I always like to know a little something about an author before I sit down to open up his or her book. Today, I’m so excited to interview my dear friend Emily Jensen about her new book, He is Strong: Devotions for When You Feel Weak. This devotional is a beautiful combination of honest vulnerability about our weaknesses and encouraging biblical wisdom about God’s sufficiency. It’s a wonderful daily reminder of the truth we so desperately need to hear. And, good news—He is Strong is available today!
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
I’m an author, podcaster, and the co-founder of Risen Motherhood. As the content director at RM, I help plan, create, and evaluate the content we share to ensure it aligns with our mission and vision. But even though that’s how people know me online, as a wife to a local small business owner and a mom of five kids, I’m busy keeping our family calendar updated, hauling folding chairs to the sidelines of football games, making sure the next meal is prepped, and finding pockets of time to fold mountains of laundry. We live a fun and full life amidst the cornfields of central Iowa.
When did you first start writing? What do you enjoy about it?
I’ve been an avid writer since I scribbled my first sentence in my first journal. After a day with friends at an amusement park in early elementary school, I opened my blue floral notebook wide enough to hear the binding go “crack” and told those pages how much fun I’d had. If I wasn’t filling volumes of brightly colored notebooks with adolescent angst, I was earnestly waiting for the next creative writing assignment or essay test at school. My grandmother was also an aspiring writer and she shared her love for publishing with me at a young age. In middle school, she became my pen pal, sending me her poetry and asking me to collaborate on her book ideas. Writing has always been my preferred method of thinking and communicating ideas, and it didn’t occur to me until adulthood that writing could actually become my job. I love how words give expression to our deepest thoughts, bring clarity to tough concepts, and paint vivid pictures for the mind’s eye.
You’re noticed. You’re chosen. Your name is written in the book of life. Your story matters to the one God is telling, even if it’s lived in the back row. To him, you’re unforgettable.
Is writing ever difficult for you? How so?
Absolutely. For as much as I love writing and letting the words flow, I’ve had to put in years of work to help them flow in the right direction. A decade ago, I struggled most with thesis statements and anchoring my work to clear ideas so I could build strong pieces of writing. Today, I probably wrestle most with the vulnerability of writing. As a Christian author, I want to be able to share how God’s Word has impacted me in deep and personal ways, but that also opens me up to rejection. I always feel the tension of wanting to share things that are true and beautiful, but at the same time, I know I’m still on my own journey of faith, and I won’t always get things right. Sometimes that reality can create an almost paralyzing fear that makes me want to just keep my words to myself.
What led you to write He is Strong?
In 2021, I experienced a traumatic event with one of our children. In the wake of that, I sought pastoral counseling to help me process it, which led to some deeper self-examination of my long-held beliefs about myself. Over time, my pastor pointed out that I described myself as “weak” quite often, and it occurred to me that I’ve considered myself a “weak” person throughout most of my life. After a few months of prayer and pondering, I sensed the Lord leading me to examine His Word and see what he says about the topic of weakness. He is Strong was really an outworking of what I learned throughout that process. I took thirty common experiences of weakness—things like dealing with grief, exhaustion, limitations, personal capacity, and feeling like you’re not enough or you’re overlooked—and examined them through the lens of scripture. I really sought to write the devotional that I wanted and needed as someone who constantly struggles with my own lack and insufficiency.
What’s the central message you hope readers will take away from your book?
The core truth is that no matter what type of weakness you’re facing, Jesus loves you. The Lord wants you to come to him with all that you fear, grieve, struggle with, and lack. He knows your frame and he doesn’t turn away those who are humble, broken-hearted, confused, contrite, and in need of his help and grace. My aim is that women would walk away from this book feeling hopeful, even as they face their weaknesses head-on, knowing that the goal isn’t for them to wallow in weakness or to stand in their own strength, but to stand firm in the Lord and in the strength of his might. (Ephesians 6:10) As we depend on God and rest in him, he gives us strength and he gets the glory.
How has writing this book affected your own life/changed your own practice/made you think or act differently about your topic?
As a result of writing He is Strong, my mental narratives and self-talk have really changed. I used to berate myself when I noticed my own inability or insufficiency to the point where I believed things about God and my circumstances that weren’t true. I’d think it was up to me to get better, try harder, or fix myself. But after seeing the myriad of ways that God works in the midst of weakness and being assured of his care for me in Christ, I’ve gotten better at seeing my insufficiencies as an opportunity for me to depend on him. I’m more hopeful and prayerful, believing that my weakness doesn’t have the last word—with the Holy Spirit, I have an ever-present help. (Psalm 46:1)
I’ve gotten better at seeing my insufficiencies as an opportunity for me to depend on him. I’m more hopeful and prayerful, believing that my weakness doesn’t have the last word—with the Holy Spirit, I have an ever-present help. (Psalm 46:1)
For a sneak peek, here are some quotes:
“…though you’re not the headliner of God’s story and though you might exist in utter obscurity, if you have faith in Jesus, you are not overlooked. Your name has been called. You’re noticed. You’re chosen. Your name is written in the book of life. Your story matters to the one God is telling, even if it’s lived in the back row. To him, you’re unforgettable.”
“…no strength of your own brought you into the kingdom of God, so no lack of strength, intelligence, talent, productivity, or reputation will push you out. It’s by grace, through faith, so that no one gets bragging rights. It’s all Christ.”
“It shouldn’t surprise us when our strength falters, when we’re overcome and choose to sit by the sidelines of our spiritual race. But in your weakness, you can turn to Jesus and receive the gift of grace. Tell him where you’re struggling, and ask him for strength that you don’t have. Seek his Word for wisdom, and ask him to hold you. We boast in Christ alone because we’d never make it by willpower alone.”
Here are some endorsements:
“Emily’s invitation to embrace our weakness because God is strong will give you hope and encouragement for life’s most challenging circumstances. Her personal stories and reflections along the way are a gift to any reader!”
—Ruth Chou Simons, Wall Street Journal bestselling author, artist, and founder of GraceLaced
“The greatest desire of the human heart is to believe that even in our deepest inability—in our abject weakness—God still loves us and is in fact for us. Full of refreshing transparency and clear biblical application, these devotions will strengthen your soul and stir your affections for Jesus.”
—Jared C. Wilson, pastor, professor, and author of Love Me Anyway
If you had an afternoon to do whatever you’d like, where would we find you?
On a brisk walk at my favorite nearby trail, admiring the wildflowers and listening to podcasts.
Emily A. Jensen is an author, a podcaster, and the cofounder and content director of Risen Motherhood. Her latest book, He is Strong: Devotions for When You Feel Weak, releases in October, 2023. Emily lives in central Iowa with her husband and their five children. You can find out more at emilyajensen.com or follow her @emilyajensen on Instagram.
