1 00:00:07,900 --> 00:00:12,080 Speaker 1: Welcome to the Untangling Prayer Podcast. I'm Rachel Wojo, and 2 00:00:12,280 --> 00:00:17,189 Speaker 1: each week we unravel life's knots through prayer. Here you'll 3 00:00:17,270 --> 00:00:21,350 Speaker 1: find practical wisdom and prayer encouragement to guide you through 4 00:00:21,410 --> 00:00:26,430 Speaker 1: life's hardest seasons. Join me as we untangle life's messes together, 5 00:00:27,230 --> 00:00:28,750 Speaker 1: one prayer at a time. 6 00:00:33,310 --> 00:00:36,490 Speaker 2: Hey there, I'm Rachel, and I wanted to start today 7 00:00:36,550 --> 00:00:41,660 Speaker 2: by asking a question. Do you face a fear that 8 00:00:41,680 --> 00:00:45,559 Speaker 2: just keeps knocking? Boy, I do. I was thinking about 9 00:00:45,620 --> 00:00:49,020 Speaker 2: this because I've been watching this series on Prime Video 10 00:00:49,100 --> 00:00:52,659 Speaker 2: called The Chosen in the Wild with Bear Grylls, and 11 00:00:52,720 --> 00:00:55,980 Speaker 2: it's where Bear takes the cast of the Chosen out 12 00:00:56,260 --> 00:01:00,590 Speaker 2: into the wilderness, and he puts them through these survival 13 00:01:00,750 --> 00:01:04,340 Speaker 2: trips and In one episode, he picks up an actor 14 00:01:04,400 --> 00:01:09,039 Speaker 2: off the Colorado River by helicopter, and they're ziplining and 15 00:01:09,120 --> 00:01:12,940 Speaker 2: scaling cliffs. And, you know, I love a good nature hike. 16 00:01:13,020 --> 00:01:15,380 Speaker 2: Give me a trail. Give me a long walk outside. 17 00:01:15,400 --> 00:01:19,709 Speaker 2: I am all in. But watching these people hang off 18 00:01:19,770 --> 00:01:23,690 Speaker 2: of a helicopter over a ravine or work their way 19 00:01:23,950 --> 00:01:27,450 Speaker 2: up a rock wall with nothing but jagged cliffs underneath them, 20 00:01:27,530 --> 00:01:30,479 Speaker 2: I have to catch myself wondering why. If I would 21 00:01:30,520 --> 00:01:33,800 Speaker 2: be brave enough to do that. And honestly, it puts 22 00:01:33,840 --> 00:01:35,920 Speaker 2: a little bit of fear in me just watching them 23 00:01:35,990 --> 00:01:40,090 Speaker 2: from my couch. But this is a small but silly 24 00:01:40,310 --> 00:01:43,750 Speaker 2: example of what fear does to us. It opens up 25 00:01:43,890 --> 00:01:48,190 Speaker 2: a bigger question in my heart. And it's this week's question. 26 00:01:48,720 --> 00:01:54,640 Speaker 2: Because fears that really wear us down aren't typically helicopter rides. 27 00:01:55,580 --> 00:02:00,740 Speaker 2: They are thoughts that show up. time and again every night. 28 00:02:01,440 --> 00:02:04,440 Speaker 2: It's the what if that's waiting for you the second 29 00:02:04,460 --> 00:02:06,820 Speaker 2: that you wake up before your feet ever even hit 30 00:02:06,860 --> 00:02:10,500 Speaker 2: the floor. And you've prayed about it. You've handed it 31 00:02:10,560 --> 00:02:14,079 Speaker 2: to God. And then a few hours later, or maybe 32 00:02:14,139 --> 00:02:17,660 Speaker 2: even a few minutes later, there it is again, knocking 33 00:02:17,880 --> 00:02:19,739 Speaker 2: at the door of your heart like it never left. 34 00:02:20,840 --> 00:02:24,100 Speaker 2: If that's you, this episode is for you. We're in 35 00:02:24,180 --> 00:02:28,200 Speaker 2: the for the weary stretch of this season. And I 36 00:02:28,240 --> 