Listen to Devotion

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

What makes you anxious? On the other hand, what excites you and gives you a sense of eager anticipation?

In a way, anxiety and anticipation are similar. Both look toward the future. However, when we experience anxiety, we are worried because we don’t know what the future holds. We fret about the worst-case scenarios and the “what ifs.” When we eagerly anticipate something, we are excited because we know something great is going to happen. This kind of anticipation can also help us hold out for something better to come. For example, if I know I’ll be dining at a world-class restaurant tonight, I won’t be tempted to hit the drive-through and fill up on junk.

God, in his great love for us, points us toward a glorious and certain future through his Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus comes to us in the promises of the Bible, proven by his rising from the dead, and he exchanges our anxiety with eager anticipation. He doesn’t reveal all that will happen in this life, but he assures us that he is with us, and we belong to him. He’ll see us through our daily difficulties that often cause us anxiety.

He lifts your attention from your daily troubles and points you to the ultimate future—an eternity with him! He removes all anxiety concerning eternity by removing all your sins. All your sins were nailed to the cross with him, and his empty tomb is proof that no debt remains. You don’t need to be anxious about eternity, fretting if God will let you in. You can look forward to heaven with eager anticipation.

Looking forward to eternal life with this certainty helps us hold out for something better than what this world can offer us. We need not fill up on the empty promises and temporary pleasures of this world. We can be satisfied and content with God’s love and promises right now. We can leave our anxiety at the foot of Jesus’ cross and wait with eager anticipation for the day when we will see him with our own eyes.

Lord, lead me to your cross and lift all that makes me anxious and replace it each day with eager anticipation of a glorious life with you forever. Amen.

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All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.