Marydean Draws: suffering

Showing posts with label suffering. Show all posts

There are moments when all of us feel alone and forsaken, burdened "beyond our ability to endure" (2 Corinthians 1:8). Life can feel like way too much fo us. We cry out with the Psalmist:

"Be not far from me, for trouble is near, and there is none to help." (Psa 22:11 ESV)

In this Psalm, David goes on to vividly describe how he feels surrounded by attackers, how his "heart is like wax," and his strength is dried up "like a potsherd" as God lays him down in the "dust of death."

I recommend reading through this whole Psalm. As David laments, he cries out to God for help:

"But you, O LORD, do not be far off! O you my help, come quickly to my aid!" (Psalm 22:19 ESV)

As David experiences God's comfort in response to his cries, David's lament turns to praise:

"For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and he has not hidden his face from him, but has heard, when he cried to him. From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will perform before those who fear him. The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the LORD! May your hearts live forever!" (Psa 22:24-26 ESV)

What do you do when you are so pressed you can hardly breathe? God provides the model right here in this Psalm and throughout Scripture:

lament > cry out > praise

God does not despise your suffering and demand you ignore it so you can praise Him. God hears your cries.

He delights to rescue you. In fact, He rescues you because He delights in you! (see Psalm 18:19)

You will be able to say to the next generation "that he has done it" (Psalm 22:31)

I have cried out many times recently, and God has shown up in so many ways.

I have seen His help in:

an encouraging Scripture

The balm to my soul of the Holy Spirit's presence
Meals from friends as I recover from surgery
A friend's encouraging words
A prompting to action helping me navigate a difficult situation
A friend who shared what she's been learning at work
A prayer app helping me with my practice of prayer

I am two weeks out from a successful surgery to remove endometriosis. Thank you all who prayed for me and checked in. I am doing well and slowly regaining my strength, but there have definitely been times of lament and crying out along the way.

Friends, praise Him, but lament what you need to lament. Cry out for the help you need. He will not despise it.

In turn, don't despise the lament of others around you. I am so thankful for all those who have entered into my suffering in such a Christ-like way.

I made this screensaver of Psalm 54:4 for you to use this month. You can download it in English or Spanish by clicking on one of the images below to save to your phone. And please share this post with a friend who might need some encouraging words!

Also, if you are looking for more ways to share Scriptures on this topic of God's help with friends, I have a whole set in the shop called "comfort and hope." It is full of Scriptures that are dear to my heart and have shaped the way I see God. You can purchase them as a printable, printed set, or in coloring book form.

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October 4, 2019

The God who helps + Psalm 54:4 Phone Screensaver in English and Spanish

My sweet neighbor and friend, Lila, died from complications from lung cancer this week. She was in her late seventies. She read this blog, encouraged me, and told me stories about her life and her grandchildren. She even came to my art opening last month at a little local shop.

The first week we moved into the neighborhood, she came over with some roses she and her husband had grown in their backyard. She was a beautiful person and I enjoyed getting to know over the years we lived across the street from each other.

I watched her (and her husband) suffer this last year as they treated her lung cancer, an aggressive disease. She lost her hair and often her breath, but not her faith or her hope in the Lord's kindness. She and her husband grieved the loss of the future they had imagined together. She grieved not getting to watch her grandchildren grow up. She grieved for the pain she knew her husband would feel when he lost her.

Her beautiful black hair peppered with white began to grow back in the last few months. She started to try to walk the neighborhood that she had walked nearly every morning for years.

And then she was gone so quickly this week.

"It is better to go to the house of mourning

than to go to the house of feasting,

for this is the end of all mankind,

and the living will lay it to heart."

(Ecc 7:2 ESV)

Here in the house of mourning, we, the living, should take heart.

Do you know how very precious your life is as a creature of God's imagining, made in His image? Do you know that you were made for eternity? That you are not a passing jumble of dust, that your soul is eternal, made of the stuff of His?

Do you know that your worth is based on His design, not any standard pressed in on you by your culture? Do you know you can build a whole life around the worship of Him?

Do you know that you are beautiful and dear to Him and that He prepares a place for you for all eternity, the way opened to you freely in the Son, Jesus? That He delights to be with you?

Lila, my friend, what glory fills your eyes and heart now that you behold Him fully?

