Rachel Britton on Loneliness and the Three Words She Prayed | COMPASS in the Storm Ep 7

Full Transcript

Transcribed from the episode audio. Names, places, scripture references and medical terms have been corrected, and caption noise has been removed. Speaker names are not marked, because the source captions marked only that the speaker changed and not who was talking. Paragraph breaks follow those speaker changes.

I didn’t know how I was going to go on. I didn’t know how I would get through the next hour, the next day or week or month. I just didn’t know. And I was, you know, I was crying, screaming inside. And all of a sudden, I remembered God. And that’s when I prayed those three words. My guest today chose faith over fear during a most difficult season in her life. The loneliness and desperation was so deep she could only cry out three words to God. And those words changed her life forever. The three words. Stay tuned and find out. My guest today is a Britishborn awardwinning author and speaker whose passion is to help women become comfortable and confident in their conversation with God. She holds a master of arts and religion and previously worked for the British Broadcasting Corporation. She is also the creator and writer of an Amazon Alexa skill called Alexa, Say a Prayer, which receives about 1,500 requests per day, which I think is so awesome. Please welcome my guest with me today, Rachel Britton. Thank you, Rachel, for being here with me today.

Lana, thank you for inviting me.

Awesome.

So happy to be here.

I am thankful. Thankful. And I love that British accent when we first met at the women’s retreat last November. I had the privilege of being at the same conversation table with you and as soon as I heard your accent, I wanted to know your story and I was even more intrigued by your inspiring story, Rachel. And you moved from England to the USA as a young mom with a six-w weekek old baby. You left a job that you loved at the BBC in England and you knew no one in the USA. You left everything behind, including the security of your family and friends. And that’s tough. And I remember you telling me on the beach that day, the loneliness was absolutely horrific. And Rachel, as you know, loneliness is an epidemic among many, not just in the USA and England, but around the world. So whether it be isolation from family and friends or lack of companionship, many who will be watching this today can relate to loneliness. You were thousands of miles away from your family and you said you became so lonely and desperate that you could only cry out three words to the Lord. So Rachel, could you please share your journey through that stormy time in your life and how those three words changed your life? Well, before the storm, there was a time of calm and that’s we were living in London, my husband and I, and we just purchased our dream house. We spent one whole year looking for it. It was in an area of London where we really wanted to live. And it was a little Victorian house, very small. but it had a really beautiful tiled pathway and hallway, you know, a bit like from Downton Abbey. and I was working for the BBC like you said, and I was doing very well with them. They were paying for me to earn my MBA.

so I felt everything was in place. that I was ready to also start a family. and my husband at the time had come over to the US to Massachusetts just for work and he called me and he had news for me and I had news for him. My news was I was pregnant. His his news was that his company wanted him to transfer to Boston, Massachusetts. and in that moment I can’t think it was nesting instincts but I did not want to move.

Yeah.

But a year later less than a year actually after purchasing our house there was a for sale sign by the gate. we sold the house. I gave birth. Four weeks later, we moved out

and then we arrived in Boston with our six-w week old baby.

And I think the thing I noticed first of all was there were so many trees up in Massachusetts. It’s funny. But the thing about the trees was that they were gray and bare. You know, spring comes earlier on in England, I think, just because it’s a little island and surrounded by sea and you know, the blossom was out and everything and the trees.

Yeah. They were just gray and bare and that’s that’s how I felt.

Yeah.

Inside.

Wow. Wow.

Tell us what were you were you angry? Did you ever at that point in your life in your relationship with God, did you actually like question God at all? Did you were you angry? Like what brought you to those three words like that we talked about? And if you were angry, how did you get over that emotion?

Well, I think I was miserable. I just wanted to go back to England. I hadn’t talked to God for actually quite a while, for a number of years. I had grown up in a Christian home. I knew Jesus was my savior, but God had been left out of my life.

I wasn’t angry. I’d left him out because I felt like I couldn’t live up to the standard of being a good Christian.

