Ah, autumn in the South. Is there anything more wonderful? 

Cool mornings, warm afternoons.

Cotton fields.

Bright yellow mums.

Pumpkins.

Sugar maples and red maples displaying their glory.

Football (Oops, sorry. Don’t know how that slipped into the list…).

I am loving these beautiful days. But in the midst of this autumn-joy, there is a sense of heaviness. This old world is just not quite…right.

Do you feel it?

Is the surrounding beauty diminished because of worry, anxiety, or hardship?

May I share the verses that comfort me when stress threatens to steal my joy?

Check this out:

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way

(Financial burdens, cancer diagnosis…)

    and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

(Worry over a child, death of a loved one…)

      though its waters roar and foam

(Sickness, job loss, betrayal of a friend…)

and the mountains quake with their surging. (Psalm 46:1-3)

***

Did you see it? God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

And this one:

Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. (Psalm 46:10)

I love this. Even when chaos swirls around us, we can simply be still and know.

God is here. He is present. He gave us the surrounding loveliness.

Lay your burdens at His feet and lean on His power and strength. Take pleasure in the glory of His creation.

Worship the Creator.

Father, thank you for the glorious beauty around me. I am in awe of the intricate detail of your creation. Help me to remember that the One who created all of this, also created me. I pray for strength to lay any stress and anxiety at your feet. Thank you for being ever-present and for being my refuge.