Topic > When Life Hurts
Pointing To God
God bless our homeland, Ghana” is the first line of Ghana’s national anthem. Other African anthems include: “O Uganda, may God uphold thee,” “Lord, bless our nation” (South Africa), and “O God of creation, direct our noble cause” (Nigeria). Using the anthems as prayers, founding fathers called on God to bless their land and its people. Many national anthems in Africa and others from around the world point to God as Creator and Provider. Other lines of anthems call for reconciliation, transformation, and hope for a people often divided along ethnic, political, and social lines.
My mom used to listen to the Radio Bible Class on the radio. She also read the Our Daily Bread devotionals every day and the whole family joined in. I…
ReadIt’s Worth It
I can’t do it,” Robert said, throwing his pencil down in despair. “It’s just too hard!” Reading, writing, and spelling seemed impossible to our dyslexic 9-year-old. At last, a solution was offered. But it was tough. We had to do reading and spelling practice with him for 20 minutes every evening—without exception. Sometimes we just didn’t feel like doing it, and at times we despaired of seeing progress. But we were committed to getting Robert’s reading age and his chronological age to match, so we battled on.
Out Of The Darkness
I don’t know what desperate situation gripped Asaph, the writer of Psalm 77, but I’ve heard, and made, similar laments. Over the past dozen years since I lost my daughter, many others who have experienced the loss of a loved one have shared with me heartbreaking sentiments like these:
Is Jesus Still Here?
Ted Robertson’s home in Colorado was one of more than 500 destroyed by the Black Forest Fire in June 2013. When he was allowed to return and sift through the ash and rubble, he was hoping to find a precious family heirloom made by his wife—a tiny ceramic figurine of baby Jesus about the size of a postage stamp. As he searched the charred remains of their home, he kept wondering, “Is the baby Jesus still here?”
The Nightmare before Christmas
I can only imagine the thoughts running through Mary’s mind when the angel Gabriel told her that she will conceive as a virgin and give birth to a son, who will be great and called the Son of the Most High (Luke 1:32). Now, although Mary was obedient […]
Out of the Ashes
During hardship and trouble, tough questions often arise: Where is God? How do I respond to difficulties? Is God both good and all-powerful? In the Discovery Series booklet Out of the Ashes by Bill Crowder, you’ll explore Job’s struggle with the problem of suffering. Through Job’s story, discover how you can trust God despite unanswered...
Hope In Suffering
When I opened my Bible to read Jeremiah 1 through 4, the subhead ascribed to the book startled me: “Hope in Time of Weeping.” I almost cried. The timing was perfect, as I was walking through a season of weeping over the death of my mom.
The Warmth Of The Sun
On a November day in 1963, the Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson and Mike Love wrote a song quite unlike the band’s typically upbeat tunes. It was a mournful song about love that’s been lost. Mike said later, “As hard as that kind of loss is, the one good that comes from it is having had the experience of being in love in the first place.” They titled it “The Warmth of the Sun.”
Discover the bright future God has for each of us!
There are times in life when our burdens and trials have drained us, and we feel like we cannot take another step. Discover biblical encouragement to keep going! Join the group for the final conversation in our series, “Unquenchable.”
A moving story about God’s miraculous comfort in the midst of personal pain
Even into the most intense, fiery trials of our lives, God brings refreshing splashes of joy. Hear a real-life illustration of God’s love.
The benefits of a faith that has gone through the fire
Just like a precious metal, God may run us through the refinery in order to purify our faith. And the process can be quite painful. See your trials in a new way.
How life’s fiery trials can initiate the deepest growth in our faith
The seed of a giant redwood tree will lie dormant until it’s been burned by flames. These pinecones need to feel the fires of adversity if they are to grow!
Heartbreak And Hope
When American country singer George Jones died at the age of 81, his fans remembered his remarkable voice and his hard life and personal struggles. While many of his songs reflected his own despair and longing, it was the way he sang them that touched people deeply. Chicago Tribune music critic Greg Kot said, “His voice was made for conveying heartbreak.”
