Devotionals for the Heart: Hope for when your faith in God falters

Peek-A-Boo Faith
A devotional by Casey Wayne

“Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”

—Deuteronomy 31:6 (ESV)

My morning routine felt rushed and chaotic, as usual. I herded both kids out the door in hopes that we would not be late dropping my daughter at school. My anxiousness barely got a moment to subside before the next stressor arose.

While driving back home I heard my son mumbling and starting to whine. Although I tried to ignore it in the beginning, his agitation grew. I asked questions so that I could address his concern, but things escalated. After several minutes his reason became more clear. He was upset he could not see the sun. He cried, “The sun is gone!”

Hoping to calm him, I compared the sun going in and out to playing "peek-a-boo” (a fun game children always like to play here in America). This seemed to help some but he continued to assume any time he could not see it, the sun was no longer there. After several rounds of assuring him the sun was still there, he seemed to accept what I was telling him. However, there was an underlying tone of skepticism lingering through his sniffles.

How many of us do this with our faith?

In times we can clearly see the light of Jesus Christ, we are as happy as can be. In those seasons, we shout praises to God and share all His blessings in our lives.

However, in those seasons where it is harder to see God's faithfulness and goodness we get upset and assume He is no longer there. Anger, distrust and fear fill our heart and mind where gratitude used to be. In the trials God told us we would experience, our human nature struggles to trust that He is there with us (John 16:33). Satan uses those feelings to draw us further away from God. But Scripture tells us that even when we forget to seek God, He is still there. Even when we struggle to see His face or even lash out in anger, He still loves us through it all. 2 Timothy 2:13 (ESV) says, “If we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself.”

In the book of Hebrews, the Apostle Paul writes to the followers of Christ to encourage their faith. They also struggled to remember God’s faithfulness through the trials of life. In the midst of their fear and uncertainty life brings they could lose hope, just like you and I. But Hebrews 10:23 (ESV) says, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.” God is good and faithful. He is always working, weaving the details of our life together for our good (Romans 8:28). May this be a reminder that He always has been and always will be there.

Through the trials this broken world throws at us, God is there with us. Hold on to the hope and promises of your Heavenly Father. Trust His faithfulness and guidance. Take time today to sit in remembrance of His past faithfulness. Read God’s Word (The Holy Bible) and be encouraged by the stories found within its pages.

Pray for eyes to see Him and the ability to follow even in the midst of whatever you are walking through.

Let’s Pray:

Heavenly Father,

Thank you for Your grace and faithfulness. Thank you for Your faithful presence even when we waver in our faith. Help my eyes to see Your faithfulness in my life and encourage my faith as I obediently seek you. May I live daily in gratitude for your grace and mercy over me.

In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection: “Never Been a Moment” by Micah Tyler. Listen to it here.

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Author Bio:

Casey Wayne is a wife and mother of two children. 

She enjoys time with her family doing simple things like movie nights and cooking together.

As a devotional writer, Casey strives to share her story with relatable honesty, showing how God is faithful throughout the big and small moments of life.

She has a heart for encouraging the faith walk of other moms, praying they gain a deeper connection with our Heavenly Father.

Her family lives in the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia.

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Connect with Casey:
Website: https://www.caseywayne.org/
Blog: https://peaceoffaith.org/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caseylwayne
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Peace.of.FaithCaseyWayne

Devotionals for the Heart: When your idea of "family" is complicated

When the Idea of Christian Family is Complicated
A devotional by Jessica Brodie

We hear it all the time—“Father” God. My “brother” or “sister” in Christ.

Likening our relationships with the divine and each other to family members is a common thing. Jesus used familial terms, as did the apostles Peter and Paul.

For some of us, myself included, this analogy works well. I love the idea that I am a “child of God”, that God is my divine parent, and that in Jesus Christ, because of the power of the Holy Spirit that connects us all, I have Christian brothers and sisters across the globe. It makes me feel valuable and reminds me the connection between us is intimate and personal. Just as if we were one big body, if one of us hurts, we all hurt.

