Reading the Bible when life is hard
Longer pieces on the passages people reach for when they are worn out, grieving, anxious or afraid, and on what those passages actually say in context.
Bible Verses for Doubting God: I Believe, Help My Unbelief
Doubting God? Mark 9:24 and a father's cry, James 1:5 on asking without reproach, people in Scripture who questioned God, and help if the checking won't stop.
Bible Verses for Grief and Healing: What the Word Healing Means Here
Months into a loss and wondering if grief heals? What Cruse and the NHS say, Psalm 147:3 in its setting, Psalm 34:18 for tonight, and grief Scripture never hurries.
What Does the Bible Say About Shame? Faces That Are Not Covered
What the Bible says about shame, whether it comes from something you did, from who you feel you are, or from what someone did to you, with Psalm 103 and Luke 15.
What Does the Bible Say About Burnout? Moses, Elijah and a Day of Rest
What the Bible says about burnout: Moses told the load is too heavy, Elijah fed and left to sleep, the Sabbath, and what Christian traditions teach about rest.
What Does the Bible Say About Anxiety? The Passages, the Words and the Question of Sin
What the Bible says about anxiety, passage by passage: Matthew 6, Philippians 4, 1 Peter 5, the people it shows in distress, and what traditions teach about sin.
Bible Verses for a Funeral: What the Service Books List, and How to Choose
Choosing a Bible reading for a funeral? Ten often chosen, each with its setting, what Catholic and Anglican service books list, and how to get through reading aloud.
Bible Verses for the Death of a Mother: Comforted After His Mother's Death
Your mother has died. Genesis records Isaac still needing comfort for his mother, with Psalm 34:18, John 19, Proverbs 31 in its setting, and readings for her funeral.
Bible Verses for the Death of a Father: Where Joseph Wept
Your father has died. Genesis 50 sets down a son's grief for his father at length, with Psalm 34:18, readings for his funeral, and help if he was hard to love.
When the answer to a prayer is no, or nothing
You asked for something specific and it did not happen, or nothing came back at all. Psalm 13 is a prayer still waiting for its answer, in the Bible.