How knowing God by Name Helps quiet anxiety and fear – Guest post by Grace Fox

by Jennifer Slattery on January 8, 2026January 7, 2026

One of my dear friends was recently diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Another was released from the hospital after a five-week stay for encephalitis. A third battles a malignant brain tumor. And the list goes on.

My human bent tends to feel anxious about what the future holds for these women. How will they and their families cope with the fear giant that comes with suffering and uncertainty?

My human bent fears for my own family, too, but this giant bears the name “financial insecurity.” A gallon of milk costs more than five dollars where we live. Filling a cart with groceries nearly requires a second mortgage—if you’re able to afford a home, that is.

My kids are grown now with children of their own, and it’s easy for my Mama Bear heart to worry. What does the economic future hold? How will my kids make ends meet if prices continue to soar?

Perhaps a greater cause for anxiety is our culture’s moral decline. I have fourteen grandchildren, and I fear society’s influence on their souls. When the time comes for them to leave home, will they remain true to Jesus and His values, or will they conform to the world’s standards instead?

The fear giant looms large for many people. Perhaps you can relate. Maybe it has robbed you of a good night’s sleep, tied your stomach in knots, and made your head throb and your muscles ache. If so, you are not alone.

Knowing God by name helps us fight fear

When the fear giant threatened to consume the population during the pandemic, I dug into Scripture to find verses that showed me how to fight it. That’s when I discovered a weapon that’s proven life-changing. That is—understanding and applying the power of God’s names.

In Old Testament times, God manifested His nature through His names. Like a diamond’s facets, each name reflects a particular aspect of His character so we can better understand who He is. The more complete our understanding of His character, the better able we are to trust Him. Learning to trust God more fully gives us courage to face the fear giant.

Here are three of God’s Hebrew names to remember when the fear giant casts its shadow over you:

El Elyon – “Most High God”

This name declares God to be ultimate in supremacy, sovereignty, and authority. He is the Creator of heaven and earth; therefore, everything belongs to Him and He has the right to do with it as He deems best. He is the boss, and He always has the final say.

When the fear giant struts toward us, let’s remain steadfast, grounded in the truth that God is in control of every detail of our lives. What He says will happen, happens. Because of who He is, He is the final authority. Nothing stops Him from fulfilling His promises and purposes, and those purposes are always good.

Take that, fear giant!

Yahweh Rohi – “the LORD is my Shepherd”

This name reveals God as the almighty Creator who cares for us as a shepherd cares tenderly for his lambs. But there’s more. For instance, the verb “is” denotes God as present-tense. He’s with us every moment of every day to protect, comfort, and guide. The word “my” infers an intimate relationship. We belong to the Shepherd because He bought us with the price of His own blood, and we depend on Him.

When I feel afraid, I envision God cradling me in His arms as Scripture describes:

“…He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart....” (Isaiah 40:11 NIV)

The fear giant can’t touch me when God holds me tight. Be gone, fear giant!

Yahweh Yireh – “the LORD will provide”

This name means more than the obvious. God not only meets our needs, but He sees in advance what those needs will be and then meets them at precisely the right time. He perceives our thoughts and feelings about those needs and enters our experience as He provides for them.

God’s power over our needed provisions stretches beyond the material. He also supplies wisdom, comfort, guidance, discernment, peace, joy, and perseverance. The apostle Paul wrote,

"And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19).

Let’s recall this promise when the fear of not having enough intimidates us, and let’s find courage in knowing God is the infinite source of whatever we lack.

Get lost, fear giant!

Scripture mentions fear more than 350 times because God knows it’s a big deal for us, but He also gave us the key to victory over it. Understanding His nature as revealed through His names and then choosing to live from the truth transforms us from cowardly to courageous. He’s given us a powerful weapon, so let’s pick it up and use it to topple the fear giant.

If this post encouraged you, you’ll enjoy Jennifer’s conversation with Grace in this Faith Over Fear podcast episode titled, “Knowing God by Name: Finding Peace When Fear Feels Overwhelming”.

Get to Know Grace Fox:

Grace has written 15 books and published hundreds of articles in magazines including “Focus on the Family,” “Insights,” and “Today’s Christian Woman.” She’s a regular contributor to Guideposts’ annual “Mornings With Jesus” and a member of the First 5 writing team (P31 Ministries). Her book, “Finding Hope in Crisis: Devotions for Calm in Chaos” won the Golden Scroll “Devotional Book of the Year” award in 2021. “Keeping Hope Alive: Devotions for Strength in the Storm” won the same award in 2022.