Okay.

you know, I didn’t go to church enough. I didn’t read my Bible enough. So at that point when we arrived in the US and we’d been here a few months I was my daughter was asleep in her travel cot in the in the bedroom and my husband was watching American football trying to learn all the rules and everything and I just went into our bedroom and I didn’t know how I was going to go on. I didn’t know how I would get through the next hour, the next day or week or month. I just didn’t know. And I was, you know, I was crying, screaming inside. And all of a sudden, I remembered God.

And that’s when I prayed those three words, “God, help me.”

And I was so desperate, but I felt his presence come over me. And I knew that he’d heard my prayer. I knew that he’d answered.

Wow.

But I have to admit nothing really changed after that. I just, you know, my daughter woke up. I went back into the room.

I still wanted to go home to England. You know, that was my overall mentality,

right?

But something had changed within me. And I didn’t realize that until I’m not sure how much longer it was, maybe a couple of weeks later, somebody on the apartment complex that we were living on invited me to church. And for the first time in my life, I realized that I really wanted to go and that I was so desperate to know more about God. I wanted to study my Bible. It was like a total change inside of me. It was quite It was amazing.

Wow. Wow. So, those Isn’t it interesting just three words? That’s what that’s what amazes me is that you your relationship with the Lord wasn’t really that tight yet. but yet those three all it took was three words. And Rachel, I mean, I’m just saying God started a work in you. It would might have been little by little, but still. And when you venture into the unknown and in your case moving to the US and you had to experience fear and loneliness and isolation and it’s tough for someone to get along get over one of those emotions, but you I’m sure had all three emotions and maybe more at the same time. Did you was there something that you did that helped you through those emotions? how did you overcome all those emotions all at one time or was it little by little? like was it the church service? How did you overcome those emotions of loneliness and desperation?

I think I just going back to that prayer those three words I think what happened in that prayer was that I actually surrendered myself to God.

There you go. Yeah.

Yeah.

Absolutely. and that was like an my initial surrender. But after that I still had to continue that surrender.

I think getting over those emotions. I needed professional professional help that move

all those changes in my life having a baby leaving my family behind leaving my friends leaving you know the city that I loved living in I realized at one point that I was obviously suffering from depression. I

basically couldn’t stop crying. And it was just through somebody at the church I started to attend who is a mental health counselor going to a workshop that I realized that and went and got the help that I needed to overcome that huge change that I’d gone through in my life.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But with God, when I look back, I realize that it was the kindness of God,

little things in my life that he was doing to help me through that loneliness, being isolated. for instance, the first few weeks we were in Boston, I had to take my daughter to the pediatrician and she knew there and then I’d just moved there and didn’t know anybody and she put me in touch with another of her

her patients who just had a baby.

Okay.

whose husband was English. This woman was American. American.

Okay.

Yeah. But her husband was English. So that really helped me through those initial

few weeks.

And then when we moved into the apartment where I sat on the floor and cried my prayer next door a couple had moved in with a baby which we didn’t realize at first until our baby monitor kept going off and when we’d go in to see our daughter she was fast asleep and we couldn’t figure out what was going on. It might be really weird.

So my husband knocked on the door next right next door and when they answered he said, “Do you happen to have a baby?” You know, a baby and a baby monitor and it was their little boy that we were hearing.

Wow.

Cuz we were on the same channel.

Yes. Oh, wow. That’s weird. but Joe the woman had just moved there from Australia and she had a baby who was two days older than my daughter.

Oh wow. Wow.

Yeah. So we became firm friends. We spent all our time together trying to ne negotiate, you know, living in a new country. And I just think how good of God to put those things in place for me.

Yes. Yes. And I mean to not by by chance. I mean when you think about what are the possibilities of her moving right next door to you and then the baby monitor going off. I mean you wouldn’t have known it unless the baby monitor went off. So every little detail that God already had planned because he said, “I’m going to take care of you. Don’t worry, Rachel. I’m going to take care of you.” It it’s so funny because in the time when I you know when I’ve gone through hard times Isaiah 30:15 has been really strong in my spirit because it gives us instruction that in quietness and trust is your strength and you think you can’t go on and when I think about that scripture in quietness and in trust is your strength is that when I just have my time with God and just learn to trust him like you said those three words, you just surrendered to God. And that is so awesome. And and I’m just curious, you know, was there something and I because the title of this podcast is compass in the storm. Was there something that was your compass? Something that helped you more than anything else to navigate through that storm in your life?

