Tag Archives: difficult times

December 4, 2025 · 5:30 AM

Yet I Will Praise Him

If you’ve ever read the book of Job, you may have found yourself feeling sorry for him. There may have been times in your life when you’ve even related to him too. I know I have had those moments. When you go through periods of loss or continuous disappointment, Job is a great book to read. You will find that there’s always someone who has it worse than you, there is purpose in pain and that you can endure anything. I don’t know how many times I’ve read the book, but I can tell you that I’m still amazed when I come to the end of the first chapter. After Job has lost all his livestock, his riches and his children, he doesn’t curse God. He doesn’t cry out, “Why me?” Instead, it says he fell to his knees and worshipped God. He recognized that everything he had came from God, and if God took it all back, he was good with it.

I can honestly say that during my times of great disappointment and loss, that was not my attitude. To stand on rock bottom in life, look up from the hole you’re in and bless God seems unfathomable, yet Job was able to. If he was able to, you and I are to. He made the choice to worship instead of to whine. He chose to bless God instead of to curse Him. He made the choice to recognize everything he had belonged to God and wasn’t a result of His own work. The perspective he had challenges me to readjust and calibrate how I see God and how I react in the bad times. It’s easy to worship when things are going well, but can we worship when everything seems to be going wrong? Can we praise Him when our prayers are unanswered? Can we thank Him when we don’t see a way forward? Can you say, “Even though I’m broken, yet will I praise you”?

Habakkuk 3:17-18 says, “Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!” (NLT) There’s a very similar picture here to the attitude Job had and that we are to have. Joy is not something that is circumstantial. It doesn’t rely on what’s going on around you. Joy looks at where your strength comes from. It looks at who your hope is in. It is defiant in the face of any circumstance you may face, and it says, “My hope is not in all, these things. My hope is in God. No matter what comes my way, I know that my God is able to do exceedingly and abundantly more than I can ask or pray for. Even though things look bad now, yet will I praise God! He is my rock, my fortress and my salvation.” You and I have that same spirit of joy within us. In tough times, activate it and worship. Remind yourself that God is in control, He has a plan and that no matter what happens you will continue to trust and to praise Him.

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Throwback Thursday is a feature I’m using to help build some margin into my schedule to pursue other ventures. Each Thursday I’ll be bringing you a previously written devotional that still speaks encouragement to us from God’s Word.

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December 1, 2025 · 5:43 AM

Trust The Process

One of the lessons in life we have to learn is that everyone will go through difficult times. In Matthew 5:45 Jesus said that God causes it to rain on the just and the unjust. So hard times are not just part of life, they’re part of God’s plan for you. It matters how we respond in them, how we trust in them and how we grow in them. Honestly, it’s hard to see God’s hand when we are going through a difficult time, but I’ve learned that He’s always there in them guiding me and shaping me through them. When you get further away from them and look back, it’s easier to see His hand at work during those times. That’s why how we respond in them matters.

In Genesis 37, Joseph was a young boy who did things that made his brothers hate him. Being his father’s favorite didn’t help. When God gave him dreams about his brothers bowing down to him, it set off a chain of events that saw his brothers beat him up, sell him as a slave, he was falsely accused and sent to prison where he was forgotten. He trusted God through years of difficulties knowing that somehow God would use these circumstances to fulfill the dream. It’s hard to hard to look ahead when times are hard, so Joseph simply trusted God’s plan. In one day he was freed and placed second in command of Egypt. It may have seemed like it suddenly happened, but it was years in the making as God grew and shaped Joseph. When his brothers arrived and bowed down, he didn’t gloat. Instead he forgave.

In Genesis 50:20 Joseph told them, “Even though you intended to hurt me, God intended it for good. It was his plan all along, to ensure the survival of many people” (TPT). Joseph was able to see God had caused it to rain in his life, not because he had done anything wrong, but so that others could be saved as a result of his suffering. When you look back at the hardest times of your life, what do you see God doing? I can see Him repositioning me and reshaping me. If you’re feeling forgotten right now or going through the hardest time of your life, keep trusting God’s plan. You may not get the perspective right away to see what He’s doing, but if you trust Him and the process, He will make sure that all things work together for your good and the good of others.

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August 11, 2025 · 5:34 AM

Finding Peace

There have been many times in my life where circumstances wanted to rule my emotions and dictate my behavior. We all face these stresses in life. Sometimes they’re from a monetary circumstance, a relationship, a job or sickness. If we allow worry and stress to consume our mind, we will be a mess.its hard not to let them rule your thoughts life during those times. What do those thoughts and emotions accomplish or solve? Nothing. The best advice I heard someone give was that you can’t control your circumstances or the chaos in your life, but you can control where your thoughts live. Keep them on the One who can control those things and you will have peace.

