One lesson we learn from seasons of pain, darkness, and doubt is that when we’re hurting, a person’s presence with us is far more significant than any words he or she might say. Just having someone sit silently next to us when life is hard communicates genuine love and concern. Besides, when we’re hurting, we…
I Wanted to Pray But Had No Idea What to Say
Darkness Closes In Die before you die. There is no chance after. — C. S. Lewis, Till We Have Faces Sudden and tragic loss leads to terrible darkness. It is as inescapable as nightmares during a high fever. The darkness comes, no matter how hard we try to hold it off. However threatening, we must…
Caregiving: To the Community of Faith
Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I go up to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even…
Grief: Heads Up, Hands Off
Grief doesn’t come with a handbook. There are guidelines, of course — clinical scales that help determine phases of denial, anger, acceptance, and a few others. And while a useful tool, serving in some ways as an emotional mile marker, these scales follow anything but a linear order. Grief invokes chaos, shuffling these “steps” and…
Journey into the Fire of Surrender
For He will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; He will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. — Malachi 3:2-3 The embers glowed as the blacksmith stoked the fire. One callused hand held a piece of metal to…
Go Ahead and Cry
Growing Tears I waited patiently for God to help me; then He listened and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out from the bog and the mire, and set my feet on a hard, firm path, and steadied me as I walked along. — Psalm 40:1-2 TLB As a…
God’s Peace for When You are Missing a Loved One
Missing a loved one is a very lonely feeling. The only thing to really resolve the ache of loneliness is to actually see the person you’re missing. But many times, it’s not that easy. You may miss your mother who passed away last year, your daughter studying abroad, or your husband on a long…
Trusting God in the Face of Unanswered Prayer
My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will. — Matthew 26:39 “Stop trying to figure God out.” That’s the counsel I got from one of my daughters as she listened to me verbally wringing my hands. God hadn’t answered another one…
Finding a Way Through the Dark
Have you ever tried to walk around your house in the dark? With arms stretched out wide we feel our way around, running into dressers, patting walls with our hands, feeling for the familiar to find our way. It’s hard to see where we’re going without the light. It’s painful to run into things we…
Prayers for Loneliness and Loss
LONELINESS Jesus, in Your great loneliness on the Mount of Olives, and in Your agony, You prayed to Your heavenly Father for comfort. You know that there are souls on earth who are without support and without comforters. Send them an angel to give them joy. —Anonymous Father God, You sought me and adopted me,…