Yeah. And I do think that was prayer and I know that prayer is very general. but I do believe it was prayer as a surrender.

You know, as I said before, those three words, God help me was really my surrender to God that I couldn’t do this on my own.

Right? And you know we think of surrender as losing something but when we surrender to God he gives so much in return.

And you know he restored my life through that prayer my life and my relationship with him.

Wow. Wow. But then also, even though I had a restored relationship with him, I still had the struggle for a long time of not wanting to be in the US, but wanting to be in the UK. And so I spent a long time each morning when my kids had gone off to school, I would go to the track in our town just to walk for some, you know, physical exercise, but also spend time with God.

Yes.

And so I would pray a lot of, you know, over many things, but that’s one thing I prayed over that God, can I, you know, go home to England? and eventually it got to the point where I felt like I was trying to make my will God’s will. That’s what I wanted.

Right. Wow.

And I just had to say in the end,

if you want me to stay here in the US, then you have to take that desire away from me. So, it was kind of a surrender again, you know, surrendering my desires to God.

Awesome. Awesome.

Yeah. Well, Rachel, and I’m just so glad. I mean, when I think of New York, I think of hustle and bustle. And of course, I live out here with the Amish. So, it’s like I love where I live, and isn’t it funny? The Lord put you where you love, and he put me where I love, and he just had that in the plan. So, that’s always a good thing to know that sometimes it might not happen instantly. sometimes people say a prayer and they think, well, why is this not happening? Well, sometimes it just happens gradually. so Rachel, what would you say was the most important thing you learned now? we’re going to be talking about your book because I know you’ve written about this and but for somebody that’s listening, what would you say is the most important thing that you learned from that time in your life?

Yeah. you know, the most important thing, and it’s something that I’m still learning, you know, in all of when there are things in my life that are not going the way that I want or you know we’re struggling

and that is that it’s better to be in God’s will than

in our own comfort.

Okay, good. we’d lived we’d been here in the US for two years and we had the opportunity to go back to England with my husband’s job just for a few months and we did that and our intention was to settle there.

Oh.

And it wasn’t coming together. we couldn’t find anywhere to live. He was going to have to find another job. We then we then had three children. three children under three. we’ve got we had twins as well as my daughter.

but we prayed about it and we said we prayed you know if God if you want us to come back to the US then my husband’s company has to give him a pay rise and also turn our visa into a green card to make it much more permanent.

Right.

And that we didn’t believe that they would do that. that seemed to be something that they wouldn’t want to do, but they just said yes immediately and we knew

that’s what God wanted.

Wow.

So, I think through that experience, I’ve learned that it’s better and it’s safer for us to live in God’s plans than in our own plans. And that’s something that I have to remember every time I go through a crisis or a storm.

Yes. to hold on to what God wants.

Is there any advice that you can share with someone who’s listening that is maybe going through the same situation of loneliness and they may not be in a different country but they’re going through that loneliness or feeling isolated or feeling forgotten. What would you suggest would would be a good thing for them to do at this point in their life? I think look for the kindness of God just in the little things of how he’s taking care of you and what he’s doing for you and hold on to those.

Yes. And I think one thing you mentioned about my book Pray Naturally, which focuses on a number of women from the Old Testament like Sarah and Hagar and Naomi and Ruth. And as I was writing that book, that was one of the things that struck me. You know, these were women who had really difficult lives.

Yeah. but as I was writing about them, it just kept coming to me that, you know, God is kind. He was kind to them. He was kind to Sarah. He was kind to Naomi who was, you know, hurting so much.

Yes.

And you know, God is kind to us too. We have to remember that.