00:02:32,880 Speaker 2: don't know a weariness quite like the tiredness of fighting 37 00:02:32,960 --> 00:02:36,139 Speaker 2: the same fear over and over again. So today we're 38 00:02:36,160 --> 00:02:39,650 Speaker 2: going to talk about what to do when fear won't 39 00:02:39,730 --> 00:02:42,870 Speaker 2: stop knocking. And I want to show you something about 40 00:02:42,910 --> 00:02:46,610 Speaker 2: God's love that changed the way I pray through fear. 41 00:02:47,090 --> 00:02:49,010 Speaker 2: But before we go any further, I want to make 42 00:02:49,050 --> 00:02:52,790 Speaker 2: sure you know that last week, Praying Through Life's Battles 43 00:02:52,850 --> 00:02:56,950 Speaker 2: released 90 Days to Strengthen Your Faith. And this whole 44 00:02:57,030 --> 00:03:01,450 Speaker 2: season of the podcast is walking through the three movements 45 00:03:01,650 --> 00:03:05,370 Speaker 2: inside this book, starting with For the Weary. So if 46 00:03:05,490 --> 00:03:08,650 Speaker 2: fear is a battle that you keep fighting, don't miss 47 00:03:08,750 --> 00:03:12,070 Speaker 2: out on this book. You can get it at battleprayers.com. 48 00:03:12,490 --> 00:03:15,090 Speaker 2: I'll come back to it at the end of the episode. 49 00:03:15,530 --> 00:03:19,600 Speaker 2: But now, here's this week's question. How do I pray 50 00:03:20,160 --> 00:03:22,940 Speaker 2: when fear keeps knocking at the door of my heart? 51 00:03:23,960 --> 00:03:27,480 Speaker 2: And I appreciate the depth of this question. It was 52 00:03:27,520 --> 00:03:30,410 Speaker 2: sent in. I'm not sure how we received it, but 53 00:03:30,970 --> 00:03:33,590 Speaker 2: it's not saying, how do I make the fear disappear? 54 00:03:33,990 --> 00:03:36,630 Speaker 2: And I'm guessing that whoever with the question knows that 55 00:03:37,150 --> 00:03:40,900 Speaker 2: fear isn't a one and done thing. So the question is, 56 00:03:41,040 --> 00:03:44,580 Speaker 2: how do we keep praying when fear keeps coming back 57 00:03:44,860 --> 00:03:48,590 Speaker 2: at us? And Psalm 34 is one of my favorites. 58 00:03:48,690 --> 00:03:51,460 Speaker 2: David says, I sought the Lord and he answered me. 59 00:03:51,560 --> 00:03:55,559 Speaker 2: He delivered me from all my fears. I read that 60 00:03:55,600 --> 00:03:59,820 Speaker 2: verse a lot, probably a hundred times. And David isn't 61 00:03:59,940 --> 00:04:04,100 Speaker 2: saying God delivered him from all his troubles in this verse. 62 00:04:04,810 --> 00:04:08,230 Speaker 2: He is saying God delivered him from all his fears. 63 00:04:08,750 --> 00:04:13,470 Speaker 2: Those aren't quite the same. Sometimes the trouble is still 64 00:04:13,610 --> 00:04:16,170 Speaker 2: sitting there right in front of you, right? And it 65 00:04:16,270 --> 00:04:19,860 Speaker 2: hasn't changed. The circumstance or the situation has not changed. 66 00:04:20,460 --> 00:04:23,500 Speaker 2: But what God does is he comes for the fear 67 00:04:23,900 --> 00:04:27,260 Speaker 2: of your situation. And that can change how we pray. 68 00:04:27,400 --> 00:04:31,159 Speaker 2: For a long time, my prayers about fear were asking 69 00:04:31,200 --> 00:04:34,560 Speaker 2: God to change the circumstances, take this away, fix this, 70 00:04:34,680 --> 00:04:38,279 Speaker 2: change the outcome. And there's nothing wrong with asking God 71 00:04:38,380 --> 00:04:41,730 Speaker 2: to make those changes. But if the only prayer that 72 00:04:41,810 --> 00:04:44,469 Speaker 2: I know how to pray is make this scary thing 73 00:04:44,510 --> 00:04:49,980 Speaker 2: go away, then every time it shows up, I'm stuck again, right? 