The Proverbs 31 Ministries Podcast

When life feels heavy, it can be hard to believe anything good could come from what you’re carrying.

In this episode of The Proverbs 31 Ministries Podcast, Jennifer Rothschild joins Meredith Brock and Shae Hill for a conversation about what it looks like to face real hardship with an eternal perspective. Walking through 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, Jennifer reminds us that trusting God doesn’t mean minimizing what hurts or pretending everything is fine.

Instead we can acknowledge what’s hard, believe God is still working with purpose, and remember what feels permanent right now is temporary in light of eternity.

If you’re in a season that feels especially difficult, disappointing, or uncertain, this episode will help you see your circumstances through the hope of what God has promised.

You’ll learn:

• Why accepting what God allows is different from pretending it doesn’t hurt.
• How God can use even painful circumstances with purpose.
• Why remembering “Earth is short and heaven is long” can change the way we carry what feels heavy today.

Resources From This Episode:

• Get Jennifer Rothschild’s devotional Heaven for Today: 60 Devotions on How the Life to Come Changes Your Life Right Now.
• Read 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, the passage Jennifer teaches from in this episode.
• Listen to the newest season of the Therapy & Theology podcast for more biblical conversations about spiritual warfare, discernment, suffering, heaven, and the unseen realities behind the battles we face.
• Capstone Wellness provides residential treatment and custom therapy intensives that retrace hurt to the roots in a Christ-centered environment. You can learn more by visiting Capstonewellness.com/proverbs31 today.
• Click here to download a copy of the episode transcript.

Want More on This Topic? 

• Read an Encouragement for Today devotion titled “Hope in God’s Goodness.”
  
  

Sometimes the hardest part of trusting God isn’t believing that He has a plan ... It’s wondering whether His plan will be anything like the one we hoped for. In this episode, Lysa TerKeurst shares the first chapter of her new book, Making Peace with What I Can’t Control, and names a fear many of us may be carrying: What if God allows something I don’t know how to live with? Listen in to discover how to trust God when you don’t have the answers and how releasing the need to know what happens next can actually create a deeper relationship with Him.

You’ll Learn:

• The difference between relying on God and trying to create the certainty we wish we had.
• Why bringing our honest questions, fears, and doubts to the Lord can draw us closer to Him even if we don't get the outcome we're praying for.
• What it looks like to live with uncertainty without immediately trying to solve, fix, or explain it.

Resources From This Episode: 

• Click here to get your copy of Making Peace with What I Can't Control, and check out the other resources mentioned!
• Capstone Wellness provides residential treatment and custom therapy intensives that retrace hurt to the roots in a Christ-centered environment. Learn more at Capstonewellness.com/proverbs31
• Click here to see the transcript of this episode.

Want More on This Topic? 

• Listen to "Why Your Need for Control Is Wearing You Out" with Lysa TerKeurst.

Maybe we’ve made wisdom more complicated than God intended it to be.

In this episode, Alicia Bruxvoort joins Meredith Brock and Kaley Olson to show us what the book of Proverbs actually teaches about becoming wise. You’ll discover why wisdom isn’t just about making the “right” decision — it’s about knowing God well enough to trust His ways, follow His Word, and keep walking with Him one decision at a time.

And if you’re worried you’ve already made the wrong choice ... you’ll be reminded that one decision is never bigger than the God who is leading you.

You’ll learn:

• Why biblical wisdom starts with who you know, not what you know.
• How the small choices you make every day shape the person you’re becoming.
• Why wisdom requires more than knowing God’s Word — it means living it out.
• What to remember when you’re afraid you heard God wrong or made the wrong decision.

Resources From This Episode:

• Get your copy of 31 Days Through Proverbs, and spend the next month learning how to apply God’s wisdom to the decisions, relationships, and everyday moments you’re navigating.
• Sign up for our free Encouragement for Today Devotions for biblical Truth and practical encouragement delivered to your inbox every weekday and Saturday.
• Capstone Wellness provides residential treatment and custom therapy intensives that retrace hurt to the roots in a Christ-centered environment. Learn more at Capstonewellness.com/proverbs31 .
• Read more from Alicia Bruxvoort through her devotions for Encouragement for Today on Proverbs31.org.
• If this episode encouraged you, leave a rating and review for The Proverbs 31 Ministries Podcast wherever you listen to podcasts. Your review helps more women find biblical Truth for whatever they’re facing.
• Download a copy of this episode transcript here. 

