Devotionals

A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford I was a refugee from Hurricane Helene. My daughter Ruth and son Jeffrey had climbed through downed trees on the road to rescue me. My power, heat, light, internet, food supplies, all had been knocked out by the...

A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford "I’m glad they caught the man that murdered that insurance executive." said a friend of mine recently. Another friend retorted, "Huh, sure they did. The guy that was killed was rich and famous. But if he’d been...

A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford Facing the new year is daunting. The year 2025 is unknown. We can’t guess what will happen about inflation, family relationships, employment, the cultural divide our country faces, or the threats of hostilities all...

A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford On a long flight from Connecticut to Washington, D.C., my seat mate was a beautiful Jewish woman. We’d had a lively conversation about things we were both interested in. Then I told her about my relationship with...

A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford “Nobody wants me,” a distraught woman said to me as she opened the door to me. “God doesn’t even want me.” How deeper could a human being’s despair go? This dear woman had found life intolerable, and thought she’d...

A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Handford A bestseller by Kate Bowler bears the title, “Everything Happens for a Reason: and Other Lies I’ve Loved.” The title and the book imply that Romans 8:28 is a lie, a comforting lie, but still a blatant lie. Romans 8:28...

A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Handford If you ask me for my favorite Scripture, I’d answer that it depends on what I need from God that day. In a time of stress recently, I turned to Isaiah 44 and 45. In that grand passage, the name of an unknown king...

A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford The little boy didn’t believe his father when he said, “This hurts me more than it hurts you,” though his daddy’s eyes were filled with tears. Tommy had stolen some money at school. The principal discovered it, and...

A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford Category 3 hurricane Helene was predicted. Urgent warnings of 80 mile-an-hour winds and dangerous flash floods were issued. I did my best to do everything they suggested to prepare. Bread. Milk. Bottled water. Dog...

A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford “It isn’t fair,” the young wife wailed. “He oughtn’t to get by with it.” If you knew the circumstances, you’d agree with her that the thief deserves punishment. An employee of her husband admitted he’d stolen...