Podcast

How Do I Pray Through a Crisis? (P 1) Jennifer Slattery

[00:00:00] Welcome to the Unshakable Hope Podcast, where real life intersects redeeming love. I’m Kellie Hall, and this is where we wrestle through faith questions, such as how do I trust God’s heart when His ways and delays are breaking mine? We’ll hear from people just like you and me, who have experienced God’s faithfulness when life didn’t unfold as they expected.

My prayer is that God would renew our hope in His Word and His love through these conversations.

Kelly: Hey friends, we’re in the middle of our Redemptive Wrestling Bible Story series where I’m being joined by these three Wonderful and gifted Bible teachers. We’re walking through some amazing Bible stories, some courage building stories that highlight God’s power and his faithfulness. We’re also uncovering some excellent examples of how to wrestle through our fears and our doubts and our heartbreaking confusion so that [00:01:00] we can walk out.

Our faith and walk into the freedom of trusting God’s heart when his ways and delays are breaking ours.. And today my guest, Jennifer Slattery and I are diving into a Bible story as we address the question possibly a question you’ve wondered about before. How do I pray through a crisis? How do I talk to God when when I’m so stressed out. I can’t even think So let me introduce you to jennifer She’s a writer a speaker and one of the hosts of the faith over fear podcast, which is so good I’ve just joined her there and the Your Daily Bible verse podcast. Her family often jokes about how she doesn’t care much about what she’s doing.

So long as she’s with her people and they would be right. I love that so much. She’s been married to her best friend for nearly 30 years and has a creatively brilliant 26 year old daughter, a son in law she adores and a 22 year old son by choice. Oh, and two grand dogs [00:02:00] that bring her great joy. Jennifer, I’m so thankful to have you join me as we talk through this topic.

Welcome to the show.

Jennifer: Thank you. We always have such fun when we talk scripture together, especially related to fear, I think. Yes.

Kelly: Yes. I think we both really relate in that, in that area.

Jennifer: Well, we’re moms, so.

Kelly: Right. We know a thing or two about it.

I really love the timing, too, because on the day that we’re recording the previous podcast I recorded with you was just released yesterday. I know! I know!

Jennifer: Yes! That was a great conversation. So yeah, so we’ll have to link back and forth or something.

Kelly: Yes, yes, that’s a great idea.

It was so much fun. Okay, , before we dive into these stories, I would really love for you to share your personal story so that my listeners can get to know you.

Jennifer: Yeah, so I wasn’t raised in a Christian home. I actually, I was first introduced to Christ in, I, we lived in a small town in Oak Ridge, [00:03:00] Oregon, about 3, 000 people and in a trailer park and a woman, her name was Miss Dorothy, and she opened her home to a bunch of us kids, and I’m pretty sure we came for the popcorn, but she was just, I, I swear she’s gonna be the first person I meet in heaven, and she, I don’t remember really a whole lot of what she told me, but I do remember when she told me that Jesus died for me, and that just penetrated really, I was pretty young, I mean, It was sometime before my, before third grade.

So I was pretty young, but it just was a really powerful moment in my life. And we moved quite a bit. And I, in my teen years, I really spiraled and I ultimately, I ended up homeless actually in my, in my teens. Late teen years. And, but I still I had the, the understanding, I knew God was holy. I knew I was not, I didn’t really understand his love and his grace.

I think it was a [00:04:00] fear based. relationship, at least from my part. And I just knew I just was not measuring up, but I would routinely ask him to forgive me and to help me. And he actually sent my husband who helped me get on my feet.

I’m fast forwarding a bit and we got married and we got plugged into a church in Southern California. And that was when I really, my faith took off. We started going, I’m trying to think we went to church when we had my daughter in, she was born in 1997. So we got married in 1995. So it was two years later.

We, and we ended up in Southern California and the people of that church. really walked beside me I experienced so much healing just a sense of, well, and the one thing that drew me there is growing up, we’d go to church on occasion. And I just remember just being inside the church felt really safe.

