Your Encouraging 5 Minute Podcast
A weekly dose of encouragement to start your week off right! Join your favorite WPER hosts every week for uplifting thoughts to keep your eyes focused on Christ and His promises.
Your Encouraging 5 Minute Podcast
Encouraging You to Find Hope in the Storm
Your world can shatter in an instant. Sarah knew this all too well when her father died unexpectedly, her marriage began falling apart, and she lost her job—all within a few months. Sitting in her car as rain poured down around her, she prayed through tears: "God, where are you? Do you even see me down here?"
What happened next wasn't a dramatic miracle with heavenly spotlights. Instead, an unexplainable peace washed over her—God's gentle whisper saying, "I will never leave you. I will never abandon you." Her problems didn't vanish overnight. But something more valuable appeared: hope. Not wishful thinking, but profound confidence that she wasn't alone in her storm.
We're often looking for a divine magician when what we need is a divine healer. Psalm 34:18 reminds us that "the Lord is close to the brokenhearted," suggesting that our deepest pain might be where God draws nearest. The healing Sarah experienced wasn't instant, but it was real—the kind that transforms you from the inside out.
Maybe you're weathering your own perfect storm today. Perhaps you too have whispered desperate prayers, wondering if anyone hears. This five-minute reminder is for you: Hope has a name, and His name is Jesus. He's writing your story even now, walking with you through every valley. You were made for more than just surviving these storms—you were made for a hope that outlasts them.
What storms are you facing today? Remember that sometimes God's presence feels less like lightning and more like unexpected peace in your broken places. He's closer than you think.
Well, all right, you found us the 5-Minute Encouraging Podcast. My name's Eric. This is my friend, heather Howdy, encouraging you over the next five minutes, just sharing some thoughts and trying to inspire you today to stay encouraged. If you need more encouragement at the end of the five minutes, you can always listen to Virginia's Home for Encouragement, wper, and if you're out of the listening area, from wherever on the planet, you can download the W-P-E-R app.
Speaker 2:If you're feeling weary today, like if life has thrown more at you than you think you can handle, lean in, because today, eric and I want to remind you of something very powerful Hope is not lost because it has a name. Hope has a name and his name is Jesus Amen.
Speaker 1:A few years ago, our friend Sarah went through the hardest season of her life. Everything seemed fine on the outside, she had a great job, loving family, but then, within the span of a few months, everything crumbled.
Speaker 2:That was awful, and it's hard, and it's even harder when things seem to pile on all at once.
Speaker 1:And it did. It piled up quickly, and maybe you've experienced this in your own life, where things just seem to unravel from minute to minute. Sarah's father passed away unexpectedly, her marriage started to fall apart and then, to top it all off, she lost her job.
Speaker 2:Literally.
Speaker 1:One storm after another.
Speaker 2:I mean that's hard to go through. All of it seems like it's just all at one time.
Speaker 1:So Sarah sitting in her car, rains pouring down and it had to be raining right, of course it did. She felt like she couldn't go on, and maybe you've been there as well.
Speaker 1:Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, so she prayed through tears, through sadness, through the sorrow. God, where are you? Do you even see me down here? You ever prayed a prayer like that in your life Multiple times maybe. Something happened, and it wasn't a lightning bolt, the rain didn't stop immediately and the sun came out, and it wasn't a big booming voice from the clouds. Sometimes we just love to hear a clear voice, speak to me.
Speaker 1:It was peace, just peace, god's peace, a stillness Sarah could not explain. It felt like a whisper in her heart. I will never leave you. I will never abandon you.
Speaker 2:It's just like God to do that right. Not a sledgehammer, but a gentle reminder that he's right there in the muck, in the mess, in the mire of life.
Speaker 1:So of course, Sarah didn't wake up the next morning and everything's back to you know, sunshine and problems all solved. It never works like that.
Speaker 2:Nope, it never does, but that's what we want. But, I mean, you know, in that case we're looking for a genie or a magician right, but God is a healer and healing takes time.
Speaker 1:What Sarah did wake up with was hope, a confidence she could not explain. She knew that even in the middle of a storm that felt like it was getting bigger and bigger and bigger she wasn't alone. He was there with her. Did healing happen? Yes, god restored a whole lot of what she'd lost. It wasn't instant, but it was real.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, that's what we're looking for is the real healing. And maybe you're in a storm right now that just feels like it keeps getting bigger and bigger and bigger, and you might be wondering if God even sees you or if he even cares. Can we remind you of something he does? God cares, yes, he does. If you look in his word, in Psalm 34, 18,. It says the Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
Speaker 1:That means in your deepest pain. He is closer than ever.
Speaker 2:We were never promised an easy life Again. In his word, john 16, 33 says In this world you will have trouble. But that verse goes on to say but, but God, right, but take heart, I have overcome the world. So if all you can do today is whisper a prayer, maybe through tears or just mumbles, just like Sarah did, that's enough, because hope isn't about what we can see, it's about who we trust. And Jesus is still writing your story.
Speaker 1:That he is. He's writing your story because you were made for more.
Speaker 2:So, before we go, can we pray over you, jesus, for the one listening right now, who feels lost, who feels forgotten? Remind them that you are near, fill their heart with hope. You are the God who restores, who redeems, who never leaves. God, may they feel your presence today and know that hope is alive. Thank you so much for your grace, amen.
Speaker 1:Amen. Hey, if this encouraged you today, would you share it with someone who may need to hear it and remember? Anytime you need encouragement, you can listen to Virginia's Home for Encouragement, wper.
Speaker 2:And if you are outside the listening area, you can always download the WPER app, and you can find direct links on our website, wperorg.