But what if the concept of family is painful for us? What if we had an awful, dysfunctional relationship with our earthly father? What if we experienced abuse at his hands, or if he abandoned the family and we never knew him? How would calling God our “father” feel if this is the case for us?

Or the concept of Christian siblings—what if we have a poor relationship with our family? What if we are estranged from a brother or sister, or they harmed us in some devastating way that we are still struggling to forgive?

Recently on Twitter, a Christian woman commented about how she unfollows anyone who calls her “sister in Christ” because she feels it is inappropriate and harmful. Yet my experience is so different. I genuinely am heartened when someone calls me sister. I have a handful of close Christian male friends, friends I have done ministry and mission work with alongside my husband, who I regularly and joyfully call my “brothers.” Feeling like someone is my sister or my brother is helpful for me because it tears down unhealthy human divisions such as racial, age, or cultural barriers. I know in heaven we’ll all be united, and this is my way of helping “Thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).

And it’s the same with God as father, for me. While I personally think God is so incomprehensible and all-powerful that even ascribing something as basic as gender is a bit like putting God in a box, I still like to think of God as my father. Yes, it’s a human way of looking at it, but Jesus called God his father, and I find it helps me feel closer to God when I call him my father, too.

I loved my earthly father, but I had a complicated relationship with him. He struggled with mental illness and alcoholism, and though he died a Christian, his issues created much pain in our family. Yet when I think of God as “father,” it’s healing for me. God is perfect, the ideal representation of what “father” should represent. He’s the father who never lets us down, never causes pain.

But note one important thing here: all of this is “for me.” See, for me it is healing and helpful to consider God my father and other Christians my brothers and sisters. Yet I know it’s not that way for everyone.

We live in an imperfect world, and other people do let us down, sometimes in horrible, evil ways. When it’s our family, this can have devastating reverberations, sometimes for generations.

Some of us eventually get to the point where we can push aside pain about human family and come to understand and fully appreciate the heavenly family we have instead. But for some of us, that pain is just too raw. We don’t get to that point of acceptance until much, much later in life.

And that’s OK—because God understands.

It’s important to realize our kinship as Christians is far deeper than family ties or family names and roles. Father, brother, sister, mother… those are just titles. The reality is the connection we have through the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit lives inside of each of us who believes in and follows Christ. As we’re told in Romans 8:9, “If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.”

It doesn’t matter what label we ascribe to that connection, whether brother or sister or friend, or no word at all. The label doesn’t change the truth, and the truth is that the Holy Spirit lives in and connects each of us to one another, with Christ as our head.

If you are one who has complicated family dynamics and struggles with the concept of God as father or fellow Christians as brothers and sisters, take heart. God knows you and knows why you feel this way. God understands. Perhaps in time, your heart will come to understand the concept of family in a new light.

If you are one who doesn’t have these issues and struggles to understand those who do, I pray you are filled with compassion over the pain some of us have had to experience. We don’t have to understand to love each other and respect each other.

Whether we call ourselves family or not, the reality is that we are one—no matter what label we use.

Let’s Pray: Lord, thank You for all the ways You love us. Help us heal and grow in spite of the issues we face here on earth, and help us love each other well. Enable us to remember the words of Romans 8:28, “That in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” In Your holy name we pray, Amen.

Song of Reflection: “God’s Family” by Tommy Walker. Listen to it here.

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Author Bio:

Jessica Brodie is an award-winning journalist, author, blogger, editor, writing coach, and devotional writer with thousands of articles to her name. 

Since 2010, she has served as the editor of the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate, the oldest newspaper in Methodism, which has won 123 journalism awards during her tenure. She is the author of Feed My Sheep: A 40-Day Devotional to Develop a Heart for Hunger Ministry (2019) and More Like Jesus: A Devotional Journey (2018) and the editor of a number of other books from her newspaper’s Advocate Press, which she helped found in 2017.

