Festival in the Desert: 7 Days of Hope in the Hard Times

Scriptures: Psalms 139:7-10, 1 Kings 19:3-8

Never Alone, Never Hidden

“God, please, please help me,” I stammered repeatedly as I paced through the narrow walkway between my bed and the closet of my room, the walls feeling like they were closing in around me. It was happening again. The panic attacks were becoming more and more frequent and came without warning. As my vision blurred and my body set to shaking, I found safety under the heavy quilt resting on my bed. Its weight settled on me as I lay there, fully covered and hidden from the world. 

I had wandered to Ohio in the dead of winter in hopes of pursuing a relationship with a man who wanted to marry me during the peak of a season of depression and anxiety. In truth, I was initially convinced this could be my happily ever after. It wasn’t until I had given my “yes” to moving and had already driven a moving truck further east that I realized I wasn’t sure he was the one for me. I ignored my gut, blamed any hesitation on fear, and took the risk. 

I hoped to remedy the brokenness I was feeling inside through external modifications. I thought it would fix the brokenness my heart carried from the rejection of the previous relationship, the loss of my grandmother, and the complete loneliness that plagued me constantly. I thought it would somehow prove that I was over all of the pain and had moved on. 

However, the more I aimed to find solutions in my own strength, the further into my personal wilderness I wandered, scared, lonely, and confused. I wanted to be excited, but instead, the only thing I felt was disappointment with myself for all the ways I felt like I was failing in my attempts at trying to be happy again. 

As I hid from the shame of my weakness and the tasks of my day begging to be completed under the covers in the guest bedroom of my new friend’s home, I wept bitterly. My thoughts raced to and fro, assaulting my logic as I began to wonder why God had abandoned me, all the while begging Him to come and rescue me from the mess I found myself in. 

Within a matter of minutes, His Presence met me in that place. A calm washed over me and demanded the insanity to cease as I felt the Holy Spirit whisper, “I am not in the wind.” In His sheer Goodness, He spoke the phrase that He knew would hit home and settle my anxious heart. 

My internal life had felt noisy and chaotic. “Windy” was what I kept calling it as if I had gotten sucked into a wind tunnel with no sense of direction or clarity. I just needed Him to let me know that He was with me, that He could handle the madness I was contending with, and that even though I had ventured out to Ohio and felt isolated and alone like my life was a complete mess, He hadn’t taken His Eyes, or His Hand off me. 

That one sentence assured me that there was no single place I could go where He couldn’t reach or save me. It called me out from the blanket cave I ran and hid in and to His Word so that He could remind me again of how deeply He loves me and how, if I come to Him and if I cry out to Him and seek Him, He is Mighty to save. 

Maybe you have felt like this too, wounded from rejection or still reeling from a breakup, and you’ve attempted to remedy it on your own by seeking out the next relationship too soon. Or maybe you’re wrestling with grief from losing a loved one, or you’re dealing with sickness and feeling alone in your pain. The list could go on, but if there is one thing I know with full certainty, it’s this: He will never leave or forsake us, friend. 

There is no single place you can go where His Presence can’t find you. In the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, He is there, and even in the moments of fear, anxiety, and uncertainty, He will take you by the hand and lead you. 

Power Verse: Psalm 139:7-10 

“Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there, your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.” 

Power Thought: Even in the desert seasons, God’s Presence surrounds us. He never leaves us, guiding us through every challenge. 

Reasons to Rejoice: The assurance that we’re never alone, no matter how barren the season may seem, can bring comfort and hope. We can call out to Him and trust that He is Mighty to save us from all our troubles! 

Prayer Prompt: “Dear God, help me to recognize Your Presence even in the most challenging seasons of my life. May I find comfort in knowing that You are always with me.” 

Opportunity for Reflection: Have you experienced God’s Presence during a difficult time? If so, can you write out that memory and ask God to remind you of His peace? Or do you feel an absence of His Presence? If so, can you identify anything in your heart possibly keeping you from experiencing His Peace, like worry, disappointment, unbelief, or even grief, and ask Him to help you encounter Him?

