December 16, 2025 Devo

Life is hard sometimes. And it changes fast. Health issues come up. Relationship problems come storming in. Financial crises come out of nowhere. Your company downsizes. Your “sure thing” investment turns out to be a bust. Your perfect children turn into teenage aliens. You find out your spouse is an addict. The people you counted on most in your life suddenly want absolutely nothing to do with you. One or more of these things happen to all of us at one time or another. It’s just a matter of WHEN. Even though God doesn’t make it so we’re exempt from this kind of stuff, can you imagine what it would be like if God WASN’T THERE for us when these things hit? Instead of hard, it would be CRUSHING. Instead of a blow, it would be a KNOCKOUT. Instead of a shocking wave of pain, we would be DROWNING. God doesn’t stop the bad stuff. But He does make it bearable. What would we ever do without Him?
When our son Nathan was around five, he developed a really strange illness. He would get nauseated for no apparent reason. His joints would swell, and he would break out with small bruises all over his abdominal area. It would come and go without warning. We took him to our pediatrician, who was an excellent doctor. He ran several tests and probed, pricked, and took blood. When we went back for the results, I was expecting something like, “He’s allergic to your detergent.” But instead, I got the jolt of my life. “We think we’ve ruled out leukemia,” our doctor calmly said. I felt my legs grow weak. “Leukemia?” I thought to myself. Life suddenly felt vulnerable and fragile. How could I cope with something like this? Eventually, it was determined that Nathan suffered from a rare, but non-life-threatening disease. It would be something he would grow out of. But that was one of those moments when it really hit me. How in the world could you endure something like this if God wasn’t with you?
Maybe life has hit you hard recently. Maybe you’re dealing with one of those take-your-breath-away moments right now. I want to remind you that you’re NOT alone. God IS with you. He is on your side! As hard as these days are for you right now, you have a God who will help you. He’s a Healer, a Sustainer, a Provider, and a Deliverer. He will be your Rock and your Strong Tower. I’m not telling you this experience will be easy, because it won’t be. But what I will tell you is that it could be much worse, if not for the grace, mercy, and presence of the Lord. That’s why the psalmist said, “What if the LORD had not been on our side?” I hope I never have to find out. I hope you never have to, either. That’s God’s Word for you today.