Devotionals about Suffering & Trials
Suffering is not the evidence that God has left — it's often where He does His deepest work. The devotionals on suffering and trials below refuse easy answers and sit with the real pain while pointing to the real hope.
231 devotionals about suffering & trials
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231 devotionals in Suffering & Trials
- Responsibility
Taking Responsibility with God's Grace
You ever feel like you have such a huge load or responsibility you find yourself ducking them or delegating them to someone else? I certainly do. But getting someone else to do them doesn’t change the fact you’re responsible for them. But when you take up the responsibility that’s in front of you...
- Suffering
Why Bad Things Happen: Understanding God's Plan
So, last night at dinner I was talking about my process and how I write our devotionals. I was sharing how I love to go back on occasions and see what was on my heart on this date in time. Well, It’s funny how God will tap you on the shoulder to remind you sometimes that “this ain’t new” and He’s...
- Peace
Finding Peace When Your World Turns Upside Down
Can we have peace in our hearts when our world is turned upside down?Pretty good question that requires an honest look inward. You see the kind of peace the world give us is pretty sketch at best. It can change on a whim with no notice at all. Happened to me last summer with the cancer diagnosis,...
- Suffering
Why Good People Suffer: Lessons from Job
Job was a tremendously righteous man and suffered greatly. So do we assume that the more righteous we are the more suffering we are to expect? Not necessarily. The large part of Job’s life features God’s blessings in every way. You see, Christ tells His disciples that good and bad things happen t...
- Perseverance
The Crown of Life: Blessing Through Steadfast Faith
“Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.”James 1:12 As we’ve talked about staying true to our faith under hard times and how that will build perseverance, James tells us t...
- Wisdom
Praying for Wisdom in Hard Times, Not Escape
Alright, so you are probably asking yourself, after yesterday’s message, “how exactly am I supposed to stay rejoicing during these hard times?” Well, I hear you and I get it. James is telling us to rejoice during our times of struggle because this faith produces perseverance. The Bible teaches us...
- Hope
Hope Beyond Resolutions: Eternal Perspective for New Year
“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light and momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen....
- Peace
Finding Peace in the Journey of Trials
I had a great time at lunch with one of the member of our group yesterday and we got to talk about this devotional, keeping it going through my treatments and what I got out of it. Well, in short I just had to keep moving forward. Getting this out gave me purpose each morning to get up and not gi...
- Suffering
Finding God's Strength in Our Weakness
Let keep digging into 2 Corinthians;“For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us...
- Weakness
Embracing Weakness to Find God's Strength
Without a doubt, this is one of my favorite verses in the Bible. “So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the...
- Perseverance
How Endurance Builds Christ-Like Character
Grinding it out and persevering builds character. Plain and simple. Something about endurance has the incredible capacity to refine you. I guess it’s kind of like a fire for silver, removing impurities and strengthening the character. Often because endurance goes hand-in-hand with trials and tria...
- Faith In Trials
Finding Faith Through Life's Greatest Setbacks
This has been one of the hardest years I can remember outside of the year I lost my dad. You see, I started out 2021 on a roll. Feeling good, business was clicking and then suddenly without any warning, cancer. Just like that,my word turned over. I have been sick since July, and my work all but s...
- Weakness
God's Strength Displayed Through Our Weakness
You know, people will do almost anything to appear strong, successful, and worthy of admiration. We exercise our bodies with intensity post the process to Instagram, climb the corporate ladder at the expense of integrity, and struggle to accept the help of other people. Our society works by the p...
- Grace
Strength in Weakness: When Grace is Enough
Good morning, the treatments are in full effect right now and I’m pretty weak. I find myself crying out to make it go away but I can’t help but to think of Paul and his thorns. And because of it, sometimes scripture is enough. “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is m...
- Suffering
Job's Raw Emotions: When Faith Meets Deep Suffering
Since I got into Job, let’s dig a little deeper into his story because it’s easy to howl at the moon. What would you do if your whole life was destroyed, right before your eyes? If you lost everything and everyone that you love? If you lost your dignity, your possessions, and your health?Meanwhil...
- Patience
Learning Patience Through Trials
Everyday I get up and drive to the Oncology center among the droves of people rushing to get to their job…only I’m not going to work. I’m going to sit with many people who are going through a rough season just like I am. It’s taught me to learn some patience and some more Grace to those who’s liv...
- Perseverance
Press On: Choosing Redemption Over Retreat
It’s go tome today! I’ve dreaded this day for a while, but I’m ready. In preparation for today I’ve been reading through almost 3 years of my devotionals I’ve written, seeing how I/we got here, and came across this one from 2018. I love it, so it’s worth rereading. I hope you don’t mind...This li...
- Patience
Learning Patience with People and God's Timing
I have been forced to learn a lot about myself this year and one of the things I’ve learned is I need to get better with patience. Not only with life but mostly with people! I always thought I was a relatively patient person until I started trying to really learn what it meant to be patient...evi...
- Peace
Finding Peace When Your World is Upside Down
Can we have peace in our hearts when our world is turned upside down?Pretty good question that requires an honest look inward. You see the kind of peace the world give us is pretty sketch at best. It can change on a whim with no notice at all. Happen to me three weeks ago, may have happened to yo...
- Gratitude
Giving Thanks in All Circumstances - Even the Hard Ones
This one has to be written today. There’s is no other topic more important to me right now than this one and we have to talk about it. Work with me a minute…“give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”1 Thessalonians 5:18 So, what did Paul mean when he...
- Contentment
Finding Strength Through Every High and Low
“I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”Philippians 4:12-13So, we’ve all seen the scripture above and in most every case i...
- Trials
Finding God's Peace in Life's Unexpected Battles
Take a walk with me today if you will…What I’m going to talk about today, I wasn’t going to bring up at all. But I love each and every one of you and at the suggestion of brother John, I’ve decided to share some personal news. (Thanks bud!)I find it interesting, but not surprising, that when you...
- Peace
Peace in the Storm
Can we have peace in our hearts when our world is turned upside down?Pretty good question that requires an honest look inward. You see the kind of peace the world give us is pretty sketch at best. It can change on a whim with no notice at all. Happen to me just last week, may have happened to you...
- Suffering
Rain Falls on Just and Unjust
It’s been a “challenging” week, but one last thing on Job and suffering and let’s ring in the weekend. Job was a tremendously righteous man and suffered greatly. So do we assume that the more righteous we are the more suffering we are to expect? Not necessarily. The large part of Job’s life featu...
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