-
God Has a Plan for You—Even When He Seems Silent
We awoke to a fresh inch of snow on the lawn on the first day of April, and it felt like one more day tacked onto a never-ending winter. Whether you’re facing a long winter or enduring a difficult season that seems like it will never end, it can be hard to hold onto hope. You need to know that God has a plan for you, especially when he seems silent. Most of us don’t wait well. Waiting for a dream to come to fruition or a difficult time to end can be deeply discouraging. God Has a Plan for You While You Wait King Solomon said it well in…
-
3 Keys to Effective Prayer: Radically Change Your Prayer Life
Most of us face times when our prayers seem to go unanswered. During these times, we wonder if why God doesn’t seem to hear our prayers. Today, we’ll unpack 3 keys to effective prayer. These simple insights can radically transform your prayer life forever. I also invite you to read to the end of today’s post for a free devotional eBook to improve your prayer life. I begin today’s post with an illustration that radically changed the way I pray. After this illustration, we’ll explore the keys to effective prayer. 3 Keys to Effective Prayer Layers of ivory piled heavenward for weeks—the kind of snow that melts and freezes a…
-
10 Bible Verses About Disappointment: How to Handle Spiritual Frustration
Regardless of the depth and strength of our faith, most of us will be disappointed in God at some point. During these times, turning to God’s Word can give us hope. Today, we’ll explore 10 Bible verses about disappointment. Be sure to read to the end of today’s post for a free devotional eBook to encourage you. Bible Verses About Disappointment It is Christmas morning here in Pennsylvania. This is the morning God bends down to meet us. This is the day we celebrate a groaning mother’s messy morning in a manger, the birth of a Messiah who comes quietly and unexpectedly. The world didn’t expect the Messiah to arrive…
-
What to Do When God is Silent in Your Life
Today, I invite you to pause and imagine a discouraged woman who has lost any sense of God’s presence in her life. God is silent in her life; meanwhile, the world around her expects her to be a spiritual leader, mentor, and example. Here are her words: “As for myself, Father, I have nothing to say for the darkness is so dark, the pain is so painful. Sometimes the grip of pain is so great that I can hear my own voice call out—My God, help me. When I help my Sisters draw very close to Jesus—when I teach them to love Him with a deep, devoted, personal love, I…
-
8 Reassuring Bible Verses About Patience
Most of us are waiting for something. We’re waiting for dreams to come to life, prodigals to return home, and babies to sleep through the night. Some of us are waiting for God to heal our bodies or the bodies of our loved ones. Waiting on God is never easy. Let’s dig into some reassuring Bible verses about patience together today. Bible Verses About Patience The Bible has a lot to say about waiting on God and being patient. I invite you to soak in these Scriptures. Also, be sure to read to the end of today’s post for a free devotional eBook to help you experience God’s presence and…
-
How to Lean on the Lord in Disappointing Times
Do you need encouragement as you aim to lean on the Lord in a disappointing situation? Today, I invite you into our family’s world for a few practical insights on leaning on God. How to Lean on the Lord in Disappointing Times A few days before our son Caleb’s fourth birthday, I asked him what he wanted to do for fun. He requested a walk to the creek, and I threw out my plans for the day to take him to the woods. As sat along the quiet bank of the creek, I let him talk about his hopes and dreams. He was most excited about his upcoming birthday. “How…
-
15 Bible Verses About Waiting on God
Waiting isn’t easy for most of us. Today, we’ll explore 15 Bible verses about waiting on God. Then, I’ll share a personal story of how trusting God’s timing recently yielded a small but whimsical blessing for our family. Bible Verses About Waiting on God and Trusting His Timing Be sure to read to the end of today’s post for a free devotional to help you trust God while you wait. 15 Bible Verses About Waiting on God 1. Romans 5:3,4 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope. ESV It’s not easy to wait on God.…
-
How to Hope in God When He Makes You Wait
The world is turning green from the bottom up. I’ve always been captivated by this change. I can’t help but wonder if this life rising from darkness is meant to teach us how to have hope in God while we wait. Something powerful happens in hidden places. The daffodils and skunk cabbage climb out of some hidden place deep beneath the surface. The forest floor is alive and green long before the tallest maples burst into color. Every time it happens, I’m drawn in, as if for the first time. Maybe it’s because this change is reminiscent of my own journey. Change happens in hidden places, quiet places, and unseen…
-
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.…
-
10 Bible Verses About Unanswered Prayers
God’s ways are different than our ways. His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. Yet it’s not easy to trust him when our prayers seem to go unanswered. The best place to turn when God doesn’t seem to hear our prayers is his Word. Today, we’ll dig into a list of Bible verses about unanswered prayers. These Scriptures remind us that God hears the prayers of his children. His ways are simply different than our ways. At times, he doesn’t answer our prayers according to our expectations because he is protecting us, preparing us, or has something better in mind. Bible Verses About Unanswered Prayers Let’s take a close look…
