Two and a half years ago, my husband and I moved from California to Illinois with our 8 month old daughter, Evelyn. We had lived in the LA area for almost 10 years and had developed deep friendships over that time. These were the kind of friends that walked in without knocking. The kind of friends who know all the foods you love and all the foods you hate. The kind of friends that would come over to clean my bathroom after I had my daughter, for Pete’s sake! Our community and our church had become family.

However, we were not in the kind of financial situation that would provide for a growing family.

After a lot of prayer, advice, and long discussions, my husband decided to accept a job in Illinois (this could be a whole other blog post). We knew it was where God was leading us in the next season of life.

So we packed up our little house and moved to Illinois on January 27th, 2015. We arrivedjust hours before the 5th largest snowstorm in Chicago history. Waking up to 19 inches of snow the next morning was fun… for like five minutes. We quickly realized that Midwesterners hibernated in the winter. Even church was canceled! How the heck were we supposed to meet new friends when there are NO people?

When the adrenaline of moving wore off, the loneliness began to sink in.

We were living with my parents until we could save and find a place of our own. My husband began his job (using the only car we had). So here I was, 2000 miles away from community, stuck at home with an 8 month old baby in the frozen tundra.

Here is a small excerpt of my prayer journal at the time, which gives you a glimpse of my grief…

“Lord, it is still hard. I just feel like my grief is swallowing my hope. How long will it be this way Lord? How long will I grieve? Lord, my only hope is that you will guide us where you know we need to be… and that you love us and want good things for our life.”

As you can imagine, I was experiencing all kinds of emotions. Shortly after we moved, I began working on Bible Promises to Live by for Women. I honestly think God gave me this assignment at the right time. Being immersed in God’s promises was the thing that kept me going through that dark time.

When I was anxious, God’s promises gave me peace.

When I was afraid, God’s promises gave me courage.

When I was discouraged, God’s promises gave me hope.

When I was tired of waiting, God’s promises gave me endurance.

When I was lonely, God’s promises reminded me of his presence.

It took us about 2 years to finally feel settled, content, and find friends that we now absolutely love and adore. I still miss our friends in California however, I am SO thankful for my small group, neighbors, church, mom tribe, and family. This has now become home.

But being on the other side of the grief, I now see how powerful God's promises were to me in that season.

Some of God’s promises provide us with assurance, strength, and encouragement to guide us through everyday life. Others speak to the deep desires inside each of us as we long to know that our future holds joy, security, purpose, value, and companionship. And because God has declared that his Word will last forever, we can trust him to keep each and every promise.

What I love about this devotional is that it speaks to wherever you are. There are over 500 promises in this book that address 91 different topics. Many of these topics are focused on issues, concerns, and desires women face today.

What do you long to hear God promise for your future?

I don’t know what you are going through in this particular season of life, but I thought I’d pass along a few promises from God’s Word. I hope one of them speaks to your heart today. As you read these promises, remember that your Creator speaks these to you personally.

"Give all your worries and care to God, for he cares about you."
1 Peter 5:7

"The LORD will guide you continually..."
Isaiah 58:11

"I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
Matthew 28:20

"Nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God..."
Romans 8:39

"We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ."
Romans 3:22

Which one of these promises did you need to hear today?

This is my prayer for you: May God bless you as you take in the promises of the One who loves you and has promised wonderful things for your future.