When I finally open my eyes on Monday mornings, I often hope that I’m somehow mistaken— that I’ve actually woken up on a Sunday. And then, after daydreaming for entirely too long, I stand up, drop a bagel in the toaster and spend time with my wife, who typically feels just as sluggish as I do.

As I think deeper about this cycle of “wishing away” Monday mornings, I realize that Mondays generate anxiety, apprehension and unrest. They bring about so much new—new projects, new responsibilities, new schedules and, most prominently, new fears. I often feel powerless as I wrestle with the pit in my stomach. In these moments, my self-talk rarely provides the warmth and encouragement I need: Why do I feel this way? It’s just another week. I’ve survived many, many Mondays. This one is no different. I’ll be fine.

If you’ve ever felt this way, you understand the unruly thought process that surfaces on Monday mornings. You understand the predictable tension between staying in bed and rising for the day. And you understand the anxiety that makes it so difficult to enter the workplace for the start of a new week.

But what if I tried something totally different? What if, instead of giving in to to these overwhelming feelings, I dove into Scripture to find the strength to endure another day? Throughout the Bible, the Lord offers peace, encouragement and assurance; through his Word, I may find the confidence to tackle the Monday blues.

Meditate on these five verses as you seek the Lord on a Monday morning:

1. The Lord will give you rest when you feel tired.
   Come to me, all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke and put it on you, and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in spirit; and you will find rest. ­– Matthew 11:28-29 (GNTD)
2. The Lord will give you strength when you feel weak.
   Don't you know? Haven't you heard?
   The Lord is the everlasting God;
   he created all the world.
   He never grows tired or weary.
   No one understands his thoughts.
   He strengthens those who are weak and tired . – Isaiah 40:28-29 (GNTD)
3. The Lord will give you peace when you feel anxious.
   The peace that Christ gives is to guide you in the decisions you make; for it is to this peace that God has called you together in the one body. – Colossians 3:15 (GNTD)
4. The Lord will give you confidence when you feel uncertain.
   Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Never rely on what you think you know. Remember the Lord in everything you do, and he will show you the right way. – Proverbs 3:5-6 (GNTD)
5. The Lord will give you hope when you feel hopeless.
   May God, the source of hope, fill you with all joy and peace by means of your faith in him, so that your hope will continue to grow by the power of the Holy Spirit. – Romans 15:13 (GNTD)