-
Seeing God Through Pain and Suffering: 5 Unexpected Things God Is Doing in the Dark
The maples tower grey and unclothed in the valley behind the house. This place looks nothing like the lush sanctuary that enveloped me in its arms two months ago. As I stare out the window, the austerity of the world matches the state of my soul. If I’m honest, I’ve been having trouble seeing God through pain and suffering lately. Seeing God Through Pain and Suffering This season has not come easily here. It has not met our expectations. Some of our dreams have come to life, and some have fallen apart. It’s not always easy to sense God’s presence when you are suffering. But faith isn’t about feeling; it’s…
-
The One Truth You Need in Your Darkest Hour
Our little family is feeling just a bit threadbare as we step into this new season of darkness and cold, windy days. We’ve walked through deep waters over the past months, and we are weary. Perhaps you can relate. Maybe you need hope in your darkest hour, or perhaps you feel worn down by the daily grind of your life. Let’s take a few moments to find hope to hold onto in our dark seasons together today. In Your Darkest Hour, Turn Here Winter feels like a dark hour for me. This winter feels especially dark. It reminds me of some big bumps in the road of our lives, things…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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,…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
10 Scriptures to Pray When You Are Frustrated
We all feel frustrated by our circumstances at times. One of the best ways to respond is to pray God’s Word as we process our frustrations. Today, we’ll explore 10 Scriptures to pray when you are frustrated. I’ll also share a personal story about feeling frustrated with God. Be sure to read to the end of today’s post for a free devotional eBook to help you turn to God in life’s difficult seasons. 10 Scriptures to Pray When You Are Frustrated Let’s see what God’s Word says about frustration as we bring our frustrations to God. 10 Scriptures to Pray When You Are Frustrated 1. Matthew 11:28 ESV Come to…
