Peace in His Presence: Hope for the Anxious Heart

Often, our worries come from not being able to control a situation. The truth is that we cannot plan for all the uncertainties we will face, but we can trust our Immanuel, the God who is with us, to give us His strength and peace through all the trials and troubles we will face in this life.

When our minds become stuck in "what if" thinking, we see things from our finite viewpoint. We forget that God is infinite and that we can trust Him even when life is uncertain or doesn't make sense.

In this episode, Gretchen Ronnevik interviews Michelle about the eighth chapter of her book, Immanuel. They talk about how God is with us in all things and also some of the Bible verses that can remind us of the promises that we have in God.

If you would like to learn more about my book Promised Rest, you can go to CPH.ORG/REST

If you would like to connect with you can go to my website, michellediercks.com.

If you would like to connect with Gretchen Ronnevik, please click here.

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Does your heart feel shaken and shattered? Perhaps you feel bruised and battered from all that has happened over the last couple of years. You are weary and tired and you long for peace.

God promises to be your Good Shepherd and you can rest in His unshakable faithfulness towards you today and always.

In this episode, Sharla Fritz, interviews me about my book Promised Rest, we talk about how the Good Shepherd gives us His peace.

If you would like to learn more about my book Promised Rest you can go to CPH.ORG/REST

If you would like to connect with you can go to my website, michellediercks.com.

If you would like to connect with Sharla, you can click on her name.

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Fear makes us forget who we are as God's children. Our thoughts race with the limitations we have to solve our problems. We face the unfixable and feel shaken.

Jesus steps into our brokenness, and His faithfulness towards us is unshakeable. Jesus gives us His peace and strength. We can rest in His capable hands. He holds all things together.

God's power and strength are not limited to our understanding. We don't need to look to our abilities to solve and fix our problems; we can rest in God's ability and faithfulness. We can rest in His unfailing promises.

Lindsay Hausch interviews me in this episode, and we talk about the 6th chapter of my book, Promised Rest.

If you want to read the first chapter of my book for free, you can go to cph.org/rest.

If you want to connect with Michelle outside of the podcast, you can go here.

If you want to learn more about Lindsay, you can go here.

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What are you facing right now? Is it a problem you cannot fix? Friends here is a precious truth I've learned over the years, that God's grace is sufficient for every circumstance. He will provide all you need to get through each moment.

In this episode, Christina Hergenrader, interview's Michelle about how God provides for us, even when life feels impossible.

If you would like to connect with Michelle(clickhere)

If you would like to connect with Christina Hergenrader(click here).

If you would like to read the first chapter of Promised Rest you can go to CPH.ORG/Rest.

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Have you ever wrestled with these questions?

• How can I trust God when life doesn't make sense?
• How do I trust God when He doesn't answer my prayer right away?
• How can I trust God when He doesn't fix my problems in the way I thought He should?

If you've struggled with these questions or ones similar you are not alone, I'v wrestled with all of them.

In this fourth episode of the Promised Rest Series, Katie Koplin interview me about God's name of El Shaddai and what does that mean for us in our lives?

How does knowing God as El Shaddai, help me through the joys and sorrows of life?

If you haven't had a chance to receive the first chapter of my book yet, you can go to CPH.ORG/Rest. If you have read it, can you think of some friends who might be interested in reading it? Maybe you have a Bible Study group that would be interested? If you could share the link with them I would be so grateful for your help in getting the word out about Promised Rest, which will be released on June 7.

If you would like to connect with Michelle (click here).

If you would like to connect with Katie (click here).

You can listen to the Freely Given Podcast Here.

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Have you ever found yourself in a story you didn't choose? Perhaps you have felt unseen by those who should love and care for you. It's a lonely place, but here is the precious truth, God will never leave you, and He is your El Roi, the God who sees you and knows you by name.

Donna Snow, a great friend of the podcast interviews me about the 3rd chapter of my book, El Roi.

In this episode we talk about:

• The story of Hagar and how she gave God the name El Roi.
• Some of the promises we can find in knowing God as El Roi.
• How does knowing God as El Roi help us in our daily lives?

If you would like the opportunity to read the first chapter of this book, you can go to CPH.ORG/Rest to sign up to receive a copy.

