Fear of the future makes us anxious and paranoid. It causes division in our hearts, families, relationships, and even an entire nation. What can we do when we are afraid of what the future may hold? 

It was New Year’s Eve in the year 1999, and I was in third grade. I remember staying up with my mom not to celebrate, but because I knew the world was about to end. 

It was Y2K. 

The moment the clock struck midnight, computers would crash, nuclear bombs would go off, and life as we know it would change forever. I was sure of it.

Midnight came. Nothing happened. I fell asleep clinging to my mom and, with relief, awoke the next morning.  

This seems similar to where the world is right now: frantically panicking about the future while God sits on the heavenly couch telling us it’s all going to be OK. 

Now, whenever I am freaking out, I try to do the following to find peace. 

1. Remember God Knows

I have heard the verse Jeremiah 29:11 thousands of times throughout my life: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” It sounds lovely and poetic on paper. 

The problem occurs when something terrible happens. Confusion hits us, and we think, “What the heck, God? I thought you had good plans for me!”

This is when we have to remember that He knows. 

The word “to know” in Jeremiah 29:11 means “to know intimately.” It is the same word for how a husband and wife know each other. 

God knows how this life affects you. He knows how it can hurt you. He knows how you feel, and it matters to Him. 

He did not forget. He did not move on without you.

Your heart is on His mind. It’s a promise.

2. Remember to Trust

The word for “plans” in biblical Hebrew means “invention, plans, and purpose.”

A block of wood does not know that it is being shaped into a beautiful invention. All it knows is that it is being cut, and sanded. That there is pain.

Only when the inventor finishes His work and we see a beautiful table do we realize it all had a purpose.

The invention process is messy, but it is always part of a plan. It has to get messy before it gets beautiful. 

When something is cut painfully into or out of our lives, we must remember that we are in the hands of God.

It will all turn out beautiful. Trust His process that makes it that way.

3. Remember God Plans to Prosper You

The word “to prosper” in Jeremiah 29:11 is the word shalom, and it means “peace, health, prosperity, friendship, tranquility, safety, and soundness in mind.”

The more I see the heart of God, the more I realize He is a good Father. He wants His children to live in peace, friendship, and safety.

He desires us to prosper in mind, body, and spirit. Jesus Himself prayed that it would be “on earth as it is in Heaven.” This tells us what God’s will is. Is it in Heaven? Then God wants it on earth. Is it not in Heaven? Then it probably shouldn’t be on earth. 

Yes, there will be hardships in life, but we must remember that God’s heart is for us to prosper. God will turn all things for good … for shalom. 

4. Remember to Hope

I wrote an entire e-book on hope, so I won’t talk a lot about it here. If you want to grow in hope, and hear an inspiring story about revival in Cambodia, then download it for free here! 

The word for “hope” in this verse is the same word for “rope” in the Bible. Hope is a rope. 

In times of fear for our future, we must cling to God’s promises as the rope and lifeline that will save us. Hope in God cannot just be a feeling. It must manifest itself into a choice to grab on to God. 

5. Remember the Past

When we are most afraid of the future, it’s time to go back and remember how God has saved you in the past. 

Make a list of the moments in your life when God saved you, provided for you, healed you, etc.

In Joshua 4, Joshua tells the nation of Israel to build an Altar of Remembrance in the place where God had performed miracles, explaining, “When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ then you shall tell them…” 

Joshua knew that one day the people would forget what God had done for them. In times of trouble, they would lack faith for the future. 

If the people could see these altars, it would remind them, “Oh yeah, remember what God did there? He can do that again!”

Reflecting on how God has blessed us in the past gives us faith and hope for whatever the future throws at you. 

6. Remember the Birds and Fields

Matthew 6:26-30: “Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? … Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow … And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you.” 

This is my go-to verse whenever I am worried about the future. I literally do what this verse says. I go outside and look at creation. Something happens, and I calm down.

I remember God made all of it. He knows about my life, and He intends all things for my good. He has been good in the past, and He is clearly good in the present. Everything is going to be OK.