It felt really welcoming. And [00:05:00] it was my idea of family. And so once we had my daughter, it was that sense of family that drew me there. And, and praise God, we did have a really neat church in Southern California. And so it just was a time of me coming to, and I think that’s a journey for the rest of our lives, right?

Like coming to understand who. God is in his heart and what it means to, to live with him, having your whole worldview shifted, you know? So in a nutshell, that’s how God led me

Kelly: I I’d love to hear so much more of this story but for now, I’m curious about the time when you were homeless.

So there must have been, you said you were praying and mostly asking God to help you and to forgive you. I’m just wondering, you must have experienced many times where you knew he was protecting you. That just sounds such a scary, like a scary time.

Jennifer: I didn’t then, but looking back [00:06:00] now, and, and during the time I, Didn’t really process what I was like, mentally, emotionally, I was pretty shut down.

I know now I was, it was a tough time, but back then I would’ve been like, yeah, I’m fine. I’m fine. So, but I can definitely see how God for sure had like, And that’s, that’s the one thing I think every once in a while if I ever get entitled, which I think I have a tendency to do or prideful or I like to just remember I shouldn’t be here.

I shouldn’t be where I’m at. And that’s brings me a deep sense of gratitude. And. Also, I think compassion, you know, for, for recognizing others who maybe are kind of in their own quote unquote homeless season, whatever that looks like for them.

Kelly: Yeah. Well, I’m curious how you got to the point where you were doing all this ministry and [00:07:00] specifically, what led you to the podcast on faith over fear?

Jennifer: Yeah, so that would be like a long so I don’t have enough time like from the time when I first kind of sensed god calling me to speak and to write and how That he led me bit by bit to Bible studies and, and things like that, but for faith over fear, it kind of hit me by surprise. Actually, I, this wasn’t something like I didn’t pursue it.

It kind of, it came to me. So this was in, I want to say 2019, I was leading a ministry, Holy Love Ministries, which I’ve since handed off. It has a new leader, but my team at the time we had one of our speakers was doing. Radio devotions for our local station. And so she would go down to the station and she would record and then she’d come back and the man who was kind of over that aspect of it, he shifted positions.

And so he said to me one day, like, I, I’m not going to be able to do this anymore. I want to [00:08:00] show you guys how to do it yourself. So he came over to my home and he’s showing me how to do all the podcasting stuff. Well, around that same time, I had my team members are like, you need to do a podcast. You need to do a podcast.

And I’m, and I said, I wouldn’t know what to talk about. I’m it’s, I’m going to sound really stupid. It’s going to be boring. Why would anybody listen? And my daughter, one day in church, she said. Jamie Ivey actually came to our church to speak and she turns to me and she said, mom, that’s going to be you. And I’m just like, ah, no, no, I, I don’t think, I don’t think that’s going to be me.

And I just kept thinking of all the reasons why I couldn’t. And therefore shouldn’t. And then it finally, it was like in 2019, 2020, Salem web communications. They contacted me. I had been doing, I’ve been writing for them for a long time and I’d been doing videos, video devotions, and, and I got an email from her name is Kelly Gibbons.

And she said, Hey, we’re launching this podcast platform. Would you consider leading a [00:09:00] podcast, hosting a podcast? And I’m like, by this time I’m like, okay, God, it’s kind of clear. Like I can’t, if I. If I say no now, it will be direct disobedience. And so I started and I was terrified. And as far as the faith over fear, this is what I find really ironic.

I actually have OCD, which is a pretty intense, it’s much better praise God. But at that time, and especially like , 2017, 2018, it was pretty bad. So to think of, okay, Lord, why, first of all, you call a high school dropout homeless girl to write and speak. That seems really irrational. Like, mean, you’re good.

You should at least pick somebody who’s, you know, got, I got an English degree and then with, with this podcast, like speaking on fear and I’m battling my own anxiety. , we’d gone back and forth and, and she had suggested that she’s like, you know, it kind of sounds like these topics, they all could fit under faith over fear [00:10:00] there are two things that that did one, me being so constant to address fear and to speak on faith, it dramatically dialed down my.

