These reflections and Bible reading notes from Our Daily Bread are designed to bring comfort, hope and encouragement to those facing hard times. Each article has been selected to address the worries, heartaches and doubts of life’s most challenging seasons. May they serve as a reminder that the God of all comfort is with you and knows your every need.
Our Daily Bread UK & Europe
Day 1
Scripture: Psalms 23
HOPE IN THE VALLEY
Times of pain and illness show us how vulnerable we are. Our struggles intensify. Strength is lost. Even the most caring friends or loved ones can’t help. Our dependency is bigger than us—but not bigger than God.
Our trouble reveals that He is the very present help we desperately need. He is with you; you are never alone. He walks every path of pain. Our prayer is that these readings and reflections will help you cry out to Your Father and cling to Him in real, daily hope.
Today’s Key Verse: Psalm 23:4: “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
William Carey is known as the “father of modern missions.” But when he first arrived in India in 1792, he was quickly besieged by illness, loneliness and poverty. Then he was deserted by his missionary partner, one of his sons died of dysentery, and his wife’s mental health deteriorated so severely that she threatened him with a knife.
“I am in a strange land with no Christian friend, a large family and nothing to supply their wants,” Carey wrote. “This is indeed the valley of the shadow of death to me.”
Carey’s dark valley was impossible to navigate, humanly speaking. Yet he could write, “But I rejoice that I am here notwithstanding; and God is here.” Carey’s hope echoed David’s when he composed Psalm 23: “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.”
Hope in life’s valley is found in the Shepherd who walks through them with us. He promises that whatever valley we’re facing, it will come to an end; one day we will finally sit at the table He has prepared for us in his home.
If you’re walking through a valley today, you can get a sense of that glorious future as you draw close to your Shepherd, the source of all reassurance. Seasons of darkness can become seasons of hope when we affirm, “You are with me.”
— Chris Wale
Prayer:
Good Shepherd, I thank You that You are with me. No matter what I face or go through, You will walk each step and each moment with me. Amen
Day 2
Scripture: Genesis 21:9-19
ALL ALONE?
Today’s Key Verse: Genesis 21:17: “God heard the boy crying.”
Sue’s family was falling apart before her eyes. Her husband had suddenly left their home, and she and her children were confused and angry. She asked him to go for marriage counseling with her, but he wouldn’t because he claimed the problems were hers. Panic and hopelessness set in when she realised he might never come back. Would she be able to care for herself and her children alone?
Hagar, a servant of Abraham and Sarah, faced those thoughts as well. Impatient for God to give them a son as promised, Sarah gave Hagar to her husband, and Hagar gave birth to Ishmael. However, when God fulfilled His promise and Sarah gave birth to Isaac, family tensions erupted and Abraham sent Hagar away with their son Ishmael with just some water and food. Can you imagine her desperation? Soon they ran out of provisions in the desert. Not knowing what to do and not wanting to see her son die, Hagar put Ishmael under a bush and walked a distance away. They both began to sob. But “God heard the boy crying.” He heard their cries, provided for their needs and was with them.
Times of desperation when we feel all alone cause us to cry out to God. What a comfort to know that during those moments and throughout our lives, He hears us, provides for us and stays near to us.
— Anne Cetas
Prayer:
I’m grateful, God, that I never really walk alone. Help me in my desperation. Amen
Day 3
Scripture: Habakkuk 3:11-19
HOPE THAT HOLDS
Today’s Key Verse: Habakkuk 3:18: “I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Saviour.”
“I know Daddy’s coming home because he sent me flowers.” Those were my seven-year-old sister’s words to our mother when Dad was missing in action during wartime. Before Dad left for his mission, he pre-ordered flowers for my sister’s birthday, and they arrived while he was missing. But she was right: Dad did come home—after a harrowing combat situation. And decades later she still keeps the vase that held the flowers as a reminder to always hold on to hope.
Sometimes holding on to hope isn’t easy in a broken, sinful world. Daddies don’t always come home, and children’s wishes sometimes go unfulfilled. But God gives hope in the most difficult circumstances. In another time of war, the prophet Habakkuk predicted the Babylonian invasion of Judah, but still affirmed that God is always good. Remembering God’s kindness to His people in the past, Habakkuk proclaimed: “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Saviour.”
Some commentators believe Habakkuk’s name means “to cling.” We can cling to God as our ultimate hope and joy even in trials because He holds on to us and will never let go.
— James Banks
Prayer:
Father, thank You that come what may, my future is safe with You. Amen
Day 4
Scripture: Judges 7:1-9
STRENGTH IN WEAKNESS
Today’s Key Verse: Judges 7:2: “The Lord said to Gideon, ‘You have too many men’.”
When my son was nearly three, I needed an operation that would require a month or more of recovery. Prior to the procedure, I imagined myself in bed while stacks of dirty dishes accumulated in the sink. I wasn’t sure how I’d take care of an active toddler and couldn’t picture myself standing in front of the stove to cook our meals. I dreaded the impact my weakness would have on the rhythm of our lives.
