I am a singer, songwriter, wife, mother, Jesus follower. I send out a 2-minute read every Tuesday about Jesus and life in God.
Green Beret at the Door
|
Hi Friends, One thing I’ve loved in sending these weekly devotional emails is the way we get real with one another. I’ve felt so honored by the way you have let me in on your struggles and your redemption moments. Something we’ve talked about over the years is anxiety. Let’s go there again today: No matter who you are or how strong you feel, there are seasons in life where the strain of anxiety can feel like too much to bear. The sleepless nights with a heightened heart-rate that no deep breathing exercise seems to touch. The self-doubt about the past and what-ifs about the future. The bruised relationships with past scenes replaying in our minds again and again and again even decades later, anxious thoughts giving way to more anxious thoughts as the cycle spins faster. It’s in these moments I am glad that, while God is so near, He is altogether unlike me. He is not caught off-guard or swept up in the vortex of my uncertainty. He stands firm and steadfast, as He has always been. This is not because He is indifferent. Oh no. It is because He is a refuge. Brick upon brick, steady and unchanging, towering and unyielding, heart moved with compassion for me: He is my refuge. He has promised that anyone, at any time of day or night, can run into Him and be saved. He has promised that, when we ask Him to, He will send His peace to stand guard over our hearts and minds (Philippians 4:7). We sometimes think of peace like a dove, meek and gentle. But in these moments when we are most off-kilter, His peace is more like a Green Beret at the door of our minds, letting no anxious thought take hold. I run into You today, God. You are my refuge. Set peace like a soldier to guard my heart and mind. Keep me today. — Anna |
Anna Blanc
I am a singer, songwriter, wife, mother, Jesus follower. I send out a 2-minute read every Tuesday about Jesus and life in God.
Hi Friends, Welcome to week 2 of our Advent series for those overcoming spiritual anxiety. We left off last week with the angel Gabriel visiting Mary. At the end of his message, the angel seems to leave Mary with a subliminal hint: he mentions Elizabeth. And then he is gone. What does Mary do when she’s had the kind of spiritual encounter that turns her whole life upside down? Without skipping a beat, she runs straight to her friend. The Bible says she hastens to her. Yes, Mary travels to the...
Hi Friends, Welcome to week one of the Advent Series! I wrote this devotional series specifically for those overcoming spiritual anxiety. (You can read more on that here if you missed it.) There is healing for us in this Advent story, and it starts at the very beginning. In Luke 1:26-38, we see Mary visited by the Angel Gabriel and given a most shocking message. That she, a virgin, would bear the Son of God. She is overshadowed by the Holy Spirit, and it begins: Jesus spends His first 9...
Hi Friends, For years, I’ve taken the weeks leading up to Christmas to stare into the passages of Scripture about Christ coming as a baby. The birth of Christ is a storyline that’s rich in wonder. We could spend all 365 days of the year focusing on it and not exhaust all there is to see. Last year, I did something different. I wrote an Advent email series specifically for those overcoming spiritual anxiety. Spiritual anxiety? What the heck is that? This is a phrase I’ve been using to describe...