Why Hope?

My word for the year is HOPE.

Why should we hope? What's there to hope for? Isn't the state of the world pretty hopeless?

To the first question First of all we should hope because "Nothing is impossible with God," and "Jesus can change a circumstance, a person's heart, or an entire nation in an instant. So never give up hoping for the best."

What is there to hope for? And end to abuse and wars. A spiritual revival in our land and all nations. And most of all, for the return of the Lord Jesus! I hope for that miracle daily! And yes, the state of the world is hopeless. But we as Believers in Jesus and His ability to fix the worst issues and change the hardest hearts, are not bound by the world's systems. We are in the world but not of the world. We are here to change the world and make it better by giving it Jesus.

So, go ahead, get your hopes up! Do you have a word for the year? What are you hoping for?

When Your Loved One Is in Prison or Jail

In my book, Touchable God, I include a prayer for When a Loved One is in Prison or Jail:

Lord, you see every silent tear not loosed from a heart dry with pain, and You capture every tear set free from a mother’s hurting soul. Give my friend release today, healing, soothing God. Set her wounded spirit free to trust You, even as her son lives behind bars of steel.

No metal forged by men’s hands can keep Your power and love away. Send a divine measure of each to her child today. Assure Him that You are with him, and don’t intend to leave.

Give him a patch of beauty to gaze upon in a gray world, a way to see You care, a note of music in the silent anger. Strengthen his heart against blaming others for his wrongs or condemning himself for mistakes. Soften his heart to hear Your voice of kindness. Help him believe You offer a million new chances to go his way and sin no more.

Protect him from the evil one and his minions who whisper lies in the dark and the day. Keep him from wicked schemes and plots to harm him. Fill his mind with wisdom to choose rightly, from companions to games to reading material. Offer him hope that his future can be as bright as his past and present are dim.

Give my friend surprises of grace along her path strewn with thorns. Lift her feet from the
way of sorrow. Pillow her thoughts on You. May her heart sing with joy in Your embrace, in spite of the tears. Rescue her from every “what if,” proving that shame is not of You.

Send Your Spirit to renew their limp dreams and wounded aspirations. Breathe Your wind on fires of hope, to burn away despair. Release them both into the light of Your presence, a presence filled with hallelujahs for sins forgiven and joys restored. 

References: Psalm 56:8; Hebrews 13:5; Ephesians 3:16; John 17:15; Jeremiah 29:11

If you love someone who's incarcerated, I hope this prayer gives you encouragement and hope! If you know someone who'd like to know God better, please refer them here. 

When You Feel Like You've Lost Your Joy

An excerpt from my prayer journal on a day I felt like I'd lost my joy…

“Lord, I need encouragement today. I really don’t want to go by my feelings, or I wouldn’t have a good day at all. I know I have to choose joy and choose to have peace rather than turmoil, but I need Your help even in the choosing. I need you to show me what to do and how to think in order to choose joy rather than sorrow. And I need You to send me encouragement, because right now I just don’t care about anything. To care would mean work, and I’d rather rest and sleep and escape.”

“Jeanette, I don’t want you to CARE. I will care for you. When you TAKE CARE, it means you aren’t giving me a chance to help you and care for you. You are trying to do it yourself and that’s pride. When you let go and relax, My spirit takes over and gets the job done in an almost effortless way. You know it’s Me when you don’t have to struggle to get it and struggle to keep it. For Me to carry you, you need to simply relax and not wiggle down and run off. Trusting Me means allowing Me to carry you. JUST QUIT TRYING SO HARD.” 

I am forever amazed at the timelessness of God’s words. I hope His shepherding of my heart spoke to yours today. May you rest in Him, allowing Him to care for you. 

The above prayer journal excerpt is now a chapter in my new book, Hello, Beautiful! Finally Love Yourself Just as You Are, co-authored with Beth Gormong. 

Is it okay to ask God "Why?"

Is it okay to ask God "Why?"

Sometimes our prayers don't get answered the way we want. It's okay to ask God "Why?"

And it's also okay to cry. 

But know that often, God has a huge "YES" hiding behind a little "no."

So don't give up yet, because "hope that is seen is not hope (Romans 8)", and . . .

God is a Master at Plans B through Z. 

Have you had some answers to prayers that were not what you wanted?  

How did God work it out for your good? 

Hope for a Fearful Situation

Are you facing a fearful situation today? I'd like to offer some hope from God himself: 

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid or dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

Isaiah 41:10

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you."      

Deuteronomy 31:6

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

Joshua 1:9

Book Drawing: Thin Places by Mary DeMuth

“Isn’t it ironic that I have the deepest fellowship with Jesus when I give up my need to control the relationships in my life? My relationship with Him grows rich when I place my reputation in the hands that are scarred by the hatred of others.”


“Stupid, stupid hyperactive conscience! How it gets me in trouble. How it harangues me, stifles me, keeps me from experiencing Jesus. I’m so busy recounting my losses and failures, then determining to “do better” that I miss His capability inside me. I am so capable, so in control, that I miss His power.”

“Folks may wonder why I’ve spent all this time looking back, dredging up what God sees of my story, what my eyes see. Jesus says truth sets people free. This is my way of doing that—of telling the stark truth on the page so others can be set free. .. why do I go through all this recollection? So God can renew me so I can help others find healing.”


These are quotes from Mary DeMuth’s amazing memoir, “Thin Places,” in which she opens her heart to reveal painful memories of abuse, abandonment and rejection.

But, wait! Mary also offers hope for anyone who’s struggled with these same hurts. Hope in a Father God whose love is more than enough to heal and restore. Hope in the Jesus who redeems the broken places of our lives, turning us into trophies of His grace. Hope in the Holy Spirit whose power operates independently of our performance.

I am gifting my copy of “Thin Places” in a drawing to be chosen from those who leave a comment and their email address at the end of this post. I pray and believe that God will direct me to pick the person who most needs to read Mary’s story. Someone who needs to know they’re not alone, that God can and will help them out of their pit of despair into His gleaming freedom.

You have until Tuesday, April 27 at noon to enter. I will post the winner on Wednesday, April 28.

I love you all,

Jen