Scriptures: James 1:2-4, Romans 5:3-5

Growing Through Trials

“Just put it on my tab, God,” I thought as I slumped onto the dirty curb in my neighborhood and took a seat next to my dog. Hot tears rolled off my cheeks, leaving me looking like the captain of the Hot Mess Express as people strolled past me on the busy street. 

I was wrestling with another rejection. A friend decidedly ended their friendship with me via text during what already felt like the complete demolition of my community after a devastating breakup. It wasn’t just the text or the fact that someone was walking away when I wanted and needed people the most; it was that this was yet another blow to add to the growing list of pain in my life, and I was already down for the count and ready to give up. 

My grandmother’s voice echoed, “When it rains, it pours, baby doll.” But even though I could hear it in a sweet tone, it didn’t offer comfort. It made me angry. It made me resentful of all the challenges I was facing. It made me want to quit on everyone and everything. Have you ever felt this? 

It wouldn’t be until almost a year later that I would fully have a perspective shift on how I viewed all my suffering. I eventually discovered that it wasn’t that God was purposely inflicting pain and somehow forcing me to feel rejected and abandoned, but rather, He was in the process of reordering the steps of my life and meticulously positioning me to receive the “new” while allowing the old to be removed. He was also allowing old wounds from my past to bubble to the surface so that He could finally bring true healing through understanding, forgiveness, and surrender. 

He was training me in perseverance and teaching me that, just like with Jesus and the many other characters in Scripture, trials, persecution, rejection, and hardship are something that we can expect. But, when viewed through the lens of faith, we can see that God is always working things out for our good and His Glory. I look back on that moment now and think about how my life has changed and how I’ve grown in character, wisdom, understanding, capacity, compassion, empathy, and Grace. 

Suffering can be a beautiful tool that breaks open our ability to love when we let God hold our hearts and keep us from bitterness. We can choose to press into the pain and ask God to use it to make us more like Christ, surrendering our need to be right or even our desire to retaliate and choosing to let vengeance be His and His alone. It’s this type of radical trust that empowers us to keep going even when we face trials and persecution. This level of surrender allows us to keep loving, hoping, and forgiving. 

Time and time again, I’ve watched Him carry me through trial after trial, and with each new test, I find that I encounter His Love and Faithfulness in deeper and more beautiful ways. In these moments, I am reminded that man’s rejection is God’s redirection, and it offers a soothing balm to the wounds of my heart, a resurgence of faith, and a more complete sense of God’s ability to be my Everything. Guess what? He wants to carry you through it all, too. 

Power Verse: James 1:2-4 

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” 

Power Thought: Trials refine our faith and character, leading to growth and maturity. 

Reasons to Rejoice: Each trial allows God to work in us and shape us into His Image. When we surrender the pain to Him and seek wisdom, He can bring fresh revelation and perspective that leads to our good in the long run. 

Prayer Prompt: “Heavenly Father, help me to see trials as opportunities for growth. Grant me the strength to endure and the wisdom to learn from each challenge.” 

Opportunity for Reflection: How has your faith strengthened through challenges?

Scriptures: Habakkuk 3:17-18, Philippians 4:4, Romans 12:12

Joy on Purpose 

The phone call ended with a deep sigh and, if I’m being honest, some tears. For the first time, I was being let go from my job. This wasn’t the type of conversation I wanted, obviously, but it was the one that needed to be had. It’s funny that I felt sad, relieved, worried, scared, excited, and hopeful all at the same time. I know that’s a lot of emotion! 

While it was something that I felt the Lord was going to do eventually by calling me out of my job, I didn’t think it would happen so quickly or not on my terms. Hence, the fear and even the sense of rejection that came with the “click” as my boss hung up. I found myself, for a moment, in a panic. I had just moved to a new city, was only on a sublease for a few months, and would need the income to find a new place to move again soon, and no idea what kind of job to start looking for. I was in the middle of a transition with yet another curveball coming my way. 

