BROADCASTS.com

READ: ISAIAH 55:8-9; 2 CORINTHIANS 12:7-10\n\n\n\nWhen I was in high school, I struggled with depression and anxiety. A boy broke my heart, none of my friends understood me, I struggled with family issues at home, and it felt like nothing in my life went right or ever would go right.\n\n\n\nPsalm 34:18 says, \u201cThe LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.\u201d And Philippians 4:6-7 says, \u201cDo not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.\u201d\n\n\n\nI\u2019d read Bible verses like these\u2026And I just didn\u2019t get it! If I\u2019d been asking God to heal and help me, then why wasn\u2019t He healing me? Why was I still hurting? If God gives us peace in the storm, then why was I feeling so far from peace?\n\n\n\nOne day, I came across 2 Corinthians 12:7-10. Paul had been asking God to remove what he called a thorn in his flesh, similar to how I had been repeatedly asking God to remove the pain and hurt in my life. It felt like God was speaking directly to me when He said, \u201cMy grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness\u201d (verse 9).\n\n\n\nEventually, God did bring me out of my season of depression and anxiety. He brought better friends into my life, and He brought healing to my heart and mind. I think during that long season of my life, God was teaching me to rely on Him. He was teaching me that He, and only He, was sufficient for my life. God\u2019s grace and presence are all we need. He was strengthening my faith even when I couldn\u2019t see it and teaching me to trust Him when nothing made sense.\n\n\n\nThe truth is, God loves us more than we could ever know, and we can trust that even in the hurting, He is with us. \u2022 Elizabeth Cooper\n\n\n\n\u2022 Have you ever felt like nothing in your life was going right, or ever would go right? Do you feel like that today? You\u2019re not alone. Jesus is with us in our pain, grieving our hurts alongside us. We can be totally honest with Him about anything we\u2019re going through.\n\n\n\n\u2022 Believing God is with us and entrusting ourselves to that promise doesn\u2019t automatically make every situation in our lives better. But it does give us hope in the midst of the hurting\u2014hope that we are held securely in God\u2019s love, and hope that one day Jesus will return and then terrible things like depression, anxiety, and broken relationships will be no more (Romans 8:31-39; Revelation 21:1-5). As we wait for that glorious day, God gives us His Word, His Spirit, and the community of His people here on earth to help with our struggles and pain. Do you have a trusted Christian in your life you can talk to about what you\u2019re experiencing? *\n\n\n\n\u2022 Throughout our lives, we\u2019ll read verses in the Bible that we don\u2019t understand or that don\u2019t seem to be true in our own lives. Every word in the original manuscripts of the Bible is completely true. However, that doesn\u2019t mean we\u2019ll always understand everything we read right away. In fact, there are some things in the Bible we may never fully understand. Yet God wants to help us grow in our understanding of His Word (Psalm 119:34; Luke 24:45; Acts 8:26-35). Are there any Bible verses that you\u2019ve found unsettling or frustrating, or that just don\u2019t seem true? Who is a trusted Christian in your life who could help you dig deeper so you can understand it better, using tools like study Bibles, commentaries, or scholarly articles, videos, or podcasts? (Whenever we read the Bible, it\u2019s important to keep in mind the whole Bible points to Jesus. If you want to know more about the good news of Jesus, see our "Know Jesus" page.)\n\n\n\n\u2022 * If you\u2019re struggling with anxiety or depres...