She has won more than 100 writing awards and is a seasoned speaker and frequent contributor to Crosswalk.com, Christianity.com, and BibleStudyTools.com, among many others. She has a weekly faith blog at JessicaBrodie.com and is part of the team at Wholly Loved Ministries, with her work included in many of their devotionals and Bible studies.

Brodie holds a Master of Arts in English, and she graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in communications/print journalism from Florida International University. Born and raised in Miami, Brodie now lives in Lexington, South Carolina, just outside Columbia. She has also lived in Ohio and in the mountains of western North Carolina. She and her husband, Matt Brodie, have a blended family of four teenage children and stepchildren.

Brodie has written several novels and is actively seeking publication through her agent Bob Hostetler of The Steve Laube Agency. Her novel The Memory Garden won the 2018 Genesis contest for Contemporary Fiction from American Christian Fiction Writers, and her novel Tangled Roots won a third place Foundation Award in Contemporary Romance at the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference in 2019. She is finishing the third in the series, Hidden Seeds, now. 

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Connect with Jessica:
Website: https://www.jessicabrodie.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JessicaJBrodie
Facebook Author: https://www.facebook.com/authorjessicajbrodie
Facebook Personal: https://www.facebook.com/JessicaJBrodie
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessicajbrodie/
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicajbrodie/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/shiningthelightjessicabrodie/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/jessicajbrodie

Devotionals for the Heart: When you need God to transform your life

 

A Promise of Transformation
A devotional by Essie Faye Taylor

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” –2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV)

I was frustrated, disgusted, hopeless, helpless, disappointed, and discouraged. I was in a rut. 

After spending nearly two decades in the educational field, I was exhausted. It seemed like all of the years I’d dedicated to fighting for inner city Black and Brown children to have access to information and resources were in vain. The sacrifices encouraging students who ultimately made questionable choices, and the losses (kids lost to violence in the streets or those who never finished their high school degrees) were heartbreaking. The seemingly unsurmountable obstacles to equity in education overwhelmed me. I needed a change. I needed a paradigm shift. I need a mental transformation and revival. 

Many times in life, we need a personal transformation. This may be spiritual, physical, mental, emotional, or financial. We need a change because we get stuck in a toxic cycle of negative thinking due to us feeling devalued, defeated, and burnt out. People, especially in the church, felt this way during Bible times too. In the Bible verse above, the Apostle Paul encourages the Corinthian church. He writes of God’s promise of spiritual transformation and a fresh start. Transformation denotes a change in form, nature, appearance, or character. 

Paul could talk about God’s promise of transformation and a fresh start from experience. He was a devout follower of God. Paul studied under the scholar Gamaliel and was a student of the Bible. He was born a Jew and grew up well-educated. Before his name was changed to Paul, he known as Saul and he was devoted to the sect of Pharisees that he persecuted the church of Jesus Christ. Saul had authority to kill those who proclaimed the name of Christ. He was a part of the crowd who stoned the anointed deacon Stephen. He thought that he was doing the right thing, until He met Jesus who stopped him on the road to Damascus. Jesus called his name and blinded him. Saul was converted and his life was transformed after he was born again. This murderer and man who spoke against Jesus and his followers—he sought to kill the saints—was then found preaching about Jesus and proclaiming the Gospel. He became new because of his encounter with Jesus and he received a fresh start. His mind and heart were was transformed. His heart was transformed. He was a new creation with a new mission and a new name: Paul. 

God promises to make you new too! He will change your life and grant you a brand new start. Like Paul’s past persecution of the saints, your past will be forgiven by God. Scripture goes as far as to say that God will be compassionate with us and he will throw our sins into “the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:19). God will remove our sins from before Him, forgive us and forget our sins (Hebrews 8:12).

