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Has God Abandoned Me?
Have you ever felt God was withholding everything good from you? Have you ever felt abandoned by God? I definitely have.
Apart but Not Abandoned
I had a lump in my throat as I said good-bye to my niece on the eve of her move to Massachusetts to attend graduate school at Boston University. Though she had been away four years as an undergraduate, she hadn’t left our state. A two and a one-half-hour drive easily reunited us. Now she would be more than 800 miles away. No longer would we meet regularly to talk. I had to trust that God would take care of her.
Paul likely felt the same way as he said good-bye to the elders of the church in Ephesus. Having established…
My Netflix Had No Chill
A young woman comes home after a long day. She sets her things down, throws her hair up, and changes into comfy clothes in record time. Breathing a deep sigh of relief, she grabs her laptop and flips it open.
Watch the Conductor
World-renowned violinist, Joshua Bell, has an unusual way of leading the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, a 44-member chamber orchestra. Instead of waving a baton he directs while playing his Stradivarius with the other violinists. Bell told Colorado Public Radio, “Even while I’m playing I can give them all kinds of direction and signals that I think only they would understand at this point. They know by every little dip in my violin, or raise in my eyebrow, or the way I draw the bow. They know the sound I’m looking for from the entire orchestra.”
Just as the orchestra members…
God is in the business of transformation
Feeling blue? God’s in the business of transformation! And you’re invited to join us today on Discover the Word, to hear the transformative series finale of our three-week discussion on how God responds to our deepest emotions. See how God turns our mourning into dancing and our tears into laughter. That’s on Discover the Word today!
What’s Your Father’s Name?
When I went to buy a cellphone in the Middle East, I was asked the typical questions: name, nationality, address. But then as the clerk was filling out the form, he asked, “What’s your father’s name?” That question surprised me, and I wondered why it was important. Knowing my father’s name would not be important in my culture, but here it was necessary in order to establish my identity. In some cultures, ancestry is important.
The Israelites believed in the importance of ancestry too. They were proud of their patriarch Abraham, and they thought being part of Abraham’s clan made them…
God doesn’t just wipe our tears away, He makes all things new
What are we supposed to do when we’re sad? Does God just expect us to keep a “stiff upper lip”? Today on Discover the Word, we gather again to discuss how God responds to our tears! He doesn’t just wipe them away, but He consoles, justifies, and makes all things new! Find out how that […]
Why Must I Wait?
We live in a society of instantaneous information, fast-food, and the automated everything. There is little choice but to become tech-savvy, productive, as well as highly efficient. The downside for a generation like ours is that even a five-minute wait may be unbearable.
Discover the remarkable way God attends to our pain
God sees every tear that falls. Not one of them escapes His attention! So why do we try to hold back from crying? Today the Discover the Word team gathers around the table to talk about the remarkable ways God attends to our pain even when we don’t see it! Grab a seat in that […]
When God Allows Unhappy Moments To Take Place
“I can’t tell you about my unhappy moments because I’ve never experienced any before,” my friend said. We were having a small group discussion and were taking turns to share about at least three moments in our lives that made us unhappy.
How does God relate to our deeply felt tears?
Emotions are so complex. There’s not always a straightforward answer to the question, “Why are you crying?” But today on Discover the Word, we will open up a helpful discussion about God’s emotions, as revealed in the Bible. How does God relate to our deeply felt “Tearful Expressions”? Listen today on Discover the Word!
God is near to the broken-hearted
From ballads to the blues, people love to hear sad songs. Today on Discover the Word, we will kick off a new round of conversation surrounding a song of lament found in Psalm 6. Receive heartfelt consolation from the Bible’s songbook and discover just how near God is, whenever you’re in pain. Join us on […]
The One Who Understands
John Babler is the chaplain for the police and fire departments in his Texas community. During a 22-week sabbatical from his job, he attended police academy training so that he could better understand the situations law enforcement officers face. Through spending time with the other cadets and learning about the intense challenges of the profession, Babler gained a new sense of humility and empathy. In the future, he hopes to be more effective as he counsels police officers who struggle with emotional stress, fatigue, and loss.
We know that God understands the situations we face because He made us and sees…
Seeing God
Author and pastor Erwin Lutzer recounts a story about television show host Art Linkletter and a little boy who was drawing a picture of God. Amused, Linkletter said, “You can’t do that because nobody knows what God looks like.”
“They will when I get through!” the boy declared.
We may wonder, “What is God like?” “Is He good?” “Is He kind?” “Does He care?” The simple answer to those questions is Jesus’ response to Philip’s request: “Lord, show us the Father.” Jesus replied, “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has…
Carried Through
I recently stumbled across some of my journals from college and couldn’t resist taking time to reread them. Reading the entries, I realized I didn’t feel about myself then the same as I do today. My struggles with loneliness and doubts about my faith felt overwhelming at the time, but looking back now I can clearly see how God has carried me to a better place. Seeing how God gently brought me through those days reminded me that what feels overwhelming today will one day be part of a greater story of His healing love.
Psalm 30 is a celebration psalm…
