Take Heart, Military Wife: The Journey to a Heart That Reflects God’s CharacterSample

The Anxious Heart

As soon as we got orders to PCS to our next duty station, worry overwhelmed my soul. What started out feeling like a mountaintop of excitement over a new adventure catapulted me into a valley of anxiety. Alone and isolated, I now felt like a prisoner of the constant unknown.

For some of us, we wait anxiously for orders or for our husbands to return from deployment. We wait for “one day” filled with forever homes and consistent schedules, and worry invades us, making a home in our hearts.

The rollercoaster of emotions that came with our orders reminds me of Elijah, a prophet in the Old Testament. He had just defeated his enemies and followers of a false God. He even witnessed a boy come back from the dead in answer to his prayers! Talk about a mountaintop experience! Yet, immediately following his excitement, Elijah entered his own valley where those in authority threatened his life. His first response was to run in fear.

I’ve also sought to run in fear and worry. I have wanted to hide behind the walls of my own home, cry all the tears, and just be done with it all. But God, in his grace and kindness, has pulled me up and strengthened me to keep going.

When Elijah ran away, he prayed to die. Instead, the Lord allowed him to fall into a deep sleep and rest while the Lord worked. Twice, he was awoken by an angel to eat bread and drink water the Lord had miraculously provided. Strengthened by the Lord’s provision, Elijah traveled 40 days and nights to Horeb, the mountain of God, where the Lord met with Him in a gentle whisper and instructed him to continue his mission. Elijah only needed to be concerned with the day set before him and rest while the Lord cared for what he was not equipped to carry.

The truth is, so much of our anxiety isn’t due to the unknown but rather to a heart that tries to pick up what it’s not equipped to carry. What worries us most can be put to rest in who God is. The future is God’s to hold, and he holds it well.

Take heart, military wife! God provides rest for our hearts that only He can give. Through all the fear and anxiety, you can stay in the fight, one day at a time. Whether you are on the highest of highs or lowest of lows, Jesus will be faithful to meet you with a gentle whisper even in the darkest of nights.

Pray

Your good and gracious God is waiting to meet with you. Open His word and let the peace of His presence be a steady anchor for your anxious heart. As you quiet yourself before him, He will be found.