This message to Anna Duggar is also included here as an audio message.
Dear Anna,
Happy Mother’s Day. Your children are beautiful.
I don’t “know” you as well as some people do, since I’ve never seen your family’s show. (Except for one time in 2013 in a hospital waiting room when a friend was dying.)
But I ache for you.
I want to send you a prayer and a blessing.
My dear sister.
My prayer for you
I pray that through any confusion, grief, and guilt, the light of Jesus Christ, who loves you, will shine clearly.
I pray that you will see clearly that your Savior Jesus is safe, kind, loving, and good. That He wants to be with you and carry your deepest pains. I pray that you’ll find Him to be your safest Shelter in the storms of life. That you will know it’s not wrong to grieve, and He will grieve right along with you.
I pray you’ll know that in Jesus Christ, you are under no condemnation. I pray you’ll know that these burdens are not yours to carry. I pray that you will know deeply in your soul, that it is not your fault.
I pray you’ll be able to clearly hear the gentle voice of your Good Shepherd, who wants to lead you in the way of truth.
Dear Anna, though there are sleepless nights and haggard days, I pray that there will come a time when you’ll be able to more fully focus on knowing God as He really is, your loving heavenly Father who longs for you to come to Him gladly without any efforts of your hands, but only through the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that you’ll recognize Him as the only Mediator between you and God.
I pray that the eyes of your heart will be enlightened, that you may know what is the true hope to which He has called you, even when all else is stripped away.
I pray that you’ll know, when your heart fills with agonizing questions, that you can bring your questions and doubts to Jesus. He will never turn you away. I pray you’ll know what it means to be hidden under the shadow of His wings.
I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation so that you will know Him, in your experience, as He really is, and recognize the evil in the world around you, to protect yourself and your children from it.
I pray you’ll be able to see clearly the importance of keeping your children safe, no matter what others around you may say.
My blessing for you
Dear Anna, may you be blessed with the full awareness that Jesus, the Author and Finisher of your faith, is there, reaching out His nail-scarred hand to help you trust God, with no other mediator but Him, to help you follow Him in His good way. It may seem like an unfamiliar way at first, but He will be with you as you walk with Him.
May God bless you with the eyes of faith to see that as you listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit and follow Jesus Christ, no matter how broken your heart, no matter how weary your soul, that as Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4, your inward self, your spirit, will be renewed day by day in Christ Jesus.
May He bless you with the perspective to see that your suffering, as great as it is, stands in no comparison to the love He wants to pour out on you as you put your faith and trust in Him alone. May He bless you, even in the midst of the destruction that comes as the result of evil in the world, to see evidences of His faithfulness around you.
May your heart be touched in the deepest place to an awareness of the strength of the Lord, your Rock and Salvation, who provides a shelter and a refuge for you. May you be filled with awareness that when you put your trust in Him rather than in works of “obedience,” you can never be shaken out of His care.
May your soul fully know that our God has plans for you to set you free in the fullness of Christ in everything in every way. May your deep heart feel the truth that, as you trust Him for all of your sanctification, He will be actively working out His purposes that are beyond your comprehension.
May you be reminded of the truth that no mere human has heard, seen, or even imagined what wonderful things God has in the spirit realm for those who turn their hearts toward Him in receiving His love through Christ Jesus alone.
May He fill you with the confidence that though the earth be removed and the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea, even then, as you put your faith and trust in the true God, the Lord Jesus Christ, His right hand will uphold you.
As you continue to exchange works for faith in Him alone, even in the midst of spiritual battles that threaten to overwhelm you and evil entities who want to take advantage of you, may you be blessed with the sense in your innermost being of the unshakeable truth that through Jesus Christ you will be, as Romans 8 says, more than a conqueror, and nothing will be able to separate you from the love of God in Jesus Christ.
Dear Anna, may God bless you, even with so many precious children that you need to protect, with time to get to know who Jesus really is, through the gospels.
I’m praying for you, and sending love.
Rebecca
*****
For those of my readers who don’t know who Anna Duggar is, she and her six precious children are pictured in this news article. I’d like to ask that any comments here be notes of encouragement and gentle words of wisdom to Anna, who I hope will eventually see and hear this message.
***
Go here to download your free Guide, How to Enjoy the Bible Again (when you’re ready) After Spiritual Abuse (without feeling guilty or getting triggered out of your mind). You’ll receive access to both print and audio versions of the Guide (audio read by me). I’m praying it will be helpful.
Amen and Amen.
Anna, This woman who has reached out to pray for and bless you with her words is the REAL DEAL She has pointed many of us who are also blessed by her words and ministry with similar blessings and truths. She continually directs our hearts toward the true and loving Jesus who helps us with our own, although not as public as your family’s sorrow, deep pain. Know that many who know Rebecca, will also be praying for you and your children in the weeks and months ahead. You are NOT alone Anna. May Your Savior meet the need closest to your hurting heart and begin a fresh journey with Him there
Amen.