If you would like to connect with Michelle you can go here.

If you would like to connect with Donna and learn more about her ministry you can go here.

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Do you ever wonder how God could love you?

The world will point out your sins and tell you that you're not good enough for God to love you. But God steps into your story and shows you through Jesus how much He loves you.

In this episode, Deb Burma interviews me about my book, Promised Rest, and we talk about the name Abba, which means papa or daddy. This means that God's love for you is beyond measure, like that of a beloved child. Nothing can separate you from His love.

To better understand how God loves you as Abba, we'll look at how God loves you through the story of the Prodigal son. If you've ever struggled with wondering how God could love you, you'll see through this story how God runs toward you and tells you that you're enough because of Jesus.

God's grace and mercy are deeper than your sins; that is His promise towards you.

• Promises we can rest in because God is our Abba.
• Michelle's favorite passage that uses the name Abba
• Michelle's prayer for the listener/reader as they contemplate God's name as Abba.

For more things like this, you can read the first chapter of my book for free at cph.org/rest.

You can connect with Michelle at michellediercks.com/podcast

You can connect with Deb at Debburma.com

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When life looks uncertain, what do you cling to? Do your thoughts turn towards God or how you might fix what is wrong? But what if—you can't fix it? What happens then?

What you believe to be true about God changes how you live your life and face each moment.

I write more about this topic in my book, Promised Rest: Finding Peace in God's Presence. It is a meditation on God's various names and characteristics to deepen your understanding of Him and your identity as His beloved Child.

To get ready for the release of my Bible Study, I've invited guests to come on the show, but instead of me interviewing them, they will take over my mic and interview me about a chapter of the book.

In this episode, Michelle's sisters take over the mic to interview her about the first chapter in her book, which is about the name Elohim.

In this episode, they talk about what happens when you can't fix what is wrong? What do you do? How does knowing God as Elohim help you?

Michelle share's a prayer for you and it is one that you can use when life feels uncertain and you need to be reminded of who God is and who you are as His child.

If you would like to read the first chapter of my book for free, you can sign up to receive it at CPH.ORG/Rest

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When you are weary, do you have trouble concentrating? Perhaps you even notice this struggle when you are reading the Bible, and you find yourself reading the same passage over and over again.

Friends, I don't ask you these questions to make you feel guilt or shame. I ask a friend who shares in this struggle too.

In this final episode of the Weary Traveler Series, we will share a grace-filled practice called Visual Faith Ministry.

Pat Maier and Connie Denninger, the co-founders of Visual Faith Ministry, join us to talk about why they started this ministry and all that it has to offer.

Here is what they discovered when talking with people about reading their Bible and their prayer time.

Everybody had trouble slowing down, paying attention, and dealing with distractions.

Educational research led them to understand that 75% of all people are visual, kinesthetic learners. And so, based on that and the conversation they had, they started to develop different tools and ideas to help people.

Deb and I wanted to share this important resource with you because it has helped us in our faith journey. Visual Faith Ministry has created a beautiful website filled with free tools and resources, and you can find them here.

They also have a wonderful Facebook group where you can learn more about the Visual Faith Practices, ask questions, and connect with others; you click here to join.

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Are you weary from all the anxious thoughts you have swirling about through your soul and minds as you look at the brokenness in the world? And do you just wish you knew the right words to pray, or what can you say to God?

Michelle and Deb sat down and talked to Dr. Dan Paavola about his book, Our Way Home: A Journey through the Lord's Prayer. (Click here to learn more about the book.)

In our conversation, we cover:

• Why would God give us a prayer that we could pray over and over again?
• Can we still pray to God even when we feel frustrated that He hasn't answered our prayer yet or that He didn't answer our prayers the way we wanted him to?
• How can we use this prayer as the basis for our prayer life?
• How will praying this prayer make a difference when we feel so weary from life right now? God already knows how we feel/think. Does it make a difference when we keep talking to Him about the same things?Take the time to listen, there is so much more in this episode. Dr. Paavola speaks and teaches with a Pastor's heart. His love for God's Word and His people shines through in this episode.

You can also watch the video teaching on the Lord's Prayer with Dr. Paavola by clicking here.

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