Fox speaks at women’s events worldwide and is the national co-director of International Messengers Canada, an interdenominational ministry that offers creative short-term and career opportunities in more than 30 countries. She and her husband married in 1982 and celebrate three grown children and fourteen grandchildren. They live full-time on a sailboat near Vancouver, British Columbia.

Check Out Her Latest Release, Names of God: Knowing Peace: Devotional Study with Video Access (Names of God Devotional Studies):

Peace. The very word evokes images of serene landscapes and quiet stillness. In today’s chaotic world, peace is a valuable commodity. The Bible has a lot to say about peace, claiming that God himself is the ultimate source. In this follow-up to Names of God: Living Unafraid, Grace Fox reflects on how the following names of God point to the peace our souls so desperately crave:

Yahweh Shalom―The Lord Is Peace
Abba―Father
El Shaddai―God Almighty
El Roi―The God Who Sees Me
Yahweh Ori―The Lord Is My Light
Yahweh Nissi―The Lord Is My Banner
Immanuel―God with Us

Knowing Peace uses examples from Scripture and compelling real-life stories to illustrate how these names can bring inner peace amid life’s storms. Each session includes a guided prayer, reflection questions, and a video link providing additional insights from Grace. Perfect for individual or group study, this new addition to the Names of God series will encourage and inspire readers to draw near to God and receive his peace that passes understanding (Philippians 4:7).

Buy it HERE.

From Bondage to Abundance: One Woman's Testimony About Learning to Live Free – Faith Over Fear

Without God's perfect love, we cannot be free from condemnation and the bondage that we all face here on earth. But with God, we can live life and live it abundantly. Before knowing the Lord, Marina was living in bondage. Hear Marina’s incredible testimony and the ways God is using her story now as she serves in the Samaritan’s Purse Germany office. This episode was created by Samaritan's Purse and is part of their On the Ground with Samaritan's Purse podcast content, shared with permission. Resources: Listen to “Fighting Spiritual Battles: Human Trafficking in Berlin,” to hear more about Alabaster Jar and how God is transforming hearts amid spiritual darkness. Marina Nobiling, director of national programs at the Samaritan’s Purse Germany office, shed light on the current cultural and spiritual climate of Germany and talked about the ongoing Samaritan’s Purse projects in the country. There is an immense need for the Gospel to be preached in Germany and for Bible-believing churches to step up and lead. “We want to stand for the Gospel. We want to stand for Jesus … And we want to show in our programs and projects what it's like to be with Him; to be living with Jesus.” – Marina Nobiling Before coming to Christ, Marina said she was not merely neutral towards God, she was an enemy. Marina was in bondage—she battled an eating disorder and anxiety for years to the point of planning to take her own life. But when Marina had an encounter with the Lord, everything changed. “And I had a voice in my head: ‘I want you to live. And you can do it with my help’ … It was beyond any doubt clear. That's Jesus. My whole life I had the wrong thinking. That's not true. God exists.” – Marina Nobiling Marina went from believing that the Gospel was an old superstition to knocking on the door of the nearest church, asking to be baptized. She was on fire for God. Marina now takes this compassion to the streets of Berlin, ministering to women who are trapped in prostitution. She remembers what it was like to be in bondage and desires for others like her to be free; to be transformed by the love of Christ. Life can be hard, and Marina still struggles, but she has something to turn to that cannot be shaken: God’s Word. Marina created a “first aid kit” with Psalms and Scriptures that speak to her when she is fighting lies or feeling weighed down by fears. Her favorite verse, Isaiah 43:1, reminds her that she belongs to the Lord—nothing can take that away. “But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.’” – Isaiah 43:1, ESV If you’d like to keep up to date with more stories from On the Ground, please visit SamaritansPurse.org. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Deepening Our Trust in God Guest Post by Grace Fox

by Jennifer Slattery on April 10, 2025April 9, 2025

Note: This first posted on July 7, 2022

What most tends to make you anxious? Where do you find it hard to trust? Your loved ones? Your career? Your health? Some of you may be nodding affirmative to each of those questions. I get it. I know that queazy stomach feeling that comes from watching someone I care about struggle, from stepping into the unknown, or waiting for news that could either allow me to catch my breath or cause my heart to race.

If you can relate, I hope you’ll find encouragement in my friend, Grace Fox’s guest post below.