In the book of Jeremiah, God declares “for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more” (Jeremiah 31:34). This scripture means that God will forgive us and give us a clean slate. In 2 Corinthians 5:17, God promises to make us new, once we are in Christ. Once we believe the Gospel of Christ and receive Christ, we are transformed in our lives, our thinking, our practices, and our habits. This is a process that we begin, step by step and day by day. We are no longer condemned by the sins of our past. We have a new beginning!

Call to Action:

Step #1: Lay down your weariness, exhaustion, frustration at the feet of Christ. He will make you new. He will revive and rejuvenate you. He will transform your life, for the better!

Step #2: Practice walking in the newness of life and according to biblical principles day by day. Transformation takes practice, time, and intention. 

Step #3: Embrace God’s forgiveness daily. Know that you’ve been forgiven. Don’t dwell on your past sins, mistakes, and shortcomings. It happened, but you have been forgiven. You are no longer condemned. Let the past stay in the past and walk forward into the new promise of the present and future. 

Step #4:  Get thinking right: We are human. We make mistakes. But we have hope! According to 1 John 1:9 (KJV), “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” That cleansing is part of our newness. We are constantly renewed in Christ. 

Step #5: Remember, our identity in Christ is transformative! We become new, forgiven and accepted into God’s Royal Family. 

Let's Pray: 
Heavenly Father, I thank You for choosing me and calling me your child. Thank You for assuring me of your love and forgiveness. You cried, “Father, forgive them”, while we were sinners. You did for me then, despite my mistakes and faults. You said that I could cast my cares on you. You said that if I confess my sin, you would forgive me. I come to you today confessing and believing your promise of transformation. I am in Christ and I am new. I am forgiven. I am changed. My old life, sinful practices, and thinking are in the past. I am walking forward in victory by changing my habits, practices, thoughts, and lifestyle. Thank you for giving me the power and principles to live a transformative life of abundance in Christ. Thank you Father for hearing and answering me. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen. 

Song of Reflection #1: “Create in Me A Clean Heart” by Donnie McClurkin. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #2: “The Sea of Forgetfulness” by Helen Baylor. Listen to it here.

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Author Bio:

Essie Taylor is an author, educator, minister, youth advocate, recording artist, podcaster, and improviser. She earned a Bachelor of Arts from Northwestern University and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Rockford College.

She is a veteran educator of Bilingual Education, English as a Second Language, and Spanish Language Acquisition with National Board Teacher Certification. She is an advocate of lifelong learning, language learning, and multiculturalism. 

Essie is the CEO of KenMar Press, an author agency, and The Essie Faye Collection. Essie is the author of Finding the Love You Deserve: 30 Lessons in Self-Love & Acceptance, and Finding The Love Your Deserve: A 60-Day Healing Journal For Women of Faith. 

She is deeply committed to motivating minorities, women, and youth to pursue God while chasing their dreams and carving out their life’s path. She loves God, people, and helping others. 

Essie has been a Christian for nearly all of her 39 years. She was born again at 15 years old. She has been a bilingual worship leader and interpreter for 10+ years. By the grace of God, Essie helped to establish bilingual ministries at five churches in her young life. She is a survivor of domestic violence (verbal and emotional abuse) and marital abandonment in a prior marriage. 

Essie is a Chicago native. She lives in Chicago with her husband Donald Taylor II. 

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Connect with Essie:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_essie_faye/
Website: www.essiefayetaylor.com

Devotionals for the Heart: When you struggle with waiting on God

Waiting on God
A devotional by Tessa Huckstep

“Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.” –Hebrews 11:11 (KJV) 

Waiting on God is something I have been struggling with lately.

Usually, I am worried that I will miss something that God has for me or that He will refuse to give me what He promised in His Word because I did not react fast enough.

I think there is an inner desire in every human being to take control of our lives and the situations that dictate our daily living. We fear being subject to someone else. We want to work hard and make it happen. But our timing is not God’s timing.

