Dave had left Danielle and the children shortly after moving into their last home, insisting he no longer wanted to be married. Danielle begged Dave to see a Christian counselor with her, but he refused and filed for divorce. Months later she still felt the effects of the emotional whiplash she had incurred with Dave’s sudden exit from their lives. Their marriage had been far from perfect, but Danielle never thought her Christian husband would abandon her.

She emptied the box just as the phone rang. “I was hoping I could take you and the kids out for a burger tonight,” offered Julie, a friend from church. Danielle silently thanked God for good friends and His provision for her family and gratefully accepted Julie’s offer.

Circumstances change, people disappoint, illness replaces good health, and jobs are lost. Such crises can arise so fast, you feel like a rug has been pulled out from under you. Like Mary and Martha in John 11, we may be tempted to feel that Jesus is nowhere to be found in our crisis situation. We may feel betrayed by His seeming absence.

But rest assured He is aware of your dire situations and is working behind the scenes to give you comfort, guidance, assurance, and love. In due time He can even breathe new life into the most desperate situation, bringing God glory and renewing your joy.