Trusting God Through Wilderness Seasons – Guest Post by Cassandra Armstrong

by Jennifer Slattery on March 19, 2026March 19, 2026

When you feel like someone dropped you in the middle of an endless desert and you’re not sure which direction to go or if you’ll ever reach a water source, look up, maintain hope, and keep stepping because God won’t abandon you now, or ever.

Thanks to my guest today for this powerful reminder.

Trusting God Through the Wilderness Seasons

A Guest Post by Cassandra Armstrong

In many seasons, my faith has felt less like a refuge and more like a path I was lost on.

I loved God and grew up with faith in Christ. I prayed, read Scripture, and went to church. From the outside, my life looked steady. But underneath that fragile faith, quiet anxiety lingered. Fears of the unknown and my lack of control whispered that grief and stress might never improve. Sometimes I wondered if God was silent because I had missed something, or if the heaviness I felt was simply the world revealing itself as it truly was.

Doubt rarely arrives loudly. It settles in quietly, disguising itself as exhaustion while prayers feel unanswered. Seasons like that feel like a wilderness—places where it becomes difficult to see where God is leading and every step forward requires trust.

Recently, my family and I stepped into one of those wilderness seasons.

During the winter storms sweeping across much of the United States, we felt a little overconfident in the snowy mountains of Maine. My husband, children, and I spent the weekend traveling between Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine for a hockey tournament, a gymnastics meet, and the long drive home. The roads were treacherous, a reminder of how little control we truly have.

When we finally arrived home, we stepped into a freezing house.

We had run out of oil. Pipes had frozen, and one had burst in the laundry room. The washer was damaged from frozen hoses. The bathroom pipes were frozen, and a switch in the dining room had stopped working.

As Mainers, we usually prepare for these kinds of problems. But facing them all at once felt overwhelming.

My husband worked through the list while the oil was delivered, but the boiler refused to start. The filter needed replacing. In the process, oil spilled across the cellar floor. The next day our son told us the toilet had overflowed, and water backed up through the shower and sink drains.

Financially, we were already stretched thin between travel, winter heating costs, and a slow season for contracts in our business.

That night my husband and I lay awake until nearly five in the morning, staring at the ceiling and wondering how we were going to manage it all.

Eventually he reached for my hand and began to pray.

He thanked the Lord for our blessings and asked for guidance through this season of strain and uncertainty.

As we prayed, I was reminded that we’ve walked through wilderness seasons before. Together we’ve lost a child. We lost my mother. We’ve been fired from jobs. We watched our daughter battle leukemia and helped our son through difficult seasons of his own.

Those experiences taught us something important: God doesn’t promise that we’ll avoid the wilderness. But He does promise to meet us there.

In Exodus 16, the Israelites found themselves in a wilderness with no clear way forward. After their rescue from slavery, fear took hold when food ran out and the future felt uncertain. Yet God met them there with manna—daily bread that taught them to trust Him one day at a time.

Our wilderness seasons may look different. They may come through grief, financial strain, uncertainty, or the accumulation of everyday hardships. But the lesson remains the same.

God often meets us in the wilderness by teaching us to trust Him for today.

The morning after we prayed together, we woke with a little more clarity. Instead of trying to solve everything at once, we began addressing each problem one step at a time.

The toilet still isn’t fixed. But we have heat and hot water.

For now, that’s enough.

Jesus reminds us in Matthew 6:34:

“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today” (NLT).

When we trust God with today, we discover that His presence and provision are enough to carry us through any wilderness season.

If this resonated with you, you might also enjoy this podcast episode titled, “How God Brings Good Through Wilderness Seasons.”

Get to Know Cassandra Armstrong:

Cassandra is the author of Growth in the Grief and The Grit and Grace Column. She is also published in Arise Daily, Snark and Sensibility, and Heart of Hospitality Magazine. She is a wife, mother, writer, U.S. Navy veteran, cybersecurity business-owner, podcaster, and doctoral student with degrees in English and business, and majors in strategic leadership and technology management. Her current research focuses on servant leadership and leader-member exchange within strategic leadership. She is the mother of four children and lives on her homestead in the mountains of Maine with her family, dogs, highland cow, pigs, and chickens.

Check Out Her Book, Growth in the Grief:

“Whether it is grief from guilt, grief from the finality of a relationship, or finality of life, the physical impacts and untamed thoughts are not without excruciating wisdom and need for God’s arms around us to guide each of us through the human condition of inevitable loss and guilt from sin.”

– Growth in the Grief

In this powerful memoir and devotional, Cassandra Armstrong details her voyage through some of life’s most painful battles. With raw honesty, she recounts unforgettable pain amidst death, illness, sexual assault, loss, regret, and self-blame. Through overstimulated anxiety and depression, she juggles life as a parent, spouse, daughter, sailor, student, caretaker, co-worker, and business owner-all while facing grief and tragedy. Readers are invited to journal through her personal life lessons, revealing the glory of God highlighted via navigation through spiritual gifts, grace, and the unveiling of His plan through spiritual maturity, wisdom, and unwavering faith amid suffering.

Buy it HERE.