Now, after years of these types of shifts happening in my life, I knew that it would require trust in God to provide. I could’ve shut down and let myself wallow into a pint of butter pecan ice cream while binging Netflix for the next couple of days. Still, within the hour, I found myself walking through my new neighborhood, thanking God in advance for coming through and looking for opportunities to dream of the possibilities. I have walked through enough storms to learn that it always works out. Maybe not in the exact time frame I would like or feel most comfortable with, but always at the perfect time. 

I called up some friends who prayed with me, offered reinforcement of faith, and encouraged me to choose joy despite my current circumstances. I remembered that God is not caught off guard or surprised when life hits us smack in the forehead. He doesn’t panic or start figuring out how to ration out His blessings to His children because of a poverty mindset. We tend to be the only ones who do that. 

Our God can meet all our needs and then some, and if I can anchor myself in that truth no matter what comes my way, it makes me less shakable. When I brought Him my panic and fear that evening, He provided peace and reminded me of all the times He came through in the past. 

A few nights later, I had a dream where my boss came to me and apologized for letting me go. He said he wanted to keep me and potentially find a new role in his company or at least help me find something full-time. It was so vivid and clear that I woke up thinking I was sitting with my boss in real life. I held on to it and surrendered to the Lord, asking His Will to be done. 

Over the next couple of weeks, every job I applied for came to nothing. Just as discouragement was about to set in, during one of my last team meetings, my boss asked me to stay on the Zoom call after everyone else hopped off. As soon as he began to speak, the Lord reminded me of my dream. Every detail of the dream, right down to the words and the exact outfit my boss was wearing, matched what God had already shown me weeks prior in my sleep. 

I laughed in front of my boss, sitting in awe of God. It was apparent that God had been speaking to him as well, and before I knew it, I was being referred to a big client my boss had just signed a deal with to work for them. God did a miracle, and He was gracious enough to give me insight into what He would do. 

Watching God move on my behalf reassured me yet again that in every trial, I always find myself gently held in the Arms of my God, who can save me. That in and of itself is worth having joy over. If you find yourself on the other end of some difficult news, facing a hardship, or maybe a little shaken, know that God can give you the Grace and Peace to keep going and see you through it. 

May this truth spark the joy that will offer you the strength to persevere. Ask Him for clarity. Ask Him to direct your steps and give you peace as you lean into His Power. Thank Him in advance, and refuse to give up your joy. Maybe, like me, He will give you a dream to cling to in faith or a word from a friend. No matter what, we can trust Him to make a way. 

Power Verse: Habakkuk 3:17-18 

“Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.” 

Power Thought: Joy isn’t dependent on circumstances; it’s rooted in our relationship with God. 

Reasons to Rejoice: Even in the midst of hardship, we can find joy in God’s Presence and Salvation. 

Prayer Prompt: “Dear God, teach me to find joy in You even when life seems barren. Teach me to press into Your Peace when life seems confusing or my situation is creating anxiety. May my joy be rooted in the assurance of Your Salvation, knowing and believing that you have me.” 

Opportunity for Reflection: How can you cultivate joy in your life that transcends difficult situations purposely?

Scriptures: Galatians 6:2

Find Your Tribe

“I have a remnant waiting for you.” This was the Word I got from the Holy Spirit when praying about moving back to LA from Ohio. It was at the height of my emotional and mental struggle when my anxiety was at an all-time high, and all I wanted was to feel like I was “home.”I realized that during my season of difficulty, I wrestled immensely with this deep loneliness. I missed my people, my tribe, my family. I missed feeling like I truly belonged. The worse the loneliness got, the more isolated I became. 

My burdens felt too heavy to share with anyone. After losing many people at the onset of my grief and journey into the metaphorical wilderness, I feared that if I showed up too messy with someone new, it would ruin my chances of being accepted at all. So, I smiled and tried to push past the pain. 

