What is defeat supposed to do in our lives as God’s people? How are we supposed to respond when we’ve been “crushed… to the ground”? Psalm 143 presents at least 4 things we ought to do.
Young Adult Sorrows Need an Ancient Remedy
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“Instead of pressing into community, I isolated. Instead of reading the Word, I scrolled Instagram to distract myself. Instead of praying, I consulted Google for hours, searching for the answers to questions far beyond its ability to explain: Why the illness? Why the miscarriage? Why us? Why now? Why, God?” - TGC
Is It Possible to Suffer Well? 4 Verses to Reorient the Theology of Suffering
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“Amidst suffering, the battle between living a kingdom-minded and a self-minded life feels impossible. Bible verses you once held fast to can sound like moral platitudes that neither comfort nor feel true.” - Lifeway
The Blessings of Hardship
“And you shall remember all the way which Yahweh your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. And He humbled you and let you be hungry and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of Yahweh.” (Deuteronomy 8:2–3, LSB)
Ministering in grief: Presence, peace and what not to do
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“I recently lost a close friend to cancer. She was only 32, and during my own questions and wonderings, it reminded me that we live in a culture that avoids death….The apostles wrote about death with startling clarity. They called it an enemy, yes, but a defeated one. They spoke of groaning, longing, waiting, and resurrection hope.” - Baptist Press
All Things for Good? 6 Things Romans 8:28 Doesn’t Mean
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“4. It does not mean that only some things work for our good…5. It does not mean we will understand how things were for our good…6. It is not a promise that is given to everyone” - Word by Word
Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled
Sermon No. 730 delivered on Lord’s-day Morning, January 20, 1867, by C.H.Spurgeon at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington
“Let not your heart be troubled: you believe in God, believe also in Me.” — John 14:1.
Things Today’s Global News Brings to Mind for Me–and, I Hope, for You, Too
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“For many believers around the world, life is more treacherous than most of us can imagine. Those of us who know only peace and freedom have little understanding of what others face. Ongoing war. Persistent famine. Overwhelming poverty. Growing persecution. And on and on.” - Chuck Lawless
It’s Safe to Be Sad: The Hidden Blessing of Godly Grief
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“Jesus’s pronouncement in the second beatitude stands in surprising contrast to our tendency: ‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted’ (Matt. 5:4). For the believer, there’s blessing to be found even in our tears, a blessing that invites us to reevaluate our understanding of sorrow.” - TGC
The Glory of God: Lessons from Lazarus’ Resurrection
“Jesus said, ‘Remove the stone.” Martha, the sister of the deceased, said to Him, “Lord, by this time he smells, for he has been dead four days.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?’” (John 11:39–40, LSB)
Mary and her sister Martha must have sat together, grieving in their home as they waited for Jesus. Why was He delayed? They knew He loved them and had informed Him of Lazarus’s sickness in time for Jesus to rush in and heal their brother. What happened?
