Father, we sing: The Lord has promised good to me,his Word my hope secures. (“Amazing Grace,” Newton, J., 1779) But sometimes, in the years of suffering, our hearts grieve so much that we cry to You when we sing this. You promised good to me…but how can this suffering be Read more…
We ache for good news in medical challenges. We pray for good outcomes to the hardships our kids and grandkids are experiencing. We grieve when good things disappear. We live in a fallen and fearful world in which sin and resulting suffering affect everything. We need good news, don’t we? Read more…
Perhaps this is one of the deepest universal questions, driving us into cognitive dissonance when suffering lingers. When layers of grief and loss take us under, we can barely breathe. We feel like Job. But when I hoped for good, evil came; when I looked for light, darkness came (Job Read more…
Heavenly Father, Like with Job in his suffering, the enemy continues his wearying lie, “Did God actually say?” (Genesis 3:1). Moments of doubt and fear can creep into our thoughts when we’re gripped in the lonely pain of suffering. “Doesn’t suffering mean that my faith has failed? That I have Read more…
Father, As the New Year approaches, I praise You for Your promise to “make all things new.” This promise refers to the gloriously planned day when You will restore all things into a new heaven and earth (Is. 65:17; Rev. 21)! This is my sure hope! I’ll live in a Read more…
We’ve flipped the calendar and here we are, entering Advent. So, we begin to sing the old familiar hymn… Hark! the herald angels sing,“Glory to the newborn King!” (“Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” Wesley, C., 1739) “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” (Lk. Read more…
Oh Father, I am grieving today. Loss surrounds me. My dreams, my plans, my abilities, my desires. Those I love, things I love, experiences I love. I am allotted months of emptiness, and nights of misery are apportioned to me (Job 7:3 ESV). Like Job, it feels like loss is Read more…
God, I come to You in moments of despair and stress as I walk through this fallen world’s deep suffering. It’s exhausting, so I’m battling the enemy’s insidious lies just as Jesus did. Your Word is Your offensive weapon (Eph. 6). So, help me cling to Your Word’s truths about Read more…
God, I cherish Your name as my Savior (Is. 43:11; Hos. 13:4). Into my suffering today, please remind me of Your love story in my Savior, Jesus Christ. Chapter 1: Creation and Fall In the beginning of the love story, You declared everything in Your creation as “very good” (Gen. Read more…
Lord God Almighty, I “hallow” You today, acknowledging that You are the Lord and King, thrice holy and set apart, pure, sacred, and perfect. There is no sin in You, unlike all earthly parents. I pray for so many to become believers, for anyone still living in our inborn sin Read more…