Devotionals for the Heart: What to do when your life feels out of control

Finding Peace in the New Year
A devotional by Anne Madison

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”—Philippians 4:6-7 (NKJV)

As we step into a new year, 2026 stretches out before us like a blank page filled with possibility, but also uncertainty. We set goals, make resolutions, and map out plans. But beneath all our organizing lies a humbling truth: We are not in control. And that is where the rubber meets the road.

I learned about this deeply one winter evening while driving home from work. What began as a light snowfall quickly turned into a full-blown whiteout. The road, so familiar under normal conditions, was now hidden beneath inches of blowing and drifting snow. Visibility dropped to nearly nothing. Landmarks I relied on—road signs, mailboxes, houses, and intersections—all vanished in the flurry of the storm.

Fear surged through me. My hands were white-knuckled on the steering wheel as I crept forward, barely inching along. Each turn of the tires felt like a step of faith on ground I could not see. I had driven that road countless times, but now, the blizzard swallowed everything. I was disoriented. Alone. Scared. I whispered prayers to God, pleading not to slip into a ditch or crash into something hidden in the storm’s fury.

And then I saw it. A solitary light shining through the storm at the next intersection. It was not much, but it was enough. That small glow pierced the darkness just enough to reveal the bend in the road ahead. Relief washed over me as I cleared the curve, and I slowly continued the final stretch toward home. Soon, I saw the soft glow of my porch lights—warm, familiar, and full of welcome. I whispered, “Thank You, Lord,” as I pulled in the driveway. I made it. Whew!

Life is often like that whiteout. We hit seasons when nothing looks familiar anymore. The path we once relied on seems hidden. The answers we used to have do not seem to work. Fear takes our faith hostage. Like snowflakes caught in a swirling wind, we feel tossed, beaten, and out of control. Swallowed up by the storm.

Philippians 4:6-7 reminds us of what to do when anxiety creeps in and fear takes hold: Pray with thanksgiving. Paul does not deny that we will face anxious moments. Instead, he gives us the antidote: bring everything—our fears, plans, questions, and confusion—to God in prayer. And not just prayer out of panic, but prayer wrapped in gratitude. Because gratitude changes our attitude. When we thank God in the midst of uncertainty, we acknowledge that He is already at work, even if we cannot yet see the outcome. Prayer with thanksgiving activates our faith.

And then comes the promise: “The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” God does not promise instant solutions. He promises peace. Not a surface-level calm, but a deep, unshakable peace—one that does not always make sense to the world. It is peace that shows up when the storm rages. Peace that steadies your heart when fear tries to hijack your life. Peace that protects your mind from spinning into panic. In other words, my friends: When the blizzard hits, pray. When fear swells, pray. When you cannot see your way forward slow your roll and pray.

Call to Action:

As you step into this year, let this be your sole resolution: Be anxious for nothing.

You do not need to control the year ahead. You need to trust the One who already holds it. He is not panicked by the storms. He is not blinded by the blizzards. He sees the road clearly when you cannot. His promises are sure, His presence steady, and His peace available in the midst of your storm.

Let 2026 be the year you trade anxiety for intimacy with God. When fear rises, respond with prayer. When worry presses in, respond with worship. And when the way forward disappears, trust that God will shine just enough light for the next bend in the road.

Let’s Pray:

Lord, I do not know what this year holds, but I know You hold me. When fear grips my heart, help me remember to turn to You in prayer. Teach me to bring every worry, every plan, and every unknown to You with thanksgiving. May Your peace fill my heart and guard my thoughts. Thank You for being faithful in every season. In Jesus’s name I pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection #1: “Eye of the Storm” by Ryan Stevenson (feat. GabeReal). Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #2: “God Will Take Care of You” by Rosemary Siemens. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #3: “How Firm a Foundation” by Reawaken Hymns. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #4: “Hold Me Still” by ForeverJones. Listen to it here.

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Author Bio:

Anne Madison is a devotional writer whose words gently guide women toward a deeper connection with God through personal reflection, scripture, and everyday experiences. 

Based in Iron River, Wisconsin, Anne is continually inspired by the natural beauty around her and the strong sense of community she calls home.