I love Sara’s story because her doubt is very human, but her faith is something to be admired. Sara knew that God had promised her husband, Abraham, a son. But after years of her own barrenness, Sara assumed that God did not intend to give Abraham a son through her. I cannot imagine how discouraged and disappointed she must have felt. Did she feel like God had cast her aside? Did she feel like God had rejected her and would never use her?

Sara, like most of us, decided it was too difficult to daily face her shortcomings and she decided she wanted the shame to end. So, Sara gave her Egyptian handmaid, Hagar, to her husband, hoping that Abraham will have a seed through Hagar. You can read this portion of the story in Genesis 16. Sara was impatient and tired of feeling inadequate, so she tried to find the quickest and easiest solution to her problems.

Sometimes, God gives us instructions, but we misinterpret what we think God is trying to tell us.

Naturally, we take what God has given us and we try to rationalize what He is saying and try to plan our next step. But God always intended to use Sara to give Abraham a son. You can open a Bible and read Genesis 18:9-15 where God told Sara that she would have a child, but she still did not believe him! In the book of Genesis, we do not see a major turning point in Sara’s spiritual journey where she decided to believe God. But we know from the book of Hebrews that it was because of her faith that she conceived and bore a son. In Chapter 21 of Genesis, we can read that Sara gives birth to her son in her old age because of her faith.

Waiting on God is hard. We want to make things happen and bring about His will in our own way, but our efforts will only bring confusion and destruction in the end. Sara had to let go of her control of her situation and have faith that God was going to do what He said He would do.

What situation are you trying to control right now? What would it look like to let go of the situation and just trust that God will take care of it? Do you need to step back and revaluate what it would look like for you to leave your life in the hands of the God who cares so infinitely for you?

Let’s Pray: Dear Lord, thank You for Your Word and the examples of the great men and women of faith in the Bible. Please grant us the courage to let go of the control we claim on our own lives. Help us to leave our future and plans in Your loving hands. You are the Lord of our lives, and we surrender our hearts and lives to You. In Jesus’s Name I pray, Amen.

Song of Reflection: “Wait on the Lord” by Donnie McClurkin and Karen Clark Sheard. Listen to it here.

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Author Bio:

Tessa Huckstep grew up in rural Illinois. She was born to Christian parents and has known Jesus Christ personally since the age of five. 

Currently, Tessa is attending community college and majoring in elementary education. In the future, she plans to teach in the public school system, hoping to bring the love of God with her.

Tessa enjoys being active in her local church. She serves as a co-teacher for the two-to-five year old class where there is never a dull moment.

It is Tessa’s passion to be a girl after God’s own heart and through her studying of God’s Word, Tessa longs to draw closer to her Savior. Through her writing, she longs to take others with her on this journey of faith.

Tessa loves all things Regency, needlework, and dainty teacups of every size.

When she isn’t writing or studying for exams, she can be found in the kitchen with more flour in her hair and on the floor than in the bowl, though the mess is always half the fun!

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Connect with Tessa:
Blog: https://beautifulbeloved937002841.wordpress.com/

Devotionals for the Heart: God can turn your brokenness into beauty

A Good Work
A devotional by Kerry Sue Teravskis

“Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”—Philippians 1:6 (NIV)

It’s hard to be confident in our comparison-heavy society.

Mustering up courage is a monumental feat. Standing your ground in knowing that God is true, faithful and for us, can be a challenge. We can succumb to the challenge more than we realize.

Not that we intentionally succumb, but we allow ourselves to entertain subtle lies from the enemy that erode our confidence in God.

How can we overcome? For starters, we can note the promises of God as we find them in Scripture and record them in an accessible place to go to when the doubts or lies creep in. We need to immerse ourselves in the Truth.

Once we have this going, we can begin to see what God is capable of and is already doing in our lives for His glory. One of those things is working good in us. He is doing a good work in us. He is molding us and making us into the image of His Son. He is sloughing off the rough edges and causing us to shine more brilliant with His light.

