Carmen Horne

New Lens, New Life

A Prayer of Comfort For Anxious Times

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As I type this, we are in our first full day of a national emergency. Who would have thought that the nation would be struggling to maintain toilet paper inventories? 

We are also in a crisis of emotion. Anxiety and fear wait on our porches, and most of us have opened the door wide for them to enter. I resisted the compulsion to turn on our TV this morning. I saw a meme this week that said, “Wash your hands and turn off your tv!”

As I ponder, I wonder how this crisis might be for our good as a people and nation? I am not God (as much as I try to help Him and play jr god), but may I share my thoughts?

A few things I feel confident in declaring

Our nation and our families are facing the challenge of learning essential steps in emergency preparedness, and our hearts are more in tune with the knowledge that we are not in control. Both of these will help in the next challenges we face. And, there will be future challenges.  

It also seems that in times of crisis, we seek conversation with the One we know has sovereign control. This drawing to God is always a good and welcoming experience. We need our Abba Father more than ever, right?

With the Holy Spirit leading, I want to offer you a prayer to build our faith as we take steps to build our supplies and knowledge. 

Heavenly Father,

I look to those in places of power and ask myself — does my help come from them? Lord, my help comes from You. You are the Creator of heaven and earth.  As I turn to You, Lord, the One who never sleeps, I am assured that although I am shaken, I am not overwhelmed. The health and economic challenges I face will not cause me or my family to slip into fear and anxiety. You, Lord, Yourself, watch over us! We gather under Your protective shade. The heat of trials nor the darkness of despair will destroy us. You, Lord, keep us from all harm and protect our life. Based on Your Word, I believe and declare that You, our Sovereign God, will protect us, both now and forever! Amen!

{Based on Psalm 121}

Take a deep breath. We are okay. We will weather this storm under our Father’s umbrella and be wiser and more compassionate. As we love our neighbors, we experience love as God intends. 

Blessings, my friend,




A Way to Fear-less When We are Fear-full

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I began this post on fear about two years ago. What in the whirl? How can something I wrote two years ago resonate with me still!?

I am able to just pick up and continue writing because it’s that relevant. So relevant…like the first thing I thought of was me sitting poolside at my sister-in-law’s house a few days ago and decidedly moving myself inside because there were bats (yep, you read that correctly) swooping and flying around the pool. I’m skeered of birds. I watched the Alfred Hitchcock movie, The Birds, when I was a little girl (The babysitter was OK with it. Why not?) and I want them to stay at a beautiful distance from me. You want to get me itchy, feed the birds while I’m sitting in my beach chair trying to relax.

I KNOW they are just as scared of me as I am of them. I KNOW I’m bigger than they are. I KNOW I don’t have love birds trapped in a cage in my house. But still… 

Maybe you need these words today, too. Maybe that’s why I had it in drafts and never published it. It was waiting for me to finish writing it today ’cause you know, timing is everything.

Have you ever just sat dumbstruck and flabbergasted over life? The hits just keep coming. You begin to wonder if there is a big red target on your heart and soul.

There is. Satan has us marked for destruction. If God would have allowed it, he would have ended our lives before we sucked in our first breath of air. Satan is a liar and thief.

Now that thought often gives me a shiver. I can get real worried about what’s next. Just being real here, the prince of darkness can dim my light sometimes by a mere whisper.

Those of us in ministry often feel our target is bigger. But wait, aren’t we all called to be a functioning part of the body of Christ? So there goes that excuse theory.

I’m hoping there are a few of you out there that are shaking your heads with an amen, even if it’s a nervous one.

There are tons (well, a lot) of Bible verses out there addressing being fear-full. Probably one of the most important ones is the reminder that’s it’s definitely not of God. Y’all, read 2 Timothy 1:7  in the Amplified Bible,

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity or cowardice or fear, but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of sound judgment and personal discipline [abilities that result in a calm, well-balanced mind and self-control].

One of the ways I’m learning to cope with fear (besides not allowing bats to play in my hair) is Scripture affirmations. I love this Bible verse and the personalized statement from scripture I wrote,

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you. All whose thoughts are fixed on you. Isaiah 26:3 (NLT)

Isaiah 26:3 affirmation

Oh, and maybe another moral to this story is to not put things into your mind that you will probably never get out. I have several things like that and I’m praying God will pull that stuff up by the roots!