A Prayer for Renewal: Seeking God's Comfort in Times of Loss

And an invitation if you feel spiritually dry or overwhelmed

Warped containers and melted relics of the past lay bent and twisted among cinder blocks stained by purple tongues of angry fire. Only the brick fireplace stood tall and unchanged, a lonely reminder of what transpired there.

Like the remains of the house, my grief lay in an ashen heap as I wondered, “How do people survive circumstances that devour hope?”

As a young teen, I lost the one home that represented comfort and stability. A home my grandparents forged on the eastern Montana plains. A symbol of two people who built a legacy in a land of harsh winters and summer days as expansive as the blue sky.

But the prairie reclaimed evidence of their existence—and the evil perpetrated by my stepfather. Life had unfurled in the years since heat and flame consumed the quaint valley home. Stalks of tall grass and wildflowers dotted the landscape while the gnarled willow tree waved its branches as if in greeting.

Beauty from ashes.

While you may not have lost your home to an unrelenting blaze, all of us know the pain of loss. I don’t know what loss you may be facing, but I know you hurt. I understand your heartache. I know the struggle of letting go. Of releasing your dream when you’d believed God had more for you than this.

When You’ve Walked Through the Fire

Perhaps you're a mama who held big dreams for your child. But now? The one you’d crooned to sleep and prayed over severed all ties. Maybe she’s walked away from her childhood faith, and you long for God to draw her into the safety of His arms.

It could be that the man you’d vowed to love for life disregarded his vow of faithfulness. Or your prayers for a restored relationship with your mother or father remain unanswered—their rejection reinforcing the falsehood that you aren’t worth loving.

There are no easy answers to pain and suffering. No get-fixed-quick self-help plans that erase the ache of a broken heart. But there is a God who refashions broken lives and renews hope.

There are no easy answers to pain and suffering. No get-fixed-quick self-help plans that erase the ache of a broken heart. But, there is a God who refashions broken lives. Share on X

How? By resurrecting that which was dead.

Our lives flow fresh and new every day because Jesus conquered your burn scars and mine more than 2,000 years ago. Like the prairie birthing beauty among the ruins, the Lord regenerates us. Isaiah 43:19 (NIV) reminds us,

See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland.

Wherever these words find you today, take heart. Be encouraged. Your faithful Father will grow beauty from the ashes.

A Prayer for Beauty from Ashes

Father,
Would you whisper tender words of renewed hope to your Daughter today? You know her pain. The heartache of her loss. None of her tears escapes your notice, and you long to wrap her in holy arms of strength and peace. Be her rock when faith is shaken, her fortress when she needs shelter, and her hiding place when she is overwhelmed.

We trust you to restore the “years that have been stolen” (Joel 2:25) To guide her on straight paths and along quiet waters until, one day, she’ll look back and recognize the way you worked faithfully to exchange beauty for ashes.

In Jesus’ powerful name,
Amen

A Gentle Reset for Your Heart: Prayer Prompts for A Dry or Overwhelming Season

If you’ve been walking through a dry season or a time of overwhelm...
If the words feel out of reach...
If prayer feels more like a whisper than a conversation...

Then this downloadable was designed for you. Get a sneak peek or click the link to receive a month’s worth of prayer prompts today.

Book Bundle Recipients

Amanda received her amazing fiction bundle last week and shared a photo, too!

The nonfiction bundle recipient is Traci C. Congratulations! I can’t wait to hear from you.

A Prayer Request

• I don’t believe I’ve shared that we’re expecting our second grandbaby. Eeek! She’s due mid-June, but is quite small. Would you mind praying for a safe and healthy delivery? I appreciate it more than you know.

• My goal this summer? Complete the rough draft of Eyewitness in the Rockies. I am asking the Lord to expand my time and to increase my creative productivity.

I keep a prayer journal and would be honored to intercede your behalf. Feel free to respond in the comments or DM me.

Favorite Photos

Until next week,

Tammy