Deepening Our Trust in God

by Grace Fox

In a recent conversation about trusting God with our concerns, a friend reflected on bygone days when her kids were young. She recalled sleepless nights, laundry piles that multiplied by the minute, and temper tantrums (not hers!) over simple things like broccoli touching macaroni and cheese on one’s lunch plate. “Those times were challenging,” she said, “but they were nothing compared to the challenges I face as the parent of adult children, especially when they make choices that hurt themselves or others. I can’t tell them what to do. I have to just pray and trust God to work in their lives.”

Another friend told me about her dad. Widowed and in his 90s, he’d recently moved into a seniors’ care facility and was finding the transition difficult. “I worry about him,” she said. “The facility is short-staffed. What if Dad’s needs can’t be met adequately? I begin every day by asking God to watch over him. When worry starts to creep in, I have to intentionally choose to trust God with my concerns.”

I just returned from moving my youngest daughter and her family to northern B.C. As a mom, I pray that they’ll adjust well and find friends who not only share common interests but who love the Lord and make His kingdom their first priority. Today I’m heading south to visit my other daughter. My prayers for her focus on persevering with hope through chronic pain. Oh, how I wish I could fix it for her, like in those bygone days when I could kiss my baby’s boo-boo away. But I can’t. I can, however, trust God with my concerns.

The Bible tells us over and over to trust God with our concerns.

Philippians 4:6-7 is one example: “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

Trusting God with our concerns is easier said than done, but it can be done.

Paul and Barnabas put this into practice. On one particular occasion, they’d been crisscrossing the country to preach the Gospel and encourage believers to continue in their faith despite suffering. They’d also helped churches set up their leadership. They could have hovered over the new leaders to ensure they understood their roles and did things right, but they did not. Here’s what they did: “Paul and Barnabas also appointed elders in every church. With prayer and fasting, they turned the elders over to the care of the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.” (Acts 14:23)

Don’t you love that? Despite the potential for things to go sideways, Paul and Barnabas trusted the elders to God and headed to the next location to continue the work He’d called them to do.

My friend, what concerns are on your heart today?

Are you like me, feeling concerned for your adult kids? Maybe you’re concerned about your marriage, your church family, your financial state, or a major decision coming your way. Isn’t it reassuring to know that we don’t have to carry these alone? God invites us to give them to Him because He cares for us. (1 Peter 5:7) He also commands us to combine prayer with fasting as a way of showing that we depend on Him more than on physical food. (Matthew 6:16-18) There are different types and lengths of fasts, and He’ll teach us what to do when we ask Him for direction in this regard.

No matter what worries weigh us down, let’s acknowledge our need for God’s help, invite His intervention, and expect Him to answer in His way and in His time.

The One who is all-wise and forever faithful knows our hearts and hears our cries. He holds us and those we love in His hands. Our souls crave peace, and trusting God with our concerns is the pathway to finding it.

Here’s a simple but powerful exercise to do today. Take Acts 14:23 and make it personal by filling in the blank: “With prayer and fasting, I will turn _____________ (identify your concerns) over to the care of the Lord, in whom I have put my trust.”

Feel free to post your completed statement here so others can pray for you, okay? Know you are loved.

Get to Know Grace!

Grace Fox is the author of 12 books, a member of the “First 5” writing team (Proverbs 31 Ministries) and a regular contributor to Guideposts’ annual devotional, Mornings With Jesus. She also co-hosts the podcast “Your Daily Bible Verse.” A career missionary for nearly 30 years, Grace lives aboard a sailboat in Vancouver, British Columbia. Married in 1982, she and her husband celebrate three grown kids and eleven grandchildren.

Her latest release, Keeping Hope Alive: Devotions for Strength in the Storm, is available wherever Christian books are sold. https://www.hendricksonrose.com/p/keeping-hope-alive/9781649380517

You can subscribe to Grace’s weekly devotional blog and monthly update on her website – www.gracefox.com/blog

www.fb.com/gracefox.author

https://www.instagram.com/graceloewenfox/

Check Out Her Latest Release!

Keeping Hope Alive: Devotions for Strength in the Storm

The storms of life hurl us into uncertainty and leave us longing for rescue. In times like this, we need the hope God’s Word offers, and we need it in snippets our overloaded minds can absorb. Keeping Hope Alive delivers. Ninety brief meditations offer nuggets of encouragement, a sentence prayer, a point to ponder, and a thoughtful quote by someone who’s survived the storm. Its daily messages and beautifully designed full-color interior soothe the troubled soul and remind readers that God is faithful and sovereign in their circumstances.

Available wherever Christian books are sold.

Before you go, make sure to check out the latest Faith Over Fear podcast episode!