God knew better, though. He knew I was faking it until I hoped to say I was making it. In His Goodness, He brought the right people around me to hold me and carry me until it was time for me to head back west and experience greater healing. As I wrestled with the Lord and tried to talk myself out of breaking up with my boyfriend and moving yet again from mere fear of the unknown, I remember saying, “Why does it matter, God?! Won’t I find myself alone? What about the people that I lost? What’s the point in continuing to try and go back?!” 

I lamented how big of a failure I felt like. His remedy was to remind me that He had people waiting there for me, people worth doing the scary thing with of trusting Him and stepping out in faith yet again. So, I did. 

Each step I took in faith opened opportunities to connect with just the right people at the perfect time until God started leading me to a new group of people from all over, who became my new prayer partners and spiritual armor bearers. He started showing me more of His Heart for me by providing people who loved me in my mess, met me where I was, and then called me higher into God’s Love and Purpose. It made me even more aware of the people in my life and urged me on in intentionality, which I think can get lost when we are in pain. Suffering can often blind us to the cares, concerns, and even the blessings of others. 

Pursuing community and friendship broke open healing in my life and my faith. It made me want to start showing up again. We are not meant to do life alone. As relational beings created by a Triune God, we are hardwired for connection. While relationships are often where our biggest hurts can come from, they are also where our greatest healing and breakthrough happen. God wants to point us to those He has anointed to walk with us through the desert seasons, and we can trust that His Love will guide and bring us our tribe. 

Power Verse: Galatians 6:2 

“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” 

Power Thought: We are made for relationship. Community provides support and strength during challenging times. 

Reasons to Rejoice: God has placed people in our lives to walk us through our wilderness seasons. Who can we lean on, pray with/for, and express gratitude for? 

Prayer Prompt: Heavenly Father, work in my heart and help me to love those You have called into my life. Please give me the Grace to release and forgive those you have removed. Help me to live my life as a representative of Heaven with the Love of Christ. Teach me how to steward well those You have entrusted to me while helping me heal from relational hurt so that I don’t hurt others. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. 

Opportunity for Reflection: Who can you lean on for support during tough times? How can you intentionally choose to honor them and show them your gratitude?

Scriptures: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, Psalms 100:2-4, Hebrews 12:28-29, Psalms 37:4

Worship is a Weapon

It has been scientifically proven that gratitude has incredibly positive effects on your brain and overall health. These benefits include better immunity, improved sleep, reduced stress and anxiety, and chronic pain and disease. When I was in some of my lowest moments, I remembered the Psalms and began to study them and see how David was able to pour out His heart before God, both in the depths of his despair and in the moments of incredible joy. 

I realized that even when David cried out with sorrowful words and prayers, he always followed up with worship and praise. Reading chapter after chapter, verse after verse, I came to the very big revelation that God isn’t afraid of our emotions. He is big enough to handle all of them, and because He can handle them all, He is worthy of all the worship and praise. 

I had to commit to being like David, praising and worshipping God in all circumstances. It’s not only a command in Scripture but one of the most powerful choices we can make as followers of Christ. Why? Because we are choosing to keep King Jesus on the throne of our hearts, no matter what circumstance we face. This is not only His Will but also the way in which we experience His Grace, Mercy, Miracles, and Peace that surpasses our understanding. 

Our circumstances don’t change who God is or what He’s done in sending Jesus to Pay it All. Our circumstances don’t rewrite the Character of God as All-Loving, All-Powerful, fully Sovereign, completely Holy, and Worthy of our praise. Just because something is presented as fact doesn’t mean it’s the ultimate truth. David knew this. He understood that every circumstance he faced would have to bend to the Authority of God and His Perfect Will. This made him a man after God’s own Heart. 

One of the ways God began to break me free from depression and anxiety was to call me to praise and worship. To lift my eyes off my problems, the pains, the trials and fix them on Jesus. To begin to choose to cast my cares on Him and take on His burden and yoke. I could take my joy back by thanking Him for everything I DID have, not constantly reminding Him of everything I didn’t. 