OCD, it’s like I’m, I’m reprogramming my brain, right? Every time, I speak on these things and it also, it kind of got me outside of myself a little because I’m seeing other people and, and I think there’s, there’s something very powerful when we see other people’s struggles and then it moves us.

It moves us towards them. Well, so like I said, that was launched in February of 2020, right before COVID and, and only God knew, right, that COVID was going to hit and everybody would be in experiencing such anxiety. And so from then, you know, my husband, he asked, we talked about this.

Occasionally because I’m like, you know, I feel like such a hypocrite because I still struggle. I struggle with pride. I struggle with sin I struggle with fear and anxiety and [00:11:00] he’s like, well, can you just begin each episode with like a disclaimer? I kind of try to but at the same time I feel like That’s just kind of our walk, right?

We’re never going to have fully arrived. And so we just can speak out of where we’re at and where God is meeting us and then letting him speak through that to other people.

Kelly: Absolutely. I don’t think anybody wants to hear from someone who thinks they’re perfect and has it all together because, you know, it’s not true.

Right. Well, that’s

Jennifer: true. That’s true. And that can feel really deflating. I think too. Yeah. Yeah.

Kelly: Absolutely. And I was struggling one time and someone said to me, didn’t you write a Bible study called Courageous Faith? Maybe you should go read that. Well, you know, God called me to write that because this is where I struggle.

Jennifer: Yeah. And I think we can have seasons So for me during that season of my life, there was so much going on. We can [00:12:00] have seasons where our world feels so out of control that it’s going to be more challenging to hold tight to peace. And then we have other times where everything is going well, right.

or relatively well. And so it’s not, and I think that’s our life ebbs and flows and just like characters in scripture. We see them sometimes acting really courageously and then in the very next moment acting really foolishly or really really afraid.

Kelly: Yeah. I used to idolize people in the Bible and think that they were all perfect and my husband, he laughed at people in the Bible and I didn’t even know you could do that.

He really helped me see these are normal people. Okay. They have struggles. You and I do.

Jennifer: Right, right.

Well, before we dive in to 2nd Chronicles 32, talking about how to pray through a crisis, I’d love to know how you learned to pray.

Jennifer: I have to say I’m still learning and sometimes I do better than others, but probably when it really [00:13:00] started, one of the ways that I like to pray when I’m struggling is I like to pause and.

First praise like lord. Thank you for this. Thank you for this. Thank you for this. Thank you for this And that hit when this was years years ago Our daughter was young and my husband his job was insane And he had a really high stress job and he was gone a lot and traveling a lot and there’s just a lot going on and It was from Philippians 4, 6 to 7, which for some of the listeners, it might be a familiar passage, be anxious for nothing, but in everything with prayer and petition with Thanksgiving, present your request to God.

And I just really felt God highlight that with Thanksgiving portion. And what I sensed him saying to me was, thank me for all the ways I’ve shown up. Thank me for all the ways I’ve provided for you. And so I started practicing that. And when something was going on, like, let’s say we had, if we had a financial problem hit and I [00:14:00] would, before I made my request, I would just be like, thank you Lord for providing for this home.

Thank you for that. I have groceries and, and it helped to dial down my anxiety. So that was probably the first, when I first started. Kind of venturing my my toes into it and and then I’ve started practicing. I do that a lot My daughter had a a health challenge Some time ago and and it was it was frightening and so I tried again with her just as I’m praying over her I’m praying Following the same Lord.

Thank you for how you’ve done this in her life and done this in her life and done this in her life. And I could just feel her begin to relax under like she was laying in bed, but just feel her, just her posture relax. And there is something, because I think sometimes we, I forget, I’m reminded there’s a passage in scripture where it’s a verse where, you know, God is basically talking about how when [00:15:00] the ancient Israelites, when they’re wandering through the desert and, he’s, he’s led them out of Egypt in just these miraculous ways.

He’s parted the Red Sea. They’ve gone over on dry land. He’s given them water and, and food. And, but they’re like, yeah, you can give me water from a rock, but you can’t do it this way. So , I’m kind of paraphrasing, but how often do we do that? We’re saying like, you know, yeah, God, You gave me this job, but, but you can’t save me from this boss or yes, Lord, you gave me insurance, but you can’t, are you really going to be faithful over here?