A dedicated journaler for over 46 years, Anne draws from a rich well of spiritual practice and daily life to craft devotionals that are heartfelt, relatable, and deeply rooted in faith. Her writing speaks to women seeking encouragement, stillness, and spiritual renewal amid the busyness of life.

Anne has a unique gift for noticing God in the ordinary. Whether it's a cup of morning coffee, a walk through the woods, or a quiet conversation with a friend, she uncovers sacred messages that reveal God’s goodness and the blessings hidden in everyday moments.

In addition to her writing, Anne is pursuing her certification as a Life Coach through the Life Mentoring School, further deepening her calling to encourage and uplift others.

She finds joy in simple pleasures—quilting, reading, and spending time with her beloved family and friends.

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Connect with Anne:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lessonsinthejourney    

Email: lessonsinthejourney@gmail.com  

Devotionals for the Heart: Religion

Religion and Our Modern Day
A devotional by Christa MacDonald

“Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” 

– James 1:26-27 (NIV)

I’ve written before how I love the book of James for its fire. It’s an exhortation more than a letter or as the kids say he’s “calling us out”. If this was a sermon, the preacher would be leaning over the pulpit, arms waving, in full voice. He’d be shaking the back pews with these words. In the verse above, his focus is on how we practice our religion.

Now, hearing the word ‘religion’ can make some of us wince. The world has soured on religion and the term has taken on some negative connotations. I don’t think this is because the world is any more sinful than it has ever been. I suspect it has to do with Christians (and others) behaving badly, while claiming faith. It’s also likely a shift in the modern mindset.

In a lot of ways, technological advancement has become a kind of religion itself. It doesn’t take a lot to put your faith in modern science and medicine. It doesn’t cost you anything, asks nothing from you. You can keep the parts you like and reject the rest. Faith in Jesus Christ, however, that takes work, it will cost you your life, so to speak. We die to self when we follow Christ.

In our modern times there’s an emphasis on self-expression and individuality. Being heard is a big deal. Sometimes, that’s a good thing. But as Christians, we need to be careful about what we express. We need to watch what we put out in the world. Essentially James is calling on us to ‘mind your business’, the Kingdom’s business.

Whether its traffic when you’re running late, an obnoxious coworker, a rude customer, a family member in crisis, or even a stranger spewing hate, we need to keep a grip on ourselves. We need to remember our purpose and focus our mind and bodies on the mission, not the moment. That can be a serious challenge in times like these when we are pressed from all sides.

However, now is when we need this control and focus the most. When we’re being distracted by culture, politics and fear, we need to keep our eyes on Jesus and our tongues in check.

Let’s Pray: Dear Heavenly Father, please give us the strength to love our enemies, friends, and neighbors in all circumstances. Make us instruments of your peace in a fallen world. Please help us to be salt and light, unpolluted by the world while active within it. In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.

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Author Bio:

Christa MacDonald is a 2017 Carol Award finalist for contemporary Christian fiction. 

She began her writing career at the age of eleven, filling a sketchbook with poems and short stories. After publishing a few short pieces in her college’s literary magazine she took a long hiatus during which she embarked on a few different careers, got married, had three kids, and renovated an old barn masquerading as a house.

Her most recent work, The Redemption Road, finished the Sweet River Redemption series published by Mountain Brook Ink.

When not working or writing Christa can be found ferrying her kids around, reading, or attempting something crafty. She and her family live along the coast of New England.

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Connect with Christa:
Website: www.christamacdonald.com
Newsletter: https://christamacdonald.com/connect-with-christa/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1538432676468229/
Amazon: https://amzn.to/33uk329
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CricketMacD
Christa's book publisher: http://mountainbrookink.com/about-us/authors/christa-macdonald/

Devotionals for the Heart: Fenced In

Don’t Fence Me In
A devotional by Amanda Wen

“Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” –Ephesians 3:20 (NLT)

When I was about eight years old, my family adopted a chinchilla named Herbie. Chinchillas, if you’re not familiar, are some of the most adorable little creatures you’ll ever meet. Usually a silvery gray, they have the body of a small rabbit, the ears and tail of a squirrel, and the thickest, softest fur imaginable.

