Today’s Always Uplifting Verse and Devotional to start your day off right!

Thriving Through Life’s Trials

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Psalms 42:11 — “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him, my salvation and my God.”

The night I discovered I had cancer, I sat down at the piano. That’s how songwriters bleed. We bleed songs. I started writing out my feelings, and a song called “O My Soul” began to emerge.

It captured my inner turmoil—a battle with myself—reminiscent of some of King David’s verses in the book of Psalms.

I felt like I was walking through fog. Everything was loud, disorienting, and out of control. But somewhere beneath all that fear and shock, something inside me held firm. And I don’t say that to sound spiritual or strong. I didn’t feel either of those things.

But what I did feel, buried beneath the panic, was something steady. Something rooted. It was Jesus. He was the same God I had spent years getting to know in the quiet.

Long before the diagnosis, I had sensed God calling me—and our band—to something deeper. Not just to sing about faith, but to live like it was anchored in something that couldn’t be shaken.

That became the heartbeat of our ministry: Thrive.

That’s also the origin of a special line in the song I wrote that night: “There’s a place where fear has to face the God you know.”

I can’t explain it, but those words reminded me that the storm didn’t get to define my story. Fear would have to bow to something greater.

I didn’t thrive that night because I was brave or strong or ready. I thrived because what I knew about God was already rooted deep in my bones.

And now, I want to ask you what I had to ask myself: What are you building your life on?

Friend, if life feels calm right now, this is the best time to get to know Him. Because the storms are coming for all of us. If you’re planted in Him, really planted, you won’t be moved.

Not because you’re strong.

But because He is.

— Mark Hall

Oh My Soul

Oh my soul, oh how you worry
Oh how you’re weary from fearing you lost control
This was the one thing you didn’t see coming
And no one would blame you though
If you cried in private
If you tried to hide it away
So no one knows
No one will see if you stop believing

Oh my soul
You are not alone
There’s a place where fear
Has to face the God you know
One more day
He will make a way
Let Him show you how
You can lay this down

‘Cause you’re not alone

Here and now, you can be honest
I won’t try to promise
That someday it all works out
‘Cause this is the valley
And even now He is breathing on
Your dry bones
And there will be dancing
There will be beauty where beauty was
Ash and stone
This much I know

Oh my soul
You are not alone
There’s a place where fear
Has to face the God you know
One more day
He will make a way
Let Him show you how
You can lay this down

I’m not strong enough
I can’t take anymore
(You can lay it down
You can lay it down)
And my shipwrecked faith
Will never get me to shore
(You can lay it down
You can lay it down)
Can He find me here?
Can He keep me from going under?

Oh my soul
You are not alone
There’s a place where fear
Has to face the God you know
One more day
He will make a way
Let Him show you how
You can lay this down

‘Cause you’re not alone

Oh my soul, you’re not alone

Written by: Mark Hall, Bernie Herms

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God on Bus 27

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Isaiah 52:7 – “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation.”

Glenda has seen it all.

As a bus monitor, she’s witnessed the kinds of things nobody wants to see. Kids getting dropped off at houses she wouldn’t have sent a stray dog to. Some have stepped on in yesterday’s clothes, carrying no lunchbox and even less hope.

Sometimes she wonders—before they ever climbed onto this bus, had anyone told them they were loved? That they mattered? That they weren’t alone?

So she does what she can. She smiles big. She calls them “honey” and “sugar,” and plays 88.7 The Cross every single morning like it’s a love song on repeat.

Because she sees them. Every single one.

And to her, this has never been just a job.

Bus 27 is her mission field. Her chance to show those kids what steady looks like. She has memorized their names. She knows who likes the window seat, who hums when they were nervous, and who needs a little extra kindness before the sun fully rises.

This morning, “My Jesus” by Anne Wilson rolled through the speakers, and a boy two seats back gives her a grin.

“Miss Glenda, can you turn it up?”

Oh, she turned it up, all right.

When she glances back, even the grumpiest kid is bobbing his head along to the beat. One child’s shoulders drop like a weight is finally lifted. The shy girl—the one who never speaks—is mouthing every single word. And the rest? They are smiling. Like really smiling.

In that moment, that worn-down bus just feels like church.

And though Glenda has seen a lot over the years, She knows she will never forget this morning. Because that moment—that transformation—that’s what she wants for them. Not perfection. Just a glimpse of Jesus.

And if playing one song can make a child feel seen and known, she will keep doing it every day until the wheels fall off.

Because as far as Glenda is concerned, telling people about Jesus?

That’s the best thing she’ll ever do.

Will you sponsor one day of hope—just like Glenda lives it out every morning?

