Two weeks ago we looked at the life of Moses and the way he responded (and the way many of us respond) when God didn’t seem to deliver on His promise. But God was just getting started, beginning the layered process it would take to deliver the Israelites out of Egyptian captivity. Through this initial […]
The life of Joseph is one of the most familiar and beloved Bible stories, with timeless themes of God’s sovereignty, beauty out of ashes, forgiveness, and restoration. (See Pastor Israel’s sermon on the life of Joseph: Part 1 and Part 2.) It’s no wonder Christians in a valley of hardship—chronic illness or otherwise—find solace and […]
Enjoy Melissa’s review of The Gift of Pain: Why We Hurt & What We Can Do About It by Dr. Paul Brand and Philip Yancey. For more resources, check out our Resources page. Originally published in 1993 and republished in 1997, The Gift of Pain: Why We Hurt and What We Can Do About It […]
We know God knows about our hardships. The Bible clearly and often states that God is omniscient: all-knowing. Yet think about the difference between “see” and “know.” For example, if my friend on the East Coast is dealing with an injury, I can know about it if she tells me about it on the phone. […]
Scripture tells us that, under the control of the Holy Spirit, we should be “speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:19). May you be encouraged by the spiritual truth in this song! What God Hath Promised words by Annie J. Flint […]
Thank you, Angela, for sharing your story with us! Tell us about yourself! I’m Angela, and I am a bestselling and award-nominated author. I’m a Christian, freelance editor, and artist, and I reside in Tennessee, USA. I’ve been struggling with multiple illnesses for years now, but was recently diagnosed with Lyme disease, Hashimoto’s, Alpha Gal, […]
I started writing this piece last year, only for it to sit, and keep sitting, in my drafts. Now, a year later, it’s finally time to be published. Since most of this post was written in 2023, I’ve kept the original present tense for these sections rather than edit to the past tense. It was […]
Thank you, Rachelle, for sharing your story with us! Tell us about yourself! Hey there! My name is Rachelle and I live in Idaho. If you’ve never been to Idaho, basically imagine a bunch of potato fields, some gorgeous mountain ranges, and the sweetest, most overpriced little capital city you’ve ever seen. I write young […]
I (Melissa) have referenced The Thinklings Podcast often on this blog, and the hosts have been gracious to let me share material from various podcast episodes with you. Last year, one of the hosts, Andy Stearns (a professor at Faith Baptist Bible College in Ankeny, Iowa), experienced the deep, hard valley of the loss of […]
Originally published by Jenny Harmon on July 29, 2023, on Oil for Your Lamp. Reposted with permission. Adjusting to life with a disabled body is not for the faint of heart. This transition has felt like being trapped in a perpetual escape room with endless puzzles to solve and no real hope of breaking out. […]
The Valley