Trouble and distress have come upon me, but your commands give me delight.
Psalm 119:143 NIV
Life has a way of becoming a tangled mess. All it takes is alarming health issues, job-related stress, parenting uncertainties, an emotional breakdown, and more. What if the mess of your life is where God is about to do his best work?
How does love, honor, courage, and faith sustain a US Air Force pilot for eight years as a prisoner of war? And how does an old, long-unused World War II method of communicating by tapping on a common water pipe offer a lifeline, give strength, boost morale, and build unity among other POWs during their solitary internment?
In a world surrounded by 24-hour news and reminders on social media of tragedy and heartache, it’s easy to fall into the abyss of discouragement and anxiety. Even Jesus followers struggle to hold on to hope. What is the hopeful guidance from God’s Word for times when you feel overwhelmed, defeated, and worthless? How can the Bible help you conquer despair when the past paralyzes, today disappoints, and the future is frightening?
Critics ask, “Why would anyone become a Christian when there’s so much hypocrisy in the church?” With de-conversion stories being reported, why is it that the church inadvertently produces atheists despite its life-giving message? Does atheism explain the human experience better than Christianity? How can the truth of Christianity matter when the behaviors of some Christians are reprehensible?