When you give to 88.7 The Cross, you’re putting songs of truth and love into the lives of kids like the ones on Bus 27. You’re reminding them they matter. That they’re seen. That Jesus is for them—even if no one else has ever said it.

Your gift makes moments like these possible. Choose a day that matters to you, or give what you can. Because every single morning, someone is listening… and what they hear could change everything.

GIVE HERE!

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The Power of a Rugged Cross

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Hebrews 12:2 – “Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

The church was packed, but, on that stage, George Bennard stood alone.

They hadn’t come to hear the gospel. They’d come to laugh at it.

He left that revival early, the mocking still ringing in his ears. That night, holed up in a small Michigan room with nothing but his Bible and a broken spirit, George begged God for clarity. Not success. Not comfort. This hurt, and he just needed something true to stand on.

What came was a vision—not with his eyes, but with his soul. He saw Jesus on the cross.

Not shining. Bleeding.

“On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suff’ring and shame…”

And George wept. The world called it shame. But for him, it was love. Love that bled for mockers and missionaries alike.

“And I love that old cross where the dearest and best
For a world of lost sinners was slain.”

He stopped asking God to change the crowd. He asked to be changed instead. He set down his need for recognition and picked up the weight of a message the world might always reject.

“So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down…”

The lyrics came fast after that. He scribbled them on torn paper with trembling hands. Weeks later, the hymn began to spread like fire. But George never pointed to himself—only to the old rugged cross.

It’s easy to forget what the cross really means. We polish it, display it, wear it. But for George, it was the turning point. The reason he kept going when everything in him wanted to quit.

Maybe today you feel tired of doing the right thing. Maybe you’re discouraged, mocked, or just wondering if any of this still matters. Let George’s story remind you:

Jesus is worth it. His love is worth your time, your trust, and your whole life.

So, cling to the cross. Lay your trophies down. Hold fast to what matters most because the world may never understand…

But someday, you’ll exchange it for a crown.

 

Lyrics

On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suff’ring and shame,
And I love that old cross where the Dearest and Best
For a world of lost sinners was slain.

CHORUS
So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it some day for a crown.

Oh, that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,
Has a wondrous attraction for me;
For the dear Lamb of God left His glory above,
To bear it to dark Calvary.

In the old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
A wondrous beauty I see;
For ’twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,
To pardon and sanctify me.

Lyrics and Music: George Bennard

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Rock Solid Living

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Matthew 7:24 – “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”

“Let’s build a sandcastle.”

That is all it takes.

It is never a casual beach game. Something in me flips like a switch. Competition surges through my veins, and I dive all in. I scope the sand like an architect with a clipboard. I draft imaginary blueprints. I haul buckets like I’m getting paid, and I recruit my nephews like they are interns on my first big project.

They’re all in… for maybe five minutes. Then the waves call their names, or a football lands nearby, and they’re off doing something more important.

But I’m not done. I stay, head down, determined to see this thing through. I shape towers and carve windows, fully invested in this fortress that, deep down, I know won’t last.

Eventually, I call them back. They come running. One pauses, impressed. The other grins, and in one gleeful sprint, he plows through it like a battering ram in swim trunks.

The whole thing collapses in seconds, and right there, with wet sand on my knees and grit in my teeth, I feel it.

This is exactly what life feels like sometimes. You build something you’re proud of. You hope it will last forever, but then something hits. And it falls apart.

That castle was always going to fall…because it was built on sand.

And so is anything I build that is not grounded in something solid. My plans. My peace. My sense of worth. If they are not anchored to something unshakable, it is just a matter of time.

But when Jesus said to build on the rock, He meant it. That rock is not religion, not performance, just Him. It is His truth, His way, and His words.

That is the only foundation I have found that holds.

And it is never too late to rebuild on something that lasts.

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Do Not Give Up Yet

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Romans 12:12 — Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

She texted me out of the blue.

“Can you pray for me?”

Without hesitation, I replied, “of course,” and then I called her.

The conversation was short. Her voice was guarded, but something in it cracked just enough for light to sneak through. We prayed. She thanked me, and we hung up.

And when I sat back in the silence, I felt it. Something had shifted. Just a little. God was doing something.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

That night, I slipped down to my knees for what must have been the hundredth time. I prayed again: for her healing, for her heart, for the wreckage in her past to stop defining her future. I asked God to help her trust Him again.

Because what good would it do if I gave up now?

When I see her again, I have to blink hard to fight back tears. A lump forms fast in my throat, but I still check in on her like I always do. Gently.

