Comfort in Loss ⁽¹¹⁾

When Effort, Pressure, and Achievement No Longer Feel Like They Were Worth It "So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun." — Ecclesiastes 2:20 (NIV) There are moments when exhaustion becomes more than tiredness. You look at everything you…

I needed that. "A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones." — Proverbs 17:22 (NIV) Grief can make laughter feel almost suspicious. You may laugh for a second and then feel guilty, as if joy has somehow betrayed the…

I pushed the words through the darkness: "God, hear me!" "Hear my prayer, Lord ; let my cry for help come to you." — Psalm 102:1 (NIV) There are prayers that do not sound composed. They come from the floor, from the hallway, from the…

Praying “Not My Will” When You Are Overwhelmed "'Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.'" — Luke 22:42 There are moments when obedience does not feel noble or serene. It feels like collapse. You…

You Who Are Brokenhearted: God Will Bind Up Your Wounds "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." — Psalm 147:3 (NIV) Some wounds do not bleed where anyone can see them. They tear through memory, trust, sleep, prayer, appetite, confidence, and the quiet…

When You're Overwhelmed with Sorrow "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death," he said to them. "Stay here and keep watch." — Mark 14:34 (NIV) Jesus names His anguish without apology. He does not minimise it. He does not spiritualise it…

When Grief Leaves Someone Alone with Practical Need "Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need." — 1 Timothy 5:3 (NIV) Widowhood is not only sorrow. It is paperwork. It is silence at the table. It is money questions. It is letters…

A Good Wife is Treasure Enough "A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies." — Proverbs 31:10 (NIV) You can lose a wife and still feel the weight of her worth everywhere. Her clothes are still there. Her…

Where Is My Peace and Joy? You used to feel it: that quiet certainty, that warmth in worship, that sense of being held by something larger than yourself. Now there is nothing. You pray and hear silence. You read Scripture and the words sit flat…

Please Hold Me Close, Dear Lord "Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise." — Jeremiah 17:14 (NIV) Illness exposes what comfort hides. You learn how fragile strength can be and…

When crushed in spirit is exactly where God draws near "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." - Psalm 34:18 (NIV) You may not feel close to God when grief crushes you. You may feel numb, ashamed,…