Hope for Hard Times: Be of Good Cheer

by | Mar 16, 2021 | Lent, Suffering, Weekly Gospel Meditation

Hope for Hard Times: Be of Good Cheer

Dear Friends,

In this season of Lent/preparation for Easter, it’s a good time to reexamine our reason for hope, even when we are facing disastrous circumstances. Enjoy this excerpt from my devotional, From Recovery to Restoration: 60 Meditations for Finding Peace & Hope in Crisis. 

These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. John 16:33, NKJV

 Here on the Gulf Coast of Florida, hurricane season threatens every year, tossing its mighty winds and roaring waters through our mind’s eye, arousing fears of future devastation and memories of past disaster. It’s been about fifteen years since Hurricane Ivan wreaked its havoc on our hometown, Pensacola, Florida, leaving a swath of blue roofs in its wake.

We’ve recovered. But some never did. Some lost homes, businesses, even marriages to the disaster. They may have found a new home or started a new business, but the heartache of the catastrophe lingers. Maybe you haven’t been hit by a hurricane; maybe it was a divorce, a sudden revelation of a spouse’s affair. Maybe you were slapped with a cancer diagnosis. Or maybe your twenty-three-year-old has just renounced her faith.

The hard reality is that in this life we may never fully recover from some disasters we endure. How can we live with hope in a world in which some losses will never be recouped? Jesus, in his final words to his disciples, anticipated this question. Shortly before his brutal crucifixion for a trumped-up crime, he prepared his followers for the disasters that mark life in a fallen world:

“In the world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world” (John 16:33 NKJV).

Jesus’ words confound many of us, because western culture has fed us a lie: “This world is all there is,” it tells us, “and the things in it are here to make us happy.” Jesus contradicted this lie, telling his disciples, “Yes, in this world, you will suffer. I’m teaching you how to live in my world, my kingdom. Not only that, when I die and am raised again, you will have the resurrection power to live a different life, a new life, to begin to recover what was lost in the fall. When you suffer, remember these things I have told you, and you will have peace. Not only that, you can be ‘of good cheer,’ ‘take courage,’ ‘not be afraid,’ ‘take heart’—because ‘I have overcome the world.’”

One day, not yet, but “soon,” Jesus said, “I will return” (Revelation 22:7). In that day, we will live with him in a new world, the world we were really made for. In that day, all of the pain and sorrow of the disasters we have faced will be washed away. All the sin—the clawing to get our own way, the clashing against loved ones over minor differences, the clinging to things we think will satisfy—it will be over. Overcome. Defeated. By him—our King.

Dear friends, let’s take heart. There is something better that awaits. It is beyond recovery. It is restoration. It is renewal. It is reunion. Cheer loudly and long. Jesus has overcome the world.

Prayer

Lord Jesus,

Thank you for setting us straight. We are far too focused on finding joy in the things of this world. Help us to trust you when we suffer, to know that in you alone we will find peace and hope. In your cheering name we pray. Amen.

Further Encouragement

Read John 16.

Listen to “What a Friend” by Sara Groves.

For Reflection

What hope do you find in Jesus’ words to his disciples?

 

Get Hope for Troubling Times

Advance Review for From Recovery to Restoration

“When the storms of life crash into our lives, the devastation left behind is often overwhelming. Recovery and healing is slow and arduous. Elizabeth Turnage’s devotional is for all those laboring toward recovery. From Recovery to Restoration is a hope-filled, gospel-laced, and Christ-exalting book which invites us into God’s story of redemption and helps us see how he is at work to redeem and restore all things, even the aftermath of our personal losses, heartaches, and trials.”

Christina Fox

Writer, Counselor, Speaker

author of A Heart Set Free: A Journey to Hope Through the Psalms of Lament.

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Counting Our Losses: The Hope of Lament

by | Mar 2, 2021 | Suffering, Weekly Gospel Meditation

Counting Our Losses: The Hope of Lament

Dear friends, as we move through the season of Lent toward Easter, as many continue to experience loss in 2021, it seemed like a good time to share this excerpt from The Waiting Room: 60 Meditations for Finding Peace & Hope in a Health Crisis. I hope it meets you or someone you know with the hope you need.

