## 55:5
%% 4
> Fearfulness and trembling
>> Fearfulness and trembling have come on me. Horror has overwhelmed me

Occasion: When panic takes over

Lord, my breath goes shallow.
My chest locks.
The room gets small,
and every sound comes sharp.

My body sounds an alarm
I cannot simply reason away.
I tell myself I am safe,
but the fear keeps rising,
and I do not know how to make it stop.

Come close before my thoughts run farther.
And when I cannot tell real danger
from the storm inside my own heart,
don't leave me alone with the guessing!

Panic comes on fast.
It tells me I am falling
even though I am still standing.

Give me one firm thing at a time ---
the floor under my feet,
something solid beneath my hand,
one full breath,
one sentence prayed out loud until it steadies.

I do not need answers for everything that might happen.
I do not need to conquer all of this at once.
Give me grace for this breath,
this moment,
and then the next.

Whether the panic leaves quickly or lingers,
do not let me face it alone.

Set my feet on solid ground, Lord.
When I cannot hold myself steady,
You hold me fast.

Amen.