I've heard adults say that kids today know too much about anxiety. It feels like the anxiousness of the world is new. It is not.
In Psalm 94, the psalmist knows the reality of anxiety. He says that the cares of his heart are many. That feels familiar. We know what it's like to be awake in the middle of the night worrying about what could go wrong. We rehearse every negative scenario and we carry stress so much it carries into every conversation. Faith does not mean those feelings disappear. It means we learn where to take them.
Notice what the psalmist trusts, that his many cares are met with God’s consolations. I take “consolations” to speak to the ways God reassures us. It's the promises we read of in scripture, God's presence we experience and the affirmation that we are not alone. Faith is no magic trick and these consolations do not always erase our problems. But they steady us within them.
Notice, too, what the psalmist experiences from God's consolations. He says they "cheer my soul." Not just relief, not just a temporary break, but joy. The psalmist testifies that he has come to know that God’s presence can transform anxiety into delight. That doesn’t mean his worries vanish. It does mean he has discovered something greater than his worry: God's steadfast love. 
God's consolations are still with us. Sometimes they're in scripture, a verse we've read before that suddenly speaks directly into our moment. Other times, they come through people, an encouragement we didn’t know we needed. And, often, they come in quiet ways: a peaceful moment of prayer, a sense of calm in worship or the reminder of God’s Spirit with us.
When your heart is weighed down with many cares, remember God's consolations. Let them cheer your soul today.
Stay blessed...john | 
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