Anchored Not Anxious
Do you love God, but anxiety still has a seat at your table?
You're not alone — and you're not failing your faith.
Anchored Not Anxious is a podcast for women navigating anxiety, overwhelm, and the sometimes painful journey of learning to truly trust God. Hosted by Terri Hutchinson — registered nurse and Bible teacher — each episode blends evidence-based insight with practical, honest faith. Expect real conversations, clinical wisdom, and the kind of spiritual depth that meets you in the hard places.
Because trusting God isn't always easy. But you don't have to figure it out alone.
God is with you. God is for you. You can be anchored — not anxious.
Anchored Not Anxious
When You Wish Jesus Would Just Show Up (And Why He Doesn't Need To)
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When anxiety hits hard, have you ever wished Jesus would just speak out loud or sit beside you? You're not alone. Even the disciples struggled when Jesus said He was leaving—until He promised them the Holy Spirit as their Counselor.
But what does that actually mean for managing anxiety today? In this episode, I explore how the Holy Spirit functions like a professional counselor: listening, revealing truth, redirecting, and interceding when you’re overwhelmed.
If you've been treating the Holy Spirit like a distant concept instead of an active presence, this conversation will change how you approach your hardest days.
Scripture References (NIV, NLT):
John 14:27, Romans 8:6b, Romans 8:26-27, Ephesians 4:30, 1 Thessalonians 5:17
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The doorbell rings, announcing an uninvited visitor. You're tempted to pretend you’re not home but guilt or annoyance moves you toward the door to take a peek. Upon recognition, surprise and annoyance dissolve into relief. It’s her, the one you’ve opened your heart to more than a few times because she gets you. Her words, voice, and presence are a light in your darkness and a mood-booster for a tough day.
For those reasons and more, I cherish meeting a dear friend in person. Their energy, mood, and body language reveal what they need from me. Perhaps it’s more listening rather than speaking or she seeks assurance and comfort. Maybe its eye to eye contact or a squeeze of her hand. While thankful for Zoom and Facetime, I feel deprived of an intangible quality that exists within in-person meetups.
I wonder if that’s one reason the disciples grieved when Jesus announced his pending departure from earth. An end to the face-to-face connection. Losing His physical presence with them.
I can appreciate their dismay.
After telling the disciples he must leave, Jesus explained he would send the Holy Spirit, a Counselor, to compensate for his absence. Jesus stated the Holy Spirit would teach them everything and remind them of everything He had told them.
Really? How could that compare to having Jesus in the flesh?
Matthew 26 states the disciples deserted Jesus after his arrest. Jesus’s promise of the Spirit didn’t prevent their anxiety or worry about the future.
When I’m feeling uneasy and on edge, I can’t count the times I’ve told Jesus, “I wish I could hear your voice”, or “I wish you were beside me” while knowing full well Jesus wants me to lean into the Holy Spirit. Anxiety and overwhelm drive me to want an audible voice or felt presence of the Holy Spirit ministering the same way a sweet, precious friend does.
Nothing is impossible with God, but most of us with the Holy Spirit in us don’t get audible communication from the heart of Jesus.
Jesus called the Holy Spirit a Counselor. As a human profession, counselors listen, help you unearth truths, eliminate lies, encourage, and confirm your path selection toward healing and hope. According to the Bible, the Holy Spirit operates the same way within your heart and mind.
You go to a human counselor for overthinking, intense anxiety or panic, so maybe we can seek and visit with the Holy Spirit, our spiritual counselor.
But how do we do it?
If I want a human counselor, I need to schedule a counseling appointment, attend the visit, develop trust in their guidance, and participate in the work toward healing. It’s the same process with the Holy Spirit.
If that doesn’t make sense, it will.
As with a human counselor, your collaboration with the Holy Spirit is not a passive process. Because, the Spirit speaks God’s Word into your heart, it helps if you kind of know what the Word of God says. The Spirit can remind you:
- You're adopted, not abandoned
- You’re loved, not unlovable
- You’re forgiven, not condemned
- You’re worth dying for, not unsalvageable
- You have a reason to hope
The Spirit reminds us of what Jesus said, opens our understanding of God’s Word, and acts as confirmer of healing paths.
As if meeting with a human counselor, you can schedule a dedicated time and provide uninterrupted attention to the Holy Spirit’s presence. Find a comfortable setting and have pen and paper or a computer and your Bible.
The Spirit may release the peace Jesus promised you (John 14:27) to manage anxiety during hard times, times Jesus warned you would experience. Jesus said not to worry because he knew you would. The antidote is the peace of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit may convict you toward a path, a person, or activities to keep you in right relationship with God. The Word of God provides protection from the evil that lures you toward self-destruction. Romans 8:6b
You may receive an inner prompt from the Holy Spirit. A Spirit’s prompt does not sound like your voice. In other words, it’s not likely a thought you would think. It breaks in disrupting your current train of thought, and it aligns with God’s Word. The prompt is a redirect or revelation from the Spirit.
Recently, a friend and I were discussing our families and I shared about a relative struggling financially. She’s a question asker and prodded me for facts, dates, and numbers. Then she painted a picture with that information; a picture I could not see until that moment.
Later, as I contemplated the facts, the emotions of frustration and anger battled with a sense of responsibility and compassion.
That’s when what I call a Holy Spirit prompt broke into my mind with three words, decisions with consequences. Along with the three words there was a felt peace as these sunk into my heart.
Like a storm, the emotions died down and my thoughts became calm. I realized I’m not responsible for someone’s decision with consequences. The Holy Spirit gave me permission to stop believing I should take responsibility or needed to fix the situation. Those three words gave me an emotional off-ramp alleviating a portion of my anxiety over their situation.
And, it felt good.
That’s one example of how the Holy Spirit works.
But that’s not all. In that moment when words are insufficient to describe your intense woundedness, crippling fear, invasive worry, and suffocating panic, the Holy Spirit interprets what you feel in your heart and mind and shares it with God. (Romans 8:26-27)
Of course, I can’t forget the most important aspect of the counseling visit. Listening. You must have a willingness to listen to the Spirit and contemplate alternative ways of thinking and feeling that align with God’s Word.
I hope you found this helpful. You can find all the Bible verse references in the episode description.
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Until next time
Scripture References:
- John 14:27
- Romans 8:6b
- Romans 8:26-27
- 1 Thessalonians 5:17
- Ephesians 4:30
