Michael Lacey - Hope When it Hurts: The Scars that Shape Us (Christian Writers Collections)

During our hard seasons, we can become lost in our pain. But God has promised to use all things for good in our lives if we trust Himeven our struggles. He will use them to grow us and draw us closer to Him.

Our painful times can become precious as we learn what it means to abide, to develop intimacy with our Lord and to learn to live for Him. No matter the circumstance, He is enough to carry us through.

Hope is the light from the lighthouse that ignites audacious faith. Little by little, the sun overtakes the darkness until it reaches full light. It just happens. When you hope, you do the same. The light for a dangerous faith emerges. You believe the impossible. The light from the lighthouse changes the faith of a sinking sailor. With hope, he is saved. Hope stirs you to desire. When desire is activated, the heavens open and pour out. Hope is the energy that lifts you up when everything inside of you wants to give up. Hope is the best friend, pointing you to the light at the end of the tunnel. So, hope you must.

I know that the God I serve is mighty, and He will not fail. Even if he does not save me from circumstances, I will hope in Him alone. Even when things dont go as I planned, I know Jesus is the only way. I can be scarred, bruised, and battered, but with Jesus as my hope, I will never be abandoned.

What in your own life is God calling you to look at with new eyes? Is there pain that can push you toward Him?

Have you ever lost a job, had to live on savings, had multiple cars break down at once, been sick with the entire family, struggled in your marriage, felt insecure daily (sometimes hourly), and it just seems you cant catch a breakjust a snowball of unfortunate events?

No? Just me? Okay. I guess you can skip this one. But if you need hope for the moment (and more), read this devotional.

We are all terminal; none of us will get out of this alive, unless Jesus comes back first. Don't live in fear. Live in a way that makes others wonder what you've got and want it. The scars you accumulate along the way just give you a platform to share the goodness of the Lord .

My elder daughter Sarah is non-verbal autistic. She is a strong and energetic young woman who usually enjoys robust good health. But in 2016, Sarah was stricken with a very serious illness.

In a time of intense pain and sufferingfor all of us, and especially for Sarah, I felt as though I was navigating my way through a minefield. Even though I continued to speak with and pray to Him, I felt very disconnected from Jesus. I was lying in bed one night angrily demanding that God tell me why this was all happening. No answer. Tears of anguish and frustration poured out of me. And finally, when I was spent, I remember saying, I dont know why You are doing this, but I am going to trust You.

Stop beating yourself up, yes, you, right now. Stop beating yourself up about not being a good enough boss, employer, wife, husband, partner, whatever. You are good enough. Stop judging yourself and others; ask our Heavenly Father to help you be the best you can be, and do your best; that is good enough.

When I was just three years old, my mother was killed by her boyfriend. This was just the beginning of a chaotic, heartbreaking time that I would call my childhood.

But I realized the legacy that blesses me the most is that my children are carrying on my mission and making it theirs.

This just makes whatever battles I overcame to get here feel worth it. I challenge you to think of your legacy. What do you strive to bring to the table? I pray you always find Hope in the Darkness.

Hope in the Bible is an extremely powerful word and incredibly vital to our understanding of God and His plan for us. Unfortunately many do not fully understand how the Scriptures use hope and therefore we risk losing its meaning. We will examine the true way hope is used in the Bible so that it can help uplift and grow our faith.

Once upon a time, in 1917 to be exact, a girl named Sarah was born. Her parents were farmers who had come to Oklahoma as children in the land run of 1889. All who knew Sarah adored her. However, her uncle knew that she was more than Sarah. She was Susie. He told her mother that, and both her parents tried to dissuade him. But the name Susie stuck and she was known as Susie to all who loved her. And that was many.

It all started one night when I was twenty-three years old in a relatively new marriage. I wasnt feeling well, so my husband went off to play volleyball alone.

I assumed the knock at the door was my husband, but I was wrong. I opened the door to a strange man standing in the darkness ready to thrust in. With a swift move, there was a knife at my throat

Since then, I got help in many ways and it took some time. Little by little, my life has come along to the place where my husband and I are helping others get healed from hurts and trauma in their lives. We can never be hopeless about anything that happens to us when we pray and bring God on the scene.

In 2002, a health crisis changed my life forever. After two years of riding the medical merry-go-round with chronic unrelenting pain and fatigue, I was frustrated, angry, and exhausted. As the swelling increased around my neck, I struggled to breathe, and my voice croaked.