74 00:04:50,700 --> 00:04:54,719 Speaker 2: Because it's not working according to my schedule. David was 75 00:04:54,880 --> 00:04:59,710 Speaker 2: in a hot mess when he wrote Psalm 34. He 76 00:04:59,750 --> 00:05:03,670 Speaker 2: had been fleeing from enemy territory. I mean, his son 77 00:05:03,910 --> 00:05:07,430 Speaker 2: Absalom was hunting him with the intent to kill. So 78 00:05:07,550 --> 00:05:11,270 Speaker 2: imagine being betrayed by someone you love. David knew that 79 00:05:11,350 --> 00:05:15,140 Speaker 2: his son's strength and his warrior skill was enough to 80 00:05:15,750 --> 00:05:19,640 Speaker 2: to kill him because he had trained Absalom. He had 81 00:05:19,720 --> 00:05:22,840 Speaker 2: trained the killer. And so I think David is telling us, 82 00:05:22,940 --> 00:05:27,099 Speaker 2: don't wait until you feel brave enough to pray. Seek 83 00:05:27,240 --> 00:05:30,540 Speaker 2: God from inside the fear, not when you're over it. 84 00:05:31,000 --> 00:05:34,780 Speaker 2: And then bring the fear to God. Don't dress it 85 00:05:34,900 --> 00:05:37,300 Speaker 2: up or try to make it look any different than 86 00:05:37,380 --> 00:05:41,750 Speaker 2: what it is. Name what you're afraid of. I think 87 00:05:41,790 --> 00:05:44,630 Speaker 2: that can be pivotal in our prayer life. Thank you 88 00:05:44,730 --> 00:05:46,969 Speaker 2: so much for listening to this part of the episode. 89 00:05:47,010 --> 00:05:50,010 Speaker 2: We'll be right back after a brief word from our sponsors. 90 00:05:51,490 --> 00:05:54,120 Speaker 2: And now thank you for allowing that word from our 91 00:05:54,180 --> 00:05:58,960 Speaker 2: sponsors for this week's segment of Pray More, Worry Less encouragement. 92 00:05:59,500 --> 00:06:01,479 Speaker 2: I want to share with you, this is the part 93 00:06:01,500 --> 00:06:03,840 Speaker 2: of the podcast where we kind of settle on one 94 00:06:04,279 --> 00:06:07,700 Speaker 2: prayer principle that helps us pray more and worry less. 95 00:06:08,400 --> 00:06:10,570 Speaker 2: And the one I wanted to give you today is 96 00:06:10,650 --> 00:06:16,279 Speaker 2: that when we focus on receiving God's perfect love. That's 97 00:06:16,339 --> 00:06:19,020 Speaker 2: when we understand His love is stronger than fear. I 98 00:06:19,740 --> 00:06:22,120 Speaker 2: have to sit with that word a little bit, receiving, 99 00:06:22,200 --> 00:06:26,750 Speaker 2: because it's not a natural go-to for me. My default 100 00:06:26,950 --> 00:06:31,589 Speaker 2: is fight fear. My default is brace fear or talk 101 00:06:31,650 --> 00:06:34,880 Speaker 2: myself out of it. And all of those things kind 102 00:06:34,940 --> 00:06:39,020 Speaker 2: of keep me locked in on the fear itself. 