My circumstances didn’t change immediately, but I began to. I began to have more hope, expectancy, and even trust. I declared that my situation was different and started speaking God’s Truth, His Scripture, over myself and proclaimed His Goodness. I was beginning to wage war through my worship and let God fight my battles for me. My battle cry against the many things weighing on me was my praise, and the more I chose this posture of worship, praise, and reverential awe, the more I began to see God’s Sovereign Hand at work in my life. 

Let your worship be a weapon and your praise a battle cry in this season, and watch God move mountains and slay giants for you. 

Power Verse: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 

Power Thought: Worship is a powerful way to connect with God, regardless of our circumstances. It places Him on the Throne above our worries and allows us to exchange our anxiety for His Peace and our striving for His Power. 

Reasons to Rejoice: Our worship can transform our perspective and draw us closer to God. 

Prayer Prompt: Father, thank You for allowing me to worship You and have access to Your Throne. May I learn to be a worshipper more than a worrier and to trust You in every circumstance as I look to You as my True Source of joy, strength, peace, and safety. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. 

Opportunity for Reflection: How can you incorporate worship into your daily life, even during challenging times?

Scriptures: Ecclesiastes 3:11

The Beauty of God’s Timing

I had gotten the news that I would be furloughed from the first full-time job I had secured in years. This job was the answer to countless prayers for provision and an end to stringing multiple part-time gigs together to make ends meet. Unfortunately, no one knew we would enter a pandemic that would shut the world down. My role was not really one that could be readily transitioned to remote, so furlough it was. I knew that God could redeem the time and that He would provide it since I had already been about three years into my desert season. I figured that since He had been with me this far, He wasn’t about to leave me hanging. 

In an act of faith, I asked God what to do with my time at home since I would be home and needed to keep busy. His answer was short and simple: “Write your book.” Putting my unemployment funds to use, I hired a business/life coach and set out to do just that. Looking back, I realize that the timeline of everything that happened was miraculous. 

The entire book was written in 3 months, and the entire project was officially handed off to publishers with edits included right in time for my company to call and offer me my job back. The months of staying at home with ample time to finally process all my emotions and clear through trauma became a transformational healing process I sat at my laptop daily, allowing God to pour out the words of the book for me and teach me in the process. I was finally in a place where I could sit and be still enough to let Him minister to me. 

Without running a million miles per hour, juggling multiple jobs, constantly stressing about money, and harboring the pain from the years prior that I kept shoving aside, I sat and wrote and let Him speak. He gave me timelines and dates to complete things and met me with each deadline and typed sentence. 

I didn’t understand then that this intimate process of co-laboring with God was laying the track to my healing, breakthrough, and ministry. Being furloughed served as a divine opportunity to get focused and still before the Lord. From that, the pain and sorrow that I wailed my way through over several years got transcribed into a book that is offering hope and healing to countless readers. It has opened the doors to speaking engagements where I can share the testimony of God’s Hand over me as I went through my desert season, proving that even the darkest moments can be used by Him to bring Light to the world. 

He made my mess, my message for His Glory. It took 3 years, 3 moves, 2 deaths, a couple of heartbreaks, 1 job loss, a pandemic, and an entire written book for me to start to see the redemption plan He had in store for my sorrow. It may take time, but His Process is Perfect, and so is His Timing. 

Keep trusting; it will be worth it. If we ask for Eyes to See Him in each moment and for Wisdom on how to steward the time He gives us, He is Faithful to show us and guide us. May you find encouragement to keep pressing in. Allow Him to direct your steps as you are in the waiting, trusting that this testing period may be the setup for a great testimony of God’s Goodness that will impact others for His Glory. 

Power Verse: Ecclesiastes 3:11 

“He has made everything beautiful in its time.” 

Power Thought: God’s Timing is Perfect, and He brings Beauty out of every season, including the wilderness. 

Reasons to Rejoice: God is at work even in the waiting, preparing something beautiful. 