Feeling Left Out? Christ Seats You at the Table of Honor – Faith Over Fear

We've probably all walked into a room and felt unseen, out of place, or excluded. Those experiences can cut deep and leave us feeling alone in the very place where everyone else seems connected with friends. In this episode, Jennifer talks with Dr. Heather Holleman to explore how powerful truths in Ephesians helps us reframes those painful experiences and related insecurities. Together, they unpack what it means to be chosen, included, and seated with Christ and how those realities speak directly into anxiety, comparison, and loneliness. Drawing from Scripture and personal story, this conversation invites listeners to move from striving for belonging to resting in the secure place they already occupy with Jesus. They also discuss the impact of the narratives we carry, what Dr. Holleman calls “shadow stories”, and how replacing those with God’s biblical truth fosters healing and transformation. Through practices like expressive writing and sharing personal “Savior stories,” listeners will discover practical ways to process pain, renew their thinking, and step into their God-given purpose. This episode ultimately shifts the focus from isolation to mission, reminding us that we are not only included in Christ but also sent to reflect Him in a world longing for connection. Resources referenced: Included in Christ: Living A New Story from Ephesians (A Bible Study) by Dr. Heather Holleman "Embracing Your True Self: Living in Your Christ-Centered Identity" Bible reading plan (on the YouVersion Bible app) Connect with Dr. Heather Holleman: On her website On Instagram On Facebook Find Jennifer Slattery: On her website Instagram Facebook Amazon Subscribe to her free newsletter Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

When it Feels Like God Let You Down

by Jennifer Slattery on March 12, 2026March 11, 2026

Have you ever felt convinced God was leading you in a certain direction—one you spent years, maybe decades, pursuing—only to find yourself on a long, winding road heading the wrong way?

If you’ve ever chased a dream, launched a small business, or spent years building a ministry, you know how long, exhausting, and painful that journey can feel.

So much emotion and so many doubts can grow in the space between the moment you told God yes and the moment you reach your hoped-for destination.

Obstacles appear. Questions multiply. And before long, it can feel like you’re stuck on an endlessly looping road with no finish line in sight.

Perhaps that’s where you are now. Perhaps you’ve begun to wonder if you heard God correctly when you first took those timid steps—or if He spoke at all.

I’ve been there.

I understand the pain and confusion. I know the pull toward disillusionment that hits during those wilderness seasons.

But I also know the joy that comes when you wrestle through the questions and doubts and—holding tight to your floundering faith—keep walking until, eventually, God’s blessing unfolds.

In 2013, after pounding away on my keyboard hour after hour, day after day, and year after year, I finally received “the call.”

That’s publishing speak for the conversation with a publisher that ultimately leads to a contract.

I can’t tell you how many words I’d typed, conferences I’d attended, articles and blog posts I’d written, or pieces of feedback I’d received along the way. Many more than I ever anticipated when my husband bought me my first laptop and encouraged me to pursue the passion God placed in my heart.

Along the way, I started, quit, cried, and gave in to frustration more times than I can count.

I fought with God, yielded to Him, doubted Him, trusted Him—and then doubted Him yet again.

Eventually, I reached a peaceful contentment where I could honestly say that following God’s will and experiencing the peace of His presence was enough.

Ironically, everything became muddy once I received my first contract.

Then the next. And the next.

By the time book five released, I began trading my ultimate purpose—living for Christ—for an emerging desire to live for myself. That slowly morphed into people-pleasing driven by a growing fear of failure.

Then came 2016.

The year I felt like I was hiking a steep, rocky incline without making progress. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t gain traction.

Eventually things became so insurmountable that I came to a painful realization.

God wasn’t blessing the work of my hands.

He wasn’t opening doors that I could see.

In fact, it seemed as if He were slamming them shut.

I thought my career was over.

Over a decade of my life—wasted.

For a time, I lost my sense of self. My confidence in God’s goodness grew shaky.

But that was also when my faith took a major turn.

Even now, that day remains vivid in my mind.

I was in our basement, riding the exercise bike with a stack of handwritten Scripture cards propped on the dash in front of me. I recited them out of simple obedience, though none of them seemed to land.

But the Lord met me there—in my pain and discouragement—through the words of one handwritten verse I didn’t remember writing.

It was Psalm 147:5:

Great is our Lord and mighty in power;
his understanding has no limit.

I sensed God asking me,

“Do you believe this about Me? Do you believe I’m all-knowing, all-loving, all-powerful, and good?”

That moment forced me to confront something deeper than my circumstances: what I truly believed about God.

That question invited me to examine the root of my fears and frustrations—and the statements the statements they made about God.

My soul answered with a confident yes.

Yes, my Lord is all those things—and more.

My circumstances didn’t change His character or His heart.

And that truth—not my disappointment—became the foundation on which I anchored my faith.

The foundation that sustained me when He revealed His next assignment.
And the one after that.
And the one after that.

That was sixteen books, hundreds of keynotes, and countless articles ago.

Now, sitting at my desk and looking back over the disappointments and celebrations since, I can boldly proclaim:

Great is my God and mighty in power. His understanding is limitless.

So if you find yourself in that difficult space between your obedient yes and the moment your faith becomes sight, hold tight to this truth:

God has good planned for you.

He will not leave you wandering aimlessly through the wilderness forever.

He will not waste a single tear or frustrating moment.

Instead, He will use it all to fulfill the beautiful plans He crafted for you before you took your first breath—or your first timid step.

Because when the road feels long,
Great is our Lord and mighty in power.

When the path feels confusing,
His understanding has no limit.