And when we start to reflect upon what he’s done, it reminds us. It’s not just of his provision, but of the provider, right? The heart of the provider. And I will be honest, actually, I don’t do a lot of, I mean, my husband and I prayed together each night and we have requests we pray over, but I don’t in my own time do a lot of request prayer.

Kelly: Okay.

Jennifer: I’ve reached a place where I just recognize he really knows best. [00:16:00] And I’m not saying I always do that well, but, especially if it’s in a crisis situation, I don’t know what, how to handle it. And so for me, it’s helpful to reflect on, okay, you’re bigger, you’re greater, you’re smarter and resting in his embrace.

Kelly: Yeah. Yeah. And then when you do that, you come to the point where you’re convinced that he’s really got the situation and you can trust him for it.

Jennifer: Yes.

Kelly: Yes.

Jennifer: And when I forget, I like to listen to music too. I don’t know if you ever do that, but that’s very helpful.

Kelly: That helps me so much. And I think it really helps because one of the reasons it helps is when you’re in a crisis It’s difficult for you to find hope filled words And so when you listen to music, it’s just the truth of god’s word when you’re listening to praise music Pouring over your heart and helping reset your mind and your heart and you’re not having to generate those words yourself,

Jennifer: right?

I think that’s very true. And and I know when we were on [00:17:00] my podcast we talked about the amygdala Amygdala And how, and I’m, I’m borrowing my therapist’s words, I want to give her credit where, where credit is due. But how, when we’re afraid, our thinking brain shuts down. And so that’s another way that, especially if we’ve, that listening to music, we don’t have to come up with the thoughts.

And so it can shift our focus where initially maybe it’s, it’s kind of, kind of like when you count in your, and you’re bringing your thinking brain back online enough that you can then absorb the words. Or if you have like little verses or things that you can, you can pray through. I love, I love praying through Psalms and just personalizing them.

I think that’s very helpful.

Kelly: I agree. I just interviewed someone, well, no, her podcast came out this week and she talked about that too.

She prayed through the Psalms for a year. Wow. In a crisis [00:18:00] situation. And it was really helpful to just be able to, find words that explained how she was feeling and then find words of praise sandwiched on either side of those.

I love that. So good. Well, I, I love everything that you shared. I think it’s really important. And I think some of the things you talked about, we’re going to find in these passages that we talk about today and, in the next episode. So let’s go to Second Chronicles 32. And I’m wondering if you could just start by explaining the background of this situation and then.

How, Hezekiah responded?

Jennifer: Absolutely. So this was during a dark period of ancient Israel’s history. So the kingdom was divided. You had the Northern kingdom and the Southern kingdom, Israel. Was in the northern kingdom, Judah was in the south and Assyria, the nation of Assyria had grown into just this dominating power.

And the, the king of Assyria, he had, he had [00:19:00] taken tribute from other nations and also, uh, From Sumeria, the capital of Israel, it had been captured and fallen and the people deported and Assyria had not yet captured the kingdom of Judah because the king before Hezekiah had paid them tribute.

Kelly: And so

Jennifer: kind of had appeased and, and the one thing to know about Assyria, they were a ruthless, cruel, terrorizing nation that they used intimidation.

So if you were a nation that tried to stand against them and they conquered you, I have a weak stomach, so I’m not gonna say on here, but they would do some really horrific things to make an example of those people.

Kelly: Hmm.

Jennifer: So this would’ve been. Very, very terrifying. And so here, King Hezekiah, he rises to the throne and he institutes nationwide religious reforms, and he tries to break free from [00:20:00] Assyrian oppression.

He stops paying the tribute. Well, you can imagine how Assyria responded. Assyria attacked and captured the fortified cities of Judah. And so now, Hezekiah is desperate to stop that. appease him. And so he sent messengers to the king of Assyria saying like, Hey, I’m, I was wrong. I will pay whatever you ask for, whatever you demand.

And he even, and here’s actually Kelly, what I find encouraging, this will sound strange, but what I find encouraging in his story is when I hear how he didn’t do so good. And then I follow the story through to the end, but he actually, he stripped God’s temple of gold to pay and eventually he found himself, him and his people trapped within the walls of Jerusalem.