This relationship used to be easy. Sweet, even. But that feels like a lifetime ago. And there they are again, those invisible walls she’s learned to stack like bricks, one cold, polite answer at a time. I pray silently.

God, will You make this better again? Please.

That night, with my heart aching, I almost gave into disappointment. I scrolled my phone, trying to outrun my feelings, but there it was again, that familiar nudge in my spirit to pray. It was the kind that won’t let me stay comfortable.

So, I dropped to my knees again. I wept, and God met me there. Again.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

He reminded me of that brave text last night, that prayer call, and that softening in her voice. He’s not done with her.

And suddenly, that was enough.

So, friends, what I am learning is don’t stop praying. Let your knees hit the floor a thousand times if they need to. Keep trusting that beyond what your eyes can see, God is moving mountains in the hearts of those you love.

Because hope isn’t just a feeling. It’s a decision that sounds like this.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

 

Lyrics:

What’s your impossible
Your “I need a miracle”
What’s got you barely hanging by a single thread
What looks so hopeless now
What weighs down your heart with doubt
You beg for a breakthrough but no sign of breakthrough yet

When you’ve cried and you’ve cried til your tears run dry
The answer won’t come and you don’t know why
And you wonder if you can bow your head even one more time

Don’t stop praying
Don’t stop calling on Jesus name
Keep on pounding on heaven’s door
Let your knees wear out the floor
Don’t stop believing
‘Cause mountains move with just a little faith
And your Father’s heard every single word you’re saying
So, don’t stop praying

He’s close to the brokenhearted
Saves those who are crushed in spirit
The Alpha and Omega knows how your story ends

When you’ve cried and you’ve cried til your tears run dry
The answer won’t come and you don’t know why
And you wonder if you can bow your head even one more time
Oh, do it one more time

And don’t stop praying
Don’t stop calling on Jesus name
Keep on pounding on heaven’s door
Let your knees wear out the floor
Don’t stop believing
‘Cause mountains move with just a little faith
And your Father’s heard every single word you’re saying
So, don’t stop praying

(Don’t stop don’t stop praying)
Oh
(Don’t stop don’t stop praying)
Oh, don’t stop praying
(Don’t stop don’t stop praying)
Oh (Oh)

Don’t stop praying for the prodigal
Don’t stop praying for the miracle
Hallelujah, hallelujah and amen

Don’t stop praying that addictions end
Don’t stop praying for deliverance
Hallelujah, hallelujah and amen

Oh, don’t stop praying for the sickness healed
Don’t stop praying for His power revealed
Hallelujah, hallelujah and amen

No, don’t stop praying for the kingdom come
Don’t stop praying that his will be done
Hallelujah, hallelujah and amen

Don’t stop praying
Don’t stop calling on Jesus name
Keep on pounding on heaven’s door
Let your knees wear out the floor
Don’t stop believing
‘Cause mountains move with just a little faith
And your Father’s heard every single word you’re saying
So, don’t stop praying

(Don’t stop don’t stop praying)
(Don’t stop don’t stop praying)
Oh, don’t stop praying
(Don’t stop don’t stop praying)
Don’t you give up now (Oh)
No, don’t stop praying

Music by Matthew West performing “Don’t Stop Praying”
(C) 2024 Provident Label Group LLC, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
#MatthewWest #ChristianMusic #DontStopPraying

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Choosing The Jesus Way

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Matthew 5:44 — “But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

It was just another Tuesday in the studio. Switches flipped, headphones on, songs queued. I was scanning emails and half-listening when Phil Wickham’s The Jesus Way came through the speakers.

I’ve heard it before (dozens of times, probably). But that day, it just hit differently.

“If you curse me, then I will bless you.
If you hurt me, I will forgive.
And if you hate me, then I will love you.
I choose the Jesus way.”

And suddenly I thought:
Wait. Would I actually do that?

I was flabbergasted. Because my honest answer was, “Absolutely not.”

Not if I’ve been hurt.
Not if I’ve been overlooked or disrespected.
Not when it means blessing someone who lied to me.
Not when it means forgiving someone who never said sorry.

But I couldn’t shake the question. I felt like God was tugging at something in me, asking me to stop pretending I had this Jesus thing figured out. I had convinced myself I was already living that way, but I wasn’t. I was saying the right things, but not living them.

Because the Jesus way? It’s not always easy or aesthetic. It is messy and complicated and sometimes downright painful. And sometimes, saying yes to Jesus means saying yes to being misunderstood, to letting go of grudges, and to loving people who won’t love me back.

It means keeping your spiritual ear tuned even when everything in you wants to shut down. It means choosing to bless someone who might never know the cost of that choice.

