Overcoming Fear of the Future

Fear of the future — the what-ifs, the unknowns, the worst-case scenarios — is one of the most common forms of anxiety. It steals today's peace over tomorrow's imagined troubles. Here's how to overcome fear of the future by trusting the God who holds it.

Your future is in good hands

The antidote to fearing the future is knowing who holds it: 'For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.' Whatever tomorrow holds, it's held by a God whose plans for you are good.

Live one day at a time

Jesus' remedy for future-focused fear was radically present: 'Take therefore no thought for the morrow... Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.' God gives grace for today, not for the imagined disasters of a future that may never come. Live in today, and let tomorrow have its own grace.

Trust rather than control

Much fear of the future is a struggle to control what we can't. 'Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.' We can release our grip on the unknown and trust the God who already knows and holds it all.

Overcoming fear of the future means trusting that your future is in God's good hands, living one day at a time on today's grace, and releasing control to the God who holds tomorrow. You cannot see or secure the future, but God can — and his plans for you are good. Hand him the unknown, live faithfully today, and let go of the fear that steals your peace.