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10 Bible Verses About God’s Plan for You
We all face times when God changes our plans. He sends roadblocks to redirect paths that appeared to be smooth and clear. He permits detours that feel more like derailments. Today, we’ll explore ten Bible verses about God’s plan for you. First, I invite you to join me as I climbed a mountain alongside my 13-year-old daughter, Bekah. Be sure to read to the end of today’s post for a free devotional eBook to help you embrace God’s plan for your life. Bible Verses About God’s Plan for You: And What to Do With Detours As Bekah and I stand at the base of the giant quartzite mountain, I don’t…
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Lead Me to the Rock That Is Higher Than I
“Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I” (Psalm 61:1-2, ESV). Lead Me to the Rock That is Higher Than I We sit in the yard as the songbirds swoop beneath the pale blue canopy overhead. It’s hard to believe August has come. The sun is setting earlier, and the nights will soon grow cooler. These shorter days speak of what’s to come, and I’m not sure I’m ready. Long summer days spent sitting in the backyard and swimming in the creek will draw to a close. …
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How to Stand Firm in the Lord When Life Gets You Down
The old sycamore leans over the creek with a trunk worn white by the weather. Resisting the pull of its own weight, it seems to keep watch over the valley where the water runs clear over silt and stones. As I rest against it on a warm evening, it seems like a metaphor for how to stand firm in the Lord. Just as the sycamore resists the earth’s gravitational pull downward, we are called to stand against the forces that aim to pull us down. How to Stand Firm in the Lord The Apostle Paul wrote that our struggles are not against flesh and blood but against authorities and rulers…
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How to Have More Joy in the Lord—Even When Life is Tough
We are at the creek again today—hoping to imbibe the scarce rays of golden sunlight peering at us from behind the wooded knolls. I long to live with deep roots of joy in the Lord, but the winter months are often challenging. We’re on the cusp of springtime now. Nevertheless, the winter months have worn on me. Maybe you can relate. You might not have to fight for joy in the wintertime, but perhaps you’re navigating a difficult season in your life. Today, we’ll talk about how to have more joy in the Lord when life is challenging. No matter what your challenge looks like, I pray these words offer…
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Who I Am in Christ: Discovering the Part of You That Can Never Change
For the past two weeks, I’ve been offering glimpses into my new book, Lean Into Grace. Today will be our last excerpt from the book. This reading shares the story of one of the most challenging stretches of my life and describes the way God used difficult circumstances to teach me who I am in Christ. Let’s head into the book together. Who I Am in Christ My journey to more deeply understand who I am in Christ began shortly after my 29th birthday when my husband and I discovered that we were expecting our first child. We were thrilled. We’d been dreaming of becoming parents for four years, and…
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When Christmas Is Hard: 5 Insights to Give You Hope
Snow falls heavily like flour through a sifter, and I’m alone with only my thoughts and the hushed whisper of flakes gathering on frozen earth. As I sit beneath the hemlocks, I’m reminded of a season years ago when our family was suffering at Christmas. It can be challenging to know where to turn when Christmas is hard instead of celebratory. When Christmas Is Hard Our difficult Christmas came after a year filled with illness, disappointment, and deep grief. We’d just watched a lifelong dream go up in smoke, and we weren’t sure where to turn next. We were grieving, and we were having a hard time embracing the Christmas…
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15 Bible Verses About Letting Go and Trusting God
This morning, I was startled to find the wood line painted grey. The bleak scene mirrored the state of my soul. Letting go and trusting God with my life felt nearly impossible. Opening, my Bible, I began copying a list of Bible verses about letting go and trusting God. Bible Verses About Letting Go Here are the Scriptures I listed. I also invite you to read to the end of today’s post for a free devotional eBook to help you let go and trust God. 15 Bible Verses About Letting Go and Trusting God 1. 2 Corinthians 9:8 “And God is able to make all grace overflow to you, so…
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8 Bible Verses for Brokenness, Loss, and Suffering
The first storm of fall comes with gusty gales and breaks loose the brittle branches and untethered leaves. I have a deep sense of my own brokenness as the leaves scatter across the yard, and a question stirs in my heart: If God uses brokenness for good, how do we turn to God and find beauty in the brokenness? Turning to God’s Word, I begin listing Bible verses for brokenness in my journal. 8 Bible Verses for Brokenness These are the words I write. I encourage you to meditate on these words. Also, be sure to read to the end of today’s post for a free devotional eBook to help…
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8 Calming Prayers for Anxiety, Worry, and Fear
The hollow growl of a thunderstorm awakens me well past midnight. I turn to look out the open window and watch the skyline flicker white. Four sleepless hours later, I lie on my back and begin uttering calming prayers with the hopes of quieting the noise inside my head. Perhaps you need God to quiet your heart today, too. I’ll share eight calming prayers for peace and rest today. Then, we’ll talk about how to take practical steps to shift into the peace we desire. Be sure to read to the end of today’s post for a free devotional eBook to help you find peace in God’s presence. Calming Prayers…
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Your Pain Has a Purpose, and This Is Part of It . . .
A wide arc of geese honks overhead like a black thread woven through the grey. I watch them from the deck and remember a similar evening several years ago. I sat on this same deck and let these words wash over me: “Your pain has a purpose. Don’t rush through this valley of suffering.” I was at the end of a long season of suffering, and most of the time, I couldn’t see the purpose of the pain. It seemed entirely unnecessary. Maybe you can relate. You want to know your pain has a purpose. Meanwhile, for the most part, it seems unnecessary. Today, we’ll talk about God’s purpose for…
