Who’s Running This Thing?

Claire Black: Welcome to True Girl, a podcast for girls and their moms. I’m Claire Black. Together, we’ll explore God’s truth for us one drive at a time. Buckle up! You’re about to grow closer to each other and closer to Jesus!

Song:

I am a true girl.
Oh, oh, oh, oh.
I am, I am, I am a true girl!

Claire: Did you ever spin around and around in an office chair until you were so dizzy you couldn’t stand up? It’s kinda fun, right? . . . As long as you don’t do it too long!

Well, sometimes your thoughts can feel like they’re on an office chair, but it’s not usually very fun! They can keep going faster and faster until you think you can’t stop them! Anxiety can make you feel powerless, out of control.

But really, you never were in control! That’s okay, because there is Someone who is in control.

This week, Dannah Gresh and Suzy Weibel are getting a behind-the-scenes look at how roller coasters are controlled, and discovering what prayer has to do with anxious thoughts. They’ve just finished a tour of what goes on behind the “Employees Only” doors at the theme park.

Get ready for episode 3 in our season on “Controlling Loop-De-Loop Thoughts.” The title of today’s episode is, “Who’s Running This Thing?” Here’s Suzy!

(Electric hum and muffled roller coaster sounds)

Suzy Weibel: Okay, this is cool.

Dannah Gresh: I know! I’ve always wondered what’s behind those “Employees Only” doors.

Suzy: Honestly, I expected more flashing buttons.

Dannah: You wanted spy movie vibes?

Suzy: Exactly. With one giant red button labeled: “DO NOT PUSH.”

Dannah: Which you would absolutely push.

Suzy: Immediately.

Dannah: Wow! Hearing the rides from back here sounds totally different.

Suzy: It really does. And, look at all these screens.

Dannah: Wait . . . they can see the whole roller coaster from here?

Suzy: Yep. Every turn. Every stop. Every car.

Dannah: That makes me feel so much better.

Suzy: Really?

Dannah: Yeah, because when you’re on the roller coaster, it feels like no one is in control. But back here you realize someone is actually controlling everything. It’s all planned.

Suzy: Not to get stuck on a topic, but Dannah, your anxiety about roller coasters, well, this is SUCH a picture of anxiety. Sometimes when we’re anxious, life feels completely out of control.

Dannah: Like your thoughts are speeding up . . . your emotions are all over the place . . . and you don’t know how to make any of it stop.

Suzy: Exactly! And sometimes we think, If I worry enough, maybe I can control what happens.

Dannah: But worrying isn’t actually control. It just feels like control.

(Buttons clicking)

Dannah: You know what this reminds me of?

Suzy: What?

Dannah: Elijah. In fact, let me pull up the Wonder app in my phone. Let’s read a little bit of Bible back here. I like being where no one else is allowed to be!

Suzy: It is giving NO-FOMO vibes!

Dannah: (laughter) Now before I read this, you need to understand something important. Right before this moment, Elijah had just watched God do an incredible miracle . . . like . . . a HUGE miracle.

You would think he’d feel fearless after that. But instead, not long after watching God perform a miracle, the queen of Israel, queen Jezebel, threatened his life! And just like that, Elijah becomes very overwhelmed and very afraid.

Suzy: The microphone of his anxiety got turned up! 

Dannah: Right! Suzy, here. Would you read 1 Kings 19:3–5?

Suzy: Alright, 1 Kings 19, verses 3–5?

Elijah was afraid and fled for his life. He went to Beersheba, a town in Judah, and he left his servant there. Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, LORD,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.” Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree. 

Dannah: Listen to that. It is such an honest picture of someone feeling emotionally exhausted and overwhelmed.

Suzy: Completely overwhelmed.

Dannah: And I think that’s encouraging, in a weird way. Often when I’m scared, it can be tempting to believe the lie: “If I really trusted God, I’d never feel anxious.”

Suzy: But Elijah loved God deeply. And he still struggled.

Dannah: Exactly. And I love what happens next. Keep reading.

Suzy: Oh right!

But as he was sleeping, an angel touched him and told him, “Get up and eat!” He looked around and there beside his head was some bread baked on hot stones and a jar of water! So he ate and drank and lay down again. (vv. 5–6)

Dannah: I love that so much. Before God even corrects Elijah, He lets him rest and even feeds him.

Suzy: That’s such a beautiful picture of God’s care. Even when Elijah felt anxious and afraid of Jezebel, God was in control. He was in the control room—like this one—watching it all and ready to be there for Elijah.

