It’s a sad paradox that the most wonderful time of the year can also stir up the most despair in people. For many, I know the season coincides with a past wound, but I’m also think pain is just made more acute when it’s contrasted with all

There are Psalms I sometimes read that just make me angry. “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.” - Psalm 42:5 Maybe I am just that

I’m reading John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress for the first time. Everything in that book is relatable, but there are certain scenes hitting harder than I expected. One of them is Christian’s encounter with Apollyon on the way to the Celestial City. Apollyon is an ugly,

Sometimes I feel like I’ve been holding my breath for a long time and I'm not sure there will be any air to breathe when I finally let go. It’d be nice to know what God is doing in those moments rather than being left there

It is pathetic how often I overestimate the control I have over my circumstances, and how protective I am of the little I do have. A couple passages have been stirring this up. First, from Exodus. The Israelites have fled into the wilderness after escaping Egypt. They set up camp

I wish it were easier to tell the difference between God’s discipline that I should rejoice in, and misfortune that I should lament. But I guess that’s a false dichotomy. There’s no reason to believe they can’t be one in the same, especially if I take

There is no earthly indication that some of my prayers will be answered. It’s something I’ve had to face eye-to-eye in recent weeks, and I can sense a waning hope in people who’ve been praying with me too. It makes me realize how dependent I’ve been

I’ve either never seen this verse or I’m reading it with different eyes: “Though he slay me, I will hope in him; yet I will argue my ways to his face.” - Job‬ ‭13‬:‭15‬ ‭ESV‬‬ What a weird combination of statements.  Though he slay me, I will

I have not been reading Psalm 46:10 correctly for a long time (probably because I’ve always read it in isolation). “Be still, and know that I am God.” I’ve always taken “stillness” to strictly be a synonym for “peace.” God’s just telling us to find inner

I know God does not change; that His word and being are eternally immutable. That’s why I’m struck by stories in which He appears to change His mind, as if He can sometimes be persuaded to alter plans He’s been very clear about. It happens in the

Stories like the persistent friend in Luke 11 are easy to admire when things are going well. A man urgently goes to his friend in the middle of the night to ask for some bread. After some determination, all’s well:  I tell you, even though he will not get

I think I’ve had a messed up, self-sufficient view of “hope” for a long time, and I didn’t start to realize it until I read Romans 8:24 while life was falling apart. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope.