In moments of high anxiety, it may worry that you could lose everything that matters to you. Indeed, terrible things can and do happen. It is undeniable that certain aspects of each of our lives are tragic. But the hope of the gospel is that no tragedy can completely take away our hope.

In your darkest moments, you may wonder if the sun will ever rise and if your tears will ever stop flowing. Take heart. In not much time, your Shepherd will come. He knows your pain, and he cares deeply. He will wipe your wet cheeks and bring living water to your thirsty lips.

People often live with a chronic low-grade dissatisfaction with their lives, a feeling that something, somehow, is missing. So, we often spend our lives blindly chasing accomplishments, because each time we reach a goal, we get a temporary high that makes us feel like everything’s alright.

While you, like Ruth, are likely a man or woman of many stories — some of crushing loss and some of redemption — remember that your God is the God of every season. He has not forgotten you. He is working.

For the last few weeks in the mornings as I walk, I have been following along with the words of the prayer Jesus taught. This prayer is not burdensome but light — that is, simple, even short and to-the-point. It’s a relief knowing God isn’t weighing my words, waiting for to me carry bucket loads up the high mountain where he dwells in unapproachable light. No, he kneels down to listen to his children as we speak in the simple language of our hearts.

It is possible to drown out the groans of your soul and the voice of God by only achieving a little more, and a little more, and a little more, and a little… Always, and only — a little. A little — when life is done, only a little. You got away from your heart, and you died with a little…

There is a time to lament. There is a time to voice your questions to God. When Job was tested, he asked God why he was born if he was destined for misery, and God did not fault him. Yet, there is a time to consider the vastness, complexity, and terror of the universe, and say, “God created all this. He orchestrates every detail. He rules over every part. He is God, and I am not.” There is a time when you must stop lamenting and questioning God and simply trust him…

“Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but profuse are the words of an enemy” (Prov. 27:6). If you want to be loved by a true friend, read the prophets. In them, God will kiss you–yes, he will. But he will also wound you, because he loves you…

We are not perfect. It seems so often that I fail. How many times will Jesus forgive me? Distractions pull my attention. Worries crowd my mind. A thousand cheap pleasures dull my affections for God. A besetting sin asks for just one more rendezvous before sinking its teeth in deeper, and when I come to myself I wonder, Will he forgive me again?