***Listen To Audio Version: When Life Feels Unfamiliar Audio 621
Today’s Devotional Scripture: “The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.” - Psalm 34:18 KJV
The Message For Today (August 20, 2026):
***Listen To Audio Version: When Life Feels Unfamiliar Audio 621
When Life Doesn’t Look Like You Expected
There are seasons in life when we find ourselves in situations that make us feel as if we’re living someone else’s life.
Surely, this can’t be my life, we ask. I don’t know how I even got here!
Maybe it was one sharp turn that caused you to go into the ravine. Maybe it was a slow wavering onto the wrong path.
Either way, whether you saw it coming or not, whether you were conscious of the choices being made or simply moving through life on autopilot, it happened.
Your health was put at risk. A treasure in your life was lost or broken. A relationship ended. A new financial crisis appeared.
These are seasons in life that happen to everyone.
Someone else’s highlight reel is just that: a highlight reel.
They may not want to show you what they are going through because they are trying to stay positive. But as Solomon reminds us, there is nothing new under the sun.
We all experience disappointment, loss, heartbreak, uncertainty, and seasons we never expected.
We are the same; we all get dressed one leg at a time.
No one is exempt from hardship.
The rain falls on all of us.
Acknowledge Where You Are
Acknowledging the season we are in is important.
We cannot change what we refuse to acknowledge.
So perhaps the first question isn’t, “How do I get out of this?”
Perhaps it is:
“How did I get here?”
Do you need to repent?
Do you need to make a different choice?
Or do you simply need to be comforted?
There is freedom in being honest with ourselves and with God about where we are.
We don’t have to pretend that everything is okay when it isn’t.
We don’t have to put a smile on our face and call it faith.
Sometimes faith looks like simply saying, “Lord, I don’t understand how I got here, but I need You.”
Approach Him Anyway
The Lord answers every whisper of our hearts.
We come in peace. We come in distress. We come confused. We come broken. We come with questions we cannot answer and wounds we don’t know how to heal.
But we can come.
And when we approach Him, He will not turn us away.
We don’t have to get all cleaned up before we come to Him. We don’t have to have the right words. We don’t have to have everything figured out.
Hebrews 4:16 reminds us that we can come “boldly unto the throne of grace” so that we may receive mercy and find grace when we need it.
Come as His child.
Come honestly.
Come broken.
Come weary.
Come as you are.
Allow Him to Heal
Allow Him to speak to your heart.
Let Him show you how you got there. If repentance is needed, allow Him to lead you into it. If comfort is needed, allow Him to give it to you and receive it.
If something in you is broken, let Him touch it.
He knows how to heal the pieces that have shattered around you and the pieces that have shattered within you.
You may not be able to change everything about your current season today, but you can change and acknowledge where you are.
You can bring it to God.
You can listen for His voice.
And you can take the next step He places in front of you.
You don’t have to understand or see the entire road.
You simply need to trust the One who is walking it with you.
Closing Devotional Prayer
My Prayer for you in the Unexpected Season:
Father, there are times when we look at our lives and wonder how we got here. Sometimes we understand the choices that brought us to where we are, and sometimes we don’t.
Help the mighty woman of God to be honest about the season she is in.
Give her the courage to acknowledge what needs to be acknowledged. If she needs to repent, give her a humble heart. If she needs comfort, help her to receive Your comfort. If she is hurting, remind her that You are near to the brokenhearted.
Father, I pray that she does not run from this season or pretend that it isn’t happening. Help her to meet You in this moment.
Speak to her heart. Show her what You want her to see. Heal what is broken within her, restore what can be restored, and give her wisdom for her next steps. In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.
Written by Ann Marie Thrives
You can speak with her privately by booking a free consultation:
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