So back then they would have had fortified cities.

And so he had tunneled water. So they had access to water, which otherwise they, they wouldn’t have lasted long, but [00:21:00] still you eventually you’d run out of food, right?

Like, I mean, this, this would have been a terrifying situation and in the middle of all this. the field commander, he began intentionally terrorizing Hezekiah and the people.

Kelly: Yeah, so he was sending them threatening letters, he was mocking God, he was saying things like, Who do you think you are?

Why do you think your God’s going to save you? Every other nation who had gods, we destroyed them. So what makes you think this is any different? He was just terrorizing them. . So let’s talk about how Hezekiah responded. And I think I’d love for you to read, the verses seven through eight.

Jennifer: Absolutely.

Can I actually add one thing first, though? Please okay. one thing I think is very important as we’re reading these Old Testament stories that we don’t always pick up on right away. This was very much a spiritual battle. So [00:22:00] back in Bible times. People believed that, that gods were over certain areas.

And so the Assyrians had their God and the Ammonites had their God. And so to the Assyrians, they’re like, Oh, your God is over Israel, right? That that’s what they thought not recognizing he’s the one true God. But so basically it wasn’t just. A battle between one rising power over another nation. It was a battle between the forces of evil and God.

and why I think that is important because we, scripture says we face the same battle every day. And the devil uses the exact same tactics. He will try to get us to doubt, you know, first the king of Assyria, they tried to get him to get the people to doubt Hezekiah and his intentions. And then, like you said, to doubt God and the devil will like, does your husband really care for you?

Does your boss really have good in mind for you? [00:23:00] Is God really going to come through for you? And he can be really relentless. And that’s where a lot of our fears, I’m reminded, I think it was Spurgeon who said that the devil is a venomless, venomous, venomless snake. And when we remember, he’s already defeated and we know where to go.

Because we were given two commands to stand strong against the devil, and that’s to draw near to God and to resist him and he’ll flee. And so we see him doing that. we see King Hezekiah doing this in second Chronicles.

Kelly: Yeah, that was so good. I’m glad you went into that explanation about the spiritual warfare.

Thank you.

Jennifer: Yeah, well, thank you for letting me. So you said what verses I’m sorry, seven

Kelly: and eight.

Jennifer: Okay. He said, Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him. For there is a greater power with us than with him. With him is only the arm of [00:24:00] flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles. And the people gained confidence from what Hezekiah the king of Judah said.

Kelly: Yeah. And I just want to make the point that what he’s saying, these are the words of God. These are things that are true about God. And the people were encouraged, right?

But then this is where, the King of Assyria, just really let loose, unleashed all of his weapons of terror and everything got worse.

Jennifer: Right. Right. I do think it’s intriguing to me too. When I think of what Hezekiah, speaking these words that were true about God, we know from scripture that he had initiated like these reforms prior.

Kelly: Yes.

Jennifer: So he had already built into his soul. Truth that he could pull from in this time of, of crises. , I want to remind myself of that because like you said, the attacks get. Get worse [00:25:00] and he needs to know like, where are his roots going when the storm all around him is when he feels ready to topple.

And so yeah, the King, he basically says, so. what are you basing your confidence that you remain in Jerusalem under siege when Hezekiah says the Lord our God will save us from the hand of the king of Assyria? He is misleading you to let you die of hunger and thirst. And then he goes on and, and he’s basically like who, who else has withstood against us?

And you can just imagine they’ve seen this occur. Like they’ve seen the Northern kingdom has been conquered. They’ve seen Assyria rise up. And I don’t know if we, sometimes when I read these, I’m like, well, why didn’t they just have faith? And, and God told, made these promises. Okay. But how would I respond if ISIS so I’m outside of Omaha, if ISIS were, outside my city limits.

Kelly: Yeah.