What work will He put in your hands to do that will fill you with joy and creativity?

Are you singing now with lungs full and expanding, a voice at times trapped in your soul as your body faded, but now free? The harmonies there must be beautiful.

Friend, I hope we can be neighbors again in the new heaven and new earth. The crazy pack of deer that roams our neighborhood won't eat your roses anymore.

Maybe you'll knock on my door again and bring me another vase of flowers from your glorious garden. I'll marvel at how beautiful God made you and at how much you reflect Him. And we'll talk for hours about how good He is and how good He was.

For now, I'll miss you.

Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.

I say to the LORD, "You are my Lord;

I have no good apart from you."

Psalm 16:1-2

I made this screensaver for you, dear readers, to use on your phone to remind of God's goodness this month. I hope you enjoy it. Just click on one of the images below and save it to your phone.

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September 6, 2019

The house of mourning + Psalm 16:2 Screensaver in English and Spanish

If you spend any time at all on Instagram or Pinterest (as I do), you'll scroll past lots of cute saying about life--what matters, what it's supposed to be like, and how it's supposed to be lived.

"I am not what happened to me. I am what I choose to become."
"Your only limit is you."
"Be your own kind of beautiful."
"You are enough."

We scroll and absorb and then when real life smacks us in the face, we wonder what in the world is wrong with us, or the people around us, or with God even.

Dallas Willard, in his book, The Divine Conspiracy, says about trying to live your life by cute slogans and mantras: "Absurdity and cuteness are fine to chuckle over and perhaps to muse upon. But they are no place to live. They provide no shelter or direction for being human."

That's why Jesus says to build our lives upon the rock of the Word of God, on how HE says a human life is to be lived (Matthew 7:24).

I was reading these verses in 2 Corinthians this week and encouraged in what I should expect of life:

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh . . . So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day." (2Cor. 4:7-12, 16 ESV)

"For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened--not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord." (2Cor. 5:2-8 ESV)

Do you see here the paradoxical (I like this word which means something that seems contradictory, but is actually true) nature of our life in Christ?

For a follower of Jesus, full of the treasure of the life of Jesus through the Spirit, it is normal to be:
afflicted
perplexed
persecuted
struck down
carrying in the body the death of Jesus
given over to death for Jesus' sake
wasting away outwardly
groaning
burdened

For a follower of Jesus, full of the treasure of the life of Jesus through the Spirit, it is also normal to be:
not crushed
not forsaken
not driven to despair
manifesting the life of Jesus in our bodies
renewed inwardly day by day
prepared for glory
filled with the Spirit as a guarantee
always of good courage

This tension of real life in Christ doesn't fit easily into a slogan, does it?

Scripture affirms both our struggle and our hope. And these two we hold in tension until we're "at home with the Lord" (2 Corinthians 5:8).

If I expect to achieve some magical state of non-struggle in this life, I'll (paradoxically) struggle even more:

I'll question my standing before God--"What am I getting wrong?"

I'll doubt His goodness--"What is He withholding from me?"

I'll judge you in your struggles--"Why can't she just be okay?"

Also (paradoxially), if I accept this ongoing tension, I find I can better deal and experience God's peace right in the middle of it--and not lose heart.

In Christ, there is daily both life and death. I don't understand it all, but knowing this truth encourages me today, and I hope it does you too.

Please use this month's screensaver to remind yourself to not lose heart. You can click on the image below and save it to your phone.

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August 3, 2018

Life isn't cute, but Jesus is life + 2 Corinthians 4:16 screensaver

Sometimes anxiety can be a lonely experience. "What are you worried about?" my husband will often ask.

"I don't know. It's just everything all at once," I usually say. Anyone else with me?

It can be lonely to not even be able to express an internal struggle.

I was worshipping with my church family on Sunday and struggling with some anxiety, finding it a hard to sing out and focus. I think God said to me, "I know. I see it."

I am so blessed to have the sweetest friends and family in my life. They listen and pray for me. They reply to my SOS texts. They share my burdens. Just their listening alone is a sweet gift and invariably lightens my load immediately.

I hope you have such sisters in Christ. But even in those lonely moments when you feel alone, God says, "I know. I see it."