God intentionally weakened Gideon’s forces before his troops confronted the Midianites. Firstly, those who were afraid were allowed to leave—twenty-two thousand men went home. Then, of the ten thousand who remained, only those who scooped water into their hands to drink could stay. Just three hundred men were left, but this disadvantage prevented the Israelites from relying on themselves. They couldn’t say, “My own strength has saved me.”
Many of us experience times when we feel drained and powerless. When this happened to me, I realized how much I needed God. He encouraged me inwardly through His Spirit and outwardly through the helpfulness of friends and family. I had to let go of my independence for a while, but this taught me how to lean more fully on God. Because “[His] power is made perfect in weakness,” we can have hope when we can’t meet our needs on our own.
— Jennifer Benson Schuldt
Prayer:
Dear God, help me to depend on You more and more each day. Amen
Day 5
Scripture: Isaiah 43:1-4
FEAR NOT
Today’s Key Verse: Isaiah 43:1: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.”
My wife became seriously ill during her pregnancy with our second child. As the doctors struggled to find the problem, she continued to grow weaker—dangerously so.
Watching her suffer was a helpless and horrible feeling for me, and there were days when it felt as if God were not hearing our prayers. One Sunday, while I was looking for comfort from Scripture, my eyes landed on the first verse in Isaiah 43.
“Do not fear” it begins; and ends with “you are mine.” Instantly, the Holy Spirit made the words personal. The intimate way God addresses Israel reminded me of His always-present attention to us too: “When you pass through the waters … through the rivers … through the fire.” Each phrase rose up in crescendo, from the pages to my heart.
Our comfort in that hour came not from promises of healing or miracles, but from knowing we were never alone. We had many other frightening times, including just after Ethan’s birth, when it looked as if both he and Cheryl would be lost. But God had used His words to comfort us and prepare us for those harder moments.
May these words be a reminder to you that you are never alone.
— Randy Kilgore
Prayer:
God of all comfort, thank You for claiming me as Your own. Please be close to me in my trials and give me the reassurance of Your love and faithfulness. Amen
Day 6
Scripture: 2 Corinthians 12:7-10
SUFFICIENT GRACE
Today’s Key Verse: 2 Corinthians 12:9: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
My friend Martha and I were flying overseas on a missions trip. But my stress was eating me up. My husband and I had five days to figure something out before our family became homeless. Knowing my situation, Martha asked me, “What’s the absolute worst thing that could happen?”
I described the most disturbing and preposterous scenario I could envision. Her next question rocked my world: “And do you believe God could give you the grace for that?”
Martha’s questions forced me to acknowledge a life-changing truth. Even if the worst happened, God would be right with me and my family to provide all we would need to persevere.
When Paul had an insurmountable problem, he asked God to remove it. Instead, God replied, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Our hope is not in quick fixes or things ‘somehow’ working out. Rather, our hope is in the sufficiency of God’s grace to hold and strengthen us through even the worst times.
Paul went so far as to say he delighted in difficulties giving him another chance to rely on God’s strength (v. 10). While I didn’t delight in my fears, I did draw courage knowing that God’s grace would be sufficient, no matter what I returned home to.
His grace is still sufficient. Seek the strength and courage you need from Him today.
— Debbi Fralick
Prayer:
Father, You know the fear that grips my heart. Help me to take hold of Your promise of grace. You will provide what I need to endure. Amen
Day 7
Scriptures: Psalms 31:1-4, Psalms 31:9-24
SECURE IN GOD’S HANDS
Today’s Key Verse: Psalm 31:14-15: “But I trust in you, Lord; … My times are in your hands.”
It was the last thing Monica expected after thirty-three years of marriage. Her husband announced he was leaving. This threatened her home, her income, her future pension and, not least, the companionship of the man she loved. His rejection sowed feelings of deep inadequacy. Devastated, she feared the loss of friends, and her new identity as a divorcee filled her with shame.
For hours Monica sat with God as her world caved in, overwhelmed by grief and stress. But God’s Word still held true. He still had a plan for her. She was not in her husband’s hands. Her changing times were in God’s hands. She could trust Him for help, comfort and provision, just like David had done in Psalm 31.
David felt hunted, rejected and isolated by the threats against him. In “soul and body” he was utterly drained by his distress. But his hope was in God: his “refuge” of righteousness, deliverance and guidance. David could trust in God, despite his circumstances, because he believed his times were in God’s hands.
“How abundant are the good things that [God] has stored up” for us. As we wait for the fulfillment, we can take refuge “in the shelter of [His] presence.” And as we affirm who God is, we are strengthened and encouraged for whatever we may face.
— Anne Le Tissier
Prayer:
Father, I choose to believe your promises as a reality to grasp hold of. Thank You for reassuring me that my life is in no other hands but Yours. Amen