You keep track of all my sorrows.
You have collected all my tears in your bottle.
You have recorded each one in your book.  Psalm 56:8, NLT

  • Missing our daughter’s white coat ceremony for PT school.
  • Cancelling our trip to celebrate our 35th anniversary.
  • Missing my uncle’s funeral.
  • Caring for my dad in the latter stages of his illness….
  • One day I began listing all the losses I had endured during our season in the waiting room. I didn’t even count the profound loss our son endured or all of the losses that affected my husband, our other children, and our extended network of family and friends. During a health crisis, the losses mount like so many soldiers on the beaches of Normandy. Is it appropriate to count them, to take stock of our sorrows?

The Psalmists say, emphatically, yes. Of the 150 Psalms, somewhere between 65 and 67 are “psalms of lament,” depending on how they are categorized. Asaph, for example, cried: “You don’t let me sleep, I am too distressed even to pray! I think of the good old days, long since ended, when my nights were filled with joyful songs…. Has the Lord rejected me forever?” (Psalm 77:4-5a, 7, NLT). And David, the man after God’s own heart, moaned, “My eyes are swollen with weeping, waiting for my God to help me…Their insults have broken my heart, and I am in despair. If only one person would show some pity; if only one would turn and comfort me.” (Psalm 69:3, 21, NLT).

As each person cries out to God, even as he raises his fist at God as the one responsible for his sorrows, a tectonic shift of the heart occurs. God’s unfailing love drives this shift, and the lamenter begins to assert hope in God.

After his outcry, Asaph’s focus shifts to God’s power: “Oh, God, your ways are holy. Is there any God as mighty as you? You are the God of great wonders! You demonstrate your awesome power among the nations” (Psalm 77:13-14, NLT).

David’s heart also changes: “For the Lord hears the cries of the needy; he does not despise his imprisoned people. Praise him O heaven and earth, the seas and all that move in them” (Psalm 69:33-34, NLT).

As we tally our tears, we discover a compassionate God who is counting them right alongside us. The same God who counts our tears sent his Son Jesus to weep human tears for and with us. The same God who counts our tears will one day wipe every one away when Jesus returns to restore all broken things. Remembering God’s kindness helps us wait with hope for the day when all losses will be accounted for.

Prayer

Tear-tracking God, help us to count our losses and to discover your amazing love even as we do. Help us weep tears over our own sin as well as the pain we encounter in a fallen world. In Jesus’ compassionate name we pray, Amen.

Further Encouragement

Choose one lament Psalm: Psalm 56, 69, or 77, and read it all the way through.

Listen to “We Will Feast in the House of Zion” by Sandra McCracken at https://youtu.be/ujVBV3lNSbQ.

For Reflection

Make a list of the losses you have suffered during this season. Ask God to reveal his compassion to you in the midst of such loss.

Do you know someone who needs this message? Please use one of the share buttons to share it!

Photo by Anton Darius on Unsplash 

A Good Read for Hard Times: The Waiting Room Devotional

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Advance Review for From Recovery to Restoration

"Whether it be in the midst of physical pain, addiction, abandonment, abuse, or habitual sin, Elizabeth will redirect your gaze over and over through scripture to meditate not on the gaping hole of your loss, but on the relentless pursuit of Jesus's love."

Hope Blanton and Christine Gordon, Authors, At His Feet Studies

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A Prayer about Freeing Our Hearts

by | Feb 26, 2021 | 40-Day Prayer, Daily Prayer, Suffering

A Prayer about Freeing Our Hearts

Lord Jesus, 

May we stop our scrolling for one minute to consider your merciful mission: 

When a bully taunts our child; 

when our child turns his heart away from you,

Our hearts break.

When trusted allies become enemies, 

when we act like enemies toward trusted allies,

Our hearts break.

[Add your own sentence or two about what breaks your heart.]

God sent you to bind up our broken hearts. Thank you.

When work consumes us; 

when we consume substances to numb us;

Our hearts are bound.

When pursuit of people’s approval drains us; 

when we cling too tightly to people to give us security,

Our hearts are bound.

[Name some ways your heart can be bound.]

God sent you to “proclaim liberty to the captives,” 

to open the prison “to those who are bound” (Isaiah 61:1). 

Lord, thank you for your mercy and grace. 

We are so glad you completed your mission.

Draw us to seek you with our whole hearts.

In your healing name. Amen. 

Read Isaiah 61:1-4.

Christ’s Power for Our Weakness

by | Jan 19, 2021 | Suffering, Weekly Gospel Meditation

Christ’s Power for Our Weakness

Dear Friends, as we continue to consider goals and planning, it’s also good to recognize the frustrations we may experience in our weakness and how God may be working to restore us. Enjoy this meditation from From Recovery to Restoration: 60 Meditations for Finding Peace & Hope in Crisis. 

 Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  2 Corinthians 12:9, ESV

The twenty-something athlete next to me at PT grunted and groaned as she struggled to lift the five-pound weight with her legs. I glanced at her. Her upper body displayed the strength she had gained as a college tennis player. Her left leg was still striped with strong musculature. But her right leg, which had been braced for two months after surgery for an Achilles tendon rupture, was scrawny and weak. Like the college tennis player, we will experience previously unimagined degrees of weakness when we are recovering from a crisis. The good news of the gospel is that in our weakness we discover our greatest strength: Christ’s power and grace are sufficient for all of our needs.

To demonstrate this counterintuitive principle, Paul shares how he was met by God in his weakness. First, he explains, “For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself” (2 Corinthians 1:8). In that place of weakness, he learned the strength of relying not on himself but on the “God who raises the dead,” the God who “delivered us from such a deadly peril” and who, Paul knew, would continue to deliver him (2 Corinthians 1:8-10).

Later in the letter, Paul shares how Jesus joined him in his weakness. Paul suffered from an unspecified ailment, which he describes as a “thorn in the flesh,” “a messenger of Satan to harass me” (2 Corinthians 12:7). Paul asked Jesus repeatedly to remove it, but Jesus denied him, saying, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). And that is why Paul boasts of his weakness.

Paul returns to the theme one more time before closing his letter to the Corinthians. This time, he connects knowledge of weakness with restoration: “For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong. Your restoration is what we pray for” (2 Corinthians 13:9). Here, the word “restoration” means being built up inwardly, becoming more mature. Paul understood that as we embrace our weakness, we become more fully who God designed us to be. As we discover God’s bountiful provision for our weakness, our faith grows strong, and the body of Christ is built up. This is what it means to “aim for restoration” (2 Corinthians 13:11).

Crisis and recovery offer us the opportunity to experience God’s surpassing strength for our profound weakness. Let’s embrace our weakness, for through it, Christ’s image is being restored in us.

 Prayer

Lord,

We confess, we’re not crazy about being weak. Most people brag about their strength. Help us to boast in our weakness, realizing it leads us to rely on you, the God who raises the dead. Even as we face our fragility, grow our desire for Christ’s strength in us. Amen.

Further Encouragement

Read 2 Corinthians 12:1-10; 2 Corinthians 13:9-11.

Listen to “How Firm a Foundation” by Wendell Kimbrough.

For Reflection

What weakness are you struggling with? How is your weakness leading you to rely on God? How are you discovering Christ’s grace to be sufficient for this season?

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A Prayer about Healing and Recovery

by | Dec 29, 2020 | Daily Prayer, Suffering

A Prayer about Healing and Recovery

Merciful God,

As I prepare to go in this morning for my second new hip in 2020,

I am thankful for the variety of ways you heal our bodies.

In this past year, many of us have met our match,

a desperate need for healing and recovery from the dread COVID-19 virus.

Thank you for all of the medical personnel who have labored long,

often sacrificing their own health to care for the sick.

Thank you for all in the scientific community who have worked around the clock

to discover protection and cures for COVID-19.

Thank you for vaccines now available and being delivered.

We pray for those who need healing from any ailment:

physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual.

Show them your tender mercy and profound strength

in the midst of their weakness.

Draw our hearts toward the day of full and forever healing.

In the name of Jesus, our Great Physician we pray. Amen.

Read 3 John 1:2; Jeremiah 30:17; John 9:1-41.

Eight Ways the Church Can Care for the Mentally Ill

by | Dec 8, 2020 | Caregiving, Suffering

Eight Ways the Church Can Care for the Mentally Ill

Dear Friends,

It’s not surprising that the holiday season can be hard on those afflicted with a mental disorder. The church is uniquely placed to respond, and now is the time to learn how we can better love the afflicted. I hope this blog helps us all consider how we can serve the least and the lost in this season.

Stigma, Shame, and Misunderstanding of the Mentally Ill

One of the greatest catalysts to our pain was the sense that we are alone. Amy Simpson, Troubled Minds: Mental Illness and the Church’s Mission

When author Amy Simpson’s mother was diagnosed with schizophrenia, church leaders and members didn’t know what to say, so they said little, leaving her family feeling alone and helpless.

