Anxiety: A Bible Study on Finding Peace in God’s Presence – Author Janae Collins
I joined this study a few weeks ago. Janae is a good friend of mine, and I was excited to read this new bible study she wrote called Anxiety: A Bible Study on Finding Peace in God’s Presence. I didn’t realize the impact it would have on my spiritual walk and my life and I wanted to share more about it.
First, our group of women has been wonderful. Everyone comes with ideas, thoughts, and their own life experiences that help connect us more deeply to the people in the Bible. I truly look forward to it every week.
Janae does an incredible job connecting our anxieties to specific people in Scripture — showing where they were anxious, where they struggled to trust God’s plan, and where they were unaware of what God was doing. Yet even in their weakness, we see how God continued to reveal His character and remain faithful.
When we talked about Martha’s anxiety with Mary, as Mary sat at Jesus’ feet . Jesus gently asks, “Martha, why are you anxious and troubled?” (Luke 10:41). Martha was worried because there was serving, cooking, and cleaning to be done. But Jesus wasn’t rebuking her for serving; He was inviting her to rest, to sit, to learn, and to receive from Him. It wasn’t selfishness — it was surrender. It was choosing presence with Him over performance.
And then Saul — I found myself relating to Saul more than I expected. His pride, arrogance, and jealousy led him into anxiety and distrust of the Lord. He became consumed with David, believing that eliminating David would bring him peace. But what he truly needed was a right relationship with God. Saul wanted control. He tried to hold onto what God had already chosen to pass on. In doing so, he spiraled, trying to do everything in his own strength instead of trusting the Lord.
Oh, Moses. I never struggled with Moses’ story until I noticed his repeated hesitation and doubt. God appeared in a burning bush. He turned his staff into a serpent. He promised, “I will help you speak and will teach you what to say” (Exodus 4:12). Yet Moses still asked God to send Aaron to speak for him. Reading it again, I felt frustrated, but then I realized how often I do the same. God calls, reassures, equips… and I still doubt. Even when God’s anger was kindled against Moses, He remained patient with him. That really puts the depth of His love into perspective.
As a young mom, I tell my daughter to “hurry” all the time. I lose patience constantly. Yet God knows our limitations and our triggers, and He meets us exactly where we are. That realization hit me deeply, and I needed to embrace that truth in my own life.
The truth is, we are all of these people.
God uses real, flawed, anxious, imperfect people in Scripture so we can see ourselves in them. Their weaknesses remind us that God alone is the source of peace, life, blessing, and true fulfillment.
We have to spend time with Him. He is already with us, always, but we must quiet ourselves to listen. To meditate. To invite Him into our day, our decisions, what we say, how we love, and how we serve. We need God’s love transforming our hearts so we can love ourselves rightly and love others well.
I am thankful for this group of women, thankful Janae took her own knowledge and dependance on God to write this book and that we get to dive in close with God because of it.
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