In Daniel 6, Daniel faced people who didn’t like him and were trying to set traps for him. They were trying to ruin his career, his reputation and his life. He didn’t let it rattle him. He continued stopping everything he was doing several times a day to pray. When the king had him put in the lion’s den, we don’t hear anything out of Daniel. The king was stressed over it and couldn’t sleep. However, Daniel kept his thoughts in check and had peace while he was surrounded by lions. Even though he should have been devoured by his circumstance, he wasn’t and God delivered him.

Isaiah 26:3 says, “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!” (NLT) God offers us peace in any circumstance we face if we will keep our thoughts fixed on Him. A good way to do that is to look up God’s promises, His names and other Bible verses where God delivered people. You can also spend time in focused prayer where you shut out the world and get alone with God. He is the One who gives wisdom, bring healing, provides and sees you. If you want peace in whatever comes your way, start by fixing your thoughts on Him.

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July 7, 2025 · 5:29 AM

The Wilderness Of Preparation

There have been times in my life when things were clicking and moving quickly. God’s plan for me was gaining ground so fast as if it were making up for lost time. Then without warning, things would come to a screeching halt. In those seasons I would wonder if I did something wrong or if I made God mad. He would seem to be silent during those times too. These periods would last days, weeks , months and even years. It made me think that the wilderness I was in was a place of punishment. However, I’ve learned that those seasons in the wilderness are periods of preparation for what’s coming.

In Exodus, we read the story of Israel being delivered from Egypt. We don’t know how long the period of the plagues were, but there were instructions for the tenth plague. In chapter 12 verse 11 God told them, “These are your instructions for eating this meal: Be fully dressed, wear your sandals, and carry your walking stick in your hand. Eat the meal with urgency, for this is the Lord’s Passover” (NLT). Freedom came quickly and they took off in the middle of the night. They hurried toward the Promised Land. God parted the Red Sea and met them at Sinai. Then the entered the wilderness of preparation for 40 years. God had moved them out of Egypt, but He had to get the Egypt out of them before they were ready to possess the land.

In 2 Corinthians 4:17 Paul reminds us, “For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!” God uses periods of troubles, set backs and aimless wandering to produce in us the things we need. The longer we sit and complain in these seasons, the longer it will take to get out of. They are to remove things from our lives that we can’t carry with us into the next season and to produce character traits we will need. The wilderness isn’t to necessarily punish you for mistakes as much as it is intended to prepare you and produce things in you that can’t be brought about any other way.

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December 17, 2024 · 5:32 AM

Manna For The Moment

I’m in a men’s group that focuses on personal growth. At the first meeting, the leader asked each person to introduce themselves and then share one of their highest moments in life and also one of their lowest points. As each man shared, I began to see a common thread of seasons of pain these men had been through. One man said it was a lot easier to think of the hardest times in his life than the good ones. Jokingly he asked if he could share two low points rather than one of each. We tend to remember the times in our life when we’ve hot rock bottom or when we struggled to make progress. In the moment we weren’t sure we could make it through. However, looking back, we can see God’s grace was sufficient for the moment we were in.

In Exodus 16, the Israelites had been set free from 400 years of Egyptian slavery. God had promised them a land of their own and they were on their way. They had seen the mighty hand of God moving on their behalf to set them free. They had walked through the Red Sea on dry ground, yet they found themselves in a wilderness that made them want to return to their pain and suffering. They began to complain to God asking for food. In verse 12 God told Moses, “I have heard the murmurings of the Israelites; speak to them, saying, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread; and you shall know that I am the Lord your God’ ” (AMP). God gave them manna for the moment they were in. It was sufficient for the day. They were to take what they needed and nothing more. God did this until they reached the land He had promised.

In Matthew 6, the disciples had asked Jesus to teach them to pray. He began reciting what we call the Lord’s Prayer. You’ve probably prayed it thousands of times, but there’s something right in the middle of it that reminds us of that manna. In verse 11 He prayed, “Give us this day our daily bread.” God has always given us what we need for the moment. Jesus taught us to pray for it without complaining. If you’re standing in one of the low points of your life right now, I want you to know there is grace to sustain you in this moment. Like the Israelites, you’ll need to go to God to get it daily. Use this time to lean on Him and to learn to trust in Him. If you’re in one of the higher points or have come through a low point, don’t stop going to Him for your daily bread. The manna He gives is fresh every day and is provided for you to keep trusting Him as you go through this life.