He is allowing us to be a broken vessel so more light will shine through to reach more people, the people who need to hear how God is working through each of us. Our story may not be for everyone, but that is God’s decision. We need to be a willing vessel to let Him work in us.

I will admit being a broken vessel is painful. I’ve been in suffering for more than three years and it does not get easier with each passing day. It gets harder. New realities set in, old habits die hard and expectations either go unmet or unnoticed.

But God allows brokenness in us to shine His light brighter. It is when we are weak, He is strong in us. When we admit our weakness and boast about our weaknesses as the Apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 12:9, we boast so the power of Jesus Christ may rest upon us. We admit our brokenness to a lost and hurting world so God can use our vulnerability to minister to others.

Aren’t you more attracted to the one who is vulnerable, weak and honest? Doesn’t the mere message of humility shine forth from one who recognizes God’s work and knows this work is good?

God’s work is good. It may be hard. Even excruciating, but it is good. Our loving Father calls it good. If we look closely at Philippians 1:6, we see that He is working in us. Circumstances can be quite difficult around us, but God will use them to do the good work in our hearts, minds, souls and strength. He is causing all things to work together for our good through Christ Jesus (Romans 8:28).

He is good and does good things for our good (Psalm 119:68). And He is working good in our hearts. That’s a lot of good. I happen to circle the word good every time I see it in my Bible because I want to see it and remember and be comforted in knowing His goodness is here for me.

With God working good in us, one fruit displayed by the Spirit is goodness (Galatians 5:22) pouring out for all to see. By walking in the Spirit and allowing God to have access to our hearts, we in turn can be used as a light with fruit demonstrating to others the good work He is doing in our lives. God is continuing this work and will not be done until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns (Philippians 1:6).

What God has set out to do He will complete, and He will do this in His goodness.

Let’s Pray: Father God, thank You for being good. This is so reassuring in this topsy-turvy world because I can trust in Your faithfulness to be the same, always. May I allow You to carry on the good work in my life and may I truly boast of my weaknesses and my brokenness so Your light will shine brighter to those around. May my thoughts center on You and Your goodness and not on my brokenness because I truly want all the glory to be Yours. In the Name of Your Son, Jesus, I pray. Amen.

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Song of Reflection: “All Things Are Working” by Fred Hammond. Listen to it here.

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Author Bio:

As a wife and Marmee to three adult children and one brand new daughter-in-love, Kerry Sue’s life is very full. She met her husband in college and served in the mission field with him for a few years before settling down back in the United States of America to raise their family.

Kerry Sue’s family was a homeschooling family for 20 years and they enjoyed it immensely. For the last 23 years they have lived on a small farm in Northern California where they have raised many farm animals, along with growing and preserving their food. Kerry Sue’s family farm has been a great source of enjoyment and a place to host many family gatherings. She maintains an open-door policy for dear friends—old and new.

Following and serving Jesus Christ is an integral part of Kerry Sue’s life as well as her family’s.

Whether it’s singing in our church choir, teaching children or leading and lecturing at a women’s Bible study, Kerry Sue loves to demonstrate her love for Jesus by giving to Him in service. She’s been a blogger for more than eight years, a Bible study writer for two years, and a devotional writer for about one year.

Kerry Sue writes about finding God’s Sovereignty in our pain and suffering.

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Connect with Kerry:
Blog: https://www.sovereignblog.com/home
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kerry.teravskis
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ksteravskis/

Devotionals for the Heart: Learning to trust and obey God through it all

Good Things Await
A devotional by Hannah Benson

“I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.”—Psalm 81:10 (ESV)

As I read the story of the Israelites, I realize that I can relate to them in a lot of ways. Many of the lessons God teaches His chosen people throughout the Old and New Testaments can certainly apply to us as well. Do you remember their story? In case you don’t, I’ll write a refresher below. The following is the shortened version.

