Monthly Archives: August 2025

Finding God in a Place You Don’t Want to Be

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Have you ever found yourself in a place you don’t want to be? A city you didn’t choose, a home that’s not what you picked out, a future you didn’t plan for?

The Life of Jeremiah

I’m currently working my way through Eugene Peterson’s book, Run With the Horses. It’s a book that studies the life of Jeremiah and how it’s applicable to our life today.

Let me give the setting for the book of Jeremiah. Jeremiah is known as “the weeping prophet” for a reason. Jeremiah warned the Jews of God’s impending judgement that would come in the form of the Babylonian army. In an act of rebellion, the people of God had turned from God and were serving other gods. He warned that God was about to be done with their wickedness, and he was going to use an evil more corrupt people to bring that judgement.

God’s Judgement

Jeremiah lived to see that day–the day Babylon came in and destroyed the city, including the walls of the city, the major buildings, and the temple. For the Jewish people, losing the temple was everything. That was where they met with God and felt HIs presence.

Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, also took away all the leaders and anybody important in the land and made them captives in Babylon. They were exiled in waves over a period of time. Only the poor, a small number, were left in the land. Ironically, Jeremiah wasn’t considered anyone of value and is left in the land after its destruction. Jeremiah is left to see the devastation of his land and the aftermath of the devastation.

Jeremiah’s Message

This was a very bleak time in Israel’s history. The Jews either find themselves in a new place or in a devastated land; either way, it was bad. During this dark time, God gives Jeremiah a message to send to the Jews who are living in Babylon now and unable to come back home.

The people living in captivity in Babylon don’t know the story like we do. They assume they’ll be going home any day, especially when false prophets that were carried away with them tell them it will be over soon. Yet, we know, the captivity is going to last seventy years. The prophets had known and had tried to warn God’s people, but they failed to listen.

God’s Message to Those in Captivity

The message from God that Jeremiah sends to those in captivity is really surprising. This is God’s message that Jeremiah sends to the Jews living in Babylon.

Jeremiah wrote a letter from Jerusalem to the elders, priests, prophets, and all the people who had been exiled to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar.

This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says to all the captives he has exiled to Babylon from Jerusalem: “Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce. Marry and have children. Then find spouses for them so that you may have many grandchildren. Multiply! Do not dwindle away! And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare.”

Jeremiah 29:4-7

This New Place is Home

The message then goes on to say not to listen to the false prophets, that the exile will last seventy years.

 This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let your prophets and fortune-tellers who are with you in the land of Babylon trick you. Do not listen to their dreams, because they are telling you lies in my name. I have not sent them,” says the Lord.

This is what the Lord says: “You will be in Babylon for seventy years. 

Jeremiah 29:8-10

The message tells them that this exile is not going to end quickly. It will last seventy years; that’s an entire lifespan. Many of them would die in the land of Babylon and never again see their homeland. God doesn’t try to hide the truth from them; He tells them exactly what is going to happen.

This message is amazing to me. God tells His people, who are living in a foreign land, that He wants them to establish themselves. Put down roots; plan to stay. They’re told to build homes, plant gardens, get married, have kids and grandkids, and pray for the success of Babylon. If Babylon was successful, they would be blessed as a result.

Losing Everything

Can you imagine how the people felt getting this message from Jeremiah that ultimately came from God? It must have felt like such a slap in the face. Settle here? Make our lives flourish here? Put down roots? Get married and have kids? In this land? It had to seem so countercultural. There was no temple of God here to worship in; there were no prophets telling them how to live.

Eugene Peterson writes about the exile in his book.

They settled down to find out what it meant to be God’s people in the place they did not want to be–Babylon. The result was that this became the most creative period in the entire sweep of Hebrew history. They did not lose their identity; they discovered it. They learned how to pray in deeper and more life-changing ways than ever…The violent dislocation of the exile shook them out of their comfortable but reality-distorting assumptions and allowed them to see depths and heights that they had never even imagined before. They lost everything that that thought was important and found was important: they found God.

Finding God

In the midst of this strange land, they found God. They found the God they had turned their backs on.

Really, God’s message to us today hasn’t changed all that much. This world we live in is not our ultimate home, and yet, we are to live here, build homes, have kids, and live fruitful lives. In the midst of this broken world, we learn what it is to be human–to love, to multiply, to grow gardens and build houses, to marry, have children and watch them grow. This is God’s gift.

Putting Down Roots in This New Place

I don’t know where life has you. Maybe it’s not what you thought it would look like. It could be you’re in a place you don’t want to be, whether that’s figurative or literal. Maybe you never thought you’d still be in this place all these years later.

