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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…
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6 Miscarriage Prayers for a Friend or Loved One
Several years ago, our family walked through one of the most difficult losses we’d ever faced. We lost a baby through a miscarriage. Today, I want to encourage you as you support a loved one or navigate your own loss. The following miscarriage prayers for a friend (or for yourself) can help you find healing in the arms of our heavenly Father. 6 Miscarriage Prayers for a Friend or Loved One Parts of this post are taken from my book, Lean Into Grace, where I share the full story of my miscarriage. I’ll invite you to read the entire chapter for free at the end of this post. First, let’s…
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When the Walls Are Closing in: 5 Suggestions
There’s a pileated woodpecker pounding at the bird feeder, and Caleb stands entranced at the window. The vibrance of autumn is a distant memory, and there are long, dark weeks until the first signs of spring. As I watch Caleb by the window, I admit it to myself: The walls are closing in, and I’ve discovered no helpful escape route just yet. What do you do when you’re in the middle of a long, dark season and can see no way out? Today, I’ll invite you into my journey with this. We’ll also explore some practical suggestions for when it feels like the walls are closing in. Be sure to…
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How to Have Faith in God During Hard Times
February came in waves of smoky grey. Patches of blackened snow lined the country roads, and overcast skies cast dim shadows. I was desperate for a quiet reminder about how to have faith in God during hard times. I went to the woods to find hope on a monochrome afternoon. Perhaps God’s created world would somehow breathe life into my faltering faith. Beneath the oaks, my mind drifted to the words penned by Henry David Thoreau: “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when…
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What to Do When You Feel Spiritually Empty: 5 Steps
Are you struggling with what to do when you feel spiritually empty? Most of us face times of spiritual dryness. The disciplines that once helped us feel connected to God stop working. Instead of feeling life-giving, they begin to feel empty and dry. Today, we’ll talk about what to do when you feel spiritually empty. I invite you to join me as I gaze out the window feeling apathetic and disconnected from God on a cold winter morning. What to Do When You Feel Spiritually Empty The golden abundance of autumn has been swallowed by the monochrome grey of winter now. As I gaze into the ashen landscape, I wrestle…