The Israelites had suffered as slaves in Egypt for 430 years. They wanted nothing more than for someone to come save them and to set them free from their bondage. Eventually, God raised up one of their own—a man named Moses and his brother, Aaron, to lead His people out of Egypt.

It’s a long and harrowing process, but once Pharoah finally let the Israelites go, things seemed to be looking up until Pharoah changed his mind and with his armies, chased the Israelites soon after their exodus. For a moment they panicked because the Red Sea was infront of them and Pharoah and his army were behind them. They needed a miracle and God delivered them by splitting the Red Sea so that they could walk through it on dry ground. As soon as they were safe on the other side, God closed the Red Sea over their enemies, and they never had to see those Egyptians again!

But then, they entered the Wilderness of Sin. They spent days in the desert that turned into months and years before they could enter the Promised Land. A trip from Egypt to the Promised Land should only have taken 11 days but there was a delay because the Israelites complained and disobeyed God. As a result, they had to wander through the wilderness for 40 years. During this journey, they were not content with God’s daily provision of manna from Heaven (Exodus 16). They didn’t have any meat available to them like they had as slaves in Egypt. They said that they would’ve rather “died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt!” (Exodus 16:3).

Had not God had proven Himself faithful when he brought the ten plagues upon the Egyptians and kept the Israelites from harm? What about when He had parted the Red Sea?

The Israelites had forgotten the faithfulness of God and their past season looked enticing. On multiple occasions, they were even willing to return to Egypt and be slaves again because the fear of the future was too frightening!

In the same way, sometimes, God calls us to walk away from a season because it was harmful for us. Or maybe, it was a great season, but it’s simply time to move on. How many times have we been like the Israelites, afraid to face change? Have you ever wanted to go back to a past season just because change looks too scary? I know I have.

God doesn’t desire that we live in captivity. I also believe that He doesn’t mean for us to stay in the same season forever. But what do we do when seasons change? It can be frightening, and we can be tempted to hold onto the past, whether it was good or bad. But I truly believe that He wants us to let go and step into the new season. Remember His words in Psalm 81:10, “I am the LORD your God,” He tells the Israelites. “who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.”

God was faithful to bring the Israelites out of captivity. He didn’t want them to go back. We, like the Israelites, need a frequent reminder of that story. We need to remember that God brought us up out of the last season, out of high school, out of a longtime job, out of a relationship, and we’re not meant to go back.

This is where the next part of the verse comes in. After we’ve come out of a previous season, I think we just stand there, too afraid to move forward, and long for the past because it seems “safe”.

But we’re so busy staring at the past that we miss the present and the fact that God wants to move in our lives now. I believe God wants us to be expectant. We should trust that He will provide for us now as He did back then. There is beauty in every season. Imagine how many good things await us if we opened our hearts and allowed Him to move freely in our life.

Let’s Pray:
Dear Father God, please forgive me for being stuck in the past when you’re calling me forward. Please help me to be brave and courageous and take the next step forward, whatever that looks like. I trust that You have my best interests at heart. You will not lead me somewhere that You will not be. Thank you for that! In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection: “Trusted” by Jillian Edwards. Listen to it here.

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Author Bio:

Hannah Benson is a Jesus-follower who’s passionate about sharing the love of Christ with others. 

From the time she could hold a pen, she was writing. But it wasn’t until she was sixteen that she began to seriously follow God’s calling to write a novel. Hannah is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and has at least four novels in the works. For the past five years, she has been involved with her local Biblical theater company. She wants to show others the love of Jesus through the creative arts.

When she’s not acting or working on her upcoming novel, you can find Hannah laughing with her siblings, cuddling her little fluffy dog, or reading books (usually historical fiction or fantasy stories). You can read more of Hannah’s writings on her blog or on her Instagram where she strives to write content that leaves others feeling encouraged.