God’s message today remains the same: Put down roots. Live your life right where you are. Don’t hold out, waiting for the next thing. This right now is your life; make it a good one. Don’t focus on the next house, a better job, a newer car, a different city. This is where God has you right now. Enjoy it. In our vernacular, put paint on the walls and hang up decorations. Plant some flowers; learn your neighbors’ names. Enjoy your job. Raise your kids in love and find joy in your everyday life. This is what it is to be human.

Solomon’s Message

King Solomon, the wisest man that ever lived, understood this principle.

Even so, I have noticed one thing, at least, that is good. It is good for people to eat, drink, and enjoy their work under the sun during the short life God has given them, and to accept their lot in life.  And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life—this is indeed a gift from God. God keeps such people so busy enjoying life that they take no time to brood over the past.

Ecclesiastes 5:18-20

Your life today is a gift from God. Live it to the fullest, honoring God with this precious life He’s given you.

More Encouragement

For more encouragement, check out my post, Choosing to Spend Time Doing What Matters Most.

When You Feel Alone

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One of the biggest lies of the Devil that we fall for is this: Nobody cares. The Devil knows if he can isolate us and make us feel alone, we will be a much easier target to take down. The author of Ecclesiastes reminds us of this in chapter four.

A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.

Ecclesiastes 4:12

Feeling Alone

When we are alone or feel alone, we are much more susceptible and vulnerable to an attack. Once we start feeling alone, we begin to feel helpless and hopeless. We forget that people love us, and we forget that God is with us and we are never alone. We begin to feel the words that David penned when he was hiding in a cave from Saul. He was afraid and running for his life and never felt so alone.


I look for someone to come and help me, but no one gives me a passing thought! No one will help me; no one cares a bit what happens to me.

Psalm 142:4

God’s Presence

And yet, even David didn’t stop there. He continues his thoughts into the next verse. He remembers what the truth is. The truth is that God has promised He will never leave us nor abandon us.

For God has said, “I will never fail you.
    I will never abandon you.”

Hebrews 13:5

So David doesn’t stop with his lament that nobody sees him or cares for him. He follows up with truth. What is the truth? We find it in the next verse he penned.

Then I pray to you, O Lord. I say, “You are my place of refuge. You are all I really want in life.

Psalm 142:5

God Sees You

If you’re going through a difficult time and feel like God has forgotten you, take comfort in these words. Or maybe you, just like David, feel really lonely. Maybe you live in a new place, you’re attending a new church, you’re at home with a newborn…whatever the case may be, don’t listen to the Devils’ lie that no one cares about you. Listen to the truth instead.

God loves you. He sees you. Let Him be your place of refuge.

After you remind yourself that God hasn’t left you, then focus on the other people God has placed in your life. Most of us, if we were truly honest with ourselves, would admit that we aren’t actually alone…though it may feel that way. If you’ve found yourself distant from people and relationships, work on putting into those relationships once again.

Spend Time with People

Go on a date with your spouse. Spend an hour at a coffeeshop with a friend. Have a family member or two over for dessert. Sign up for that group at church you’ve been wanting to check out.

None of us is truly alone; that’s just the lie Satan wants us to believe. Remind yourself today of God’s love and then seek out the companionship of others.

More Encouragement

For more on this topic, check out my post, Friends Wanted: How to Cultivate Friendships in a Lonely World or check out Find Your People by Jennie Allen. Want to do a deep dive on this topic? Check out our Devotional, You Are Not Alone.

H. A. L. T. before Making any Major Decisions

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Have you ever made a bad decision or reacted to something poorly, and you wished you could get a do-over? Usually, it’s the next morning that you realize you overreacted. Or maybe it’s after you finally eat something that the shame and guilt comes.

Jacob and Esau

So often, we get ruled by our baser instincts and end up doing or saying things we wish we hadn’t. We can see this so clearly from the story of Esau. Esau and Jacob were brothers, born to Isaac and Rebekah. Esau was a hunter and man of the field, while Jacob was an indoor man and loved to cook.

One day, Esau comes in from being out in the fields. He smells what Jacob is cooking and begs for a bowl. Jacob, being the manipulator that he was, saw it as an opportunity. He tells Esau that he can only have a bowl of stew if Esau will give him his birthright. The birthright was something very dear in those days. It was a blessing that was given to the firstborn and carried a lot of weight. Jacob uses this opportunity to take Esau’s blessing from him. Look at Esau’s response.

“All right,” Jacob replied, “but trade me your rights as the firstborn son.”

 “Look, I’m dying of starvation!” said Esau. “What good is my birthright to me now?”

