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4 Inspiring Prayers for Hope in Troubled Times
A few years ago I met a woman who smiled more than anyone I’d ever met. She lived with a kind of hope I longed to uncover for myself. My smiling friend had faced hard seasons, losses I couldn’t even fathom, and grief no woman should ever have to bear. And yet she kept smiling. She inspired me to start praying passionate prayers for hope in my life. I want to be a hopeful woman. I want to live with optimism in my heart and a deep belief God is with me in the darkest valleys. Not long ago, I stumbled upon the following words: “Strength and dignity are her…
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10 Empowering Prayers for Strength and Wisdom
Our little boy presses his face to mine in the silence of the night, and I drink it in. He’s inching ever closer to his fourth year, and I wonder how it’s all going so fast. It seems like just yesterday I was uttering prayers for strength and wisdom as the doctor pulled him from my body. We rock long into the early hours of a new day, and every time I try to put him down, he says, “Hold me one more minute.” I don’t have the heart to put him back in bed with this fever, this cough wracking his little body. I’m content to hold him through…
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5 Powerful Truths About Trusting God in the Valley
I weave through a mantle of green rose bushes, wood nettle, and poison oak. It’s growing darker here in the valley behind our house. I’m sure our children are racing across the backyard in the evening sunlight, but it feels like night in the valley. As I walk, I consider what trusting God in the valley really looks like. Trusting God in the Valley As the valley walls block out the sun’s last rays, I recall a valley we faced when winter’s arms still stretched white over these hills. I rest on a fallen sycamore and watch trout jump as they eat the flies rising from black water. Looking back,…
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4 Things to Do When You Feel Helpless
I remember the way the shadows danced on the walls as I held her through the night, the ulcers in her mouth burning with a relentlessness that made sleep hard to find. I’d bring her to the bed and let her whimper in my arms as her three-year-old body slipped in and out of sleep, and it felt like something in me just might tear wide open. And what in the world are you supposed to do when you feel helpless over the situations that matter most in your life? It was a medical condition that shaped our lives for over a year, and most of the time we felt…
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10 Bible Verses About Waiting Patiently for God’s Perfect Timing
It’s a cloudy Monday morning when I open my Bible in search of Bible verses about waiting patiently for God’s perfect timing. Beside me, the amaryllis has burst into full bloom. It bows low under the weight of its heavy blossom. After all of this waiting for it to bloom, I wonder if the blossom might crush it. I watch the amaryllis become its fullest self, and I wonder about my own growth. Perhaps this recent season of waiting on God has been more purposeful than I’ve imagined. Maybe God knows that if I bloom before I’m ready, the weight of it will crush me. Nevertheless, I’m tired of waiting.…
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4 Prayers for Hope and Peace in Difficult Times
I’m sorting through my eight-year-old’s backpack when I hear the words echo from the TV in the living room. Another shooting. Fatalities. Children running for safety with their arms stretched in the air. Bowing my head at the table, I turn to the Lord with urgent prayers for hope and peace in this broken world. 4 Prayers for Hope and Peace We’re all facing the consequences of living in a fallen world. We all face dark days and troubled times. After a few minutes of prayer, I think about this as I set the homework on the dining room table and hand my sweet girl a snack. My mind drifts…
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10 Bible Verses for Strength and Healing
We watch chickadees flutter above the deck, and the snow melts all over again for the sixth time this winter. Just when we start to believe things are looking warmer, a bitter north wind descends and everything alive turns back to ice again. I open my Bible in search of Bible verses for strength and healing at the end of this long season. If you need this encouraging truth, I invite you to read to the bottom of today’s post for a free devotional eBook to help you experience God’s healing and hope. 10 Bible Verses for Strength and Healing The storms just keep rolling in, one right after another,…
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Thanksgiving Encouragement for When Thanksgiving Is Hard
The first rays of morning sunlight stretch through the frosted windowpane. For an instant, I forget that it’s Thanksgiving day. On this day when much of the world celebrates, I could use some Thanksgiving encouragement for my hurting heart. Maybe Thanksgiving is hard for you this year, too. You want to embrace this season and give thanks for the gifts in your life, but giving thanks just isn’t cutting it. If this is your story today, I invite you to join me as we stand on encouraging words amid our discouragement. Be sure to read to the end of today’s post for a free devotional eBook for hope and comfort.…
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22 Bible Verses About Hope in Hard Times
Do you need hope to carry you through a difficult time? We all face tough times, and when these times God, God’s Word offers hope in the darkness. Today, we’ll explore 22 Bible verses about hope in hard times. Bible Verses About Hope in Hard Times We’ll also discuss the ways God uses hard times to shape us into his image. I invite you to read to the end of today’s post for a free devotional eBook to give you hope in the most difficult times. First, let’s look at these powerful Bible verses about hope in hard times. 22 Bible Verses About Hope in Hard Times 1. Matthew 11:28-30…
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6 Promises for When You Feel Abandoned by God
“I feel like I’ve been abandoned by God,” my friend whispers through tears as we sit by the creek and watch flies rise from the water. She’s been in a tough season, and I tell her I can relate. Fifteen years ago, I uttered the same words. Since that time, I’ve uncovered a few valuable lessons about God and life. I share from my heart as the sycamores lean in with listening ears. I don’t know if she feels encouraged as we leave the water, but I pray she finds the faith to keep walking with God. When You Feel Abandoned by God Later that afternoon, my little boy stirs…