Want More on This Topic? 

• Read an Encouragement for Today devotion on wisdom by Alicia Bruxvoort here. 

Are you feeling worn out from constantly overthinking, trying to fix the people around you, or attempting to figure out every detail of your future? In this episode, hosts Kaley Olson and Cailah Garcia sit down with Proverbs 31 Ministries President Lysa TerKeurst for an exclusive preview of her book Making Peace with What I Can't Control. Together, they unpack an unexpected aspect in the story of Judas in Matthew 26, revealing how a subtle desire to force immediate relief can lead us to take control into our own hands rather than trust God. Listen in to discover how making one foundational shift in perspective can help you release the weight you were never meant to carry and bring true rest to your heart today.

You’ll learn:

• How Judas’ story highlights our own tendency to try to control the details when God doesn't move on our timeline.
• Practical ways to stop wasting mental energy on managing other people's choices and circumstances that are out of your hands.
• How to shift from a high-pressure control mindset to a healthy stewardship mindset that surrenders ultimate outcomes to God.

Resources From This Episode:

• Preorder Lysa TerKeurst's new book, Making Peace with What I Can't Control, download a free resource on control, and more here!
• Listen to the Therapy & Theology podcast with Lysa TerKeurst, Jim Cress, and Dr. Joel Muddamalle on all podcast platforms, or watch on the Proverbs 31 Ministries YouTube Channel.
• Capstone Wellness provides residential treatment and custom therapy intensives that retrace hurt to the roots in a Christ-centered environment. Learn more at Capstonewellness.com/proverbs31
• Download a copy of the transcript here. 

Want More on This Topic? 

• Watch this clip from Therapy & Theology where Lysa TerKeurst unpacks why we have the urge to solve someone else's problem.

Have you ever sensed God leading you toward something, only to immediately feel unqualified, afraid, or unsure? Maybe you've wondered, Who am I to do what God is asking?

In this encouraging conversation, Becky Murray joins Meredith Brock and Kaley Olson to explore the story of Moses in Exodus 3-4 and the excuses that often keep us from stepping into God's calling. Drawing from her own journey as the founder of One by One, Becky shares how God met her fears, insecurities, and feelings of inadequacy — and how He can do the same for you.

If you've been holding back because of intimidation, fear of rejection, or your own perceived weaknesses, this episode will remind you that God has never called you to rely on yourself. He's simply asking you to keep your eyes fixed on Him.

You’ll learn:

• Why intimidation, rejection, and insecurity are some of the enemy's greatest tools to keep you from God's calling.
• What Moses' excuses reveal about the struggles we all face when God asks us to take a step of faith.
• How to stop letting your past define your present and embrace the freedom Christ has already won for you.
• Why God often calls ordinary, imperfect people so His strength — not theirs — gets the glory.
• How intimacy with God gives you the courage to keep saying "yes," even when the path feels impossible.

Resources From This Episode:

• Learn more about Becky's ministry to prevent human trafficking and protect vulnerable children at onebyone.org.
• Connect with Becky Murray:
  • Website: beckymurray.org.
  • Book: Embrace the Journey.
• If today's episode encouraged you, leave a rating and review wherever you listen to podcasts. Your review helps more women discover biblical encouragement through The Proverbs 31 Ministries Podcast.
• Capstone Wellness provides residential treatment and custom therapy intensives that retrace hurt to the roots in a Christ-centered environment. Learn more at Capstonewellness.com/proverbs31
• Download a copy of this transcript here. 

Want More on This Topic? 

• Listen to this podcast episode with Lysa TerKeurst on the topic of obedience.

Have you ever looked at your circumstances and wondered, God, will things ever change?

Whether you're walking through grief, disappointment, unanswered prayers, or a season that feels impossibly long, today's conversation is a reminder that God is still at work — even when nothing around you seems different.