Dannah: Yep. And later, God speaks to Elijah in a gentle whisper. Not panic or chaos—a whisper.

Suzy: Because anxiety feels very loud. But God often speaks gently.

You know what else I notice back here in the control room?

Dannah: What?

Suzy: The ride operators don’t panic every time the coaster goes upside down.

Dannah: (laughing) You’re right. I think I would be very concerned if I saw them panicking.

Suzy: I would too!. But it’s because they know the track.

Dannah: Whoa. That’s really good. God sees the whole track of our lives. We only see the part right in front of us.

Suzy: And sometimes we panic because we don’t know what’s coming next.

Dannah: But God does.

Suzy: So, what does the Bible tell us we’re supposed to do when we’re worried about what’s coming next?

Well, Philippians 4:6, check this out:

Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Dannah: I love that verse because it gives us something to do with anxiety.

Suzy: Exactly. The Bible doesn’t just say: “Stop worrying.” It says: “Bring your worries to God.”

Dannah: Prayer is how we hand the controls back to the One who actually knows where the ride is going.

Suzy: Oh I am writing that one down!

Dannah: But seriously. Prayer reminds our anxious thoughts that we are not alone, and we can trust God to know where we’re going.

Suzy: We don’t have to carry every fear by ourselves.

Dannah: Exactly. Sometimes prayer is simply saying: 

“Jesus, I don’t know what’s going to happen.”
“Jesus, help me trust You.” 
Or even just, “Jesus, I’m scared.”

Suzy: And that doesn’t always make anxiety disappear immediately.

Dannah: Right. But prayer does reconnect us to the God who is in control.

Suzy: Speaking of control. Do you think the tour guide knows he left us behind in the control room?

(Roller coaster launching but muffled)

Dannah: Wow! There it goes again. You know . . .

Suzy: What?

Dannah: Seeing the control room actually makes me feel a little better about roller coasters.

Suzy: Really?!

Dannah: A little.

Like now I know somebody competent is back there pushing buttons.

Suzy: (laughter) So you’re finally ready to ride the giant upside-down loop-de-loop one?

Dannah: No! Let’s not get carried away.

Suzy: Okay, fine. What about the medium scary one?

Dannah: Define “medium scary.”

Suzy: No fire.

Dannah: There are rides with FIRE?!

Suzy: I don’t know. Probably.

Dannah: Definitely no fire!

Suzy: (laughing) Okay, okay. We’ll start small. Like . . . the teacups?

Dannah: Absolutely not. Those things spin with the fury of a thousand tornadoes.

Suzy: So basically . . . the kiddie train?

Dannah: Perfect. Slow, steady, and close to the ground. That’s exactly my speed.

Claire: Prayer reminds us that God is still in control—even when our thoughts feel completely out of control.

Today, Dannah and Suzy discovered something really important in that roller coaster control room: just because a ride feels out of control, it doesn’t mean no one is watching over it.

And the same is true when life feels overwhelming.

God still sees the whole track. He still knows what’s ahead. And He invites us to bring our worries to Him instead of trying to carry them by ourselves.

This week, when anxious thoughts start spiraling, remember: you don’t have to carry them alone. You can bring them to Jesus.

If you want help learning how to fill your mind with God’s truth instead of fearful “what if” thoughts, we have something really special for you. Right now, we’re shipping the Peace Box through the True Girl subscription box program! It’s designed for girls like you who want to grow stronger in their faith and learn how to replace anxious thoughts with God’s truth.

This box is based on Dannah Gresh’s book Lies Girls Believe and the Truth That Sets Them Free. It’s filled with practical tools to help you spend time with Jesus in fun and meaningful ways. In addition to daily devotionals, Scripture memory cards, and other fun resources, this box has a tie-dye craft for you to do.

But this isn’t the only box. Every sixty days, we ship a new box. Each one has devotionals, activities, stickers, and more, tailored to fit that month’s theme that will help you grow closer to Jesus.

Your mom can learn more at MyTrueGirl.com. Remember that Wonder app Dannah mentioned? It's our new Bible reading app for teen girls. If you have one in your life, invite her to Wonder to join our summer reading challenge! 

And don’t miss next week’s episode. Dannah and Suzy discover what the Bible teaches us about fear, focus, and trusting Jesus . . . even when things get a little wet.

Song:

Oh, oh, oh, oh.
I am a true girl.
Oh, oh, oh, oh.
I am, I am, I am a true girl!

The True Girl podcast is produced by Revive Our Hearts—calling women of all ages to freedom, fullness, and fruitfulness in Christ.

*Offers available only during the broadcast of the podcast season.