You Are Seen: Encouragement for Teens Who Struggle With Stress and Anxietyনমুনা

Day 5: God Guides You When You Feel Anxious About Your Next Step

God Never Gives Up on You
In Luke 5, Peter was fishing, but was not having much luck with the day’s catch. He felt empty and ready to give up—and then Jesus en­tered the picture. Jesus directed Peter to cast his net again, which made no sense to the lifelong fisherman, but he felt com­pelled to obey. When he did, it resulted in so many fish that the nets began to break and the boats began to sink. Peter left everything and followed Jesus because he knew that Jesus was worth following (Luke 5:11, NIV).

As teenagers, we often try to navigate our problems by our­selves. But then we feel shaky and uncertain and begin to ques­tion our decisions. Anxiety and worry set in as we agonize over our choices. Maybe you’re doing the best you can, but, like Peter, things are not working out like you expected. Does it feel like there are no more fish in the sea? When we can’t make sense of our circumstances, we sometimes try to navigate our problems by our­selves. But then we feel shaky and uncertain and begin to ques­tion our decisions. Anxiety and worry set in as we wonder if we are missing out on something.

Jesus is never late, and He never steers us in the wrong direction. When Peter threw his nets out again, it seemed pointless. But he lis­tened to Jesus anyway. In the same way, we need not overana­lyze our situation. Faith is all about trusting God when we can’t see an obvious solution (see Hebrews 11:1). We can trust that God will guide our steps, that when we give Him our whole hearts, we never have to worry about what to do next.

Jesus is as real and present in your life today as He was in Peter’s. God’s Spirit has the power to stop the negative, hopeless, or anxious thoughts in your mind and reveal your good future. In fact, there is so much hope available that it can overflow from within you. Imagine that! The hope God gives won’t just affect you. It has the potential to spill over onto others and show them that they, too, can have hope.

Reflect:

What is God speaking to you in this moment about the thoughts or decisions you are struggling with? How are you casting them to the Lord?

Prayer:

Lord, I have been running circles in my mind trying to figure out what to do next. I feel lost. I want to fulfill my purpose in life and to trust You to show me the way. I give You all my confusion and I re­ceive Your peace as I wait for You to open and close doors. Thank You for promising that when I trust in You, You will guide me. I don’t need to be anxious because I know You are with me. In Jesus’s name, amen.