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December 4, 2024 · 5:43 AM

God’s Gift Of Joy

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, a group of angels appeared to shepherds nearby. At first the shepherds were afraid. Luke 2:10-11 says, “But the angel reassured them. ‘Don’t be afraid!’ he said. ‘I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!’” (NLT) God was gifting the world a savior and with Him joy. Biblical joy is more than the emotion of happiness. It is a contentment in any situation that comes from faith and trust in God. His joy also gives us strength to endure whatever we’re going through. God wasn’t just giving us a Savior from our sins. He was giving us Immanuel, His Son who would be with us in whatever we face.

In John 15, Jesus was telling us that He is the vine, our source, and we are the branches. He reminded us of God’s love for us and that we are to remain in Him. Life’s pressures will try to separate you from Him, but we must remain because there is nothing that can separate us from His love. In verse 11, He goes onto say, “I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!” Our joy comes from remaining in Him and resting in His love when fear, hunger, worry, death or all the powers of hell come against us. Our choice to remain will produce the Fruit of the Spirit in our lives. One of the fruits that He wants to cultivate is joy because it is not contingent on our circumstances. Our faith sees beyond the moment we’re standing in and trusts in His plan.

When Paul wrote the letter to the Church at Rome, he had been in prison and been beaten for His faith. His words to them were born out of faith and trust in God rather than his temporary pain. In Romans 15:13 he wrote, “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” Those words should encourage us today. God will not only give you hope that this too shall pass, but He will also give you joy in the midst of your pain. He will give you strength to endure and come out on the other side producing fruit in a barren season because you trust in and remain in Him. His gift of joy to you this season is a gift worth cherishing and holding onto.

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October 30, 2024 · 5:40 AM

Wilderness Seasons

Some of the toughest seasons in life to get through are wilderness seasons. They’re brought on by different things that happen in our life. Sometimes we enter them shell shocked after our world has been rocked. You can’t really feel Godwin the wilderness, but you know He’s there. I’ve found myself simply going through the motions. I stand during worship, but words won’t come out. I hear the message, but nothing seems to resonate. I smile and shake hands, but feel disconnected. I try to pray, but my words fall flat. There’s no telling how long the season will last, but I’ve found that wilderness seasons are usually followed up by victory seasons.

In 1 Kings 19, Elijah had just called fire from heaven and proved God’s existence to the nation when Jezebel threatened his life. Verse 4 says, “Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die” (NLT). He fell asleep there from his depression, but was awakened by an angel who fed him. He laid back down and slept again until the angel did the same thing again. He then traveled forty days and nights deeper into the wilderness where he found a cave on Mount Sinai. God spoke and asked him what he was doing there. He needed to hear from God and know His power. He experienced an earthquake, a fire and a still, small voice. God sent him back into the wilderness with instructions to anoint a new king and to appoint a successor. In that moment, God took care of the future and his present. Some of his greatest miracles are in the chapters that follow.

Deuteronomy 2:7 says, “For the Lord your God has blessed you in everything you have done. He has watched your every step through this great wilderness. During these forty years, the Lord your God has been with you, and you have lacked nothing.” God never leaves us in wilderness seasons, and He provides for us while we’re there. I’ve learned that these seasons, while tough, have produced deeper roots in my faith. They caused me to dig down deep into God’s Word, to seek His presence and to depend on Him. I couldn’t always see Him in my wanderings in the wilderness, but when I look back, I see He never left my side. If you’re there now, keep being desperate for God to answer. It may not be big and grandiose like you want. It’s often in the still, small voice and in subtle ways. God has a purpose for wilderness seasons. Don’t rush through them. A victorious season is just ahead.

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October 22, 2024 · 5:39 AM

Responding To Adversity

When I lived in Egypt, one of my favorite things to do was to rent a sailboat and it’s captain to cruise up and down the Nile. These captains were very skilled. They would use the wind to take us up or down the river for the first part of the journey. They would then use that same wind and crisscross back and forth to return us back to port. Ion,y had one captain who wasn’t good at it. The wind pushed us up into the reeds where we got stuck. He couldn’t get us out and we started getting eaten up by mosquitoes. We were finally able to flag down another boat who pulled us out. Each captain learned to use the wind to their advantage. They could let it push them down the river and then take them back up it. For some, the wind put them in a bad position because they didn’t know how to navigate it or respond to it. There’s the same correlation to us with difficult times.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told us that it rains on the just and the unjust alike. He later said that in this world we would have trouble. Different people throughout the Bible responded differently. In Exodus when the Israelites were trapped against the Red Sea with pharaohs army chasing them, fear took over. When Job lost everything, he fell down and worshipped. When David’s son staged a coup, he didn’t take it out on people. When Paul and Silas were bound in chains in prison, they sang praises. When Naomi lost her husband and sons, she wanted to be called “Bitter.” When the three Hebrew boys wouldn’t bow, they trusted God as they were taken to a fiery furnace. What made the difference was how the responded to adversity. Some ended up crashing in the reeds, while others persevered.

