No doubt about it—we live in a world of challenge and change. Life can be scary. Looking ahead to a new year can be both exciting and terrifying. And there’s no better place to look for comfort and guidance than the Bible.

There is a passage in the 41st chapter of Isaiah that I often turn to in difficult times. It’s part of the 13th verse: “I am the Lord your God. I am holding your hand, so don’t be afraid.” Now the great thing is that if the Lord your God is holding you by the hand, you’re not going to stray off the track. You are not going to get into a mess; you’re not going to destroy yourself. You’re going to go ahead successfully. And why not? Your “help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:2). The God of infinite power and wisdom not only stands beside you, he’s on your side! “The LORD watches over you… he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore” (Psalm 121:5, 7-8).

By the time Jesus had been dragged off by the Roman officials and crucified, his band of followers was a frightened and scattered group. But, after his resurrection, Jesus gathered these disciples around him once again, filling them with a zeal that would change the world. And what was his promise to them that rallied their courage? “I will be with you always, even until the end of the world” (Matthew 28:20). The God who loved you enough to die for you is not going to abandon you. Ever!

What is the greatest fact in the whole world? It is simply this: We are not alone. It is the single most important, essential, fundamental fact. So, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because…the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6).

In this world of change, in this world of conflict, in this world of insecurity, we are not alone. Thank God!

But now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities. But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray. Luke 5:15–16 (ESV)

“There’s not enough of me to go around,” I told my husband. A friend’s father had died, and I wanted to make her a meal. I hadn’t talked to my grown kids in several days and wanted to check in with them. Another friend was facing tough medical issues, and I wanted to visit with her. In fact, everyone I knew was in a place of need.

My longing to help others soon transformed into worry, panic, and stress. Jesus must have felt similar pressure. People clamored for His help, and His compassionate heart never wanted to turn anyone away. He spent long days teaching, healing, comforting, and feeding those who came to Him. Yet when the needs arrived in a never-ending flood, He didn’t push harder, longer, or faster. He didn’t complain or draw attention to how exhausted and burdened He felt. Instead, He withdrew to pray.

When I’m feeling overwhelmed, I can remember Jesus’s example. I can step back to a place of quiet and pray. As I do that, He equips and strengthens me and brings new wisdom, showing me how to prioritize my efforts. He reminds me that the Body has many members, and together we can do His will. Most important, He deepens my reliance on Him. Of course there is not enough of me to help in every way I’d like. I’m not the Savior; He is. When we fret as if the burden of every human need is on our shoulders, let’s withdraw to a quiet place with our Lord. We don’t have to be enough. Jesus already is.

Faith Step: Today, withdraw to a quiet place and talk to Jesus about the needs of your family and friends.

Anyone who holds onto life just as it is destroys that life. But if you let it go, reckless in your love, you’ll have it forever, real and eternal. John 12:25 (MSG)

God has been teaching me about vulnerability, a gift I never wanted. Growing up, we learn to protect ourselves. To never admit certain things. To hold back our tears.

If we didn’t learn this before high school, we were in big trouble. We–sadly, not all of us–survived. Along the way we wore so many masks we don’t remember how to be real.

It’s strange, because I’m touched when others are authentic. They bravely share their unguarded hearts, and I tell myself they can do it because they have their acts together. Unlike me. I am a mess! And I can’t afford for anyone to know.

Until recently, anyway. I’m in an online group of Christians who support each other’s creative efforts along with each other’s efforts to be human. And honest. We gather face to face every year. To keep it real.

Last year’s opening prayer issued this challenge: “Help us to pay attention. Remember, everyone has something to offer.” That resonated with me. I fought my introversion and sat with different people at every meal. I looked at and listened to each person without writing off anyone. I forgot about myself.

I imagine Jesus looked at people like that. The experience of being really seen yet still loved may explain why so many dropped everything and followed Him, why so many still do today.

For me, the experiment is ongoing. People look very precious to me. It’s scary, giving it your all. Being all in. But what are we really here for anyway? Could it be to see and take care of each other? Maybe I’m learning how.

Faith Step: Try it yourself with the people God brings into your life. Hear what they’re saying. Ask questions. Give up the need to make your own point. How does this feel? What do you see.

Jesus replied . . . “My time hasn’t come yet.” John 2:4 (CEB)

In the Bible, we see glimpses of Jesus as a newborn, at eight days old, two years old, twelve, and then not again until the years between thirty and thirty-three.

What was he like at sixteen? Twenty-nine and a half? What was Jesus thinking and doing during the six months prior to His appearance on the scene for the launch of His ministry that began at the Jordan River?

Was He impatient to begin His healing, teaching, disciplining work? Did He find the hours He spent in the carpentry shop boring, annoying, a waste of time? Did He practice healing on a small scale like a young boy might practice wheelies on his bike before letting anyone else see?

Tradition fills in some of the blanks. But for the most part, we don’t know. We know He observed life around Him. Important, since He’d draw from those observations about farmers and birds and houses with poor foundations during His public ministry. He knew the recorded Scriptures well, often quoting from them when making a point. So He must have been a lifelong student of the Word.

