READ: PSALMS 32:6-11; 91:15; 94:17-19; 2 CORINTHIANS 1:3-5

Help! Someone help! You’re falling and there is nothing to grab onto to catch yourself. You awake with a start, your heart pumping hard. It was only a dream. You try to catch your breath.

The dreams where we are falling, where something gives out from under us and we have no way of saving ourselves, can be really scary. When things happen in our real lives that make us feel that same way, like there is nothing to grab onto and no way we can save ourselves, it can be even scarier.

Bad stuff happens in our lives. People harm us. We mess up. We find ourselves in situations we never wanted to get into. Through it all, God is just a call away. When we are slipping, He can catch us. When we are falling and we have nothing to grab onto, He will be there for us.

As life gets difficult, anxiety eats at us. We start to worry about the future and how we are going to make it. We wonder what we are going to do, who we can trust, how we are going to continue on with our lives. But God offers comfort when we are anxious. He is there to ease our fears.

When you are falling in a dream, you have no one to reach out to, no one to help you. But when you start to slip in real life, you’re not alone. Seek out God, and find rest in the help He so generously gives. He is close beside you, eager to be found by you (Jeremiah 29:13; Acts 17:27). Know that He will respond to your cries and give you comfort. • Emily Acker

• What scares you the most in life? What causes you to feel like you are falling and no one is going to catch you? Remember, Jesus is Immanuel, which means “God with us” (Matthew 1:23). He came to save us by dying on the cross and rising from the grave, so now everyone who puts their trust in Jesus is brought near to God. He invites us to turn to Him with everything that’s troubling us, big or small. He has such compassion on us, and He longs to soothe our fears with His love. Consider taking a moment to talk to Him about whatever is on your mind.

• Jesus reminds us of His presence with us through His Spirit, His Word (the Bible), and His people (the church). When you feel that sinking feeling of dread or unease, who is a trusted Christian in your life you can reach out to? How could you pray with each other and remind each other of the hope Jesus has given us, pointing each other to His Word?

If I say, “My foot is slipping,” your faithful love will support me, LORD. Psalm 94:18 (CSB)