessing to you! Every weekday, for the next several weeks, you are invited to join your church family and spend a few moments in this book. A number of people from our church community have contributed to make this booklet possible. On other days I have shared short thoughts on scriptures and left space for you to pray through what the scripture means for you. I hope you will join me and many others in your church family as we prepare for the coming of Easter!
-Pastor Adam Ricks

Read: Isaiah 41:9-10

As I look back over the past 12 months, the carefree days before the CoVID-19 pandemic become harder and harder to recall. Now when I leave for work or the grocery store, instead of planning my day or reviewing my grocery list, I find myself suddenly scrambling to make sure that I have a face mask handy, or hand sanitizer readily available. I am much more attuned to the person around me with a cough, or someone standing less than 6 feet away from me. My how our perspectives in life have changed over the past year. Wasn’t life rosy before the year 2020?
I am then reminded that before the pandemic, I just simply found other things to worry about. In 2019, I constantly worried about my then college senior, the status of my husband’s cancer diagnosis, my parents’ failing health, retirement planning, family finances, or any other variety of things that surfaced my way. I realize now, that our worries change with the climate, our stage in life, our passing fancies. Often times, the very thing we worried about a few days ago never even came to pass.
You see, our worries may change with any given circumstance, but our faith in God stands steadfast. God directs us in Isaiah to not fear, He is always with us. Life is stressful and not a day passes that worry can and will creep into our thoughts. As Christians, we are called to trust in God. He doesn’t promise that bad things in life won’t happen, but He does promise that he will be with us and will guide and direct us. Trust in the Lord and He will set your worries free.
-Suzanne Kimball (ConnectUMC Member)