I sat with my head in my hands, sobbing. It just seemed that the past year had offered up trials on the heels of trials, without any time to regain our footing, and this time was no different. Tired, weary, and depleted, resolutions to our challenges were unclear and the path ahead was long.
The phone rang next to me. As I looked at the caller-ID, the phone slipped from my slippery hands, wet from tears I sobbed as I cried out to God, ensuring He was more than aware of our predicament. I picked up the phone from the floor, and answered with little more than a whispered, “hello?”
“I’m here. How can I help?”
“Just pray. Please pray. There’s nothing anyone can do but pray. We just need God to intervene and provide. But we know He will—it’s just a matter of when and how.”
Have you ever had those times? The times when the valleys seem so low, and the mountains in front of you seem so high, and there just seems to be no way out short of the miraculous?
We have lived in that spot this year. It seems we have journeyed from one trial straight onto the heels of another without time to catch our breath or study a game plan. The only thing we could take with us into battle was the word of God and His promises, trusting His character even when we could not see his battle plan.
In times like those, I’ve been most grateful for the examples of His faithfulness to those in the Bible to remind me and give me hope in my own times of desperation. He parted the Red Sea for Moses. For Daniel, He closed the mouths of lions. When she was ready to give up, He put a baby in Sarah’s arms. He made the sun stand still for Joshua. Peter experienced prison doors shake open. And Lazarus was raised from the dead. If God could do all those things for the men and women in the Bible, there isn’t anything He can’t do to meet your needs today. Nothing you face is too difficult for Him.
The miracle making God of the Bible is the same God we serve today. He may not meet your needs the way you expect but He always works for your good and for His glory. Will you trust Him to meet your needs today?
We are all facing things today, trials of some kind: relationship difficulties, financial hardship, legal problems, job loss, health problems…the list is endless. But our God is greater. We can continue striving in our own might or we can surrender to Him. Stress comes from trying to do it all on our own. Peace comes from putting it all in God’s hands. It’s our choice. What will you choose today?
Because of Him,
#PeacePrevails and #HopePrevails
(If you have a question you’d like Dr. B to answer, contact her here now. Your name and identity will be kept confidential.)
A short brief about Hope Prevails.
Hope Prevails
Insights from a Doctor’s Personal Journey through Depression
Dr. Michelle Bengtson
Speaking from personal and professional experience, a neuropsychologist unpacks what depression is, shows how it affects us spiritually, and offers hope for living the abundant life.
Neuropsychologist Offers Hope to Those Struggling with Depression
-By 2020, depression will be our greatest epidemic worldwide
- An estimated 350 million people worldwide suffer from some form of depression
- As with the bestselling My Stroke of Insight, the author experienced the same condition she treats
- Helpful features include personal stories, biblical truths, prayers, and music recommendations
In Hope Prevails, Dr. Bengtson writes with deep compassion and empathy, blending her extensive training and faith, to offer readers a hope that is grounded in God’s love and grace. She helps readers understand what depression is, how it affects them spiritually, and what, by God’s grace, it cannot do. The result is a treatment plan that addresses the whole person—not just chemical imbalances in the brain.
For those who struggle with depression and those that want to help them, Hope Prevails offers real hope for the future.
Hope Prevails is available now wherever books are sold. To find out more, see: http://drmichellebengtson.com/hope-prevails-book/.
It’s so wonderful to know that God knows exactly what we need without us having to say a word. It’s also wonderful to have friends who can pray for us without us having to spell out every detail!
Such encouraging truths here. Thank you for writing this!
No matter what we face, our God is bigger. Love it!
There is nothing God can’t do to meet our needs…what a simple and profound truth. One thing I love about what you’ve written is the acknowledgement that life can be very difficult for everyone at times–even for extended seasons. It can be easy to think following Jesus will make everything happy and easy. I am so sorry you have been through such a difficult season! Thank you for your encouraging words here.
Beautiful post
Very encouraging message! Thanks for sharing!
Hello, from one of your neighbors at Live Free Thursday. This is such an encouraging post. You are taking the pain of your situation and making it turn into something helpful for others (Genesis 50:20).
So encouraging to know that the people of the Bible were just people like us, and therefore examples we can see unfold before our eyes through scripture. I’m stopping by from Tune in Thursday at Dare2Hear, but I’m also a part of the Hope Prevails Community. Praying for you. Melinda
I love how the Old Testament writers refer to God in connection with His mighty acts, such as The God who made a way through the Sea. May we find grace to link truth from our own experience to our understanding of God and His power.
Michelle, this reminds me of a line in the song It Is Well by Bethel that says “Let go, my soul and trust in Him, the wind and waves still know His name”. If something as big as the wind and waves obey Him, then He can surely handle whatever is going on in our lives! God IS greater than anything we can think or imagine! Thanks for your encouraging words and thanks for the linking up with #TuneInThursday this week. See you next time!
It is so encouraging to know that God is always working for the good of those who love him, even when everything seems to be falling apart. Thanks so much for the reminder that God is always greater than any struggle, blessing, feeling, or thought! Visiting from #TestimonyTuesday.