Jennifer: And [00:26:00] God saying, have faith. I’m going to fight your battles. And I’m like, yeah, but I’ve seen the videos of what they’ve done. Like it’s, it would be terrifying,

Kelly: terrifying. And I think that’s such an important point because what you see in this story, Hezekiah is about to respond in a way that really ministers to both of us, I know, but what’s happening right now, we’ve seen this happen in both of our lives.

So we, we know what’s true about God. God is, this greater power. Those who are with us are greater than those who are with him, them. And we see that throughout scripture. We see the truth that God is more powerful than the enemies. He has all power and we gain confidence and we’re so encouraged, but then instead of keeping our eyes on the Lord, we look at our circumstances.

And everything just goes downhill from there. We maybe have additional hardships. Maybe our health flares up in a bad way. Or we see, someone we love struggling more the next day. I always have to [00:27:00] prepare myself for this.

When I’m in a place of confidence, I have to tell myself, okay, you know, tomorrow things might get worse. I They might not look as good. And so what are you going to do, Kelly, when you see that suddenly your situation has gotten worse when you’re standing in great confidence today, what’s going to happen?

And I think the way Hezekiah responds is really helpful for us when we are attacked by more threats, more lies, and our fear starts to grow, and actually what we see in this particular passage doesn’t include my favorite part.

I’m going to refer back to 2 Kings. . It’s the same story in 2 Kings. It’s chapter 19 and it’s verse 14. And it just says, Hezekiah took this threatening letter, this scroll that they had sent him, everything that had been said by evil King Assyria was written in a letter. And so he took this letter and it says he laid it out before the Lord [00:28:00] and then he prayed.

And that one response has given me. So much hope in times when, like I’ve mentioned before times when the crisis is so big, I don’t even have a way to put the enormity of my situation into words. And if I were to put it into words what that would do is make me focus on all the impossible odds that are stacked against me.

So what I have done, and this has helped me so much is just kind of hold up the situation with my hands to the Lord. And I just say this. This whole thing, you know what it is and it’s bad, but here’s what I know about you. You are God almighty. You have more power than these obstacles .

And I’m not going to be afraid. And I just began to praise God for who he is and how he works. And that helps me.

Jennifer: Yeah. I love that. and I love too that God gave him the assurance that he [00:29:00] needed. I love his prayer.

Directly after the part you mentioned and so then in verses 15 16 all the way actually through 19 because I think You’re talking about the things that we’re reminding ourselves of when we’re afraid and We can really follow almost like a road map through his prayers.

Kelly: Yeah, so

Jennifer: , it says and Hezekiah prayed to the Lord Lord the God of Israel enthroned between the cherubim You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth and I’m gonna pause So he’s like saying you’re not a regional God You’re not just over our nation. You are God over Assyria.

You’re God over the world, over all of heaven. And then he goes on verse 16. Give ear, Lord, and hear. Open your eyes, Lord, and see. Listen to the words Sennacherib has sent to ridicule the living God. And so he goes into, you know, it’s true. He’s done this. He’s done that. That’s in verses 17 to 18. He’s, it’s, it’s true that he’s done all of these things.

But then he says in verse 19 now [00:30:00] Lord our God deliver us from his hand So that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone Lord are God and then yeah And then God God answered basically stating that the king of Assyria wouldn’t and I love this I this is exactly from scripture wouldn’t enter into the city He wouldn’t shoot an arrow there or come before it with a shield or build a siege ramp against it God’s pretty specific here.

He’s like, he’s not going to give, he’s not going to do this. He’s not going to do that. He’s not going to do that. He’s not going to do that because God himself would defend the city. And he did at that night, the angel of the Lord killed 85, 000 Assyrian soldiers while they were in their camp without the people of Judah.

Even having to raise a sword. And I always want to pause here. When we read these stories in scripture, there’s a part of me, I tend to be really high, sometimes too high on the empathy meter and I’m like, and I’m like, [00:31:00] but those are people, well, we have to remember these were people that were torturing people in order to die, like they were doing horrifically, horrifically cruel.

I don’t even want to say it. They were doing really cruel things, and had that been allowed to continue and perpetuate, we know what happens when evil people expand, right? So there is a thing, I don’t always like. Justice, honestly, I don’t, but there is, just like, if you have children, you’re going to want to protect your kids, right?

