So far in this series on suffering, we have looked for God’s larger truths and purposes that come to us through seasons of pain and hardship. But what about when those realities don’t seem to be a season — but a permanent reality? What about when all we can see is seemingly unending darkness and […]
When we suffer, we often feel a tension between what we “ought” to feel or believe, and what we actually experience. But God, in His grace, invites us to be completely honest in our suffering — and to then trust Him to work something far better within us and for us.
In this series, we have been attempting to fathom the unfathomable — and find Scripture’s assurances that there are reasons, purposes, and even blessings in our suffering. That suffering is a chance to know God’s love more closely, it is an opportunity to care for others, it is a chance to know God’s rule and […]
What stresses you out in life? How stressed is your life right now? What drives you crazy and makes you want to scream when you get stressed? And most of all — where do we go with all of that? In its honesty, the Bible does not promise us release from all that would stress […]
When we hurt, when we cry, when we are in pain, our tendency is to say, “Lord, why this? Why me?” And that’s ok — God is not threatened by the honesty of our emotions and of our questions. But, over time, the path of faith through the Word leads us to realize that even […]
“If God is loving, and powerful, and sovereign….then why does my life hurt so much?” “Where is God when I am in pain and call out to Him….and He seems so silent?” “How can God’s plan be loving, how can He be good — when my life is so hard?” These questions, and others like […]
You know that feeling when you are on the last day of vacation? That feeling of wishing you could stay there forever — and that you didn’t have to come back and engage with real life in the real world? Yeah. We’ve all been there. And the temptation and the pull to just check out […]
Why does God ask questions here in Jonah and other places in Scripture? It can’t be because He needs information or needs to be caught up on the details. So why does He come in this chapter (and elsewhere) with question after question? If He doesn’t need to be informed — could it be that […]
This chapter records one of the great revivals in all of history. Through Jonah preaching God’s Word, an entire city and people are led to repentance, revival, and reconciliation with the Lord of Creation. Do we want to see that here, among us and among our culture? If so, are we willing to depend on […]