Life-Giving Words of Hope & Encouragement

“God whispers to us in our pleasure, He speaks to us in our conscience, but He shouts to us in our pain.” — C.S. Lewis

Pain really is God’s megaphone. It wakes a sleepy world and, at times, a sleepy heart. That may sound severe, but a righteous love will sometimes allow hard consequences if it means rescuing a wandering child. God’s love isn’t always pampering, but it is always perfecting. Our challenge is that we often see only in the natural, while we belong to a supernatural God. When we can’t see a way out, that doesn’t mean there isn’t one. When we can’t fathom the “why,” God still holds a plan. With people, plenty of things are impossible; with God, nothing is.

Most people grit their teeth just to survive. But with God, we’re invited to thrive. His power isn’t limited by human rules or our timelines. What He asks of us is simple and costly: believe. When we dare to trust Him, He delights to work beyond what we could orchestrate. “Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:4) Keep God first. Honor Him with your life. He has a way of turning hearts in your favor and sending blessings that “chase you down.” Even the unlikeliest people can become instruments of His goodness.

Think about that line from the film The Break-Up where the point isn’t “do the dishes,” but “want to do the dishes.” When God is in control, He can even transform what our hearts want. He reshapes our desires to align with His best. So move from where you are and pitch your tent in the land of hope. There you’ll find the land of more than enough, the place where nothing is too hard for the Lord. Take the limits off God and watch Him surprise you. He hasn’t run out of ways to fulfill the secret petitions of your heart. That’s why Scripture urges us: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5)

God is in control. He knows what we need and exactly how to get it to us. We are held—securely—in the palm of His hand, and He is orchestrating far more than we can see.

Sometimes we discover our calling on the very road we took to avoid it. We might go days without thinking of God; not a moment passes that He isn’t thinking of us. Every experience—every joy, every ache—shapes us like clay on the potter’s wheel.

Back in my pottery days, I was pulling up a vase when a small imperfection sliced my finger. I recoiled, sure I had ruined the piece. But when the bleeding stopped and the pain eased, I looked again. What I’d made wasn’t what I planned—but it was better: unique, striking, beautiful. God does that with our lives. He takes our flaws, trials, and pains and forms something singular and stunning. “Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” (Psalm 30:5) Even when we are tempted to stop being His children, He refuses to stop being our Father. Nothing can pull us from His embrace: “Neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38–39)

We’re a culture fixated on answers. We want the why and the how on demand. But God reminds us: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways… For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8–9) Our role is alignment. If it is God’s will that the world be saved, then our daily decisions should ask: which outcome furthers His kingdom most? Time in His presence tunes our hearts to His will. Complaining kindles His anger; praying kindles His compassion. Prayer moves the hand that moves the world. Heaven’s actions often begin with someone praying on earth.

Long before we knew we had a need, God had already made provision. Everything we have is gift—so when we give, we’re returning what is already His. We’re all here by grace, and grace received becomes grace shared. God is calling each of us to participate in His will—and He can use anyone or anything He chooses (see Joseph’s story in Genesis, or Job’s in the prologue of Job). The enemy’s power is limited and borrowed. He cannot touch the sheep without the Shepherd’s permission—and the Shepherd only allows what He will ultimately redeem. If pain is permitted, it is because glory is planned.

No one has suffered more than our Father—no one has paid a higher price for allowing human freedom in a world He loves. No one has grieved more over a race gone astray than the One who gave His own Son to rescue it. On the cross, with arms outstretched, He showed us love without limit. And He now calls us to trust Him in our suffering and in the cries of those we love (see 1 Peter 2:21; 3:18; 4:1). He will not abandon you. He will not forsake you.

So, if pain is shouting in your life right now, listen closely—not to the fear, but to the Father. He’s not out to shame you; He’s out to shape you. He’s not trying to break you; He’s bringing you into breakthrough. Pitch your tent in hope. Lift your eyes from the natural to the supernatural. Pray boldly, believe bravely, and keep your heart open. The Potter hasn’t finished the piece. And when He’s done, you’ll see it: unique, beautiful, and far more than you imagined.