"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble." Psalm 46:1-3
Where is the dog?
This is a question I asked my husband one evening when he came home from work. Our incredibly active 4-year-old Bernese Mountain Dog loves to show us attention and affection. When anyone comes home for the day, she runs around the house, shaking her body and jumping up and down. Her tail swishes around, often knocking down anything in her way. She then proceeds to lick my husband's hands, much to his frustration.
But one day, she didn't come to greet him at the door. As he talked to me for several minutes, I noticed the dog was not near him and was not doing her normal playful behavior. When we walked into the other room to locate her, she was sitting on the couch, not moving. She was alert and aware of our presence, but when we asked her to go outside, she would not get up from the couch. As my husband helped her to her feet, she stood in the middle of the living room, almost paralyzed. He carried her out to go to the bathroom before she went to her crate for the evening. She would not move outside but merely stood in the middle of the grass, staring down at it, panting.
We took her to the vet the next day and found she had an infection and an underactive thyroid. With medication and a few weeks' rest, she was back to her normal self. While all dogs are prone to illness just as humans are, it is scary to see your precious pet battling illness and not feeling well. When their behavior changes to the point of being almost comatose, it can be a scary scene. Because she was acting the same way our other dog had acted before she passed, we were convinced we were going to lose her. We prayed and asked God to spare her life. God, in his faithfulness, did that.
The above verse reminds us that we can call on God at any time we feel we are in trouble. When we first noticed our dog acting strangely, we panicked. We began having flashbacks to our other dog, who had passed in the same way. In our fear, we reached out to God and asked him for his help. God spared her life and allowed the infection to be cleared with no problem. When we felt we had nowhere else to turn, the first person we turned to was God. This is what God wants from all his children. He wants us to cry out to him and be the first person we cry out to in times of trouble. He's faithful to help us according to his will. Even when things don't turn out the way we expect, God is working for both our good and his.
Where do you turn in times of trouble? Do you turn to God as the first person you cry out to when you are having a difficult time? When all else fails, where do you turn? Do you call a neighbor, friend, or family member to help you out? Do you put your faith in man or in God?
We sometimes use coping mechanisms to help us get through difficult times.
Some of those mechanisms can be subtle and even acceptable, like binge-watching television or eating junk food. Other mechanisms can be more destructive, like drugs, alcohol, or reckless driving. No matter what we choose to use to bring us peace and escapism from our troubles, God wants to be the first person we turn to in times of trouble.
Father, let us be people who turn to you in times of crisis. When we panic and don't know where else to turn, may you be our first thought as we turn to you in prayer. Let us pour our hearts out to you, asking you for anything that you can do to help. Let us bring even our boldest and biggest requests to you. Let us not turn away our faces in fear that you will not answer them. Rather, let us believe that, in faith, you will be our ever-present help in time of trouble. Amen.
Photo credit: ©GettyImages/Layland Masuda
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If you've been feeling tired, overwhelmed, depleted, or just quietly wondering where God is in the middle of a very full life — this episode is for you. And honestly? It might be for me too, because I'm recording this in one of those seasons myself.
Today we're doing something a little different. Instead of going deep in a passage, we're talking about what to do when deep feels like too much — when you need less, not more. Specifically, I'm walking you through one of my favorite practices for weary seasons: handwriting scripture.
Not typing it. Not scrolling past it. Actually writing it out, slowly, in your own hand — because something happens in your brain when you do that. The words land differently. They go deeper. And over time, they become part of that personal library of God's voice that the Holy Spirit can pull from when you need it most. That's what Psalm 119:11 means when it says I have hidden your word in my heart — it's scripture moving into your long-term memory, where it lives and stays even when you haven't opened your Bible in weeks.
I'm sharing the five verses I wrote out for myself today — and why each one hit me fresh even though I've known some of them for years. This episode is part of our How to Study the Bible Podcast, a show that brings life back to reading the Bible and helps you understand even the hardest parts of Scripture. If this episode helps you know and love God more, be sure to follow the How to Study the Bible Podcast on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!
Originally published Thursday, 18 June 2026.
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