“Can you explain to me why Anna’s bipolar disorder and her dependence on medication is not an issue of weak faith or sin?”

A church leader asked this question of psychologist Matthew S. Stanford, author of Grace for the Afflicted: A Clinical and Biblical Perspective on Mental Illness. As Stanford points out, the question arose from the leader’s ignorance of the neurochemical component of mental illness.

As both vignettes suggest, the church needs to be better equipped to respond lovingly to people who suffer from mental illness.

Before COVID-19, one in four North Americans and one in five people worldwide suffered from a diagnosable mental illness; experts predict the post-COVID numbers will climb. Mental illness, defined as “‘medical conditions that disrupt a person’s thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others and daily functioning” includes such disorders as “major depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder, post traumatic stress disorder, and borderline personality disorder” (Simpson, Troubled Minds, 37). Because of the many barriers the mentally ill often face in finding help, the church is one of the first places they may turn. As Dr. Stanford explains in his book, “The involvement of the church in mental health is the missing piece necessary to transform our broken system, making it accessible and more effective” (Stanford, Grace for the Afflicted, 254). Churches are well-placed to minister to this segment of the least and the lost—how can we rise to the challenge?

Is the Church Equipped to Respond to Mental Illness?

A Lifeway Study of 2014 revealed that most churches are ill-equipped to respond to the mentally ill. The following struggles were noted:

  • Lack of plans to come alongside families (note: 17% of youth suffer from a mental health disorder).
  • Lack of counselors on staff.
  • Lack of training for leaders on recognizing and responding to mental illness.
  • Lack of communication to congregations about mental health resources.
  • A “stigma and culture of silence that leads to shame” (Lifeway Study of Acute Mental Illness and Christian Faith Research Report)

Eight Practical Ways the Church Can Care for the Mentally Ill

As members of the body of Christ, what steps can we take to care well for the mentally ill and their families? Let’s consider the following eight possibilities:

  1. Educate and equip pastors and ministry leaders to recognize and respond.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI.org), has programs (Nami FaithNet) specifically designed to educate clergy and religious organizations on how they can help.

  1. Educate the congregation.

An adult education class about mental illness could focus around a book like Matthew S. Stanford’s Grace for the Afflicted or Amy Simpson’s Troubled Minds. Some churches hold classes led by professional counselors on mental health and a biblical perspective.

  1. Speak out with compassion.

Pastors and ministry leaders can speak openly about mental illness in sermons, Sunday school, Bible studies, and small groups. As they communicate care and concern, the afflicted recognize a safe place to share struggles.

  1. Make mental illness part of pastoral care ministries.

A pastoral care ministry could develop and publicize a list of mental health resources that includes local counselors, support groups, and the number of local warmlines as well as suicide hotlines (e.g., The Florida CLEAR warmline, which is, “for individuals with a mental illness who want to talk with someone who shares personal experience coping with mental health issues”).

  1. Address biblical misconceptions.

Pastors and ministry leaders can address biblical misconceptions about mental illness, particularly as related to suicide. As Dr. Stanford explains, “When an individual comes to a saving faith in Jesus, they are made righteous and forgiven for every sin; past, present, and future, including suicide (Ephesians 1:7)….Suicide is not the determining factor for eternal life; a saving faith in Jesus is.” (Stanford, p. 232).

  1. Offer support groups.

Many churches have begun support groups for the mentally ill and their families. At New Heights Church in Vancouver, Washington, pastor’s wife Cindy Hannan began a group after experiencing profound loneliness when her son was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. She partnered with a physician on staff of the church medical clinic, Dr. Elaine Tse. They believe that “with medication, counseling, and good support, people with mental illness can flourish” (Simpson, Troubled Minds, 212). For more information on beginning a support group in your local church, check out Grace Alliance and Fresh Hope.

  1. Listen well and offer the hope of Christ.

One of the most valuable ways to offer community support to the mentally ill and their loved ones is to listen empathetically without trying to fix.  Hope is essential to recovery and healthy living. We as Christians have the hope that surpasses all understanding, the firm conviction that Jesus Christ will return to restore all broken creation.

    1. Pray.

Finally, we should always begin and end with prayer. Pastors and ministry leaders can be intentional about praying for the mentally and emotionally afflicted as well as the physically afflicted. We as individuals can make a regular practice of praying for all people affected by mental illness.

In this season, which often intensifies suffering, may we pray and act to come alongside the mentally ill and their loved ones.

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