One theme for me this year is "faith over fear," so today I'm sharing with you a sweet little screensaver made from my watercolor over the hymn, "Blessed Assurance" by Fanny Crosby and a corresponding coloring page (look for the original painting + prints in the shop soon!).

I hope you can use them to walk in "blessed assurance," continually calling upon your God who sees you with compassion (Psalm 103:13), and choose faith in His steadfast love over fear.

"But I call to God, and the LORD will save me. Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and he hears my voice. He redeems my soul in safety from the battle that I wage, for many are arrayed against me." (Psa 55:16-18 ESV)

You can download your screensaver by right-clicking the image below and saving and your coloring page by clicking HERE or on the image below!*

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April 10, 2018

Faith over fear screensaver + coloring page

Sometimes it's hard to get on this blog and say encouraging things, whether from a place of my own personal trials or the ones I share with those I love.

And yet, the good news is still good.

I hear the Savior say,
"Thy strength indeed is small,
Child of weakness, watch and pray,
Find in Me thine all in all."

It's hard for me to reconcile the goodness of God and pain. My tendency is to push God away and seek other comforts.

Lord, now indeed I find

Thy pow'r and Thine alone,

Can change the leper's spots

And melt the heart of stone.

We are reading through Exodus for Lent with our community group (with the She Reads Truth plan). Yesterday I read about how the Israelites "turned aside quickly out of the way that [God] commanded them" and made a golden calf in their impatience for Moses to return from his meet-up with God on the mountain. Maybe they longed for a quick-fix God they could touch and feel and understand completely, rather than a God they could both fear and love, who operated on his own timetable (Exodus 32:8).

That is so often me, quick to turn aside from a faithful and patient following.

God is jealous for his glory and for my heart. Over and over, the Bible tells me that He loves me and long to comfort me, longs to save, longs to quiet me with his love.

"The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing" (Zephaniah 3:17).

So, back to pain. Running from pain only keeps me from running from His love. Running for other comforts keeps my unquieted by his love.

"Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love" (Jonah 2:8).

And running from our sin, hiding in the shadows, keeps us running from His grace and unfailing mercy.

For nothing good have I
Where-by Thy grace to claim;
I'll wash my garments white

In the blood of Calv'ry's Lamb

As I read through Exodus, I'm again impressed at the details God put into the establishment and creation of the temple in Exodus, and the way it intricately foreshadows and sets up all He planned to do and complete in Christ.

And when, before the throne,
I stand in Him complete,
"Jesus died my soul to save,"
My lips shall still repeat.

The patient God who set all that up and orchestrated, down to the very day, our salvation, is the God who knows you and your days. All his promises are "yes" in Jesus. What good would he then withhold from you?

"For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly" (Psalm 84:11).

Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.

The coloring page I'm sharing today is made up of the intersection of the words of "Jesus Paid it all" (the hymn in italics above) by Elvina Hall and the Scriptures in 1 Peter 3:18 and 2 Corinthians 1:20 intersect. It works a little differently in Spanish (my friend Abby helped me figure it out), but the meaning is the same.

You can download your coloring pages by clicking the images below:

PRAYING the Word

God, forgive me from running from the comfort and grace I could find in you. Thank you that your love is never failing. Mine fails; yours doesn't. Make me a patient, enduring worshipper of only You. Keep me running for, not from, your comfort and your grace.

QUESTIONS to consider:

1. How about you? What do you do with your pain? Where do you go for comfort?
2. What does it mean to you that "all the promises of God find their Yes in [Jesus]" (2 Corinthians 1:20)?

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March 14, 2018

Pain, Good news, and an Easter Bible Verse Coloring Page in English + Spanish

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort." (2 Corinthians 1:3-7 ESV)

Have you ever struggled so much that you felt like all you were left grasping were sooty ashes? Nothing good can come from this.

You might say with the Psalmist: "How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?" (Psalms 13:2 ESV)

Sometimes suffering is just suffering, the same suffering our Savior experienced, and there may never be a clear resolution in our hearts. But I find two sure things about suffering in the 2 Corinthians passage above:

1. You will be abundantly comforted by God, the Father of mercy and the God who draws near to you.

2. Our comfort nets the ability to comfort others with the same comfort we have received from God.

Suffering shared with Christ = Comfort shared with Christ

These truths give me great hope and joy today!

