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6 Powerful Bible Verses About Hope in Suffering
Pale winter sunlight slips through the curtain, and splashes of cobalt rupture heaven’s veil. Winter feels long in these parts. Hard circumstances are unfolding in the world around us, and I open crinkled pages in search of a few Bible verses about hope in suffering. Our family isn’t suffering hard this winter, but we know what it is to suffer. Perhaps you know a thing or two about suffering as well. No two kinds of suffering are exactly the same. I can’t pretend to know what yours looks like on this day. It might be the sting of a recent disappointment or a heavy cloud of grief. Regardless of its…
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When God Disappoints You, Find Your Hope Here…
Here in the glow of hope rising upon a new season, we look to the future and give our dreams permission to set sail. But let’s be honest, new beginnings are also invitations to gaze behind us. Every new season is an opportunity to pause and look square in the face of a year’s worth of disappointments in life. Where do you turn when God disappoints you? What do you do when your plans fall to pieces? Where do you turn when the bottom falls out? When God Disappoints You Some of us are disappointed in our friendships. We’re considering giving up on the whole idea of community and accountability.…
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6 Healing Bible Verses for Grief and Loss
I light a white candle, and it casts long shadows on the wall. As the flame flickers, I open my Bible in search of comforting Bible verses for grief and loss. The heavy cloud of loss has settled like a cloak over my soul, and I wonder if it just might suffocate me. Bible Verses for Grief and Loss How do you find comfort in loss when sadness is your constant companion? Let’s soak in six Bible verses for grief today. 1. Deuteronomy 31:8 It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be…
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A Surprising Reason You Might Feel Spiritually Stagnant
Winter wind washes the outside world with white, and the fields once so luxuriant with farmers’ crops are pale with sleep. I remember the sun-splashed fields of goldenrod as I read beside the window. Like this sleeping world, something inside me feels spiritually stagnant today. I want to be vibrant and faith-filled, but we’ve shifted into a season of simply trying to put one foot in front of the other with each passing day. Awakening Our Spiritually Stagnant Souls I’m reading Dr. Robert Mullholland’s book, Invitation to a Journey, as I sit by the window. He makes a point that catches my attention: Some of us feel spiritually stagnant because we…
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A Short Prayer for Strength During Difficult Times
Have you been walking through a difficult time in your life? Today, I invite you to join me during one of the most challenging years of my life, and I’ll share a short prayer for strength during difficult times of all sorts. I pray these words lead you straight into the arms of your heavenly Father. He loves you, and he hasn’t missed a moment of the trial you are walking through. A Short Prayer for Strength During Difficult Times The oaks flaunted butterscotch hands the year suffering marked our family’s Thanksgiving celebration. I watched from my quiet place on the couch as my family pulled out of the driveway…
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Trusting God in Difficult Times: 3 Powerful Insights
Raindrops hang from the picnic table like glass beads on a string. Morning has come with heavy air and an ashen sky that goads us to sleep longer. Life has consisted of one rainy day after another here. It’s been a hard season of learning about trusting God in difficult times. Perhaps you can relate. If you could use encouragement on trusting God in difficult times, you’re in the right place today. Trusting God in Difficult Times What happens when the thing you prayed would never happen becomes your reality? A friendship that was once life-giving suddenly becomes strained and difficult. You are misunderstood in an area that matters deeply…
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7 Back-to-School Prayers for the New School Year
A band of blue jays awakens the dawn with a cacophony of cackles. It’s early, and I’m not ready to begin the day. Nevertheless, I brew the coffee and gather the kids for devotions. We talk about going back to school and embracing the last days of summer. We offer our back-to-school prayers and pray for God’s peace to go before us into the new school year. Back-to-School Prayers As I process a dozen different scenarios for what this year might look like, I thank the Lord for going with us. The kids name their greatest fears, and we pray through their fears. Later in the day, I put together…
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Leaning on Jesus When You Feel Empty Inside
There are gaping holes between the boughs of the blue spruce. I’m surprised to notice thick clumps of pinecones at the end of each branch. The spruce is bearing fruit, even in the gaps. I’m reminded of what I’ve been learning about leaning on Jesus when I feel empty inside. When You Feel Empty We all face empty seasons. We wonder how we will possibly manage to bear good fruit in our lives. Meanwhile, Jesus offers an invitation: “Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself but must remain in the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me” (John 15:4…
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8 Encouraging Bible Verses About Change in Life
I wrote this post about how to embrace change as we adjusted to life with a tiny new member of the family. If you feel like any area of your life has been flipped upside down lately, these words are for you. Be sure to keep reading to the end of the post for eight Bible verses about change in life. Navigating Transitions (With 8 Bible Verses About Change in Life) Our family recently stepped into a transition that startled us all. After nine months of enduring my couch-bound illness, we welcomed our third child into the world. My illness immediately lifted, and in a matter of days, life…
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Thinking of Giving up on God? Read This First
I vividly remember the day I decided to turn away from God. I decided that if he wasn’t going to be faithful to me, I was done living for him. Maybe you can relate. Maybe you’re thinking of giving up on God today, too. You’re not alone. The day I gave up on God, I blamed him for my pain, and I was angry about it. Giving Up on God Like me, maybe you’re facing a heartbreaking loss, and you wonder why God seems silent. The instant your life went off the rails, God seemed to leave you alone in your despair. Maybe you feel forgotten, and you’re not sure where…
