She sat down at the piano and placed her hands above the keys, staring out at the crowd of hundreds of people sitting in the auditorium. Pausing for a moment, her soul whispered a silent prayer to her Creator – there was no way she could get through this without his help.

This was where Christian/Country artist Anne Wilson found herself seven years ago. You may have heard some of her songs. A favorite tune of Jersey Poff, one of them just went platinum last year – the words go something like this: “Let Me Tell You ‘Bout My Jesus.” 

The song “My Jesus” was co-written by Anne (along with Jeff Pardo and Matthew West) to reflect how her faith carried her through the tragic loss of her brother, Jacob Wilson, in 2017. As depicted above, it was at his funeral that Anne sang publicly for the first time in her life, and it’s also when she received her calling from God.

Anne chronicles her faith story in her book, My Jesus: From Heartbreak to Hope. For me, reading the book was a total game changer. Her personal testimony is one of the most powerful I’ve ever been exposed to. My heart will never be the same after reading it.

To avoid spoilers, I’ll let you read the book yourself (so worth it!). Instead, I’ll share with you some lessons I’ve learned from Anne’s story.

Trusting in God Always Leads to Hope

From the moment Anne learned of her brother’s death, she made a decision to trust in God. At 15 years old, she trusted him to get her through the darkest days of her young life. It was anything but easy, and as expected, there were several times when the weight of her grief and the pain of loss was too much for her to bear.

But as 2 Corinthians 12:9 says, God’s power is made perfect in weakness. He also tells us in Deuteronomy 31:8, “I will never leave you or forsake you.”

God made good on both promises in Anne’s life, but he didn’t stop there. In response to her simple offering of trust, God took the most tragic of circumstances and did what he does best – painting beauty from ashes.

Before the song “My Jesus” was released, neither Anne nor her record label had any idea how well it would be received.

Since then, “My Jesus” has become one of the top performing debut singles by a Christian artist – EVER. It won Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year at the 2022 GMA Dove Awards and went certified platinum in 2023. Anne recently released her second album, Rebel, earlier this year, which features a unique and artistic blend between her country roots and her strong Christian faith.

But to Anne, it’s not about the records broken or the applause or the career success. It’s about the eternal impact on the Kingdom of God. Millions of people around the world have been moved by this song. It has literally saved lives and pointed others to Jesus in a remarkable way.

That’s the power of our Almighty God.

Your Plans Can Change in an Instant

In her book, Anne admits that she’s a planner. In fact, she had her life all mapped out at a very young age. She had her heart set on becoming an astronaut – for real! Her family even took her on a trip to Cape Canaveral, Florida, to the Kennedy Space Center, and she was already scouting out paths that could help her achieve this lifelong dream.

But when Jacob passed away, her entire life changed in an instant. All her plans, hopes and dreams shifted – like sand drifting away in the wind. The person she was and the life she had lived before was gone.

Unfortunately, we don’t get to choose the circumstances we find ourselves in. No matter how much we want to fool ourselves into thinking we’re in control, the cold, hard truth is – we’re not.

God often uses the unexpected to reveal and guide us into his will for us. He can see the big picture, while we only see snapshots. Of course, we have free will, so the choice is ours. We can navigate our journey with God, or without God.

God Has a Plan for Your Life, Down to Every Last Detail

Psalm 37:23 says, “The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.” Anne beautifully captures this in the book when she writes,

“It’s amazing how God weaves our moments together, such intricate little details that become the golden threads of our lives. He sees the end from the beginning, but we see only the moment.”

– Anne Wilson

This rang true in my mind as I read Anne’s story. Everything in Anne’s life – from her country roots to her trauma to her personality traits, even down to the most mundane details of her life in each stage – EVERYTHING was accounted for in God’s plan for her. Nothing was a coincidence.

It’s a lot easier to see God connecting the dots looking back on the past than it is in the moment. But once he finally reveals to us what he’s done, which Anne so beautifully does in this book, it’s enough to absolutely blow your mind.

That’s what happened to me when I read this book. I was taken with awe and wonder by God’s care and attention to detail. It helped give me a glimpse of the day when God finally pulls back the curtain and reveals to us all he has done, throughout history.

Every person’s life is a masterpiece in the Father’s hands.

The following verse was found written on several index cards that Anne and her family found in Jacob’s old room:

After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.

1 Peter 5:10