🛡️Worry: God Meets You There
And calls you mighty, even when you don't feel like it.
You know what it’s like to worry. To be caught in those familiar loops of anxious thought, trying to control what feels uncontrollable.
This week, we’re exploring the One who doesn’t shame us but meets us in our worry.
Our time together is adapted from a sermon my husband Jonny gave that I can’t stop thinking about, where he explores what the story of Gideon in the Old Testament teaches us about God’s response to our worry, to our fears, to our hiding.
Gideon’s story in Judges 6 invites us to consider that even in our fear and uncertainty, God draws near.
When we first meet Gideon, he’s threshing wheat in a winepress—straining for control in a place never meant for that work, hidden from the sunlight, guarded against the shadows. He’s crouched low, threshing wheat in secret, terrified that the Midianites might steal the little he has.
He is not a warrior by any conventional measure. He is not a hero by any earthly standard.
He is scared, hiding what is precious in a place where no one would think to look. And yet this is precisely where God meets him—and calls him a mighty warrior.
Imagine the scene: Air thick with dust and chaff, the muffled thud of grain against stone, the quick, anxious glances over his shoulder.
Gideon is a man who has been pushed into the shadows, fearful of the swarming Midianites who descend on his land like locusts, leaving devastation in their wake.
He’s surviving, but just barely, his heart beating fast with the unspoken fear that even this small harvest might be taken.
And then, in the middle of that hidden place, an angel appears and calls him something that must have felt absurd in that moment: “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.”
Can you imagine his confusion? His disbelief? Mighty warrior? Here, in this hole in the ground, afraid of his own shadow? And yet, that is exactly how God sees him.
This is a story about a God who shows up, who sees us, who knows us, and who calls us mighty warriors, even when we feel small.
This is Gideon’s story, yes, but at its core, it’s not about wars and armies. It’s not even really about Gideon. It’s a story about a God who makes the fearful into the faithful, who transforms whispered doubts into shouts of courage.
It’s a story about a God who doesn’t wait for us to get it all together, but moves toward us, takes us by the hand, and walks with us into the unknown.
If we're honest with ourselves, we’re all a bit like Gideon. There’s plenty to be anxious and worried about in our lives and in our world today. Worry is part of the human condition. We watch the news, scroll through headlines, and it’s easy to feel small.
We’re all watching the world on fire, looking around at our families and friends and wondering if the worst possible outcomes really might come to pass. And in moments like that, it’s easy to get stuck, easy to hide in the winepress and keep ourselves as insulated and safe as possible.
But that’s not where the story ends.
The same God who found Gideon in his fear, called him out of the winepress, and went out in front of him into battle is the same God who meets you today—not waiting for you to become fearless, but ready to call you to something higher, worries and all.
God sees you with your worries and your anxieties, and calls you a mighty warrior.
God, who isn’t frustrated or angry with your lack of faith, has a plan to show you and invite you into a purpose where the goodness of God makes even the smallest amount of faith enough to move mountains.
As you breathe in the truth of God’s steady, unwavering presence this week, may you remember that God meets you in the winepress.
Will you step out of the winepress and into something more?
Even when you feel small or afraid, may God meet you there, reminding you of your belovedness. Reminding you that you’re braver than you think. And you’re never, ever alone.
Caring for Your Soul During “Maycember”
May has a way of feeling like a marathon and a sprint ALL AT ONCE.
Between field trips, recitals, sports banquets, graduations, and end-of-year projects, it’s no wonder parents have nicknamed this season “Maycember.” Our calendars are bursting at the seams! The to-do lists are endless!
In the midst of this whirlwind, it can be easy to lose sight of your own soul care as you juggle the needs of your family. That’s why we (thanks, Kara!) created the May 2025 Reading Guide, drawing from the pages of Every Season Sacred and To Light Their Way. You’ll find prayers for graduation, end-of-spring big feelings, and so much more!
Use it as a gentle companion in a busy season…a reminder that you are not alone and that even in the busiest of months, your soul can find glimmers of rest.
Take a breath. Settle in. Remember that you are held.
Recommended Reading
I’ve had the honor to endorse some books that have recently been released. I highly recommend checking them out!
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My endorsement: “In Your Pain Has a Name, Monica DiCristina becomes a gentle companion to weary hearts, offering calm, comfort, and compassion. Her storytelling is approachable and wise—affirming our pain while leading us toward wholeness. Drawing on her years as a therapist, Monica puts words to the deep hurts we carry and guides us on a path toward healing. If you’re wondering if this book is for you… it is.”
Just Making: A Guide for Compassionate Creatives by Mitali Perkins
My endorsement: “Just Making is a balm to every soul wrestling with how to pursue beauty in a weary world. With tenderness and wisdom, Perkins compassionately reminds us that our art is not separate from justice, but intertwined with it. She offers a compassionate commissioning for us to make art justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God. This expansive offering of hope reminds us that in the work of our hands, we hold a sacred call to co-labor in the renewal of all things. I needed this book."
Turn Down the Noise: A Practical Guide to Building an Emotionally Healthy Family in a Chronically Overstimulated World by Sarah Boyd
My endorsement: “Raising kids? You need this thoughtful, practical book. Sarah’s deeply researched work and caring words of wisdom will help you feel seen, validated, and supported in all the stages of the parenting journey. As someone in the thick of parenting, I highlighted my way through―and I’ll be sharing copies with friends too.”
For the sake of ease, I’ve linked through Amazon affiliates, but please support local if you can!
Your Soul Care Package for the Week
If you’re looking for a deeper space to breathe, reflect, and connect, the Year of Breath paid community is for you. Members receive breath prayers for each day of the work week, guided reflections, and spiritual practices each week, designed to help you slow down and find God in the ordinary moments of your life. You also get weekly curated playlists and designed breath prayer wallpapers.
Members also get a behind-the-scenes look at my writing process. Just last week, this community came alongside me as I worked on my next manuscript (THANK YOU!), offering thoughts, encouragement, and insight that shaped my work in meaningful ways.
If you long for rhythms of rest, connection, and soul-deep reflection, join us in the Year of Breath community. Please reply to this email if you need a scholarship.
Breath Prayer
Monday:
INHALE: When I’m worried,
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