Pastor Bruce Page - Prayers & Encouragement

Pastor Bruce Page - Prayers & Encouragement Prayer, Scripture, and encouragement in Christ. Sharing God’s work through global missions.

“Though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials…” — 1 Peter 1:6Following Jesus do...
08/27/2026

“Though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials…” — 1 Peter 1:6

Following Jesus does not exempt us from suffering.

Christians experience grief. We face sickness, disappointment, loss, financial struggles, broken relationships, unanswered prayers, and seasons when we simply do not understand what God is doing.

Peter calls them “all kinds of trials.”

But trials do something in us: they reveal what our faith is really made of.

It is easy to say, “I trust God,” when everything is going well. But what happens when life falls apart? What happens when the prayer isn’t answered the way we hoped? What happens when God seems silent?

That is when faith becomes more than something we say we believe. It becomes something we live.

Peter goes on to compare our faith to gold being refined by fire. The fire doesn’t create the gold—it reveals and purifies what is already there.

Maybe you are walking through the fire today. Don’t assume that means God has abandoned you. Your trial may be revealing a faith that is stronger and more genuine than you ever knew.

Faith isn’t proven by never going through the fire.

Faith is proven by still trusting God while you’re in it.

“Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him.” — Job 13:15

Still trusting. Still believing. Still following.

One question has the power to determine your eternal destiny. Jesus asked it nearly 2,000 years ago—and He’s still askin...
07/28/2026

One question has the power to determine your eternal destiny. Jesus asked it nearly 2,000 years ago—and He’s still asking it today.

In Mark 8:27-30, Jesus turned to His disciples and asked, “Who do you say I am?”

The crowds had plenty of opinions. Some believed He was John the Baptist. Others thought He was Elijah or one of the prophets. Everyone seemed to have an answer.

But Jesus wasn’t interested in public opinion. He made the question personal. “Who do you say I am?” That question still echoes today.

It doesn’t matter what your parents believe, what your church believes, or what society says about Jesus. At some point, every one of us must answer that question for ourselves.

Peter boldly declared, “You are the Messiah.” It was a confession that would forever change the course of his life.

Now the question comes to each of us. Is Jesus merely a good teacher? A historical figure? A moral example?
Or is He truly the Messiah, the Son of God, who came to save us from our sins?

Your answer to that question will shape not only how you live today, but where you will spend eternity.

So let me ask you the same question Jesus asked Peter: Who do you say Jesus is?

“But what about you?” He asked. “Who do you say I am?” — Mark 8:29

“Rather, cling tightly to the Lord your God, as you have done until now.” — Joshua 23:8 (NLT)The older I get, the more t...
07/07/2026

“Rather, cling tightly to the Lord your God, as you have done until now.” — Joshua 23:8 (NLT)

The older I get, the more this verse speaks to my heart.

When I look back, I see God’s faithfulness everywhere. He has carried me through seasons of joy and seasons of sorrow. He has seen me through victories, disappointments, failures, and more challenges than I ever imagined. Time and again, He has proven Himself faithful.

Joshua’s final words to Israel weren’t about how to start well—they were about how to finish well.

“Cling tightly to the Lord your God.”

After all the miles we’ve walked with Christ, after all the prayers He’s answered and all the storms He’s brought us through, don’t drift now. Don’t become careless now. Don’t lose at the end.

To be honest, I don’t fear the world nearly as much as I fear my own weakness and frailty. I know my own heart. My prayer is, “Lord, keep me from myself. Guard my heart from pride, complacency, compromise, and self-reliance. Help me cling to You with the same dependence I had when I first believed.”

The finish line is closer now than the starting line. By God’s grace, may we finish with our faith intact, our eyes fixed on Jesus, and our hands still clinging tightly to the One who has never let go of us.

Most people spend their later years slowing down. At 85, Caleb was asking God for a mountain to climb. Getting older, th...
06/22/2026

Most people spend their later years slowing down. At 85, Caleb was asking God for a mountain to climb. Getting older, there is good news! God still has a purpose for your life!