1 103 00:06:39,020 --> 00:06:42,870 Speaker 2: John 4.18 tells us there is no fear in love, 104 00:06:42,930 --> 00:06:46,010 Speaker 2: but perfect love drives out fear. And if you think 105 00:06:46,089 --> 00:06:51,609 Speaker 2: about that, courage is not what drives out fear. Willpower, perseverance, 106 00:06:51,890 --> 00:06:59,030 Speaker 2: even faith doesn't necessarily drive out fear. Love does. And 107 00:06:59,070 --> 00:07:01,600 Speaker 2: it's perfect love. So in other words, not the kind 108 00:07:01,630 --> 00:07:03,880 Speaker 2: of love that I think I'm going to muster up 109 00:07:03,940 --> 00:07:08,170 Speaker 2: to take to God. It's God's love for me. I'm 110 00:07:08,230 --> 00:07:12,790 Speaker 2: not generating the love or creating the love. I'm receiving 111 00:07:12,850 --> 00:07:16,330 Speaker 2: the love. Think about what happens in a room when 112 00:07:16,810 --> 00:07:20,650 Speaker 2: love walks in. When love walks in, there's no space 113 00:07:20,730 --> 00:07:23,170 Speaker 2: for fear. When you were a little kid afraid of 114 00:07:23,190 --> 00:07:25,830 Speaker 2: the dark and your mom or dad came and sat 115 00:07:25,890 --> 00:07:29,210 Speaker 2: on the edge of your bed, the darkness was still there, right? 116 00:07:30,330 --> 00:07:33,540 Speaker 2: Nothing about the room had changed necessarily. They maybe didn't 117 00:07:33,580 --> 00:07:36,900 Speaker 2: turn a light on. But you could feel their presence 118 00:07:37,280 --> 00:07:40,440 Speaker 2: and you knew the room is safe. My mom, my 119 00:07:40,480 --> 00:07:47,700 Speaker 2: dad is here. And when fear keeps knocking, I am 120 00:07:47,780 --> 00:07:50,500 Speaker 2: tempted to answer the door and try to wrestle it, right? 121 00:07:51,100 --> 00:07:55,040 Speaker 2: But what I'm still learning to do instead, even last night, 122 00:07:55,620 --> 00:07:59,180 Speaker 2: is to let myself be loved by God right there 123 00:07:59,240 --> 00:08:04,120 Speaker 2: in the fear. And not to pray, God, make me brave, 124 00:08:04,460 --> 00:08:08,230 Speaker 2: although I want to be brave. But God, help me 125 00:08:08,430 --> 00:08:12,270 Speaker 2: know how much you love me right now. There's a 126 00:08:12,330 --> 00:08:15,369 Speaker 2: shift that happens when we pray that way because fear 127 00:08:15,430 --> 00:08:19,210 Speaker 2: might not leave the room, but it stops ruling the room. 128 00:08:20,390 --> 00:08:22,360 Speaker 2: I want to make sure that you understand that I'm 129 00:08:22,400 --> 00:08:25,840 Speaker 2: not handing you some kind of formula. This isn't receive 130 00:08:25,880 --> 00:08:29,340 Speaker 2: God's love and all fear will vanish and you'll never 131 00:08:29,400 --> 00:08:32,680 Speaker 2: have to deal with it again because fear comes back 132 00:08:32,760 --> 00:08:36,000 Speaker 2: knocking and knocking again and again. But what I can 133 00:08:36,059 --> 00:08:38,830 Speaker 2: tell you is that God's love is bigger than the 134 00:08:38,880 --> 00:08:41,950 Speaker 2: fear is. And when you believe that to be true, 135 00:08:41,970 --> 00:08:45,370 Speaker 2: it enables you to pray through the fear instead of 136 00:08:45,429 --> 00:08:49,929 Speaker 2: just waiting for it to be over. Perfect love is stronger, 137 00:08:50,030 --> 00:08:53,430 Speaker 2: not because you held on to it, but because God's 138 00:08:53,690 --> 00:08:58,730 Speaker 2: love is strong. When I think about this in the 139 00:08:58,890 --> 00:09:01,830 Speaker 2: form of the third segment of our episode, which is 140 00:09:02,110 --> 00:09:05,370 Speaker 2: always sharing an answer prayer story, there was a missionary 141 00:09:05,429 --> 00:09:08,830 Speaker 2: named Amy Carmichael and a story about her. She was 142 