When your faith feels fragile,
Great is our Lord and mighty in power.

And when you cannot yet see where the road leads,

His understanding has no limit.

If this resonated with you, make sure to listen to the Faith Over Fear episode titled “When Life Feels Unfair: How to Trust God When Hardship Hits”

Feeling Left Out? Christ Seats You at the Table of Honor – Faith Over Fear

Praying Against Our Fear

by Jennifer Slattery on February 5, 2026February 3, 2026

(Note: This post first published, in a slightly different form, on October 7, 2021.)

As someone with a long history of anxiety, I’ve learned I can’t experience lasting peace in my own strength. I can’t take my anxious, and often snowballing, thoughts captive (2 Cor. 10:5) without supernatural help. But I’ve also found, each day, I can live more fully in the victory of Christ, during my most hectic and uncertain moments, included, when I actively and consistently pursue Him. When my world feels chaotic and like I’m being whipped about in a never-ending cyclone, I prayed for reprieve from difficult circumstances, yes, but even more so, I prayed against the storm raging within me. That was when I began taking my greatest steps toward freedom.

As some of you know, 2011 was an incredibly rough year for me, for so many reasons. I felt like I was being bombarded, relentless, on each side.

Can you relate?

Now, over a decade later, I can see how my overwhelm built slowly. Eventually, I became completely enslaved to my fear. My anxiety-driven actions also wounded some of the people I hold most dear. Feeling trapped in my inner spiral, I would fantasize about a life free of fear. I’d have so much extra time, so much more joy and peace. Healthier relationships, more restful sleep, more clarity regarding my calling.

But while I frequently dreamt about a peaceful existence, I didn’t believe I’d ever reach such a state. My catastrophic thinking felt far too strong to stop.

then one day, as I was walking to the laundry room, a realization silenced my normally loud brain: This is not how God wants me to live. He promised me freedom.

I knew, with the certainty that can only come from the Holy Spirit, that the same God who called me to live in freedom would give me the tools to do so.

Quote pulled from post on decorative background.

That was my call to action moment, where I sensed God challenging me to make a choice. I could remain stuck in my gunk, slipping further and further into fear. Or I could follow His lead, however He led, in my pursuit of the woman He created me to be.

Praise God, and by His grace alone, I chose the latter and began actively, persistently, and consistently praying against my fear. Every time I felt that knot in my gut, I paused to seek God’s help and His strength. I asked Him to break the power my fear had over me, which at the time felt insurmountable, and in its place, to flood my soul with peace.

I was following the biblical example of the father who began in fear and anguish, but received that which he desperately sought. We read his story in Mark chapter 9, which we discussed in relation to praying versus arguing, a couple months ago. To refresh your memory, Scripture tells us, one day Jesus took Peter, James, and John up onto a mountain where He revealed to them His glory in an unforgettable, awe-inspiring way.

While they were gone, a deeply distressed father came searching for Jesus. Not finding Him, he sought help from His disciples, maybe because he’d heard about all the miracles they’d performed not long before (Matthew 10:1-20). His situation, it seemed, was simply too hard; the disciples failed. But then Jesus arrived, and, noticing a conflict between His followers and the teachers of the law, asked what they were arguing about.

Scripture says, “A man in the crowd answered, ‘Teacher, I brought You my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked Your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not'” (V. 17-18).

Then Jesus summoned the child, and the demon “threw the boy into a convulsion.” The child “fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth” (v. 20).

After a short explanation, the father said to Jesus, “If you can do anything, take pity on us and help us” (v. 21).

To which Jesus responded, “‘If you can’? Everything is possible for one who believes” (v. 22).

Hearing this, the father let out a guttural, shriek-like cry, krazo in the original Greek, perhaps because he feared his son’s healing depended on his faith. He exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (v. 24).

Jesus didn’t get upset at the man. He didn’t rebuke him and send him away for his weak faith. Instead, He responded to the father and son in love and grace. He commanded the demon to leave the boy, never to return again.

This passage reminds me to bring my anxieties to Jesus, and to seek Him in the midst of my doubts, knowing He won’t chastise or reject me. Instead, He’ll give me precisely what I need–increased intimacy with the only One whose love has the power to cast out my fears. (1 John 4:18).

Friends, He’s been so faithful. That fall when I began actively and persistently praying against my fears? That was a life-changer for me. I didn’t notice much difference at first, and there were times I wondered if my constant requests were doing any good. But I kept praying, day after day, sometimes moment by moment, month after month. Then, one day some six months later, I realized a situation that had once triggered intense anxiety barely bothered me anymore, and other situations no longer bothered me at all. God indeed had been working.

He was working on a spiritual level, using His supernatural power to break the chains that kept me bound. He was also teaching me how to grab hold of His freedom, step by step. To turn to Him in times of fear. Through this, I practiced stopping my anxious thoughts before they gained moment and rerouting them onto the good, in essence, onto God.

Lessons I probably wouldn’t have learned, had God immediately eradicated my anxiety.

I’ve adapted my peace-pursuit-plan since I first wrote today’s post. Now, I spend less time praying against my fear and more time praying for peace. I’ve found this especially helpful at night, when what-if thinking seem to multiply. Now, when I sense that first burst of anxiety, I recite Isaiah 26:3, which states:

You will keep in perfect peace
those whose minds are steadfast,
because they trust in you (NIV).