I think every woman in, or struggling to get out, or who have gotten out but who feel the condemnation of the Church, will see Dear
Anna.Denise. I feel for Anna, for the pressure she felt to stay in and to protect her husband. I have not been following this case other than a few posts, and I don’t need to, in order to know the incredible pressure she was under from the patriarchal Church. The world won’t get it, and they’ll condemn too. I pray Anna gets the help she needs to see the truth of God and not the lies of the Church. Even in Church, especially in Church, there are wolves in sheep’s clothing. Love God, everyone else, trust by character, not by category.“Trust by character, not category.” Yes.
Gosh. It feels like so many “mamas” may need to hear those words, as well as Anna.
Thank you for such a tender letter of compassion.
Yes, so many.
Amen, dearest Lord. Bless Anna!
(Anna, if you read this, I hope and pray overflowing love and presence of the Lord Jesus to you and yours. , from a Mom praying for you as God brings you up in my heart
Dearest Anna, Praying this prayer with Rebecca for you and your children.
Anna, I too was brought up valuing obedience and loyalty but in a different environment than you are in. Different but in many ways the same. I know how painful it is when you get pushed by circumstances to question what you have believed all your life. The stirring and questioning will continue because dear one it is the Holy Spirit working to open your heart to him and his truth. Your God loves you so much! Reach out to him with your pain and your questions. Know that you aren’t alone. I know it feels that way and in many physical ways it IS that way right now. BUT there are many caring people praying for you and your children and ready to help in any way we can. Our God can do amazing things!
Amen, Holly. So true.
Amen! God is a sweet Shepherd!
Anna,
I think Rebecca has said all that I’d say here, so I will simply say that I’m here standing with her in compassion toward you. Your husband’s crimes are not your fault. There is nothing you could have done to stop him – his choices are his alone. And as you learn to distinguish the lines between what is and what is not your responsibility, please know that there is a multitude of people ready to support you in that. There are people who love Jesus and who look to him as the sole source of life and truth. They are not bitter, God-hating, Bible-rejecting feminists, and they will not try to turn your heart from Jesus. They will point you straight TO him, and to the fulness of life that comes when you have nothing left to cling to but him. The author of this blog is a good starting place for finding that group of Jesus-loving, knowledgeable people who will support you in any way possible.
So beautifully said, MaryEllen. Thank you!
Dear Anna,
We know and affirm that Josh’s struggles do not reflect on you in any way. Regardless of what your marriage looks/feels like, Christ has given you His name, His righteousness, and His undying love; you have such worth and value because of Jesus and what He has bestowed on you. I’m thankful for how you choose to love in the middle of truly difficult circumstances; your children are blessed by you today and every day!
So beautiful! Thank you, Lauren!
May God reveal the truth of this matter to Anna, and may she rise up with courage to walk away from these chains of bondage, and may God heal her and her precious children.
I pray that she has at least one true friend who can walk side-by-side with her no matter what.
I hope and pray so. There are many of us who would be willing to, but it’s good to have someone you already know.
I want to say to Anna, I’m sorry you are going through this. I can imagine the devastation. I pray courage, comfort, grace, and strength for you and your family
Dear Anna,
A wise friend once told me, “God will always treat you with dignity and respect.” My dear sister, I pray with Rebecca that during this incredibly painful time, our great and loving God will be very close to you, drawing your heart to the safety of His embrace.
I know something of what it is like to have private pain splashed across news headlines. I know what it is like to feel the foundations of my Christian life and beliefs quivering around me. Through those rough times (really rough … and really raw), God has shown Himself to be so much MORE that I ever, possibly, could have imagined. Not because of my faith or my effort, but out of the abundance of Who He is.
My deepest prayer for you is that He will pour out his faithfulness on you and your children. In the intense clamor of outside voices and inward thoughts, I pray that you will come to know the quiet voice of His gentle Spirit. He will always speak to you with dignity and respect. He will speak to you as His treasured daughter: deeply loved and fully accepted.
Please know that you are not alone. There are many who care about you — not because you are a TV personality, or because you are doing this or that right … but because you are a precious fellow member of the body of Christ.
Amen, Janelle. Thank you.
When the scandals first broke in 2015 I remember thinking that Josh and Anna needed a divorce.
Not from each other, but from the toxic and dysfunctional faith background that they both grew up in. I am speaking very specifically here about the Bill Gothard cult. This organization has caused more untold harm in people’s lives than can be imagined and the tragedy is that people sincerely believed that in being obedient to Bill Gothard, they were being obedient to God.
During this time of enforced separation from Josh, a good plan for Anna might be to divorce herself from the toxicity she grew up with and Rebecca Davis could be a good person for her to talk to in this regard. Then, perhaps, the path forward will become clearer for her.
Thank you for your vote of confidence, Mark. I know there are many of us who love the Lord Jesus Christ and care about Anna who would be glad to help her take steps in the right direction, away from the toxicity and toward who He really is.