Yes, he is. Absolutely. Good advice. Absolutely. You know, not many people are going to have the experience of the trauma of having to leave their family, friends, job, and homeland and move thousands of miles away, unless maybe they’re military. So, Rachel, your story of learning to talk with God honestly and confidently is encouraging for listeners who are struggling with just sharing their heart with God. And you know, we can be comfortable talking with the Lord who wants us to bring everything to him. And now after these many years, Rachel, the Lord has given you the ministry of teaching women to be confident in their prayers and as you say, choosing faith over fear. And I know you’ve written multiple books and you also speak at various ladies events, whether it be conferences, teaching. tell us a little about your award-winning book, Pray Naturally, and your speaking ministry.

Yeah, thank you. Yeah, my book is Pray Naturally: Finding Your Spiritual Confidence as a woman loved by God. And it starts off in the book saying that God wants to hear from us. and that’s probably a little bit of my story that I missed out. One of the one thing I learned when I came here that I felt that God had taken me across the Atlantic taken away all the distractions in my life, my job, my social life, my friends. And it was like he was standing in front of me and saying, “Rachel, I want you to notice me.” And that’s the same for all of us. He loves us so much that he just wants us to turn to him and talk to him. and one of my favorite verses that is or passages is at the beginning of Isaiah 65, which gives us a picture of God standing there holding his hands out saying, “Here I am. Here I am.”

Yes.

And so the emphasis on the book is to help women know that God just wants to hear from them. Yeah.

And there are prayers within the book. they’re like fill-in-theblank prayers. Some of them are very simple. they’re just God, this is what my situation is like. And it’s just a matter of then telling him what it’s like

and then others are more, you know, structured prayers in there.

Great. Now, I want to encourage them to actually look for your book, which I’m pretty sure is on Amazon, and also they can go on your website, I’m assuming, rachelbritton.com. They can That’s right.

Okay. And and as far as speaking, like for maybe an event planner that might be interested, they can also reach you through the rachelbritton.com. Yes.

Yes, that’s right. Yeah, I have a I have a speaker page on there.

Okay.

Where I can be contacted. Yep. And I just love to come and encourage women especially like you said faith over fear the discovering the kindness of God and praying too.

Yes, absolutely. Absolutely. That’s great, Rachel. Thank you. And one last question before we conclude. And I don’t have Alexa, but I’m willing to get it just to have your app. Where can they find the Alexa skill? Alexa, say a prayer. Yeah, I just have to make sure I haven’t got an Alexa here in the in the room. I don’t think I have.

Well, I’m sure those that have Alexa probably know how to look up that app to the first time say, “Alexa, ask say a prayer.” And then each time after that, you can just say, “Alexa, say a prayer.”

I am definitely going to look into it because I just think that is so awesome. you’ve got so many great accomplishments and I want to thank you again, Rachel, for being here today. And you not only survived that storm in your life with God’s grace, but you became a vessel that he now uses to help others become more intimate with him. And isn’t it wonderful to know through all that God had a plan after all? And I believe our chat on the beach that day at the retreat was definitely a God moment. Definitely. So,

yeah, definitely.

Thank you, Rachel, for being my guest today on COMPASS in the Storm. God bless you, your family, and your ministry, and I hope to see you soon.

Thank you so much. It’s been lovely. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you for joining me today, friend. The Lord wants to hear your heart even though he already knows what’s on your mind. I like how the Living Bible translates 1 Peter 5:7. Let him have all your worries and cares for he is always thinking about you and watching over everything that concerns you. So just as you are always thinking about your loved one, your husband, your children, God does the same over you because he loves you. He is watching over everything that concerns you. And that means everything, not just financial or physical, even the little things. He is even concerned about the parking spot you need close to the door at the shopping mall. And trust me, I’ve prayed many times for that one. And many times that spot opened and I knew exactly why. Matthew 10:30 says, “He even knows the number of hairs on your head.” For some, that is not a mystery. But it does tell us that he knows every intimate detail about us. I can give you story after story about how God showed his concern over the littlest of details, not just the major ones. So why not start giving God permission to direct every area of your life? If nothing else, say the three words that my guest today, Rachel, said, “God help me.” The trust that you build with him in doing that will be lifechanging. God bless you. And remember, friend, stay the course.