Chinchillas are known for their active and inquisitive nature. Although they spend most of the time in large cages, these adorable little fluffballs do best when allowed some free roaming time to investigate and explore. However, being rodents, chinchillas also chew. On everything. All the time.

In an effort to both keep Herbie safe from chewing on something she shouldn’t, and to keep at least some of our stuff free from chinchilla-tooth autographs, my dad constructed a wooden barrier to keep her hemmed in during her explorations. My dad is quite the handyman, and this was a serious, well-crafted fence, complete with hinges, finished edges, and protective varnish.

However, we had woefully underestimated our new pet’s jumping capabilities. The first time we tried it, Herbie bounced straight for it, effortlessly leaped on top of it, and gave us a twinkly-eyed chinchilla-grin before hopping down to the outside of the barrier, free to roam to her little heart’s content.

Oops.

I laugh at this story, but I also find it convicting, because I know I tend to do that with God sometimes. “Okay, God,” I tell Him. “Here are the parts of my life I’m willing to give You. Here are my plans, my goals, my dreams, and my schedule, all within this nice little fence I’ve constructed for You. As long as You stay within that, all is well.”

But an infinite God cannot be contained by my pathetic attempts to box Him in. His ways are higher, and His plans are greater. He who created the universe from nothing, who causes the sun to rise and set, who has numbered the days of our lives and the hairs on our head, He who sent His very own Son to redeem us all…Do I really think I know better than He does when it comes to what my life should look like? Do I really think, even with my active imagination, that the plans I come up with are better than His?

As a certified, card-carrying control freak, letting God have control of my life scares me. I don’t like not knowing what’s ahead. I don’t enjoy the feeling of not being in charge. But looking back on my life and remembering all the times He’s been faithful, all the times I can agree with Him that His plans were indeed better, even though at the time I would’ve chosen mine, helps keep me secure in the knowledge that His plans are indeed best.

Fellow believers, we have a choice. We can try to contain God, to erect silly boundaries that He is more than capable of leaping over…or we can allow our Loving Father to have free reign in our lives, knowing that everything He does is for our ultimate good—though not always our temporary good—because He is good.

I pray we will always choose the latter.

~*~
Author Bio:

Amanda Wen is an award-winning writer of contemporary inspirational romance and split-time women’s fiction. 

A first place winner in the 2017 Indiana Golden Opportunity Contest, she also placed first in the 2017 Phoenix Rattler Contest, the 2017 Great Expectations Contest, and the 2016 ACFW First Impressions Contest, among others. In addition, she was a finalist in the 2018 ACFW Genesis Contest.

Amanda is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and regularly contributes author interviews for their Fiction Finder feature. She’s also been spotted onstage with the worship team at recent ACFW conferences. Amanda is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube Agency.

In addition to her writing, Amanda maintains an active and rewarding career as a freelance cellist, frequently performing with symphony orchestras, string quartets, and her church’s worship team. She lives in the Midwest with her amazing husband and their three adorable and hilarious Wenlets.

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Connect with Amanda:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/authoramandawen
Twitter: www.twitter.com/authoramandawen
Instagram: www.instagram.com/authoramandawen
Website: www.amandawen.com

A Prelude to Christmas: Carole's story about taking a risk on love

Welcome Carole Towriss to the blog. She's here to talk about her holiday novel, Just Until Christmas and she's giving away a copy of her book too! 

Here's the blurb for Carole's book Just Until Christmas: Hope Aristov arrives in Brandon Beach to live in her former home for three months—just enough time to finish out a residency requirement so she can sell the house and not pay capital gains taxes. Then she’s going straight back to Bethesda, Maryland.

Ian MacKay owns the only grocery store in the one-square-mile beach town. When Hope blows into his store, he likes her looks, but not her attitude. As he gets to know her, he begins to like her, far too much when he finds out she’s only staying until Christmas.

As they spend more time together he fights to keep his feelings in check, especially when he learns of a job opening that would suit her perfectly. When her tells her about it, she accuses him of trying to control her life—like everyone else she’s known.

Can Hope take a risk, and open her heart to what God has in store for her? Can Ian do what's best for Hope, and let God take control, even if it means giving her up?

