How desperation led one man to brave embarrassment and rejection in order to see Jesus
When we’re out of answers, desperation sets in. And often we’re led to do things we normally wouldn’t even consider!
Topic > When Life Hurts > Emotions >
When Disappointment Deceives
No one is immune to disappointment—not even God! In this booklet, counselor Jeff Olson challenges you to take an in-depth look at what is really going on when your heart…
Pulled to Safety
A little girl waded in a shallow creek while her father watched. Her rubber boots reached her knees. As she sloshed downstream, the water deepened until it flowed over the top of her waders. When she couldn’t take another step, she yelled, “Daddy, I’m stuck!” In three strides, her father was at her side, pulling her to the grassy bank. She yanked her boots off and laughed as water poured onto the ground.
After God rescued the psalmist David from his enemies, he took a moment to sit down, “pull off his boots,” and allow the relief to flood his soul.…
Rest Well
The clock blinked 1:55 a.m. Burdened by a late-night text conversation, sleep wasn’t coming. I unwound the mummy-like clutch of my tangled sheets and padded quietly to the couch. I googled what to do to fall asleep but instead found what not to do: Don’t take a nap or drink caffeine or work out late in the day. Check. Reading further on my tablet, I was advised not to use “screen time” late either. Oops. Texting hadn’t been a good idea. When it comes to resting well, there are lists of what not to do.
In the Old Testament, God handed down rules…
God Knows We Feel
Feeling overwhelmed, Sierra grieved her son’s fight with addiction. “I feel bad,” she said. “Does God think I have no faith because I can’t stop crying when I’m praying?”
“I don’t know what God thinks,” I said. “But I know He can handle real emotions. It’s not like He doesn’t know we feel.” I prayed and shed tears with Sierra as we pleaded for her son’s deliverance.
Scripture contains many examples of people wrestling with God while struggling. The writer of Psalm 42 expresses a deep longing to experience the peace of God’s constant and powerful presence. He acknowledges his tears and…
God Understands
After a recent move, Mabel’s seven-year-old son, Ryan, fussed as he prepared to attend a summer camp at his new school. Mabel encouraged him, assuring him that she understood change was hard. But one morning, Ryan’s out-of-character grumpiness seemed excessive. With compassion, Mabel asked, “What’s bothering you, Son?”
Staring out of the window, Ryan shrugged. “I don’t know, Mom. I just have too many feelings.”
Mabel’s heart ached as she comforted him. Desperate for a way to help him, she shared that the move was hard for her too. She assured Ryan that God would stay close, that He knows everything, even…
Instead of Revenge
After Jim Elliot and four other missionaries were killed by Huaorani tribesmen in 1956, no one expected what happened next. Jim’s wife, Elisabeth, their young daughter, and another missionary’s sister willingly chose to make their home among the very people who killed their loved ones. They spent several years living in the Huaorani community, learning their language, and translating the Bible for them. These women’s testimony of forgiveness and kindness convinced the Huaorani of God’s love for them and many began to follow Jesus.
What Elisabeth and her friend did is an incredible example of not repaying evil with evil but…
A Longing in Stone
“Ah, every pier is a longing in stone!” says a line in Fernando Pessoa’s Portuguese poem “Ode Marítima.” Pessoa’s pier represents the emotions we feel as a ship moves slowly away from us. The vessel departs but the pier remains, an enduring monument to hopes and dreams, partings and yearnings. We ache for what is lost, and for what we can’t quite reach.
The Portuguese word translated “longing” (saudade) refers to a nostalgic yearning we feel—a deep ache that defies definition. In essence, the poet is describing the indescribable.
We might say that Mount Nebo was Moses’s “longing in stone.” From Nebo…
Emotions Can Blind You To The Truth
Whether you’re near-sighted or far-sighted, without the right lens, your world’s going to be a blur. And it’s no different spiritually! Today on Discover the Word, the team wraps up their series called, Eye Openers, with a look at how our emotions can blind us to Jesus’s presence. Listen today to Discover the Word!
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!
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Jesus suffered so that we might know joy!
God intimately knows our pain! And in Jesus, He bore our suffering so we can experience joy! Join us today on Discover the Word, for the enlightening conclusion of this week’s discussion titled, “Tearful Expressions.” Listen to Discover the Word.
Discover God’s deeply held longing for you
How does our view of God change when we study the “Tearful Expressions” of Jesus? Join us today on Discover the Word, to discover how the most sorrowful moment of Jesus’s life reflects God’s deeply held longing for you. Listen to Discover the Word today!
Choices that can have lasting eternal consequences
We live our lives one moment at a time! But our decisions today can directly impact our lives tomorrow. Today on Discover the Word, the team examines how the rash choices we make in frustration can have lasting eternal consequences. Be sure to listen today on Discover the Word!