“Give me this mountain.” — Joshua 14:12

At 85 years old, Caleb stood before Joshua and made an amazing request: “Give me this mountain.”

He wasn’t asking for an easy assignment. He wasn’t looking for a comfortable place to settle down. He wasn’t ready to sit on the sidelines. Caleb wanted the very area where giants still lived. He believed that the God who had been faithful throughout his life would continue to be faithful in the years he had left.

As I have gotten older, this passage has become deeply personal to me.

For the last few years, one of my prayers has been:

“Lord, make the ending greater than the beginning.”

I have served the Lord for many years, but my heartfelt prayer is still:

“Use me, Lord!”

I don’t want to spend my remaining years simply talking about what God did yesterday. I want to be part of what He is doing today. I still want to see lives changed, people come to Christ, believers encouraged, and God’s kingdom advance.

Our world often treats aging as a season of decline, but God’s Word reminds us that usefulness is not determined by age. As long as God gives us breath, He still has purpose for our lives.

Maybe your mountain today is different than it was years ago. Maybe it is faithfully praying for your family, encouraging younger believers, serving in your church, sharing your faith, or simply remaining steadfast through a difficult season.

Whatever your mountain may be, don’t let age convince you that your best days of serving God are behind you.

Caleb’s story reminds us that a person who follows the Lord wholeheartedly can still live with faith, purpose, and expectancy right to the finish line.

So today my prayer remains:

“Lord, make the ending greater than the beginning. Use me, Lord.”

I just wrote to a young girl in India who needs our prayers. To protect her privacy, I am not sharing her name.Please pr...
06/11/2026

I just wrote to a young girl in India who needs our prayers. To protect her privacy, I am not sharing her name.
Please pray with me for her. She wrote:

"Hello dear people of god , I need a help , please pray for me for i cannot concentrate on my studies as well as my life, I'm unable to sleep at night , lost my appetite, and feeling so hopeless, I don't have energy to do somthing, Even the things that makes me happy, they're not important to me at all now , I'm feeling so low and i feel like dying , I have so much to say but i don't know how to say .I don't even know wat i wanna say I feel so lost, please help me"

Please join me in praying that God would surround this young woman with His love, peace, and hope. Pray that she would find strength for each day, that the darkness she is experiencing would lift, and that she would know she is not alone.

Pray also that the Lord would place caring people in her life who can walk alongside her and help her through this difficult season.
Thank you for taking a moment to pray for her today. ( I withheld her name for privacy)

06/10/2026

What if the greatest promise God gives us isn’t a solution to our problems, but His presence in the middle of them?

There have been times in my life when the road ahead seemed uncertain and overwhelming. Times when I didn’t know what the future held, how things would work out, or even what the next step should be. In those moments, I wanted answers, solutions, and a clear plan.

But what God gave me was a “special” nearness of His presence. He walked beside me.

As I was reading Joshua 1 this morning, I was struck by God’s words to Joshua. Moses was gone. An entire nation was looking to him for leadership. The Promised Land lay ahead, along with obstacles, battles, and uncertainty.

God’s answer was not a detailed strategy. Instead, He gave Joshua a promise:

“Be strong and courageous… for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)

While this promise was given specifically to Joshua, it reminds us of a truth that carries throughout Scripture: God does not abandon His people.

The same God who walked with Joshua walks with us today.

When you don’t know what tomorrow holds, be strong and courageous. When the path ahead seems unclear, be strong and courageous. When life feels heavy and overwhelming, remember that you do not walk alone.

One of the greatest comforts in the Christian life is knowing that God’s presence goes with us through every season, every challenge, and every uncertainty.

“I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” (Hebrews 13:5)

Whatever you are facing today, take courage. The God who was with Joshua is still faithful today.

Have you ever wondered what would happen if your salvation depended on your ability to never stumble, never doubt, and n...
06/09/2026

Have you ever wondered what would happen if your salvation depended on your ability to never stumble, never doubt, and never fail?

If that were true, none of us would have much hope.

That is why 1 Corinthians 1:8 is such an encouraging promise:

“He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from all blame on the day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns.”