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Connect with Hannah:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hannahlynnauthor/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Hannah-Lynn-Writer/100073790792576/
Blog: www.loveunconditional.blog

Devotionals for the Heart: God wants to write a good story for your life

Trust God with Your Story
A devotional by Sarah Cole

"Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand—when I awake, I am still with you.”–Psalms 139:16-18 (NIV)

I love a good story.

Give me a free afternoon and a seat in the cafe at the local bookstore, and I escape to another place and time: Boy meets girl, they fall head over heels, and live happily ever after. While romance novels aren't for everyone, happy endings are good medicine, aren't they? Especially if we doubt we'll ever experience one again.

I like to think of God as a master storyteller. With a flick of His pen, He introduces us to other characters, surprises us with new opportunities, and adds enough suspense to prepare us for what's next. As the author of time and space, we can trust Him always to know what's best for us (Matthew 6:8).

When we open a book in the middle of a story, it's a mysterious place where things are messy, and the characters' futures are up for grabs. But skimming a book's contents means we never see the complete picture, especially if we don't know how it ends.

If you're living in the messy middle, you may wonder if a happy ending is just a fairytale. But Jesus Christ’s plans for you are ultimately for your good (Jeremiah 29:11). While the adversity in your current chapter seems endless, you can trust that His favor and blessing will come in the next. If I could write my own story, I'll be the first to admit I would eliminate suffering, loss, and disappointment. But if God gave me everything I wanted, including a pain-free life, I wouldn't reach my potential or witness the miracles that glorify Him.

Knowing Jesus doesn't exempt us from suffering. Instead of giving us cliff notes ahead of time, He provides something better: the Holy Spirit (John 16:13-14) and His Word (the Holy Bible) to comfort and guide us. And when we question His goodness, out of nowhere, Jesus enters the scene and rescues us (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Looking back on my life, it was during times of brokenness that God's faithful hand protected and guided me. While some chapters aren't worth repeating, I wouldn’t want my story written any other way. Not only did my love for Jesus grow, but so did I.

However painful this chapter is, find comfort in God's sovereignty (Psalms 103:19). He knows that what He's allowing will accomplish His best for you. Ultimately death isn't your final chapter because if Jesus is your Lord and Savior (1 Corinthians 15:55-56). You'll know nothing but joy as you spend eternity basking in His presence (Revelation 21:4).

It sounds like a bestseller if you ask me, only better because it's true!

Let's Pray: Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for being so good to me. I am confident the story You're writing for me is perfect. When adversity tests my faith, I trust that Your faithful arms will carry me. And whatever the future holds, I rejoice in the eternal future You promised me. In Jesus's Name I pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection: “God Is In This Story" by Katy Nichole & Big Daddy Weave. Listen to it here. 

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Author Bio:

Sarah Cole’s interest in writing began in grade school when her poem was published in the local paper. As she got older, her mother’s chronic illness inspired her to design a line of greeting cards. Since then, she has written for her college newspaper and two community newspapers where she wrote restaurant reviews and articles for their “Best of” spread.

Her experience as an administrator in the marketing field gave her the opportunity to write ads for a local business journal.

After a 20-year detour and a three-year season of adversity, God reignited her passion to write. Two divine appointments later, the short story she wrote about her father appeared in the St. Paul Almanac, and a short story about Gigi (her Cocker Spaniel) was published in Guideposts (magazine) Mysterious Ways. She believes her adversity was worth the lessons God taught her.

Since 2022, Sarah’s devotionals have been published in The Secret Place by Judson Press, as well as David C. Cook’s Devotions and The Quiet Hour. To this day, she smiles, pinches herself and gives God all the glory.

When she’s not writing, Sarah enjoys watching cooking shows, designing cards and mugs, and taking day trips.

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Connect with Sarah:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smittyc65
Twitter: https://twitter.com/@SarahCo45835279
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarah.cole.52