I make this my prayer, trusting that the Lord will do what He’s promised. This hasn’t eradicated my worries entirely, but it has drastically improved my inner calm.

Let’s talk about this! Do you suffer from anxiety? And if so, how often do you pray against your fear specifically?

Share your thoughts with us in the comments below, and make sure to connect with me on Facebook and Instagram.

Check out the Faith Over Fear Bible reading plan HERE.

If this encouraged you, make sure to check out both of my conversations with Jamie Hampton, cohost of the Praying Christian Woman podcast. I visited her show January 25th to talk about the healing benefits of interactive journaling. You can listen to that conversation HERE.

Two days later, she joined me on the Faith Over Fear podcast to discuss a powerful, but often misunderstood verse and how prayer–when we find the words to speak and when our anxiety binds our tongue–helps to calm and heal our fearful, wounded souls. Catch that conversation HERE.

Feeling Left Out? Christ Seats You at the Table of Honor – Faith Over Fear

When God is still writing your “dream” – Guest post by Laurie Devernoe

by Jennifer Slattery on January 15, 2026January 14, 2026

When the door closed behind me, I didn’t know it would become one of those defining moments God would use to reveal what I’d quietly locked away in my heart. I didn’t think twice as I wheeled out the first load of luggage, my mind fixed on the car and the schedule I was determined to keep.

But when I opened the trunk, it hit me: I’d left my phone inside, along with the app that unlocked the door. All I had were my key fob and suitcase. Everything else, including my supplies and the notes for the meeting I was speaking at in an hour, was locked away inside while I stood outside frozen.

The wind tussled my hair as storm clouds gathered overhead, and panic rose in my chest. I wanted someone to appear out of nowhere and hand me my phone or to rewind those few minutes so I could grab it myself.

Days later, as I replayed the moment in my mind, the Holy Spirit whispered to my heart, “This is how you have been treating the hopes and tender longings you’ve locked away.” Places where my efforts were crushed and the outcomes fell far from what I had planned for.

So often, when obstacles press down on us, we shrink back. We quit. We tell ourselves the path must not be right and choose the safer, well-traveled road, even as a quiet part of us wonders if maybe we should try again.

Joseph knew this tension well.

Joseph was one of the youngest of the twelve sons of the patriarch Jacob and he was his father’s favorite. Jacob made no attempt to hide his favoritism. He openly displayed his affection by giving Joseph a special coat of many colors and keeping him close while his brothers were out tending the sheep.

Joseph was quick to share the dreams God had placed in his heart with his family, and it cost him dearly. His brothers’ jealousy drove them to sell him into slavery and deceive their father into believing Joseph was dead.

In Egypt, far from home, Joseph’s ability to lead began to emerge. He served faithfully in the household of Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard. Later, Joseph continued to lead even in prison, where he was unjustly confined.

Even behind bars, the language of dreams continued to follow him. Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker were imprisoned alongside Joseph, and both became troubled by what they had seen in their sleep. Gifted by God, Joseph interpreted their visions accurately. The cupbearer was restored to his position; the baker was not. Joseph asked to be remembered, but once the cupbearer returned to serving Pharaoh, Joseph was forgotten.

Scripture does not tell us how often Joseph reflected on the visions God had placed in his heart so long ago. Did he regret sharing them with his family, now knowing it had provoked his brothers’ jealousy? Did he wonder if staying silent might have kept their family dysfunction at bay and he could have remained at home, safe, and loved? Did he ever question whether it was worth believing again in what once felt so real?

I’ve spent so much time looking back—wondering how I might have handled hard situations differently, wishing I had slowed down and thought through the outcomes, and reflecting on how my choices affected others. And too often, I’ve let fear stop me from trying again, convinced that failure had disqualified me.

Do you ever feel that way? Too afraid to try again? Too worn out to believe?

Standing outside that locked condo, I felt that same wave of discouragement. I wanted to give up. But without a phone in my hand, I had to get creative, take a risk, ask for help, and believe that a solution was possible.

Then one day, Joseph’s closed doors opened. He was summoned before Pharaoh because the cupbearer finally remembered him. Standing before Pharaoh, Joseph pointed to God as the true interpreter of dreams and offered wisdom for the future. In a moment, Joseph went from prisoner to second in command over all Egypt.

His long season of hardship had prepared him.

Sometimes, that is exactly what our waiting and our setbacks are doing for us.

Today, I invite you to sit prayerfully with these questions:

• Do you need to do something differently?
• Do you need to ask for help?
• Do you need to believe in yourself again?
• Do you need to grieve the past to embrace the future?
• Do you need to trust God in a new way?

Whatever it is, when we open space in our hearts, we make room for the creativity that helps unlock the hopes we carry and the story God is still writing.

In this new year, let us become people who dream boldly again.

***

If this post encouraged you, check out the Faith Over Fear podcast episode titled “How God Uses Long Waiting Seasons to Bless and Grow Us”

Get to Know Laurie Devernoe:

Laurie Devernoe is a Christian speaker, author, and mental health coach known for bringing faith to life with warmth, humor, and practical Biblical wisdom. Through engaging, down-to-earth teaching, she helps individuals and families move beyond surviving daily routines to living impactful, faith-centered lives that support mental health and strengthen families.

