When the panic strikes
7 He does not fear bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.
Psalm 112:7Bible Reading
Daniel 5:5-9
5 At that moment the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. As the king watched the hand that was writing, 6 his face grew pale and his thoughts so alarmed him that his hips gave way and his knees knocked together. 7 The king called out for the enchanters, astrologers, and diviners to be brought in, and he said to these wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this inscription and tells me its interpretation will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around his neck, and he will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom.” 8 So all the king’s wise men came in, but they could not read the inscription or interpret it for him. 9 Then King Belshazzar became even more terrified, his face grew even more pale, and his nobles were bewildered.
Imagine the music stops. The laughter dies. A hand appears and writes a message you cannot understand, but you know it is about you. Belshazzar’s knees knocked together. He was terrified because he knew he was guilty. He had been wasting time. He had been mocking God. Now the bill was due. For many students, this moment happens during midterms or finals. Panic sets in: “I did not study enough. I do not know this. What am I going to do?” Panic is the enemy of excellence. But Psalm 112:7 says of the righteous man, “He does not fear bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.” How do you get a steadfast heart in school? You do the work in the quiet days so you can stand in the loud days. You prepare when no one is watching so you are ready when everyone is watching. God wants you to have peace. But peace is often the harvest of preparation. If you want to stop the knees from knocking, start hitting the books and hitting your knees in prayer today.
Action Point
Identify the one subject that scares you most right now. Schedule a twohour deep-dive session this week to tackle the hardest concept in that class. Face the fear with preparation.
Prayer Point
Lord, replace my panic with power. Replace my anxiety with ability. Help me to prepare so well that when the test comes, I can smile and trust in You.
Reflection Point
Is my current anxiety a result of a difficult circumstance, or is it a result of my own lack of preparation? What can I do to fix it?