The Tent Peg & The Voice That Breaks Chains

A few nights ago, I went on my first solo camping trip.

Just me, the trees, the stars, and God. I wasn’t running away from anything—I was searching for something. And I’ve learned that when you’re truly searching, you will always see what your heart is looking for.

I’ve spent years studying scripture. Reading stories. Chasing understanding. But there’s a different kind of knowing that happens when you slow down and get still.
Because the Spirit Himself bears witness to the truth—and when He speaks, you don’t question it.

As I was setting up my tent—fumbling a little, figuring it out—I couldn’t shake this one story from the Bible. It just wouldn’t leave me.
It kept coming back. Again and again.

Jael.
The woman who drove a tent peg through the head of a sleeping enemy in Judges 4–5.
Not exactly your average fireside devotional, I know.
But I couldn’t ignore it.

So I sat by the lake, quieted my heart, and asked God:
“What are You trying to show me?”

And He answered, softly but clearly:
“Use what I’ve given you to bring freedom.”

Jael wasn’t a warrior. She wasn’t leading anyone. She was a woman in a tent. But when the moment came, she didn’t shrink back. She used what was in her hand—a tent peg—and she ended years of oppression with one brave move.

And in that moment, by the water, I saw it:

I’ve been holding tent pegs too.
Not made of wood and iron—but made of words. Made of truth.
Made of healing, of testimony, of surrender.

Every time I speak honestly.
Every time I break silence.
Every time I give my pain to God instead of performing around it...

I’m driving a tent peg through the enemy’s lies.

That night under the stars, I felt God’s presence all around me. The fire cracked. The air was still. And then the song "You Make Me Brave" came on—the Amanda Cook version. And I wept.

Because I knew I was on the right path.
Because I knew God wasn’t just calling me to heal—He was calling me to help others heal too.
Because even in the middle of uncertainty and pain, I was exactly where I was supposed to be.

And I knew… this was my tent peg moment.

My sponsor’s name is Deborah. Just like in the story—Deborah prophesied that the victory would come through a woman. That a woman would end the battle.

This isn’t just a story from the past. It’s a prophetic echo for the present.
God is still using women—women like me, women like you—to bring freedom, truth, and justice into dark places.

Not because we’re perfect.
Not because we’re polished.
But because we’re willing.

This is me using my voice.
This is me healing out loud.
This is me saying: shame has no place here. Addiction has no power here.
Control is not my portion—surrender is.
This is me releasing the past.
Laying it down.
And letting God turn it into something powerful.

If you're still reading this, maybe it's because you’re holding a tent peg too.
Maybe God is showing you something in this moment, the way He showed me.

Maybe you’ve spent years trying to hold it all together.
Maybe you’ve been silent for too long.
Maybe you’ve been searching like I was—just needing space to hear Him again.

I promise you: He will meet you in the quiet.
He will speak.
And He will show you exactly what’s already in your hand.

Use it.
Tell it.
Surrender it.
Drive it through whatever has tried to hold you back.

This is how chains break.
This is how healing begins.
This is how bravery rises—one tent peg at a time.