Today's printable Bible verse coloring page is from 2 Corinthians 1:3-4. You can download your page HERE or by clicking on the image below!*

PRAYING the Word

Jesus, comfort me in my affliction today. Make me a comforter with the same comfort you give me.

QUESTIONS to consider:

1. What makes a person a good comforter?
2. In what ways has God comforted you in your suffering?

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January 17, 2018

The comforted comfort + 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 printable coloring page

Between homeschool school and co-op, a craft fair and travel over the weekend, all manner of issues swirling around our country, and Fall allergy season kicking in, everything feels a bit "fuzzy" for me right now.

There are things on my heart I'd like to share, but because "fuzziness" of the brain does not a great writer make, I'll share these words from Romans 12 with you today and pray that God speaks truth to where you need it most:

"I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." To the contrary, "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." (Romans 12:1-21 ESV)

To get your Romans 12:12 screensaver, just right click on the image below, save, and then set as your device's lock or home screen! This image is available as an 8x10" printable in the "words of life" set in the shop.

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September 28, 2017

Rejoice in hope Romans 12:12 Screensaver

"cloud of witnesses" printable Bible verse coloring page

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:1-2 ESV)

My dad bought our family several missionary biographies for Christmas, and the girls chose to start with Amy Carmichael's story (we are reading this one--a great series for kids). Amy is an Irish women with a heart for bringing the hope of the Gospel to poor and neglected women. We just found out that Amy's poor health has send her back home instead of on her way to work with Hudson Taylor's China Inland Mission, to which she had clearly heard God's call. Little does she know that she will end up in India, working among the very people God has equipped her to reach with His love.

One benefit of reading Christian biographies is the opportunity to see a person's life from start to finish, to realize as you read about the struggles and confusion in Chapter 4, that God is preparing for something in Chapter 15.

Reading the life stories of saints who have gone before is one way to surround ourselves with that "great cloud of witnesses" available to us. Hudson Taylor. George Mueller. Adoniram Judson. C.S. Lewis. Elizabeth Elliot. Hannah Hurnard. Who would you add to this list?

They are in addition to the "great cloud of witnesses" from the Bible summarized for us in Hebrews 11:

whose faith and hope were more real than their circumstances

whose God was bigger than their enemies

whose reward was worth the cost

whose desires were bigger than this broken world

who trusted in God, not themselves, for their righteousness

who believed, even when God's timelines of promise was much farther out than was desirable

who despite many, and sometimes monumental, failures, were commended by God for their faith

We're not the first Jesus-follower to live this life of death and resurrection, of suffering and struggle.

You'll hear your voice in the Psalmist's cries and complaints. You'll see your broken way in the life stories of the faithful saints now in eternity.

I just started reading a collection of Puritan prayers called "TheValley of Vision" compiled by Arthur Bennet (this article gives a good explanation of how the book came about) to help me pray "meatier" prayers. What surprises me is that these prayers aren't antiquated or stuffy; they're passionate and spirit-filled; they're densely theological, but poetic. The publisher's website posts a daily prayer if you'd like to try them.

What do the cloud of witnesses have to say to you, their sister or brother? The writers of Hebrews says that Adam’s son Abel, "through his faith, though he died, still speaks" (11:4).

What is it that you need to hear from the multitude who have tried God and found Him faithful and good?

Today's printable Bible verse coloring page is from Hebrews 12:1. You can download your page HERE or by clicking on the image below!*

Bible verse coloring page "great cloud of witnesses" Hebrews 12:1

PRAYING the Word
Thank you Father that I am not alone! I have the constant warmth of your Spirit, I have my church family, and I have a cloud of witnesses surrounding me, encouraging me to throw of my sin, fix my eyes on Jesus, and run with endurance this race you've laid out for me. Help me avail myself of these great resources You have provided.

*I'm so happy for you to enjoy my coloring pages and printables for your personal (not commercial) use! Use for Bible studies, church groups or events, and Sunday school classes are all fine! If you're in doubt, I'm happy to answer any questions. All artwork and photos are copyright Marydean Draws. If you share this, you're awesome (!), and as a courtesy, please link back to this post and not the PDF file. Thank you!!

