06/01/2026
5 Day Devotional
Life brings moments that don’t fit into easy answers—diagnoses, losses, betrayals, and transitions that leave us asking, “Why?” Over the next five days, you’ll revisit the sermon’s invitation to bring hard questions to God, anchor your heart in His presence, and learn to see your suffering through the lens of what is eternal. Each day will help you practice faith that stays close to Jesus when you feel perplexed, pressured, or struck down.
Day 1
2 Corinthians 4:8-9
Suffering often raises questions we didn’t choose, and it can feel like faith is being tested at the seams. Paul doesn’t pretend the pressure is small—he names it plainly: pressured, perplexed, persecuted, struck down. Yet he also refuses to let pain tell the whole story. In Christ, affliction is real, but it is not final; hardship can hit hard without having the last word over you.
When you find yourself asking “Why?”, you are not automatically being faithless—you are being honest. The sermon reminded us that God is not intimidated by our questions, and Scripture gives language for believers who are hurting. The goal is not to stop feeling or to silence your grief; the goal is to stay near God in the middle of it, trusting that even when you don’t understand, you are not crushed, abandoned, or destroyed.
Name one area where you feel “pressured in every way” right now; what does it look like to admit that to God without minimizing it?
Where do you feel “perplexed” (confused or unsettled)? Write your “why” question as a prayer instead of a complaint.
Which phrase do you need most today: not crushed, not in despair, not abandoned, not destroyed? Why?
Identify one person you can talk to this week who will listen well without trying to fix you too quickly.
What is one small act of faith you can take today (pray honestly, attend worship, ask for help) that keeps you close to God?