Genesis 25:31,32

Esau’s Hunger

Esau gives up his birthright for a bowl of stew. He made a huge mistake, one he would regret for the rest of his life, simply because he was hungry.

We don’t know how long Esau was out in the field. Was it an entire day? Was it longer than a day? We’re not given a timeline. We only know that he shows up exhausted and hungry and ready to eat, and he is willing to give up his future for some food right now.

Learning to HALT

We’re hard on Esau, but how many of us have done something similar? We make a bad decision or blow it and lose our temper, saying things we regret simply because we didn’t get enough sleep or we didn’t eat soon enough. We get wrapped around the axle and make foolish decisions when our base needs are not met. It happens to all of us, and we need to watch out for it.

So how do we keep from blowing it? Learn to H. A. L. T. Don’t make any major decisions and try to avoid arguments when you are hungry, angry, lonely, or tired.

1. Hungry

It makes us sound so childish, but we make lots of mistakes when we’re hungry. We can take care of this in two ways. One, learn not to be controlled by our hungry. Don’t lose your mind when you’re hungry. You will eat again, and you will make it. Second, don’t go too long without eating, especially if you know it makes you on edge.

2. Angry

When you feel angry, that is not the time for a “discussion.” Wait until you cool off. Nothing positive ever comes from confronting a problem or a person when you’re angry. Your emotions are too close to the surface. Go for a walk, go into another room, take a break…whatever you need to do to help release your anger. Only when you’re no longer angry should you go back to addressing the issue at hand.

3. Lonely

This one creeps up on us because it’s not always so obvious, but don’t make any major decisions when you’re lonely. Don’t move, don’t take a new job, don’t reconnect with somebody you know you shouldn’t, don’t quit your job when you’re lonely.

4. Tired

Life is so much more complicated when you’re tired. Have you ever noticed that? After a night of little sleep, the world feels like a terrible place. Or conversely, after a great night of sleep, life is so good. Don’t let your emotions control you just because you’re tired. Put off confrontations, problems, or things that need a lot of mental attention until you can fix the problem. And do your best to fix the problem. Take a nap, go to bed earlier, go back to bed…whatever you need to do to get the rest you need. This looks different in different seasons of life, and sometimes exhaustion is just the way of life. If that’s the case, just be aware of it and don’t make any major decisions.

So the next time you are ready to make a decision, or confront somebody, or have that argument, HALT first. Make sure you’re not just hungry, angry, lonely, or tired. Fix any of those things first before having that conversation or making that decision. I promise you it will save you a lot of regret in the end.

More Encouragement

For more encouragement, check out my post, You Can Avoid Making Foolish Decisions or check out Lisa TerKeurst’s book, The Best Yes: Making Wise Decisions in the Midst of Endless Demands.

Finding God in the Lonely Places

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Places are important in our lives. Think about a place that means so much to you and your family. Maybe it’s where you got engaged or the restaurant where you had your first date. It could be the house where you found out you were having your first baby, or the town you grew up in. Place have value because they hold memories for us.

God Used Places all the time in the Bible

Places in the Bible are no less important. We see time and time again where God uses places or geographical features to do something in the lives of his people. Often it was deserts or wildernesses. God would use these places as a time set aside for his chosen person, often to get their attention.

Think of Moses in the desert and the burning bush, Joseph in Egypt, David in the caves as he runs from Saul, Elijah on the mountaintop with the prophets of Baal, Jesus praying in the garden…

Hagar in the Wilderness

Hagar was a person who experienced something in the wilderness. We find her story in Genesis 16. Abram knows he’s going to be the father of many nations; God’s promised him that. But when his wife doesn’t get pregnant, and they get too old to have kids, he and his wife take matters into their own hands. Abram sleeps with his servant, Hagar, and she becomes pregnant. Sara becomes bitter about it and treats Hagar terribly, so Hagar runs away.

Hagar finds herself alone in the wilderness. She’s sad, scared, uncertain, and all alone. And yet, God finds her there. The angel of the Lord that she will have a son. Her son, Ishmael, will have many offspring, too many to count.

The God Who Sees Me

Hagar is overcome with emotion and the fact that God came to her. She calls God by his name El-roi, “the God who sees me.” She takes notice of the fact that God saw her...in this place.

So she named the Lord who spoke to her: “You are El-roi,” for she said, “In this place, have I actually seen the one who sees me?”

Genesis 16:13CSB

Had Hagar been in a different place, would God have seen her? Yes. Would He have come to her? I don’t know. If she had stayed with Sara and Abraham, it’s possible God might not have made an appearance to her. But in the wilderness, in the place where she was very alone, God appeared to her.

