As grief overwhelmed me, I lost my patience. Anger welled up and had to be honestly released with a shout. Shrouded in loss and shocked by my unusually loud reaction, I asked God to help me see what lay beneath my tear-full explosion. My anguish had started with an unexpected Read more…
Recently, I shared about some precious friends who’ve experienced our Father’s comfort in affliction, who then shared that comfort with me and my husband. It came after their intense affliction. But how can we experience His comfort within this suffering, a suffocating affliction? How can we know His desires for Read more…
Lord of heaven and earth, I confess that sometimes I fear the enemy is winning. I confess that I can easily think he is Your equal. Our accuser tempts me with lies, thinking that You are not all-powerful over the enemy and evil. He tempts me to disregard Your power Read more…
In quietness and in trust shall be your strength (Is. 30:15b ESV). “But Lord,” she cried. “Nothing in my life feels quiet or calm. My life is filled with chaos, this fallen world is filled with chaos and noise. I’m honestly battling the ever-present anxiety that underlies my life circumstances Read more…
I had a recent day when the world’s weight bore heavy and threatened to pull me under. I work as a teacher. I’ve loved teaching others how to sing and make music with their God-given instrument. In one of my research studies, a child called teaching “helping.” Yes, I’ve always Read more…
In suffering, I’m instantly tempted to focus on myself. The pain overtakes my every thought and everything becomes so inward, fixated on my hurting. When it becomes days and years, with no end in sight, it’s easy for me to become self-absorbed. Me, me, me. But Jesus beckons us: “If Read more…
Crisis threatened once again. Frightened, she prayed, “I am so scared. Lord, show me how to pray. I need You. I need Your guidance and wisdom. I need Your rescue. Please help me. Comfort me.” I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning Read more…
She didn’t want to get out of bed. “I am so weary. I need something greater than myself because I am too weak to deal with life today. I’m so worried about how I’m going to be able to manage things. I honestly just don’t want to be here and Read more…
In this world broken by sin, are you feeling particularly shattered and weak? Suffering and sin are a born-into-this-world given (Genesis 3)…but these days? They seem a specially appointed, global, weighty, exponential hard. A prayer for today Oh Lord, we need Your strength in our weakness. We ponder Read more…
Watching the radar, we knew it was coming. Time to inventory TP, bread, milk, canned goods. The storm bled red all over the screen. Hunker down in our basement. Exhausting, stay-up-all-night fear. Immense interruption of normal life. Storms are chaotic, noise-filled, demanding constant attention and threatening our minds with imagined Read more…
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