As a mother of five—including triplets—Laurie understands real life and connects with others by blending Scripture with relatable stories and simple, doable practices that help faith take root in everyday moments.

Laurie is the author of Coffee House Parenting, where she invites parents to pull up a chair, breathe deep, and cultivate meaningful, faith-filled rhythms at home through humor, honesty, and hope. Her memoir, Seeing Through the Darkness, shares her journey through vision loss and spiritual awakening, offering encouragement, practical mental health tools, and a powerful reminder that God is present—even in the hard places.

A sought-after retreat and conference speaker, Laurie has been featured on numerous podcasts and most recently on local television, where she speaks openly about faith, mental health, and living fully—even when life doesn’t go as planned.

Check out her book, Seeing Through The Darkness: The Incredible Story of How Losing My Sight Taught Me to See:

Have the broken pieces of life left you uncertain how to go on?

You didn’t think this could ever happen to you? You thought you were a good person? You thought God was real. You did all you knew to do, and you thought everything would work out.

You reach for your faith and feel you are grasping at air. Could your suffering possibly be the very invitation you need to step out of the darkness of the unknown to see life with beauty and grace?

These are the real and difficult questions Laurie Devernoe faced when a lifetime of unwavering faith in God was pushed to the brink. In Seeing Through the Darkness, Laurie shares candidly about the journey she experienced following the trauma of losing her vision in one eye and how the broken pieces of her faith lay before her—pieces she would find in the darkness that now enabled her to see.

Buy it HERE.

Feeling Left Out? Christ Seats You at the Table of Honor – Faith Over Fear

Trusting God With Our Heaviest Burdens

by Jennifer Slattery on July 3, 2025July 3, 2025

(Note: The below post was taken and adapted from one of my former Your Daily Bible Verse podcast episodes. Used by permission.)

Some days feel super heavy, like we’re lugging around a backpack full of bricks. When I land in that place, I’m often tempted to disengage. To numb my emotions watching social media reels or clean comedy. But I’m learning to “unload” my burdens by turning to God, seeking His perspective, resting in His comfort, and anticipating His care. In essence, to trust Him to be the attentive Father described in Psalm 68:19, which states, Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.

Most Bible scholars believe ancient Israel’s second King, David, wrote this verse and the passage surrounding it when he and the Israelites were bringing the ark of the covenant back to Jerusalem. This sacred wooden chest, which had remained with the people from when they first became a nation, until the time of Saul, symbolized God’s presence and covenantal relationship with His people.

According to Hebrews 9:4, “This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant.”

These items served as continual reminders of God’s faithful care.

A jar of manna, the honey-flavored wafters that God rained from the sky, daily providing for His people’s needs as they wondered through the desert. As God’s children gathered the delicious manna each morning, He was teaching them to rely on and trust in Him. Glancing about the barren landscape, without a village or lush oasis in sight, their eyes might’ve told them they were destined to starve. But they didn’t, and wouldn’t, because God was their Provider.

The ark also contained Aaron’s staff, which demonstrated that Aaron and his leadership were blessed by God. This also showed God was invested in their leader, which meant He was invested in them. Although they’d rebelled against Him again and again, He remained faithfully by their side, guiding them supernaturally through a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, and through Moses, Aaron, and their sister Miriam as well.

They might not have always liked where God led them, but even in their grumbling, they could always rely on God’s guidance.

Finally, the ark contained the stone tablets God gave to Moses on Mount Sinai, when He was first forming the people into a nation. On them, God told His children, recently rescued from a sinful, pagan, and idolatrous land, how to live and love Him and one another well.

Then there was the lid of the ark, called the mercy seat, which played an integral part in helping the people retain a relationship with their holy God. Each year on the day of atonement, the priest entered the most sacred part of the Temple, where the ark was kept, and sprinkled it with the blood of a sacrificed animal. Through this, the people received forgiveness for their sins and retained their covenantal relationship with God.

That was the only way to have their sins absolved.

Considering all this, you can understand why the nation was so distraught when their enemies stole the ark. And their joy once they got it back.

Their Savior, Protector, and Provider was among them once again.

Just as, through Jesus, God’s presence remains with us. Those tablets pointed to the Messiah who alone fulfilled the demands of the covenant. He’s also our bread of life who daily nourishes and strengthens us. And He’s our leader, our good shepherd, who goes before us, comforting us with His rod and His staff. Most importantly, He’s our only means of atonement. The ultimate sacrifice for our sins and the only way we experience forgiveness and a close relationship with God.

A relationship where He invites us to unload our burdens, whatever they are, onto His strong shoulders. Knowing our faithful, covenant keeping God can be trusted to manage well whatever we give Him. He’ll manage our burdens much better than we can, in fact.

If this post resonated with you, you might find my latest Bible Reading Plan on the YouVersion app helpful.

When we are hurting or going through a difficult season, we might feel alone and abandoned. It might feel as if God isn’t listening to our cries for help or that He doesn’t care about our pain. Yet, throughout Scripture God communicates that He is with us, sees us, loves us deeply, empathizes with our pain, and still has good plans for us. He invites us to draw close to Him in times of hardship, receive His comfort, and hold tight to His unchanging truth.

Find it HERE.