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Fill out the book giveaway contest entry form on this Rafflecopter widget for your chance to WIN a copy of Carole's book: 

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Enjoy the interview with Carole! 

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Interview with Carole Towriss, author of Just Until Christmas:

Alexis: Hope Aristov is the heroine of your story. Tell us about her. What’s she like personality-wise? What are her hopes and dreams?

Carole: Hope has given up on life. She’s been used by many people and now distrusts everyone, including God, and stays pretty much to herself.

Alexis: How did you create the setting of Brandon Beach? Is it purely fictional or inspired by a location in the real world? 

Carole: Brandon Beach is actually Bethany Beach, Delaware, although for story reasons I kept it in Maryland. My family used to visit there every summer. We haven’t been in a few years because it’s been hard to find a week when all mu high-schoolers have a free week in the summer. But my husband and I just went there for a weekend for my birthday. I love it—it reminds me of my home in San Diego.

Alexis: What is Hope’s career dream and how does meeting and falling in love with Ian MacKay affect her best-laid plans?

Carole: Hope at one time wanted to be a teacher, but has settled for writing technical manuals. He encourages her to reconsider teaching, which doesn’t sit well with her. Even though she’s miserable, change scares her.

Alexis: Tell us about your story’s hero Ian MacKay. What’s he like? What are his strengths and weaknesses? What would you say is his most prominent character flaw?

Carole: Ian is honest and hard-working and a hopeless romantic. His most prominent flaw is that he believes he can fix everything if he just tries hard enough, and sometime he tries a little too hard.

Alexis: Give us a glimpse of Hope and Ian’s meet-cute. What made it special?

Carole: Hope and Ian met when she came to his grocery store at the beach. Her attitude completely put him off when she insulted his store!

Alexis: What is it about Hope that makes Ian want to move past her attitude and get to know her better?

Carole: It’s obvious to him that’s she’s been hurt. He really just wants to get to know her better at first. She intrigues him.

Alexis: What is it about Ian that makes Hope’s heart warm?

Carole: His generosity and willingness to help without any expectation of repayment fascinates her, since so far in her life she’s met people who were only out for themselves.

Alexis: Hope is not a-risk taker by nature and staying in Brandon Beach to blossom her relationship with Ian would be a major risk, especially since she had her heart set on taking care of business then returning home to Bethesda, Md. But something about Ian makes her want to stay. How did you as the writer tackle these matters of the heart?

Carole: For specifics, you’ll have to read the story! But I’ll say that God’s Word had a good deal to do with it. 

Alexis: What did you find most challenging in writing this story? Why?

Carole: I'm not a risk-taker either, so I had to find something that would make me want to stay. And that was a tall order.

Alexis: How did your own faith in God affect your building the faith of your characters to a point where they trust God and His plans for their lives?

Carole: I drew on events in my own life that called for the most faith, or the growing of my faith, and tried to translate those feelings into writing. It’s hard to do that.

Alexis: What was your favorite scene to write in this book? Why? 

Carole: Kissing scenes! Because I making true love happen, even if only on the page.

Alexis: Complete this sentence: I am a writer because ______________and I like writing Christmas stories but sometimes I’d rather __________________. 

Carole: I am a writer because I have stories I have to tell and I like writing Christmas stories but sometimes I’d rather watch Hallmark movies and eat cookie dough.

Alexis: Thanks for the interview, Carole! Do you have any final comments?

Carole: I hope to have a sequel next Christmas, when we get to learn more about Ian’s roommate Rob. If your readers leave a comment and tell me about your favorite Christmas, we’ll pick one person to receive a free paperback copy of Just Until Christmas.

Alexis: Thanks for the interview! God bless you and Merry Christmas!

~*~
Author bio: 

Carole Towriss grew up in beautiful San Diego, California. Now she and her husband live just north of Washington, D.C. 

In between making tacos and telling her four children to pick up their shoes for the third time, she reads, watches chick flicks, writes and waits for summertime to return to the beach. 

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Connect with Carole:
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/NovelistCaroleTowriss
Pinterest - http://www.pinterest.com/ctowriss

Twitter - https://twitter.com/CaroleTowriss

Website - www.CaroleTowriss.com

E-mail - carole@caroletowriss.com