Near to God by Lauri A. Hogle

You are worthy of my praise, Lord

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

flock of sheep on green gras field

I praise and trust You as my Provider, Lord

Father, I remember Abraham’s anguish. You’d told him to kill his beloved son, as a burnt offering. “Where is the lamb, Dad?” Abraham encouraged his son with the trust You gave him, “God will provide for himself the lamb.” You had promised that You would create Your own people through Read more

green and black hummingbird

Lord, You are my safe refuge

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah (Ps. 46:1-3 ESV). Read more

person s scooping water by hands

Help me trust You, my trustworthy God

It’s so easy for me to forget God’s trustworthy hold on me as I suffer. It’s so easy to forget my trustworthy Lord when I focus on the pain I’m enduring. My troubles scream loud and I quickly fixate on them, spiral into desperate fix-it mode, or helpless despair about Read more

woman sitting while showing heart sign hands

My omnipresent God is with me and my children

I’ve noticed that the hardest suffering for many women has to do with mothering, in multiple ways. Mothering starts with the anguish of labor, yet it’s mingled with joy (John 16:21). In the sacrificial love required, exhaustion of child-care, and continual seeking of God’s wisdom, we sometimes suffer in mothering Read more

water drop

God’s mercy, in the messy middle

Do you ever feel Job-like when suffering doesn’t go away? What if they say it’s permanent and incurable? What if God’s answers to our prayers seem to be “no” or “not yet?” Could these situations be God’s leading us to His gentle mercy and compassion for us, as we walk Read more

man standing on a rock near snow covered land

Praying to our wise God as we suffer

Are Job’s words echoes of your thoughts? I am not at ease, nor am I quiet; I have no rest, but trouble comes (Job 3:26 ESV).  Like Job, suffering trial after trial, we don’t understand why this is happening. How could we? We are not God and we have limited wisdom Read more

gray and brown mountain

God Knows Our Need, As We Suffer

Does God know how hard this is? Does He know how things are going to turn out? What if things get worse? Does He know my pain and the aching of my heart? Does He know my “what if” thoughts? To God my earnest voice I raise, to God my Read more

grayscale photography of hands waving

We have hope, Jesus is King!

The news is horrific, isn’t it? Suffering abounds. We’re in agony for many whose daily existence is threatened. We find ourselves praying, “God, please help me as I suffer. Please help our world and Your people.” Who are we praying to, beloved in Christ? Maybe today we need to remember Read more

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