The second 21-day devotions in 2021 are from Lindsay Blackburn.
Lindsay is from Billings and began attending Emmanuel with her family during her middle school years. After attending college out-of-state, she moved back to Billings in 2002 and jumped into the life of the church while in graduate school.
For several years, she worked in her field at MSU Billings and part-time at Emmanuel. Lindsay joined our full-time staff in 2011. She is an assistant to our NextGen and Women’s Ministry leaders.
Outside of Emmanuel, Lindsay works part-time at REI in the camping department and writes for Simply Local magazine. She enjoys reading, hiking, and has started training for her next half-marathon. A happy weekend is a road trip to Missoula to spend time with her nephew, because “aunt life is the best life.”
Read this introduction to the next 21 days and come back tomorrow for day one! If you prefer to receive a daily text containing a link to the devotions, click here for instructions.
If you prefer, you can download the entire 21-day devotion booklet here.
INTRODUCTION
Have you ever experienced a season of life when difficulties seemed to dog-pile, one on top of the other, and you didn’t know how to bear the weight of your circumstances?
Whatever your combination of ongoing “hard stuff,” Murphy’s Law, in effect, hurts. We are guaranteed to encounter suffering. Jesus spells it out plainly in John 16:33, saying, “In this world you will have trouble.” Although we know that hardships are a normal part of the human experience, it doesn’t mean that our trials are easy to handle. Far from it!
So, how do we cope?
During a difficult season, I came across an Old Testament passage about King Jehoshaphat that provided the comfort and direction I needed to press on through the hardship and heartache. The way Jehoshaphat chose to respond to an epic battle can instruct us on how to handle our own overwhelming situations. It is chock-full of wisdom for our everyday lives.
Stop for a moment and take time to read 2 Chronicles 20:1-30.
Although it references specific people in a specific time and place in ancient history, it is included in biblical canon for our benefit and lifelong pursuit of God. We can learn basic principles from these verses that will bolster our faith, encourage our hearts, and remind us that God is present in our daily and ongoing troubles and cares.
Instead of writing a commentary on those verses, I chose key phrases from that passage of scripture and wrote a topical devotional on each one. I hope you’ll join me for the next 21 days as we explore the powerful and uplifting messages God has for us in His Word.