You’re you’re not going to allow the abuser to, to grow in influence.

Kelly: Right. That’s so important. I’m glad you shared that because that’s exactly the same way I respond. When I read these portions of scripture, I love that we went through Hezekiah’s actual prayer through the actual words and then how God responded.

He didn’t just say, I will fight for you. [00:32:00] Yes. I love how specific he was, how he said, and he’s done this to me before too, and he just laid out everything. I like, they’re not going to come to your gates. Well, and we’re thinking, well, what about this? Well, what about, and it’s like he addressed every single, what about, and what if that could have been running through the people’s minds?

Jennifer: Yes. Yeah. And I think too, what a contrast to the watching world to see Judah during this time period versus. Israel during this time period, what it looks like you’re, we always have the opportunity to either depend on God and follow him and receive his protection provision. Not that, not that we’re promised an easy life, but.

Right. But we always have that choice to either say, okay, God, I’m going to align myself with you and what you’re doing, or you know what? No, I’m going to do it my own way. And it never goes well when we try to do it our own way. Right? Right.

Kelly: [00:33:00] Right. So what are the main things that we can apply when we’re in a crisis from this story?

What stands out to you?

Jennifer: A couple of things that I love what you mentioned about how he brought his letter to, to God. Well, there’s a couple of things actually go back to his first response actually wasn’t to turn to God because remember he initially like, I’m going to pay the tribute.

Kelly: Right

Jennifer: when we go we’re like early in the story and what I love about that is it shows the grace of God that He’s like, okay. I understand you were afraid Here’s your do over moment, right and you you you turn to me. It doesn’t matter what you did yesterday. You’re turning to me today And I’m going to be there for you.

I’m going to protect you. I’m going to fight this battle. So I love that that we always every day. He gives us a do over. Right? And when we respond in fear 1 day, that doesn’t mean we have to respond in fear tomorrow. Right. I love that. [00:34:00] And then I love that again, he went straight to God and I love that he proclaimed reminded himself and proclaimed God’s power and authority over.

Sometimes I think and the elections are coming and it’s really easy to forget that God is. The God of the Democrats and the Republicans and the Independents. And so I like that he reminded himself that God. Was still in control, even when his world felt really out of control.

Kelly: Amen. That is so powerful.

I love how, , His story, the parts you mentioned, I love when you see a story like that in scripture, because that’s how we are. That’s where we live.

And you see, Oh, okay. But that doesn’t mean that’s the end of my story. That doesn’t mean I’m a failure. That doesn’t mean God has rejected me. I can just run to God right here, right now. He’s already with me. He’s already working on my behalf. [00:35:00] His heart is toward me. His eye is on me. Like he prayed in that, the prayer you read.

And that prayer was in second Kings 19, that passage that starts about verse 14 and you can read through that and you can read the way God responded but I’m just so glad we were able to talk through it today. And I pray for all of our listeners that they are encouraged to turn to God in their crises as well.

So as we close, Jennifer, I’m just wondering how you would most like people to connect with you and what kind of resources you might want to tell them about.

Jennifer: Yeah, well, I would always, especially if we’re talking about fear, I would invite them to visit the Faith Over Fear podcast. And you and I actually have two back to back episodes on there that I think they’ll really find encouragement because we talk about some powerful truths in scripture to conquer our fears.

So I would invite listeners to check that out. I always love connecting. If you want to connect with me through my website or on social [00:36:00] media, I’m really open if you want to reach out. And if you’ve got questions or want prayer or anything, please don’t hesitate to reach out through my website. Thank you.

Kelly: I love that. I, and , when this particular podcast comes out, the two that I did with you will be out. And so I can put those links in the show notes as well. So nice. Well, thanks so much for this conversation, Jennifer.

Jennifer: I loved it.

Kelly: Me too.

If you were encouraged in your faith today, it’d be great if you’d help get the word out by subscribing, sharing with a friend or leaving a review. I’d love to hear from you. You can reach out through my website, kellyhall. org and pick up some free resources while you’re there. Thanks for listening to the Unshakable Hope Podcast.