Feeling Left Out? Christ Seats You at the Table of Honor – Faith Over Fear

When Faith Feels Fragile: Holding On Anyway – Guest post by Zeeva Usman

by Jennifer Slattery on May 8, 2025May 7, 2025

There are days when faith feels unshakable—when the worship is sweet, the Scriptures speak directly to your heart, and the path ahead looks clear. But then there are days … when faith feels like it’s barely hanging on. Fragile. Thin. Quiet. And maybe today is one of those days.

I remember a time when I wrestled with doubt. I had been praying and seeking God’s guidance, but everything felt still and silent. I wondered if my prayers were even heard, and I began to question my faith. During that time, I realized that it’s okay to wrestle with doubt—it doesn’t mean we’ve lost our faith, but rather, we’re being honest with God and ourselves about our struggles. That moment taught me that faith isn’t about never feeling weak; it’s about choosing to trust, even when we’re unsure.

If so, you’re not alone.

Even the strongest believers face seasons when doubt whispers louder than truth and prayers feel like they bounce off the ceiling. But Scripture doesn’t shame us for fragile faith. In fact, it gives us permission to be honest—about our fears, our questions, and our weariness.

Even Heroes of Faith Had Weak Moments

Abraham doubted. Elijah hid in a cave. John the Baptist—who once pointed boldly to Jesus—sent messengers to ask, “Are You the one, or should we look for another?” (Matthew 11:3)

If they struggled, why do we think we shouldn’t?

Faith isn’t about never wavering. It’s about choosing to trust—even when we’re trembling. It’s about leaning in when everything in us wants to run. It’s about holding on to Jesus, not because we’re strong, but because He is.

When All You Can Do Is Stay Close

Sometimes faith is loud and confident. Other times, it’s quiet and persistent. It shows up in whispered prayers. In opening the Bible, even when it feels dry. In wearing faith-based apparel as a simple reminder of who you belong to. In choosing worship when you feel numb. In staying in community, when isolation seems easier.

And sometimes, it simply looks like saying, “Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief.” (Mark 9:24)

That prayer counts. That is faith.

God Doesn’t Despise Fragile Faith

The beautiful thing about our God is that He doesn’t require perfect faith—He just invites us to come. He meets us in the valley, in the questions, and even in the silence. Jesus never turned away the weak-hearted. He drew near. He lifted heads. He offered peace.

He still does.

You don’t have to have it all figured out. You just have to be willing to reach for Him, even with trembling hands.

Faith That Grows in the Cracks

The very places where your faith feels fragile might be where God is doing His deepest work. Growth doesn’t always happen in the mountaintop moments—it often happens in the in-between, the unseen, the waiting.

So if your faith feels fragile today, let this be your reminder: Fragile faith is still faith. And the One you’re holding on to will never let go of you.

Get to Know Zeeva Usman

Zeeva Usman is an experienced content manager at Christian Marketing Experts and a content specialist at Salt of Heaven, where she uses her expertise to create impactful, faith-centered content. When she’s not crafting words, Zeeva finds joy in worshiping and singing for the Lord Jesus, drawing inspiration from her faith to encourage others.

Feeling Left Out? Christ Seats You at the Table of Honor – Faith Over Fear

Seasons of overwhelm: When all you can do is cling to Jesus

by Jennifer Slattery on April 17, 2025April 16, 2025

(Proofread by Aneah Epshteyn)

While preparing to present to a women’s group on discipleship, I couldn’t shake the feeling that some of the ladies in attendance had landed in a state of overwhelm. Reflecting upon how my message might hit them, I thought of how I felt during what I’ve since termed as my terrible, horrible, no good, very bad year (and a half). In that season, I frequently felt conflicted between all the “I should” filling my brain and weighing down my heart, and God’s gentle Spirit calling me to find shelter in Himself.

In faith communities, we hear a lot about serving Jesus, and rightly so. That is why we’re here, and He is worthy of whole life worship. But how does this apply when we begin to feel crushed by the weight of our circumstances?

In those seasons, God might ask us to persevere with the grit and strength only He can provide. This was the example the apostle Paul set. When beaten and left for dead, he got up and resumed his mission. While imprisoned, he wrote letters to the church that became sacred pages in our Bible. Yet, I’m also reminded of the night when he and his ministry partner, Silas, cried out to God in weakness and desperation.

Granted, this is how I read the story as I consider the circumstances and his humanity. Acts 16 tells us about a time when Paul miraculously freed a demonized slave, whose previous “divination” earned considerable money for her masters. As you can imagine, her owners weren’t pleased to lose their income source. Angered, they dragged Paul and Silas into the marketplace and before the magistrates who beat the men with rods.

Following, we read:

After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks (Acts 16:23-24, NIV).

First, notice, these men landed in prison because of their obedience. For those of us in a western context where cultural notions of success and prosperity have seeped into the church, it’s important to remember that hardship comes to the faithful and unfaithful alike. Difficulties doesn’t mean we’ve “lost God’s favor” anymore than blessings mean we’ve gained it. The Bible tells us that all who believe in Christ have been “lavished” with “grace upon grace” and “every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms” (Eph. 1:8, John 1:16, Eph. 1:3).

In each season, the most challenging or joyous, God’s greatest desire is that we turn to Him, listen for His guidance, and follow however He leads. For some, that might mean serving Him in our pain. The Lord might call others to demonstrate what it looks like to lean hard on the One who remains with us in our suffering and upholds our weary and broken souls with His mighty right hand.