00:09:08,870 --> 00:09:12,570 Speaker 2: born in the 1800s, and she spent 55 years in 143 00:09:12,610 --> 00:09:17,829 Speaker 2: southern India rescuing children out of temple slavery, out of 144 00:09:17,890 --> 00:09:22,069 Speaker 2: what we would now call human trafficking. And before any 145 00:09:22,110 --> 00:09:25,050 Speaker 2: of that, Amy was a very small girl. She had 146 00:09:25,130 --> 00:09:28,510 Speaker 2: brown eyes, and the story says that she wanted blue eyes. 147 00:09:29,190 --> 00:09:31,929 Speaker 2: And her mother had blue eyes, and little Amy prayed 148 00:09:32,010 --> 00:09:35,459 Speaker 2: with only the kind of confidence that a little child 149 00:09:35,520 --> 00:09:39,620 Speaker 2: sometimes has, faith the size of a mustard seed. She 150 00:09:39,780 --> 00:09:41,920 Speaker 2: asked God for blue eyes, and she went to sleep 151 00:09:41,980 --> 00:09:46,099 Speaker 2: that night completely certain that she would wake up with 152 00:09:46,179 --> 00:09:49,860 Speaker 2: blue eyes. Morning came, she ran to the mirror, and 153 00:09:49,880 --> 00:09:54,330 Speaker 2: guess what? Her eyes were still brown. She was crushed 154 00:09:54,670 --> 00:09:58,450 Speaker 2: because God had said no, and she didn't understand why. Now, 155 00:09:59,250 --> 00:10:02,940 Speaker 2: if you walk forward with me, 40 years later, Amy 156 00:10:03,020 --> 00:10:06,320 Speaker 2: is in India, and to slip into the temples and 157 00:10:06,340 --> 00:10:09,840 Speaker 2: get close enough to rescue children, she would darken her 158 00:10:09,900 --> 00:10:14,320 Speaker 2: skin with coffee and wrap herself to blend in, and 159 00:10:14,360 --> 00:10:17,460 Speaker 2: a woman with blue eyes could have never passed through 160 00:10:17,500 --> 00:10:22,229 Speaker 2: those temple gates. But brown eyes let her go in unnoticed, 161 00:10:22,309 --> 00:10:25,810 Speaker 2: and brown eyes let her walk out with children in 162 00:10:25,870 --> 00:10:29,489 Speaker 2: her arms. And the no that she had cried over 163 00:10:29,610 --> 00:10:35,170 Speaker 2: as a little girl was her Heavenly Father's love, protecting 164 00:10:35,190 --> 00:10:40,270 Speaker 2: a future that she couldn't possibly had ever known or seen. 165 00:10:41,130 --> 00:10:44,530 Speaker 2: I think about how much fear she must have carried 166 00:10:44,550 --> 00:10:50,230 Speaker 2: in that work. She faced kidnapping charges, angry crowds. I mean, 167 00:10:50,250 --> 00:10:54,560 Speaker 2: this was real danger for years. And all the way 168 00:10:54,600 --> 00:10:58,360 Speaker 2: back to that little story of the mirror, she had 169 00:10:58,400 --> 00:11:01,559 Speaker 2: learned that God's love is at work, even when His 170 00:11:01,679 --> 00:11:04,480 Speaker 2: answer isn't the one you wanted. She didn't have to 171 00:11:04,540 --> 00:11:07,360 Speaker 2: see the whole plan to trust God's heart behind it. 172 00:11:08,480 --> 00:11:11,200 Speaker 2: And then there's a day that it all came down. 173 00:11:11,820 --> 00:11:15,500 Speaker 2: To fruition, this story, a seven-year-old named Prina had been 174 00:11:15,540 --> 00:11:19,340 Speaker 2: given to a temple by her mother. She escaped once 175 00:11:19,660 --> 00:11:22,080 Speaker 2: and she was dragged back and they branded her little 176 00:11:22,140 --> 00:11:26,660 Speaker 2: hands with hot irons to punish her. She escaped again 177 00:11:27,340 --> 00:11:30,460 Speaker 2: and this time she found her way to Amy Carmichael. 