Donna is a wife, mother, grandmother, writer, and Biblical counselor. She has been blogging through the Bible each year since 2012. She loves God's Word and sharing how freeing and practical it is. She is certified through the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors.
Most of us will, at some point, stand beside someone whose world has fallen apart.
A spouse dies. A child walks away from the Lord. A cancer diagnosis changes everything. A job is lost. A dream comes to an end.
In those moments, we desperately want to help. But what do we say? What should we avoid? How can we encourage without unintentionally adding to someone’s pain?
Job’s friends started well. They showed up. They wept with him. They sat quietly.
Then they opened their mouths.
Instead of comforting Job, they became what he later called “miserable comforters.”
Today we’ll learn from their mistakes and discover practical, biblical ways to comfort those who are suffering—with wisdom, compassion, and the comfort we’ve first received from God.
It’s often one of the first questions we ask when life takes a painful turn.
Why this illness? Why did that relationship end? Why is my child struggling? Why did I lose my job? Why now?
God is not threatened by the sincere questions of His hurting children. But like Job, we can cross a line from humbly asking for understanding to demanding that God explain Himself.
Could we be asking the wrong question?
Instead of focusing only on why the trial happened, Scripture encourages us to ask what God wants to reveal, how He wants us to grow, and what a faithful response should look like. And perhaps the most humbling question is not “Why has God allowed this hardship?” but “Why has He shown me such undeserved mercy?”
We’ll also revisit some familiar verses from Romans that are often used in presenting the gospel. Can repeating a “sinner’s prayer” or “asking Jesus into your heart” give someone false assurance? And how can we clearly explain salvation without leading someone to trust in words they repeated rather than in Christ?
We’ve heard a great deal in recent years about contagious diseases and how to protect ourselves from them.
But could we be overlooking another kind of contagion—one that affects the soul?
Sinful attitudes and habits can spread quietly from person to person. We listen to someone’s angry complaints until we become angry too. We hear gossip and soon begin repeating it. We spend time around constant complaining, crude speech, overspending, substance abuse, or entitlement, and gradually those things no longer seem so serious.
Before long, we may begin participating ourselves.
Today’s reading in Proverbs warns us that anger can be learned. But it isn’t the only sin that spreads. We’ll look at five contagious sins, how our relationships and entertainment can expose us to them, and what we can do to guard our hearts without withdrawing from the people who need the gospel.
There will be seasons when life simply doesn’t make sense.
A serious illness. A painful loss. A broken relationship. A child who walks away from the Lord. Someone else’s sin that changes everything—or circumstances we never expected and cannot control.
During those times, we may wonder what God is doing, why He has allowed the pain, and whether we have the strength to keep going.
Job wrestled with those same questions. Though he did not understand his suffering, he held on to one essential truth: he and God were not equals. God’s thoughts and purposes were higher than his own.
So, what can sustain us when life becomes dark and confusing? And if things are going well today, how can we prepare before the next storm arrives?
Today we’ll look at three biblical practices that can strengthen us for difficult seasons and help us respond in ways that honor God rather than make our suffering worse.
Sometimes we suffer because someone else sinned against us. Sometimes hardship comes through persecution, sickness, loss, or simply living in a fallen world. We should never assume we know why another person is suffering or carelessly accuse them of causing it.
But there is a question we should be willing to ask about our own suffering:
Could my response be making it worse?
We may have been genuinely wronged, yet respond with bitterness, sinful anger, revenge, withdrawal, substance abuse, sexual sin, or other destructive choices. The original hurt may not have been our fault, but our responses can add another layer of pain.
Today we’ll look at three heart-probing questions that can help us identify whether sin is complicating our suffering. We’ll also consider the important ministry God has given older believers and ask what truly makes someone a child of God.
It’s one of the most important questions a believer can ask. If our eternal destiny depends on our ability to hold on to God, we can never have real peace. But if our salvation rests securely in Christ and His finished work on the cross, it changes everything about the way we live.
Today we’ll look at one of the most hope-filled chapters in all of Scripture—Romans 8—and discover why believers can have genuine assurance, what “biblical hope” really means, and why nothing can separate God’s children from His love. We’ll also consider what our other readings teach us about suffering, generosity, and true worship.
Sometimes it draws us closer to God. Other times, it tempts us to question His goodness, doubt His love, or even pull away from Him altogether.
Why does suffering have such different effects on people?
The answer often comes down to one thing: what we believe about God.
When life falls apart, our view of God’s character becomes the foundation beneath our feet—or the weakness that causes us to stumble.
Today we’ll continue through the book of Job and discover why knowing God’s goodness, holiness, mercy, and sovereignty enables us to trust Him even when we don’t understand His ways. We’ll also discuss one of the Bible’s most misunderstood parenting passages and one of the most freeing promises ever written.
Spiritual battles are raging all around us—but many of us enter them unprepared.
We see attacks on marriage, family, truth, work, authority, and love for one another. Fear, division, confusion, and discouragement seem to be increasing everywhere. Yet Scripture reminds us that our greatest enemy is not merely cultural, political, or human.
There is a spiritual battle behind what we see.
But there are also battles within us—the struggle between the flesh and the spirit, the fears that keep us from obeying God, and the temptations that threaten to draw us away from Him.
So how do we prepare?
The book of Job takes us behind the scenes and reminds us that Satan may be God’s adversary, but he is never God’s equal. Romans 7 reveals the painful struggle with indwelling sin. And throughout Scripture, we see how God prepared ordinary men and women for extraordinary battles.
Today we’ll discover why spiritual preparation begins long before the crisis arrives—and how time with God, knowledge of His Word, humble obedience, and reliance on His strength can prepare us to stand firm.
If God forgives every sin, why bother obeying Him?
It’s a question many people don’t ask out loud—but many live as though they believe it. After all, our culture says happiness matters more than holiness, and sadly, many who claim to follow Christ have adopted the same mindset.
So does it really matter how we live?
Does God simply want us to try our best? Are the commands in Scripture merely good suggestions? Or does how we live our lives, daily, in the small things reveal something far deeper about our relationship with Christ?
Today we’ll wrestle with one of the most important questions every believer—and every professing Christian—must answer. Romans 6 explains why grace never becomes an excuse for sin, but instead becomes the greatest motivation for holy living.
Who has the greatest influence on your walk with God?
The people we spend the most time with inevitably shape our attitudes, priorities, and even our relationship with Christ. Some friendships quietly pull us away from God. Others encourage us, challenge us, and help us become more like Him.
Which kind do you have?
Today’s reading in Proverbs paints a beautiful picture of what a truly godly friend looks like—someone with purity of heart and grace-filled lips. Those kinds of friendships are rare… but they are among God’s greatest gifts.
We’ll also discover one of the most comforting truths in all of Scripture from Romans 5: not only are we saved by grace, but we are also kept by grace. That is why we need to remind ourselves of the gospel every single day.