This was the God Paul and Silas revealed in Acts 16—not through their eloquent words, but rather their anguish. Or more accurately, through how they responded in their anguish.

In verse 25, we read:

²⁵About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them (NIV).

To understand their impact, we must first grasp the reality of their situation. This “prison” was nothing like our climate controlled environments with beds and three meals a day. The authorities placed Paul and Silas, who’d been “severely flogged” in stocks, in the deepest, darkest section of a maritime dungeon—a place prisoners were often left to die.

How did they respond? By crying out to God. I believe their singing came from their need to connect, deeply, with the heart of Christ and to receive His strength in their time of extreme weakness.

They sought the One greater than their circumstances.

What if our world is most impacted not by “superhero” Christians who loudly proclaim “superhero” faith but rather weak and needy people, like you and I, who lean hard on a an their all-powerful God? Like Paul and Silas did when they landed in an earthly “hell.”

In their moment of overwhelm, they turned to, and depended upon, the Lord, and in doing so, they brought light and life into a place that quite literally smelled like death.

If you’re familiar with this event, you might remember how God responded. He caused a violent earthquake to shake the prison’s foundations, burst open the doors, and shattered the prisoners’ chains. This resulted in salvation for the prison guard and his family, and likely many of those previously bound as well.

Here’s my point: If all you can do, in your current season, is to cry out and cling to God, that is enough. Your very dependence on Him in your time of overwhelm loudly proclaims the gospel and the tender, ever-present love of Christ.

I’ll end with the question I left the sweet women in Louisiana: How are you pursuing God in your current season?

What is He asking you to do?

Will you trust Him to lead, whether that means persevering through the wilderness, trudging up a steep incline, or resting in His presence?

If you’re comfortable sharing, let us know in the comments so that others might gain encouragement from your journey.

Feeling Left Out? Christ Seats You at the Table of Honor – Faith Over Fear

Deepening Our Trust in God Guest Post by Grace Fox

by Jennifer Slattery on April 10, 2025April 9, 2025

Note: This first posted on July 7, 2022

What most tends to make you anxious? Where do you find it hard to trust? Your loved ones? Your career? Your health? Some of you may be nodding affirmative to each of those questions. I get it. I know that queazy stomach feeling that comes from watching someone I care about struggle, from stepping into the unknown, or waiting for news that could either allow me to catch my breath or cause my heart to race.

If you can relate, I hope you’ll find encouragement in my friend, Grace Fox’s guest post below.

Deepening Our Trust in God

by Grace Fox

In a recent conversation about trusting God with our concerns, a friend reflected on bygone days when her kids were young. She recalled sleepless nights, laundry piles that multiplied by the minute, and temper tantrums (not hers!) over simple things like broccoli touching macaroni and cheese on one’s lunch plate. “Those times were challenging,” she said, “but they were nothing compared to the challenges I face as the parent of adult children, especially when they make choices that hurt themselves or others. I can’t tell them what to do. I have to just pray and trust God to work in their lives.”

Another friend told me about her dad. Widowed and in his 90s, he’d recently moved into a seniors’ care facility and was finding the transition difficult. “I worry about him,” she said. “The facility is short-staffed. What if Dad’s needs can’t be met adequately? I begin every day by asking God to watch over him. When worry starts to creep in, I have to intentionally choose to trust God with my concerns.”

I just returned from moving my youngest daughter and her family to northern B.C. As a mom, I pray that they’ll adjust well and find friends who not only share common interests but who love the Lord and make His kingdom their first priority. Today I’m heading south to visit my other daughter. My prayers for her focus on persevering with hope through chronic pain. Oh, how I wish I could fix it for her, like in those bygone days when I could kiss my baby’s boo-boo away. But I can’t. I can, however, trust God with my concerns.

The Bible tells us over and over to trust God with our concerns.

Philippians 4:6-7 is one example: “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

Trusting God with our concerns is easier said than done, but it can be done.

Paul and Barnabas put this into practice. On one particular occasion, they’d been crisscrossing the country to preach the Gospel and encourage believers to continue in their faith despite suffering. They’d also helped churches set up their leadership. They could have hovered over the new leaders to ensure they understood their roles and did things right, but they did not. Here’s what they did: “Paul and Barnabas also appointed elders in every church. With prayer and fasting, they turned the elders over to the care of the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.” (Acts 14:23)

Don’t you love that? Despite the potential for things to go sideways, Paul and Barnabas trusted the elders to God and headed to the next location to continue the work He’d called them to do.

My friend, what concerns are on your heart today?

Are you like me, feeling concerned for your adult kids? Maybe you’re concerned about your marriage, your church family, your financial state, or a major decision coming your way. Isn’t it reassuring to know that we don’t have to carry these alone? God invites us to give them to Him because He cares for us. (1 Peter 5:7) He also commands us to combine prayer with fasting as a way of showing that we depend on Him more than on physical food. (Matthew 6:16-18) There are different types and lengths of fasts, and He’ll teach us what to do when we ask Him for direction in this regard.

No matter what worries weigh us down, let’s acknowledge our need for God’s help, invite His intervention, and expect Him to answer in His way and in His time.

The One who is all-wise and forever faithful knows our hearts and hears our cries. He holds us and those we love in His hands. Our souls crave peace, and trusting God with our concerns is the pathway to finding it.

