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Brenda Bradford Ottinger

Encouraging Women to Live Rooted in the Sacred

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Hope When Heartache Lingers

If we had the pleasure of meeting in a checkout lane, I’d surely compliment your outfit or your taste in salsa. Yet hidden beneath the friendly banter flows an ache that travels my veins and beats in my heart. For the days gather into years as I quietly wait in hope, supporting a loved-one through extended health challenges.

I think a lot about hope these days; I seek to understand this merciful mystery that comforts our spirits through life’s long seasons.

Dear friend, have you, too, experienced a long season of quietly waiting in hope for the Lord to heal a heartache in your life? The weight of this wait can feel heavy, yet hope has a tender way of meeting us in the midst and sustaining us in the wait.

Lately I’m drawn to this comforting assurance: “The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.” (Lamentations 3:25-26)

A prophet of God relayed this message to the Israelites after enemies destroyed their homeland and exiled them to Babylon. In that long, heavy season, these words were a soothing reminder that all hope is in the Lord Almighty, who is good to those who seek Him and wait for His rescue.

As I reflect on this enduring truth, I’m learning that hope is a haven, not a harvest; a refuge, not a result. For hope isn’t a wistful want for the future—hope is a confident calm in the midst of the wait, a quiet knowing that the Lord is forever good to those who seek Him.

In the sacred veil of time between what is and what will be, God tenderly covers us with His care. And in this sheltered space we realize that hope is an act of worship, an offering of trust to the One who comforts our todays and cradles our tomorrows.

Dear friend, whatever ache your heart holds as you wait in hope for God—He hasn’t forgotten you. He hears your prayers, He collects your tears, and He personally tends your story.

His power has not lost its authority. Our great God goes before us and is already there at the end of our long, heavy seasons. We can trust the pace of His plan, for He knows how each chapter unfolds.

Yet sweeter still, the precious through-line of hope in our stories isn’t in the solution, but in the Savior. For Jesus, the hope of humanity, exchanged His earthly life for our eternal life with Him in heaven, where every heavy thing of this world will be made light.

 

Holding you in prayer today, dear friend.
May the tender love of the Lord cover your heart with hope.
We’d love for you to join the conversation at Proverbs 31 Ministries today, friend! ♥

Click to join us in the comments at P31!

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Dear friend, are you living in a season of hope up Dear friend, are you living in a season of hope upon hope? If so, I understand. 💗
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The relentlessness of some seasons has a way of tethering our threadbare hearts to hope.
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Unlike other holy hallmarks, sometimes hope can feel hard to define. 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 feels wild and strong; 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘩, grounded and secure. Yet, hope can seem wistful, intangible.
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But, more and more I'm realizing that even though hope seems an elegant mystery—Hope is a force unto itself.
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In today's Proverbs 31 Ministries devotion, 𝘏𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘴, I share how God meets us inside this beautiful mystery of hope with all of Himself. His power still rescues His people. 🙌 
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Dear friend, I'm here alongside you as together we hold hope inside the lingering heavy seasons of life. 💗
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You can read and join the conversation today at Proverbs31. org . Would love to hear from you, friend. 💕
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#hope #heartache #Proverbs31Ministries #christianwriter
The neon numbers on my nightstand clock insisted i The neon numbers on my nightstand clock insisted it was midnight, yet it may as well have been midday as far as my active mind was concerned.
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Weariness swept my spirit as the enemy nagged notions of angst. 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥, 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘦 𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘶𝘱 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵? I begged softly into the night.
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Turns out, trying to fill every moment of opportunity can leave you feeling empty of rest.
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Dear friend, can you relate to being in that place of striving to do it all, lest you miss out on something meaningful, while quietly feeling weary and worn?
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We often hear the acronym FOMO—the “fear of missing out.” But what a lullaby it would sing to our weary spirits, if instead we embraced a different kind of FOMO—the “freedom of missing out.” 🙌
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You can read the full devotion live today at Proverbs 31 Ministries! ✨
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I’d love to hear your story, friend. Have you ever felt similarly? 💕
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#FOMO #freedom #weary #christianwriter #proverbs31ministries
Dear Lord of the sunrise: Thank You! 🙌 💗 . . . #su Dear Lord of the sunrise: Thank You! 🙌 💗
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#sunrise #hope #God #christianwriter
Hey, friend. 💗 How is your 2025 going? Whether car Hey, friend. 💗 How is your 2025 going? Whether carefree & calm, or perhaps like mine, it's been a whirlwind of extra, I pray the Lord has met you in the midst with all of Himself. 💗 ...
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I wanted to share some exciting news with you! 🎉 I've had the beautiful honor of contributing to a brand-new devotional from Proverbs 31 Ministries called: Let In the Light: 50 Devotions to Confidently Know God Is Good and Guiding Your Steps. Releasing TODAY, October 28, 2025!
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This book is filled with encouraging devotions from authors (including me!) who want to remind you that God’s light is never gone — even when life feels cloudy or dark.
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If you’ve ever needed a reminder that God’s light is still shining, this book was written for you.
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I can’t wait for you to read these devotions and let a little more of His light into your days! 🔆
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May this offering of light bring hope, peace, and comfort to you in this season, my friend. 💗
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Available at the P31 Bookstore, or anywhere you like to buy your books. 
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(P.S., I'd love to hear your thoughts on the book as you're able to share, friend!) 💕
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#letinthelight #christianwriter #Jesus
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