Encouragement for Today

May 27, 2025 If You Feel Alarmed Today TESSA AFSHAR Lee en español

“See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place …” Matthew 24:6b (ESV)

Recently we moved to a new house. After a four-year search, you’d think we would've found exactly what we had dreamed of.

Not quite. 

Sometimes God isn’t interested in giving us what we want. He is invested in teaching us to want what He gives.

The move was especially hard because my husband and I did most of the work ourselves while I juggled deadlines and chronic migraines. In addition, we found ourselves having to address unexpected issues in the new house. I had to sleep on the sofa because our beautiful bedroom had a problem we didn’t know how to fix. Quietly alarmed, I wondered if we had made a mistake.

Perhaps because the world around us seems to hold more uncertainty every day, our own personal problems can appear bigger and harder. Maybe our margin for pain, hardship and loss has worn thinner.

Speaking of uncertain times, Jesus said, “See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place” (Matthew 24:6b). In this passage, our Lord mentioned all manner of hardships and disasters. Then He said He does not want us to live in a state of alarm.

God did not design our bodies and souls to live in perpetual fear. He knows that kind of habitual mindset will damage us. The circumstances of our personal and global lives may become increasingly alarming, yet Jesus does not want us to make our home in that alarm.

This verse comes as a command: “See that” is a plural command to all of Jesus’ followers. You all see to it. See to it, in this moment, that you are not alarmed. No matter what is unfolding around you, see to it that you do not allow your soul to fall into habitual alarm.

Which suggests that we have some control over how alarmed we feel.

We can actively remember that God will see us through this particular moment. His provision may be an actual change in our circumstances, or He may guide us to an internal gate that leads from alarm into peace.

Opening that internal gate requires spiritual strengthening. Here is another place where we have control: building doors in our minds that open to beauty instead of ashes. To hope instead of discouragement. To the strength of God instead of our own fragility.

Our hearts are desperate to remember such doors. God wants us to position our souls away from fear, in the safety of His peace.

Which is what I had to find in my new home. In time, I settled into peace — before we discovered the solution to our problem. I had to fight to regain my trust in Jesus’ leading and my gratitude for His gift. Now I am sleeping in our bedroom and rejoicing in God’s blessings.

Lord, You never intended my heart, mind or body to dwell in a state of alarm. You did not design me to live in fear. Help me not to occupy a constant state of alarm but instead to lean into Your peace. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

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Looking for the perfect summer read? The Hidden Prince by Tessa Afshar is the first fiction book we’ve ever done in Circle 31 Book Club, and it’s everything you want in a great story — relatable characters, real biblical truths, and just the right amount of adventure and excitement. Starting June 1, we’re reading it together, no pressure — just a great read with a group of women who love books as much as you do. So buy your copy now, find a sunny spot and let’s dive in!

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FOR DEEPER STUDY

Isaiah 41:13, “For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you” (NIV).

© 2025 by Tessa Afshar. All rights reserved.

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