James 1:2-3 says, “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow” (NLT). Adversity will come to all of us. James said to respond to it with joy. He understood that joy isn’t based on our circumstances, but on the outcome because of who we trust in. God causes all things to work together for our good. Hard times can stretch us, grow us and increase our faith if we let them. It’s when we lose our trust that they begin to crush us. We’ve just read the differences of people in the Bible. The level of their faith and trust in God determined their reaction. How do you respond when adversity comes? Do you use it for your advantage to navigate upstream or let it push you into the reeds of doubt?

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September 30, 2024 · 5:45 AM

Controlling Everything

How do you handle it when everything is going wrong? There are times and seasons of disappointment that we all go through. For some of us, we start trying to control everything when things start spinning out of control. The truth is that we can’t really control anything except our response and our attitude. I’m not a person that is constantly worried about things, but in these seasons, worry tries to creep in. My sleep gets disrupted, my appetite goes away and I get quiet because I’m trying to handle it and solve it on my own. Doing all those things is still simply masking the fact that I’m trying to control the situation rather than my response. Ultimately I have to realize that only God can control my circumstances.

In Esther 3, Haman had been promoted to second in command. The king ordered that he be given the same treatment and respect as if he were king. People were told to bow when he went by them. Everyone obeyed the edict except Mordecai. Haman was infuriated and decided not to simply attack Mordecai. His response was to eradicate all Jews. He convinced the king to sign a law that gave people in every province of the kingdom to kill Jews and take their possessions. In chapter four, Mordecai read the decree and began crying and wailing. He put on mourning clothes, fasted and prayed for a resolution. He may have felt the blame for the situation and knew he didn’t have the answer, but he knew God did. He sent word to Esther about what was going on and God used her to save His people.

Psalm 121:1-2 says, “I look up to the mountains— does my help come from there? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth!” (NLT) When things are out of control, God is still in control. We must look to Him because He is the only one who can help in these seasons. He is the one who had the plan and people in position to protect you and bring the season to a close. Like Mordecai, we should turn our hearts toward heaven in fasting and prayer. Like Esther, we should be ready to do whatever God asks no matter how difficult. Things may look bleak, and times may get rough, but in those moments we must look to God and seek Him more than ever. He is still in control of everything and nothing happens without Him knowing. Control your response and let Him take the burden of controlling everything else.

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September 25, 2024 · 5:45 AM

Leaving The Pit Of Despair

September 25th holds a special place in my heart and on my calendar. It’s the day where I hit rock bottom in my life. After seven months of having the bottom fall out from underneath me, this was the day I gave up. I walked into my house, laid down on the living room floor, curled up in the fetal position and bawled like a baby. I was hurting inside so badly and was tired of losing everything. In that moment I cried out to God and told Him I was done. It was then that I heard a still, small voice say, “Finally.” I had been doing thing on my own and living how I wanted to live. God spoke and said if I was ready to build my life His way and live how He wanted me to, He would rebuild my life. I repented right there and agreed to change. I walked over to my calendar and wrote, “The Bottom.”

In Luke 15:11-32, Jesus told a parable about another man who tried to do things his way. He went to his father and demanded his inheritance while his father was still living. He insulted his father and his whole village. He took the money, went to a foreign land and lived how he wanted instead of how he was raised. He was having a good time until he ran out of money. If that wasn’t bad enough, there was famine that caused food to be scare. Then the economy crashed and he couldn’t find work except the lowliest of positions. After struggling, he finally hit rock bottom and decided to seek forgiveness. He headed home. Verse 20 says, “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him” (NLT). His father put a new robe on him, put the family ring on his finger, killed the best calf and had a celebration. His son had returned and agreed to live by the father’s rules.

Psalm 40:2 says, “He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along.” I’ve been to the pit of despair and cried out like the Prodigal Son. A friend recently asked for practical steps to get out of that pit. I to,d him it starts with repentance and crying out to God. It takes determining to make changes in your life and leaving situations, people and places that got you there. It takes committing to reading the Bible, praying daily and getting involved in a body of believers who will love you. When I made these changes, God lifted me out of the pit, put my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I made progress. It took more than ten years to get back to the point where I felt like I was back to level ground. It’s not easy climbing out of that pit of despair, but it’s possibly by surrendering to God.

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