Seasons in Our Lives

There are seasons and places in our lives where God comes to us and “shows” Himself to us more than at other times. Often, it’s in the “wilderness” or “desert” seasons. It’s in those times when we feel so alone, isolated, forgotten, that God shows us Himself. Sometimes, it really is a location.

It can be a college dorm room, the first time we’re away from our family. We don’t know anybody, and we are completely and utterly alone, even though we’re surrounded by hundreds or thousands of other students. Our wilderness can be in a new city or after we leave our job to stay at home with a baby. Maybe it’s after a divorce, and we suddenly find ourselves alone once again for the first time in years. Wilderness times can surprise us; other times, we know they’re coming. So many times, God uses these wilderness times to “come to us,” to remind us of who He is. It was after a time of testing when Job lost everything that he says, “I had only heard about you before, but now I’ve seen you.” (Job 42:5)

Wilderness Times

There will be times when God takes you away from everything you know, whether that’s literal or figurative. You will be completely alone and isolated, whether that’s from people or even just from peace and joy. You’ll feel alone and abandoned, discouraged and depressed. Yet, these are the times that God shows Himself to us; He shows us who He really is. When these times come, and they will, don’t abandon your faith. Don’t abandon your belief that God is good. Trust that He is still working on your behalf. He hasn’t forgotten you, and He knows exactly what you’re going through.

Instead, spend the time searching for Him. Spend extra time in your morning time routine. Pray more often; journal more frequently. Keep your eyes open and alert because it’s in the wilderness or alone times that God often shows Himself to us in a way that’s so remarkable, we won’t ever forget it.

More Encouragement

For more on this topic, check out my post, The God Who Sees Me, or check out The Hidden Pain.

4 Benefits to Getting Back Into God’s Word

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Today is August 1st, and for our family, that means the start of a new homeschool year. It’s always hard the first day, but it feels good to get back on track with schedules and routines.

August and September are a great time to get back into a morning time routine, if we’ve let that go. We know we need to spend time in God’s Word, but sometimes we need a little push. Today, I’m sharing four benefits to reading and studying God’s Word.

Benefits from Psalm 1

What happens when we study God’s Word and apply it to our lives? We already know from Psalm 1 that we become like a strong tree planted along a riverbank that bears fruit in every season and is prosperous.

But they delight in the law of the Lord,
    meditating on it day and night.
They are like trees planted along the riverbank,
    bearing fruit each season.
Their leaves never wither,
    and they prosper in all they do.

Psalm 1

4 Benefits to Reading God’s Word

The verses in Psalm 19 add to that.

The instructions of the Lord are perfect,
    reviving the soul.
The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy,
    making wise the simple.
The commandments of the Lord are right,
    bringing joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are clear,
    giving insight for living.

Psalm 19:7-9

From these verses, we can pull out four benefits of reading and studying God’s Word.

1. God’s Word Revives our Soul

Do you ever feel weary at the soul level? It’s more than just being tired or discouraged. Being weary at the soul level feels like you will never get past what you’re going through. It feels hopeless, and you feel like God has forgotten you.

God tells us that the antidote to feeling this way is to read and study God’s Word. When we feel this low, only God can revive or bring life to our would; and He does it through His Word.

2. It Makes Us Wise

Reading and studying God’s Word makes us wise. I don’t know about you, but the older I get, the more wisdom I need to navigate life, relationships, parenting, and more. We need God’s wisdom and help regularly if we’re going to make the right decisions and live the life He’s purposed for us.

3. It Brings Joy to our Heart

Do you want more joy in your life? Spend time in God’s Word. The only true joy in this life that’s not fleeting comes from God. If we want to find that joy, we have to carve out time to spend reading God’s Word and praying. How do we get joy from reading God’s Word? We’re reminded that God is for us, He loves us, He is always with us, He has a plan for our lives…When we read truths like this, we can’t help but find more joy.

4. God’s Word Gives Us Insight for Living

God’s Word gives us insight on how to live by giving us examples to follow or avoid. It shows us how to love like Jesus and gives us snippets of wisdom from the wisest man who ever lived. It reminds us that we can come back again from failure, like Peter and that we can trust that God is working in our lives even when it doesn’t feel like it, like the story of Esther.

These benefits are amazing, but we don’t get to have them in our lives if we don’t carve out time to read and study God’s Word. This fall is a great time to get back on track if you’ve gotten away from it. Pick a new Bible study or grab a new journal and some pens and get excited about getting back into God’s Word. I know you won’t regret it!

More Encouragement

For more on this topic, check out our free morning time routine guide or my post on jumpstarting your morning time routine.