August 26, 2025

ABIDING - Day 12 (On Navigating Discouragement)

22 minutes

Scripture of the Day: Psalm 42
Series Theme: Abiding: Planted and Thriving in Busy Seasons

Have you ever felt like you’re clinging to hope by a thread? Like the weight of despair is pulling you under, even when you know God is near?

Can you relate to those moments when your soul feels dry, even in the midst of abundance? When you’re longing for connection, peace, and purpose?

We’ve all had times when we felt the tension between despair and hope, wondering if God is still with us. You’re not alone in this.

If you’ve ever experienced spiritual dryness, struggled to find purpose in hard seasons, or longed for a deeper connection with God, this episode is for you.

Together we'll learn about how it's not just about surviving those tough seasons but also about discovering how God will use them to build something greater in your life. Plus, I’m sharing a personal dream that revealed God’s peace and trustworthiness in a way I’ll never forget.

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 - Welcome + Opening Prayer

2:29 - Passage Overview + Relevance

3:48 - Today’s Bible Reading - Psalm 42

6:01 - Reflections Begin: The tension between despair and hope

8:09 - When “deep calls to deep” - finding God in the depths of our struggles

9:35 - The power of prayer to quench spiritual dryness

10:37 - How purposeful activity anchors us in seasons of despair

12:25 - From ocean to shore: a dream of trust and rest in God’s loving presence

14:24 - How God uses our despair to build something greater

15:02 - Daily Journaling & Task Planning (plus naming emotions & finding hope)

19:13 - Closing Prayer & Special Encouragement for the Day

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

Sometimes we feel tension between despair and hope. During these times, abiding with God can plant hope in our hearts to carry us through as God commands his loving-kindness to support us in these seasons.

God meets us in the depths of our struggles, calling us to trust Him even when life feels overwhelming.

Purposeful activity can be a lifeline in hard seasons and how David’s memory of worshiping with others anchored him. We can also seek our own special memory to recall during tough times.

Trusting God brings peace. I share a personal dream of being held in an ocean of love, a moment that reminded me of His complete trustworthiness.

God may have used what David learned and experienced as part of his story, particularly how later he was inspired to write the plans for the temple.

RESOURCES + LINKS

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By Maraya Pearson

88 ratings