In this powerful episode, Bible teacher Oghosa Iyamu joins Melissa Taylor and Cailah Garcia to walk through the breathtaking vision of the valley of dry bones in Ezekiel 37. Together, they unpack what it means to lift your eyes off your circumstances and onto the God who brings life, restoration, and hope. You'll discover that God's restoring work often begins long before your situation changes — through His Word, His Spirit, and His presence with you in the valley.

If you've been feeling weary, discouraged, or like hope has dried up, this conversation will remind you that the God who brought life to dry bones is the same God who is still bringing life today.

You’ll learn:

• The surprising place where restoration begins (and why it isn't always your circumstances).
• How to stop fixating on what's broken and start fixing your eyes on the God who restores.
• Why God's Word and His Spirit are essential when you feel spiritually weary or emotionally depleted.
• How the Psalms can give you language to bring your grief, disappointment, and questions honestly before God.
• Why confession isn't about condemnation — it's an invitation back into intimacy with God.

Resources From This Episode:

• Read Ezekiel 37 and reflect on how God brings life into places that feel dry and hopeless.
• Spend time praying through Psalm 121, reminding yourself that your help comes from the Lord.
• Read a few Psalms this week, allowing Scripture to give voice to both your grief and your hope as you learn to lift your eyes back to God.
• Connect with Oghosa Iyamu for more biblical teaching and encouragement:
  • Website: https://oghosaiyamu.com.
  • Instagram: @oghosaiiyamu.
• Capstone Wellness provides residential treatment and custom therapy intensives that retrace hurt to the roots in a Christ-centered environment. Learn more at Capstonewellness.com/proverbs31.
• Share how God is using The Proverbs 31 Ministries Podcast in your life by leaving us a review wherever you listen! 
• Find all related resources we mention in this episode here. 
• Download a copy of the transcript here.

Want More on This Topic? 

• Check out “How To Escape the Comparison Trap” from The Proverbs 31 Ministries Podcast archives! 

What if, in the hardest season of your life, God is doing work you can't yet see?

The Proverbs 31 Ministries Podcast hosts Meredith Brock and Kaley Olson relisten to the very first episode of the show and celebrate all God has done through the last eight years and 31 million downloads. You'll hear them react to Lysa TerKeurst's original teaching where she unpacks the story of Joseph to explore a powerful truth: Pain and God's purpose often operate on two different tracks at the same time. While we experience rejection, betrayal, disappointment, and injustice, God may be accomplishing something deeper ... preparing, protecting, and positioning us for what's ahead.

If you're struggling to make sense of a difficult season, this conversation will help you:

• Trust God's unseen work by understanding the significance of the "meanwhile" in Joseph's life.
• Learn how to release the weight of past hurts without minimizing them.
• Find hope that your story isn't over yet.

Resources from this episode:

• Click here to check out what we've recently mentioned on the show.
• Capstone Wellness provides residential treatment and custom therapy intensives that retrace hurt to the roots in a Christ-centered environment. Learn more at Capstonewellness.com/proverbs31
• Download a transcript of this episode here. 

Want more on this topic?

Listen to "Why Do Bad Things Happen to God's People?" with Dr. Joel Muddamalle.

Do you ever feel trapped by insecurity, comparison, or the pressure to prove yourself?

In today’s episode, Kaley Olson and Cailah Garcia sit down with author, pastor, and speaker Sharon Hodde Miller to discuss a surprising source of insecurity that many women overlook. Through personal stories, biblical teaching, and practical wisdom, Sharon explains why some insecurity stems not from thinking too little of ourselves but from thinking about ourselves too much.

Drawing from Moses’ story in Exodus 4 and her own journey through ministry, Sharon shares how God invites us to shift our focus away from our limitations and back to His sufficiency. If you've ever wondered whether you're enough for what God has called you to do, this conversation will remind you where true confidence is found.

You’ll learn:

• The difference between low self-esteem and self-preoccupation.
• Why affirmation alone cannot heal every insecurity.
• What God's response to Moses teaches us about our limitations.
• How to identify whether insecurity is revealing an unhealed wound or misplaced focus.
• A practical way to shift your eyes off yourself and back onto Jesus.

