I memorized this passage when I was 18. I have sung it, quoted it, and prayed it hundreds of times over the decades. Yet I still often struggle with living it out.

Jeremiah points us to a time when God would write on man’s hearts and no longer on tablets of stone. But for now, we are still living in exile.

I find great comfort in David’s prayer in this psalm because it is a prayer more similar to how I pray. Our honesty with self and with God is a healthy place to begin any prayer.

Go ahead and complain. God can handle it, and in the process you might gain insight and experience some relief. 

God smiles when he sees his children come to the understanding that he is the source of all we have.

The problem of God’s children all through history has been believing we can figure out a better path than the one God will show us.

Our surrender to God’s plans results in a demonstration to the world of God’s surpassing power at work in us.

A prophecy and a promise that brings comfort for us as well as for ancient believers: “And he will be the stability of your times.”

Confused about what to wear? The apostle Paul adds some clarity for everyone seeking to walk in accord with Christ.

God will meet us in the silence. He will receive our tears as worship. He will sustain us and strengthen us when we go to him with hands lifted up and offer the simple prayer, “Help me, Lord.”

Our God is a God of strength and power. He is fully able to do great things and has done them time and time again. Believing this, we pray, “How long, O Lord, must this continue?”

In our data-driven world, we do well to pray for others specifically, one by one.

We are eager to utter urgent prayers for the Lord’s help. Sometimes his answer includes, “Look at your neighbor in need.”

“I call to God, and the Lord will save me. Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and he hears my voice.“

It is sometimes difficult to embrace all God has promised us when the dark clouds surround us and the path forward appears unclear. Yet it was in moments like this the prophet Isaiah encouraged his beloved of old—and us.

There are moments where sudden difficulty may initially cause you to freeze, not knowing where to turn for help. One answer is always the best choice and the surest source.

Paul Simon might have mused about how one can leave a relationship, but we can rest assured that our God is faithful and true and has more than 50 ways to bring deliverance in our times of great need.

What can we do today to experience the result of this promise for ourselves? “Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed.”

Hope for those who have been living in exile. That was part of the message Isaiah brought to the children of God who had been waiting for decades; now deliverance was coming. So . . . How long have you been living in exile?

“They who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”