Notice that Paul doesn’t say we keep ourselves strong. He says He will keep us strong.

There are days when our faith feels weak, our prayers seem inadequate, and our strength runs low. Yet our hope has never rested in our ability to hold on to God. Our hope rests in God’s ability to hold on to us.

The same Savior who called you is the Savior who sustains you. The same grace that saved you is the grace that will carry you through every trial and every season until the day you stand before Him.

Take courage today. God’s grip on your life is stronger than your grip on Him.

What a wonderful reminder that our security is not found in our performance, but in God’s faithfulness. We may stumble, struggle, and sometimes even doubt, but the God who began a good work in us is faithful to complete it. Our confidence is not in how tightly we hold on to Him, but in how faithfully He holds on to us.

I’ve been reading through Deuteronomy for my devotions, a book that can sometimes be hard to get through. But at the end...
06/08/2026

I’ve been reading through Deuteronomy for my devotions, a book that can sometimes be hard to get through. But at the end of the book, I came across this verse, this promise from God.

Like many of you, there have been times in my life when I needed a refuge—a place to run in the middle of life’s storms. But not just a place to hide. I needed Someone who would meet me at my weakest point, hold me up when I had no strength left, and remind me that I was not facing the battle alone.

As Moses came to the end of his life, he left Israel with a powerful reminder: their hope was not in a leader, an army, or even the Promised Land. Their hope was in God.

I think many of us can relate. There are seasons when we feel uncertain, tired, discouraged, or overwhelmed by the challenges ahead. We may wonder if we have the strength to keep going.

But this verse reminds us that God is not only our refuge when the storms come—His everlasting arms are underneath us, holding us up when we feel weak.

The older I get, the more I appreciate this truth. Life changes. Health changes. Circumstances change. But God remains faithful. When we don’t feel strong enough, His strength is enough. When we stumble, His arms are still there.

Today, take a moment to thank God for carrying you through the valleys, the disappointments, and the seasons you never thought you would survive. The same God who has brought you this far will continue to lead you forward.

Rest in His care today. You are not carrying life alone. His everlasting arms are beneath you.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the powe...
06/01/2026

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” — Romans 15:13

There have been times in my life when I have felt much like Peter and the other disciples. They had doubts, fears, questions, and many misunderstandings about what God was doing. Yet when Jesus asked, “Are you going to leave too?” Peter gave a remarkable answer:

“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

I have been there. I have felt that way. There have been moments when I didn’t understand God’s plan, when circumstances were confusing, and when faith felt difficult. But like Peter, I keep coming back to the same conclusion: where else can I go? Jesus alone has the words of eternal life.

Today, if you are struggling with doubts, fears, or unanswered questions, remember that faith is not having all the answers. Faith is continuing to trust the One who does.

May the God of hope fill your heart with joy, peace, and an overflowing hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

No matter how far someone has wandered… God has not abandoned them.“But from there you will search again for the Lord yo...
05/12/2026

No matter how far someone has wandered… God has not abandoned them.

“But from there you will search again for the Lord your God. And if you search for Him with all your heart and soul, you will find Him.” — Deuteronomy 4:29

Sometimes people drift because of pain, disappointment, sin, weariness, or simply the slow distractions of life. Yet God’s heart is always calling people home.

Deuteronomy 4:30 reminds us that in distress, when we turn back to Him and listen to His voice, He receives us.

Jesus painted this picture beautifully in the story of the prodigal son in The Gospel of Luke. After wasting everything and walking far from his father, the son finally decided to return home. He expected rejection, shame, and punishment. Instead, while he was still a long way off, his father saw him, ran to him, embraced him, and welcomed him home with joy.

That is the heart of God.

Jesus also said, “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” — Matthew 11:28

Home with the Lord is not a place of condemnation for the repentant heart. It is a place of rest, peace, mercy, forgiveness, and love.

If your heart feels far from God today, take courage. You are not beyond His reach. Search for Him with all your heart… and you will find Him waiting with open arms.

Come on home!

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