Day 123 of 365: Meeting God in the Middle of the Mind — Day 1

Greetings, Precious Family:

May the Peace of the Lord be with you.

Family, over the past few days, we’ve been sitting in some very real and honest spaces together regarding mental health and us walking out our faith.

We’ve talked about what it feels like to be in the middle of it all and to know that God is present, and yet still sometimes feel unsettled and what it means to wrestle with the space between what we believe and what we actually feel.

Today, I want to gently name what we’ve been stepping into. We’re talking about faith and mental health. Two things that, for a long time, have been kept separate in many conversations, especially in the church.

Somewhere along the way, many of us were led to believe that struggling in our minds meant we were lacking in our faith. That anxiety, overwhelming, or intrusive thoughts were signs that we just needed to pray more, believe more, or try harder.

But if we’re honest, it’s not always that simple. Because you can love God deeply and still have moments where your mind feels heavy.

You can trust Him and still wrestle with your thoughts. You can stand on His Word and still find yourself in a process of learning how to live from it.

And I want to say this clearly, from both what I’ve studied and what I’ve lived:

These things, mental health and our Christian faith, are not in opposition. They never were.

I have spent years growing in my relationship with God, studying His Word, and also understanding the inner workings of the mind, specifically how we process, how we respond, how our thoughts take shape.

And even with that understanding, I have still had to walk through my own moments of being overwhelmed. Moments where I knew the truth but had to learn how to hold onto it.

And what I’ve come to understand is this:

Faith does not cancel out the mind and caring for your mental health does not mean your faith is weak. If anything, they were always meant to work together.

The Scripture tells us, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.

God is not absent from what happens in your mind. He is present in it. He is working through it. And He cares about it more than we often realize.

So over the next few days, we’re going to walk through this together. Gently. Honestly.
Without pressure to have it all figured out.

We’re going to talk about what it looks like to experience God, not just in our spirit, but in our thoughts, our emotions, and our everyday lives. Because if Jesus is truly with us in all things then He is with us here too. Right here, in the middle of the mind.

Scripture Passage of the Day

Philippians 4:8
New International Version

8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Let Us Pray

Sweet Holy Spirit, thank you for walking with us and reminding us of what is written in the Word and for also giving us the mindset of how to begin our day. Thank you for the reminder also that we do have spiritual authority to set the foundational tone for what our mind will think about each morning. Lord Jesus, in your mercy, hear our prayer as we lift them to the throne room of grace.

And we let be…And so it is.

Amen, Amen, and Amen

Worship Video of the Day

Singer: Jordan G. Welch
Song: open the Eyes of my Heart
‪@JordanGWelch‬​
I own NO copyrights for this song!
Inspiring The Nation With the Word of God!
#anxietyrelief​ #jesussaves​ #worship​

Rev. Marcia Davis

Covington, GA (USA)

Day 121 of 365: God Is Here…

Greetings, Precious Family:

May the Peace of the Lord be with you.

Family, last night, we sat in the truth that God is with us in the middle of it all, every day, every moment. The good. The bad. The ugly.

Not after things settle. Not once everything makes sense. But right in the middle of it all.

And today… I found myself thinking about what that really looks like. Because if I’m honest, there are moments when I know God is present…and yet, I don’t feel at peace. It has nothing to do with God and everything to do with my anxiety that can at times be crippling.

Make that make sense!!!!

Moments where I’ve prayed, I’ve believed, I’ve reminded myself of what is true…but my thoughts are still moving, my heart is still heavy, and my mind hasn’t quite caught up to what I know.

With anxiety, I can still love God with all of my heart but sometimes the anxiety slips through. And for a long time, that disconnect felt confusing. How can I know He’s here… and still feel this way?

How can I trust Him… and still feel unsettled?

But I am learning something gently, something that is changing the way I see these moments.

God’s presence is not dependent on my ability to feel calm. He does not come and go based on whether my thoughts are quiet.

He does not withdraw when my mind feels full. And He is not waiting for me to “feel better” before He draws near.

He is steady… even when I am not.
And maybe peace doesn’t always arrive as a feeling first.

Maybe sometimes…it begins as a truth we choose to hold onto before our emotions fully align with it. Maybe peace, in its quietest form, looks like staying anchored in God
while everything inside of us is still shifting.

I have to remind myself, “Remember to breathe. Inhale deeply…hold….exhale slowly. 5-4-3-2-1…Grounded…

I don’t have to rush this process.
I don’t have to force myself into stillness.
And I don’t have to question His presence just because I don’t feel it the way I expected.

I can sit with Him here.
In the in-between.
In the not-quite-settled moments.
In the space where I know… but I am still learning how to feel.

And even here…
He is still faithful.
He is still near.
And in the middle of it all…
God is still here.

Family, before I close tonight’s blog, I told you that music is my love language. My biggest form of therapy comes from music about the one I love the most, Jesus. In the moments when I listen to music about my Savior, my anxiety disappears because my total focus is on the music.

Tonight, Im going to end the devotional with a song by one of my favorite artist, Karen Clark Sheard, as she sings a song inspired by Matthew 11:28-29, “God Is Here.”

Matthew 11:28-29
New King James Version

28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am [a]gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Elektra Records
God Is Here · Karen Clark Sheard
The Heavens Are Telling
℗ 2003 Elektra Entertainment Group Inc. for the United States and WEA International Inc. for the world outside of the United States.

Rev. Marcia Davis

Covington, GA (USA)