Prayer Prompt: Heavenly Father, thank You that You are Perfect in all Your Ways. In my waiting and seasons of seeming wandering, You are still on the Throne and in full control of everything concerning me. Help me to rest in Your Presence and cultivate patience in the seasons of waiting so that I do not grow weary in doing good but rather learn to draw from Your Strength and be equipped for every good work. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. 

Opportunity for Reflection: How have you seen God’s Timing bring Beauty into difficult seasons? How can you use recounting to encourage your faith in the waiting?

Scriptures: Romans 12:12, Psalms 16:11

Coffee Dates with Jesus

One of my favorite things is sitting across from a Sister in Christ in a cute coffee shop with a cup of coffee between my palms and talking about life, God, faith, trials, joys, dreams, and everything. This is one of my favorite things because A) I love good quality time and conversation, B) Coffee, I LOVE coffee, and C) I love learning about their journey and walking with the Lord. I love hearing the things He’s walked them through and getting a front-row seat to the glorious tapestry known as their lives that He is weaving. Time and time again, I find myself in awe of the beauty of how intricately God has made each of us as I sit and swap testimonies, stories, laughter, and, almost always, tears. 

I find that one of the reasons these moments are so dear to me comes from all the times that I have had a mentor, friend, or family member offer the space for me to fully be myself and share my heart. It sparked my passion to offer the same haven for others and even provide a place to refocus our eyes on God; to spark that ember of hope when weariness has started creeping in. 

With each new dialogue, I am reminded of the Love of the Father and leave with a better understanding of His Heart and that I am not alone. I am inspired each time I see the tears start to fade and the glimmer of hope, the twinkle, reemerge in the eyes of the daughter of God sitting across from me. I feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the time well spent. It is as if, for a moment, God has blessed us with the gift of being seen, heard, and loved and reminded us of how valuable a relationship is to Him. These beautiful and intentional moments breathe fresh air into our lungs when we need it most. 

I like to think that this is how God desires to meet with us in our time reading the Word and through prayer. It points me back to the Power of the Cross and Jesus’ Finished Work, allowing us access to the Father Himself. We get to commune with the very Creator of the Universe, the Author and Perfector of our faith, our Savior, our Redeemer, the very Lover of our souls, just like we would our dearest friends for a much-needed coffee date. This is astounding to me. I believe that when we understand more fully the Gift that Christ has given us through Reconciliation, we have more joy and hope no matter what may be happening around us. 

I imagine Jesus smiling after we’ve spent time with Him, talking about everything, and allowing His Grace, Love, and Kindness to reach us so that the twinkle returns to our eyes even after the tears. We can show up messy and leave empowered. We can come in discouraged and leave inspired. 

Jesus is the Ultimate Hope Dealer. He made it possible for us never to be separate from the Father and has given us a future filled with hope that we can rejoice over, even in this world with its pain and sorrow. He made way for us for the Greatest Problem we would ever face for all Eternity, and we can trust that He is more than capable of making way for us in every trial we will face here on Earth. What’s so incredibly beautiful about it all is He wants to sit with you and show you how. 

Power Verses: Romans 12:12 

“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” 

Psalm 16:11 (NIV): 

“You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” 

Power Thought: Hope anchors us in God’s Promises and sustains us through tribulations. In God’s Presence, we find Lasting Joy, Purpose, and the assurance that He is intimately involved in our lives and weaving a tapestry of Grace, Love, and Redemption. 

Reasons to Rejoice: Our hope is secure in Christ, who gave us a reason to rejoice even in the midst of trials. He made a way for our Salvation and access to the Father. 

Prayer Prompt: Heavenly Father, thank You for the direct access I have to You by the Redeeming and Restorative, Finished Work of Christ on the Cross. Thank You for Your desire to meet with me, be known by me, and let me know You. Draw me close to You and let me yearn for closeness with You as my Best Friend so I may learn from You and be made more like my Savior. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. 

Opportunity for Reflection: Take moments of stillness to meditate on the intricate ways God has worked in your life, recognizing His Presence in every trial, joy, and interaction, and find joy in the knowledge that you are a cherished part of His Divine Plan.