Day 2 

If you’ve been dealing with sadness for a while, maybe your hope is flagging. Grief can be so overwhelming that it blocks out our future. It’s hard to have hope while you’re sad.

Pray

Creator God, you made me to have joy. Joy seems far off right now. Please give me your hope.

Read

God has just delivered the psalmist from danger, so he’s rejoicing. It’s not that he thinks that he is clear of trouble from now on. But he exults in what he has just learned about God.  

Psalm 34:17-18

Reflect

What is your first thought when you wake up? Is it a wish for different circumstances? A desperate cry of “I can’t handle any more of this”? Our troubles threaten to undo us. We want a way out, but it’s hard to believe that things will change. These moments don’t surprise God. In fact, it’s especially in these times that God shows us most clearly who he is.

Respond

You might not know when your grief is going to end, or if your circumstances will change. But you can trust that God hears you, is near to you, and will take care of you. In the midst of sadness, we can hold on to this confident hope in God.