Here’s a simple but powerful exercise to do today. Take Acts 14:23 and make it personal by filling in the blank: “With prayer and fasting, I will turn _____________ (identify your concerns) over to the care of the Lord, in whom I have put my trust.”

Feel free to post your completed statement here so others can pray for you, okay? Know you are loved.

Get to Know Grace!

Grace Fox is the author of 12 books, a member of the “First 5” writing team (Proverbs 31 Ministries) and a regular contributor to Guideposts’ annual devotional, Mornings With Jesus. She also co-hosts the podcast “Your Daily Bible Verse.” A career missionary for nearly 30 years, Grace lives aboard a sailboat in Vancouver, British Columbia. Married in 1982, she and her husband celebrate three grown kids and eleven grandchildren.

Her latest release, Keeping Hope Alive: Devotions for Strength in the Storm, is available wherever Christian books are sold. https://www.hendricksonrose.com/p/keeping-hope-alive/9781649380517

You can subscribe to Grace’s weekly devotional blog and monthly update on her website – www.gracefox.com/blog

www.fb.com/gracefox.author

https://www.instagram.com/graceloewenfox/

Check Out Her Latest Release!

Keeping Hope Alive: Devotions for Strength in the Storm

The storms of life hurl us into uncertainty and leave us longing for rescue. In times like this, we need the hope God’s Word offers, and we need it in snippets our overloaded minds can absorb. Keeping Hope Alive delivers. Ninety brief meditations offer nuggets of encouragement, a sentence prayer, a point to ponder, and a thoughtful quote by someone who’s survived the storm. Its daily messages and beautifully designed full-color interior soothe the troubled soul and remind readers that God is faithful and sovereign in their circumstances.

Available wherever Christian books are sold.

Before you go, make sure to check out the latest Faith Over Fear podcast episode!

Feeling Left Out? Christ Seats You at the Table of Honor – Faith Over Fear

Refreshing Our Prayer Life Through Remembering

by Jennifer Slattery on January 16, 2025January 15, 2025

(This first published on January 30, 2020.)

Have you ever paused to consider where you might be now if not for God’s intervention? I need to do this regularly, otherwise I become complacent, prideful, and entitled. I begin to focus on minor inconveniences—a traffic jam that makes me late for a meeting, or an unexpected bill that eats my coffee fund—rather than Christ and eternity.

Worse, I forget to listen and I resist surrender. I deceive myself into thinking I have all the answers, that I alone hold the outcome of my future. And with every forgetful step, my pride rises up, urging me to follow the god of self.

I know that god well, and I know precisely where she leads. Her progression from selfishness to isolation and broken relationships. Uncontrolled finances. Unresolved hurts and unchecked faulty perceptions. Lord, help me remember those dark, confused places and every battle You won on my behalf.

Perhaps that’s why Scripture often encourages us to remember and warns us not to forget.

In Deuteronomy 6:12 the Israelites were told to “take care lest you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” In Psalm 78, we learn the people rebelled because “They forgot what [God] had done, the wonders He had shown them” (NIV). But perhaps most powerfully are Christ’s words, spoken the night before He died, when taking the bread and the wine: “Do this in remembrance of Me” Luke 22:19 (NIV).

Because in the remembering:

I find courage to relinquish my grip, knowing I’ll always land firmly in my Savior’s hands. He’s proven Himself faithful again and again. He’s demonstrated, through my blunders and moments of surrender that His knowledge greatly exceeds mine and His ways truly are best.

I find strength to keep moving, regardless of how steep the climb. Why? Because God’s helped me conquer similar, perhaps even rockier, terrain before, and the strenuous hike always pales compared to the beauty experienced upon the mountain’s peak.

I gain peace as I contemplate God’s steadfast presence and all the years and days and hours that He faithfully walked beside me. I couldn’t always hear Him, and there were times I couldn’t feel Him, and yet, He was there. Always, just as He promised. And also, just as He promised, He will be with me now, today, and tomorrow, and forever more.

Through remembering, praise and strength fill my heart and soul, and the joy of Christ floods my being.

And so I wonder, why don’t I practice this discipline more?

Sometimes my prayers turn perfunctory. I go through my list and often repeat the same requests day after day. While there’s nothing wrong with asking for God’s help—in fact, He bids us to lay all our concerns before Him– I long for more.

Throughout my daughter’s life, she’s asked for many things, and rightly so. We fed her, clothed her, purchased gifts and paid for experiences with us and her friends. When she’s concerned, hurting, or frightened, I hope her father and I are the first people she comes to. I hope she knows we’ll always draw her close and will never turn her away.

But when she simply comes, to connect and spend time with me—those moments are priceless.

Scripture suggests God feels the same way about us. When we pause to reflect, to remember, who He is and what He’s done. When we really take time to sit in those memories, to let them bolster our hearts and our souls.

What are some ways you pause to remember? How do you make those moments times of intimacy between you and your Savior? What are some ways you keep your prayer life fresh and vibrant? Share your thoughts and ideas with us in the comments below. And make sure to connect with Jennifer Slattery on Facebook and Instagram.

Additional resources:

What Does the Bible Say About Remembering on Open Bible

Remembering Then But Now on Bible.org

A Holy Reminder by Jana Kelley

Remembering God’s Blessings by Dr. Charles Stanley