But Jesus may well have been completely content, unhurried, patient about the timetable of the Father God’s ultimate plan for Him. At the wedding in Cana, when His mother pressed Him to “do something” about the lack of wine, He tried to shush her, saying His time had not yet come.

Within His core was beating a pulse that said, “Wait for it. Wait for it . . . ” until “the fullness of time had come.”

Faith Step: If you’re in a waiting season right now, consider keeping a penny jar as a visual reminder of spiritual discontent. Toss in a penny for each time your frustration over having to wait takes center stage in your thoughts or conversations. Then give those frustrations over to God and ask Him to help you rest in Him.

“Let me teach you; for I am gentle and humble, and you shall find rest for your souls…”—Matthew 11:29 (TLB)

I was tootling full-throttle along the 5 Freeway, commonly known as the Grapevine, en route from Pasadena to Bakersfield, California, when the grade suddenly became scarily steep. Hurtling downhill while trying to negotiate the curves had me on the verge of panic. It was difficult to slow down, and I wondered what on earth I would do in the event my brakes failed.

Enormous trucks were hogging the right lanes, their drivers trying to control their heavy rigs. Then I saw a sign: RUNAWAY TRUCK RAMP, 1/4 MILE. Sure enough, going off the freeway was a long exit ramp that tilted up toward nowhere. Hmm, so that’s how they handle it, I thought.

The fact was, I needed a runaway ramp, not for the car, but for me. Lately my life had been getting more and more out of control. There was no way I could put the brakes on speaking commitments, deadlines, correspondence and household chores. Emotionally, I was frazzled, short-tempered and impatient. Spiritually, I was rushing through devotions hurriedly read but not meditated upon, and my prayers were sent heavenward on the run.

Late that evening, as I searched the Scriptures, I found these words of Jesus: “Let me teach you; for I am gentle and humble, and you shall find rest for your souls.” I desperately needed that rest. I’d been reading the Psalms and the letters of Paul, but it had been a long time since I had opened my Bible to the Gospels, where the words of Jesus were highlighted in red.

I decided that the words of Jesus would be my spiritual runaway ramp, a place to begin prayerfully putting on the brakes and sorting out all the other out-of-control aspects of my daily life. I would let Christ teach me, and I would listen carefully to His voice.

Lord, it’s so easy for me to go spiritually out of control in all the busyness of my life. Today and every day, quiet my heart with Your peace.

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NIV)

I don’t always remember, but one of the first questions I like to ask Jesus when I wake up each morning is, “How can I encourage someone today? And who?”

He’s always faithful to answer, often through His Word. One morning after asking that question, I read from Isaiah 35:3–4 (NLT) and found a practical answer. First, “strengthen those who have tired hands.” That might include teachers, hair stylists, moms, writers—and all who use computers, which includes most of us—missionaries, pastors, and parents who spend time “lifting up” the burdens of others.

Next, the passage mentions encouraging those who have “weak knees.” I envisioned grandparents and senior citizens, veterans, and even athletes with wear and tear on their bodies. But the last category, the “fearful,” could probably include everyone. These needed to hear the words, “be strong, and do not fear.”

Sometimes I can offer an encouraging response to a needy e-mail request or blog comment from my Web site. Other times, my phone will ring, and the caller needs a cheerful word. And who can forget neighbors or our family members, who need a hug or a kind word? Even through my prayers, especially as I turn Scriptures such as Ephesians 3:16–19 or Colossians 1:9–12 into heavenly petitions for others, I can pass on His encouraging truths, trusting Jesus to make those prayers a reality.

For me, finding people to encourage is not a problem. Remembering to listen and to follow through with Jesus’s answers is where I need work. And the amazing thing is, when I try to lift up someone else, I’m the one who ends up encouraged.

Faith Step: Ask Jesus to help you encourage someone today. Invite Him to speak through you, and be prepared for His answers.

“His shoots spread over his garden.” —JOB 8:16 (RSV)

It was a sad little bromeliad, almost hidden behind healthier, showier plants on display in the grocery store. The “60% off ” sticker slapped on the front of its plastic pot showed plainly what store management thought of it. My husband Keith reached down and picked it up.

“You’ve got a beautiful bromeliad at home,” I said. “What do you want that one for?”

“It’s got potential,” he said.

I shrugged. “At least it’s cheap.” Taking care of the plants in our house was Keith’s hobby, not mine. When we got home, he put it on the windowsill over our kitchen sink, next to the beautiful bromeliad he’d been nurturing for months. The new one looked sickly, leaves discolored and drooping, stalk dry and dull. He peeled off the discount sticker and tossed it in the trash. I shook my head and left the plant care to him.

I don’t notice the plants as much as I might, usually only when Keith points out something to me. So I didn’t really look at the bromeliads for more than a week. Then I was putting some dishes in the sink and happened to glance up at the windowsill. The bromeliads looked almost like twins—firm, plump, shiny leaves, and each plant with a brightly colored bloom.

“What in the world happened?” I asked.

Keith smiled at me. “It just needed a little love.”

God, let everyone who needs a little love find it and bloom.