Scripture is from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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January 25, 2017

Surrounded by witnesses + a Hebrews 12:1 Bible verse coloring page

Psalm 34:18 "the lord is near to the brokenhearted" printable Bible verse coloring page

I hung up the phone with the boy I had been pursuing a relationship with for the past year. He admitted cheating on me, and I knew immediately that the dream of "us" was over. I was in grad school at the time and walked into the kitchen where my roommate was cooking. She looked at my blood-drained face and knew something was wrong. I told her the ugly story and curled up on the carpet in the living room, feeling as if I had to wrap my body around my heart to keep it from splintering across the room.

In that moment, I didn't cry, but I felt the presence of God heavy like a downy blanket. I'm so thankful I knew Him then.

My sweet dad made the two hour trip to make sure I was okay and block "the boy" from contacting me again. He walked with me around the lake and listened to my frustration (yes, I have a great dad).

Tears would come later. And anger. And questions. And analyzing every thing we both did and said. For months and months my heart just hurt. I felt ashamed for not having anticipated disaster, for not having more wisdom.

Even all these years later, I don't have answers for that situation.

But I did learn the comfort of my God.

I think about this verse:
"The heart knows its own bitterness, and no stranger shares its joy." (Proverbs 14:10 ESV)

That's the frustrating thing about being in pain--not being fully understood. There are parts of our hearts that no one can touch or understand--in both joy and bitterness.

If you're in some sort of pain, I want to encourage you with some truths that encourage me today:

In pain, there is the comfort of God.

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." (2 Corinthians 1:3-4, ESV)

While others may grow weary of our struggles, God is never impatient with our weaknesses. When others don't completely understand, God does. When we can't even find the words for how we feel, God gets it.

In pain, there is comforting others.
The verse above says that God comforts us so we can take that same comfort and pass it on to the next hurting person. I remember soon after my big breakup, an older women sat down with me for tea and told her own story of heartache. It was simple, but so comforting.

It gives me hope that God does not waste my pain.

(My friend, Ashlee Proffitt, is jumping into this cycle of comfort-receiving and comfort-giving with a ministry to survivors of miscarriage, stillbirth, and infant loss. She just launched a ministry, called The Morning, that she hopes will encourage anyone suffering in that way.)

In pain, there is the hope of heaven.
Maybe we think we should reserve this hope for when we're faced with death, but I'm beginning to find hope in this even for the "smaller" suffering. When things hurt I remember that they will not always hurt. One day pain and sadness will be a distant memory.

"And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." And he who was seated on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." Also he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."" (Rev 21:3-5 ESV)

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us." (Rom 8:18 ESV)

Don't be afraid to walk with sorrow and suffering.
I picked up Hind's Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard last week at my favorite thrift store. My college roommate wrote her senior English thesis on this book, but I had yet to read it. It's an allegory of Much-Afraid's journey from slavery to fear to "high places" with the shepherd. She is surprised (and disturbed) that instead of "Peace and Joy," the shepherd gives her "Sorrow and Suffering" as her travel companions. She soon learns that when she grasps their hands, they lead her through the roughest parts of her journey. The Shepherd, too, is always there when she calls.

I am mulling over the thought of grasping hands with sorrow and suffering.

When my spirit is crushed, I often spend so much time and energy analyzing the situation that I fail to allow God to simply comfort me. I don't want to walk with sorrow and suffering; I want immediate relief!

I do this when my husband and I have an argument. I did this when people began to leave our church for various reasons a few years ago. I was crushed by endless agonizing over what they did, what I did, what we as a church possibly did wrong.

In the midst of that heartache, a friend reminded me to keep focused on Jesus. Any time we focus on ourselves or others, we find sin, not hope.

God says:

"Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God." (Psa 43:5 ESV)

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." (Heb 12:1-2 ESV)

"Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God." (Col 3:2-3 ESV)

Does God need us to sort it all out?

Do we need everything to be sorted out?

Actually, no. We just need HIM.

Today's printable Bible verse coloring page is from Psalm 34:18. You can download your page HERE or by clicking on the image below!*

PRAYING the Word
Help us find our comfort and our hope in You, God of all comfort. Thank you that you are near. Thank you that you save. Thank you that you comfort.

QUESTIONS to consider:

1. Have you ever felt God near in your sorrow or pain?
2. Do you struggle to want answers more than God's comfort?

3. Do you think having all the answers really would be comforting?

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October 27, 2016