Resources From This Episode:

• Get Sharon Hodde Miller’s book Free of Me: Why Life Is Better When It’s Not About You.
  This bestselling book explores the freedom that comes when we stop making life all about ourselves and start focusing on God’s greater purpose.
• Get Sharon Hodde Miller’s devotional Gazing at God: A 40-Day Journey to Greater Freedom from Self.
  This devotional helps readers identify areas of self-focus, find healing for their wounds, and cultivate a life centered on Christ.
• Learn more about the She Speaks Conference.
  Join us from July 16-18 in Charlotte, North Carolina, for powerful teaching, practical training, and encouragement to help you step confidently into the calling God has placed on your life.
• Capstone Wellness provides residential treatment and custom therapy intensives that retrace hurt to the roots in a Christ-centered environment. Learn more at Capstonewellness.com/proverbs31
• Download a transcript of this episode.

Want More on This Topic?

• Check out “How To Escape the Comparison Trap” from The Proverbs 31 Ministries Podcast archives! 

Have you ever wondered if your small act of obedience is really making a difference?

In today’s episode, Meredith Brock and Kaley Olson sit down with author and pastor Jennie Lusko to talk about the moment her “yes” became deeply personal. When Jennie and her family traveled to Bolivia to meet three children they sponsor through Compassion International, what they experienced was far more than meaningful — it changed the way they see faith, generosity, and the people God has placed right in front of them.

Through honest storytelling and spiritual insight, Jennie shares how stepping outside her everyday rhythm opened her eyes to what God had been doing all along.

If you’ve ever questioned whether your obedience matters — this conversation will remind you that it does.

You’ll learn:

• Why it’s easy to lose sight of the impact of your everyday obedience.
• How meeting her sponsored children reshaped Jennie’s understanding of generosity.
• What children living in poverty taught her family about contentment and joy.
• How God uses simple acts of faith to create lasting, eternal impact.
• Why stepping outside your comfort zone can open your eyes to what God is doing.

Resources From This Episode:

• Sponsor a child through Compassion International.
  When you sponsor a child, you help provide access to education, medical care, nutritious food, clean water, and the hope of Jesus — all delivered through a local church in their community.
• Get Jennie Lusko’s devotional Fresh Mercies Every Day.
  This 40-day devotional offers encouragement to help you build breathing room for your soul and experience God’s fresh mercies in your everyday life.
• Download a copy of the transcript for this episode.

Want More on This Topic? 

• Listen to “Am I Really Called to THIS?” with Nicki Koziarz.

What’s actually driving your life right now?

In this powerful and deeply personal episode, Meredith Brock and Kaley Olson sit down with Bible teacher and author Megan Fate Marshman to unpack one of Jesus’ most sobering teachings: the narrow road vs. the wide road.

But this isn’t just about salvation — it’s about how we’re living every single day.

If you’ve ever felt exhausted trying to “do all the right things,” or quietly wondered if you’re missing something in your relationship with God … this conversation will meet you right there.

Megan brings clarity, conviction, and incredible hope as she reminds you: Following Jesus isn’t about striving harder — it’s about knowing Him and letting Him know you.

You’ll learn:

• Why you can follow Jesus … and still find yourself on the “wide road.”
• The subtle difference between knowing about God and actually knowing Him.
• How striving, perfectionism, and performance can quietly replace relationship.
• What it really means to live on the narrow road (without burnout).
• The one question that reveals what your life is actually built on.

Resources From This Episode:

• Relaxed by Megan Fate Marshman.
  If you’ve been living under pressure — trying to get it right, do more, and be better — this book will help you experience a different way: one rooted in God’s presence, not your performance.
• She Speaks Conference (July 16-18, Charlotte, NC).
  If you know God is working in your life and you feel the nudge to share it, don’t ignore that. Join us for a weekend that will equip and encourage you to step into your calling with confidence.
• Capstone Wellness provides residential treatment and custom therapy intensives that retrace hurt to the roots in a Christ-centered environment. Learn more at Capstonewellness.com/proverbs31
• Download a transcript of this episode.

Want More on This Topic? 

• Whether you're someone who believes you have let God down or you've carried wounds from your earthly father that make it hard to trust your heavenly One, this conversation will meet you right where you are.