178 00:11:31,200 --> 00:11:33,870 Speaker 2: Amy was just back from a trip sitting down to 179 00:11:34,260 --> 00:11:38,550 Speaker 2: have a morning tea and this frightened child just ran 180 00:11:38,670 --> 00:11:42,510 Speaker 2: straight to her climbed up in her lap and held 181 00:11:42,690 --> 00:11:46,250 Speaker 2: onto her neck. And Prina said later that Amy kissed her. 182 00:11:46,610 --> 00:11:49,790 Speaker 2: And she thought, my mom used to kiss me like that. 183 00:11:49,880 --> 00:11:52,640 Speaker 2: Who is this person who is kissing me the way 184 00:11:52,700 --> 00:11:55,940 Speaker 2: my mother did? And from that day forward, she said 185 00:11:55,980 --> 00:11:59,260 Speaker 2: that Amy became her mother. And when I think about 186 00:11:59,300 --> 00:12:03,739 Speaker 2: this story, Amy had prayed for years asking God how 187 00:12:03,820 --> 00:12:08,210 Speaker 2: she could ever reach these children because she Didn't have 188 00:12:08,260 --> 00:12:11,270 Speaker 2: a plan, but God answered a prayer she'd been praying 189 00:12:11,850 --> 00:12:16,350 Speaker 2: by sending the answer running through her door and right 190 00:12:16,410 --> 00:12:19,390 Speaker 2: onto her lap. The fear of how could I ever 191 00:12:19,450 --> 00:12:24,199 Speaker 2: do this was answered by love showing up. And this 192 00:12:24,300 --> 00:12:27,040 Speaker 2: is the reason that I wrote Praying Through Life's Battles, 193 00:12:27,120 --> 00:12:31,800 Speaker 2: my latest book. Most of us aren't afraid of one 194 00:12:31,860 --> 00:12:36,870 Speaker 2: big thing one time. We're weary because the same fear 195 00:12:37,030 --> 00:12:40,740 Speaker 2: is knocking again and again. And pep talks don't work. 196 00:12:41,550 --> 00:12:45,679 Speaker 2: We have to learn to pray from God's love instead 197 00:12:45,700 --> 00:12:49,160 Speaker 2: of from our fear. This book is 90 days of that. 198 00:12:49,200 --> 00:12:52,220 Speaker 2: It starts right where we are this month in the weariness, 199 00:12:52,840 --> 00:12:55,780 Speaker 2: and it walks you towards strength one day at a time. 200 00:12:56,460 --> 00:12:59,020 Speaker 2: If fear has been knocking at the door of your heart, 201 00:12:59,660 --> 00:13:02,790 Speaker 2: then start right here. You can get Praying Through Life's 202 00:13:02,860 --> 00:13:07,920 Speaker 2: Battles at BattlePrayers.com or wherever you buy books. Thank you 203 00:13:07,960 --> 00:13:11,480 Speaker 2: so much for joining me on the Untangling Prayer Podcast. 204 00:13:11,980 --> 00:13:14,930 Speaker 2: I pray today's episode has encouraged you in your walk 205 00:13:14,950 --> 00:13:19,390 Speaker 2: with the Lord. And until next time, remember, God sees you, 206 00:13:19,970 --> 00:13:22,910 Speaker 2: He hears you, and He knows your needs. 207 00:13:24,770 --> 00:13:28,910 Speaker 1: Thanks for joining me on the Untangling Prayer Podcast. If 208 00:13:28,970 --> 00:13:32,449 Speaker 1: this episode resonated with you, share it with someone who 209 00:13:32,490 --> 00:13:35,920 Speaker 1: could use a little hope. And be sure to subscribe 210 00:13:36,000 --> 00:13:40,820 Speaker 1: for more. Until next time, keep seeking, keep trusting, and 211 00:13:41,000 --> 00:13:41,500 Speaker 1: keep praying.