So, I prayed right there in the studio. Lord, I don’t know how to love like that, but I want to. Help me to do it…even if it hurts.

I don’t know exactly where that prayer will take me, but I know this. The Jesus way isn’t about what we say we believe. It isn’t a one-time decision. It is an ongoing invitation to choose love when it feels unfair.

And if you’re like me—if you’ve ever convinced yourself you’re living this way but secretly know you’re not—maybe this is your moment too.

No, it’s not easy.
It may even invite pain.

But it’s the Jesus way.
And it’s worth it.

Lyrics:

If you curse me then I will bless you
If you hurt me I will forgive
And if you hate me then I will love you
I choose the Jesus way

If you’re helpless I will defend you
And if you’re burdened I’ll share the weight
And if you’re hopeless then let me show you
There’s hope in the Jesus way

I follow Jesus
I follow Jesus
He wore my sin
I’ll gladly wear His name
He is the treasure
He is the answer
Oh I choose the Jesus way

If you strike me I will embrace you
And if you chain me I’ll sing His praise
And if you kill me my home is heaven
For I choose the Jesus way

I follow Jesus
I follow Jesus
He wore my sin
I’ll gladly wear His name
He is the treasure
He is the answer
Oh I choose the Jesus way

I choose surrender
I choose to love
Oh God my Savior
You’ll always be enough
I choose forgiveness
I choose grace
I choose to worship
No matter what I face

I choose the Jesus way
I choose the Jesus way
I choose the Jesus way
I choose the Jesus way

I follow Jesus
I follow Jesus
He wore my sin
I’ll gladly wear His name
He is the treasure
He is the answer
Oh I choose the Jesus way

I follow Jesus
I follow Jesus
He wore my sin
I’ll gladly wear His name
He is the treasure
He is the answer
Oh I choose the Jesus way
Oh I choose the Jesus way
#PhilWickham #TheJesusWay

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A Couch, a Coffee, and a Change

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Luke 6:36 — “Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.”

Some lessons from God don’t start in a church. They start behind a gym, yelling at a stranger in a junked-out car.

The sun wasn’t even up, but Jeff’s blood was already boiling. There it was: a man’s silhouette under a ragged blanket. Again.

He banged on the window with a flat palm.

“I said this yesterday. You can’t sleep here! I’m not running a shelter. I’m running a business.”

The kid jumped, wide-eyed, and climbed out without a word. He disappeared into the trees like smoke. Jeff stood there for a minute, jaw clenched, muttering all the way back inside.

The next morning? Same car. Same blanket. Same boiling anger.

By day five, Jeff wasn’t even surprised. His feet thundered as he marched toward the car, already rehearsing what to say when—

Do you remember when you had nothing?

The words weren’t audible, but they might as well have been shouted.

He did remember… how close had he had come to losing it all. The gym. His sanity. His hope.

So, he turned around, marched back inside, filled a Styrofoam cup with hot coffee, and carried it out.

“I brought you something.”

The young man sat up slowly, blinking. Confused.

“What’s your name?”

“…Brian.”

They talked a while. After hearing Brian’s story, Jeff offered him a job. Brian agreed, but showed up hours late. This time he didn’t let it slide.

“Job’s off the table,” Jeff said. “But I’ll help you. You can shower here and sleep on the couch. But I’m not jumping in the hole with you. You’ve got to want out.”

The weeks passed, and there were more slip-ups and missed chances. But Jeff didn’t walk away. Every time he looked at Brian, he saw himself, just younger and in need of someone steady.

And do you know what? Eventually, Brian did find a steady, meaningful job, but what he gained more was the confidence that someone cared about him when all he had was a tattered blanket and a place to sleep in the back of someone else’s car.

When you think about Brian and Jeff today, I hope you will remember someone else needs what God gave you, too. Could it be grace? Patience? Or a second chance?

And when you meet someone stuck where you once were, don’t yell. Don’t look away. Just lean in, lend a hand, and offer a little hope and a cup of coffee.

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The Day Hope Came Back

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Romans 15:13 – “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”

“Enclosed is a check to sponsor one day of Hope. I will be mailing checks to you monthly.”

That is what Susan wrote on the card.

Hope. The word alone brought a lump to her throat.

Hope was her Cocker Spaniel. She had a coat like caramel and eyes that always seemed to understand. For years, she was with Susan for everything. Walks in the early morning. Long afternoons on the porch. The simple parts of life no one else really saw, she was there for them all.

When she passed away in January, she did not know what to do with the stillness. It was more than missing her. It was grief.

For a while, the house felt unfamiliar. She would catch herself looking for Hope and reaching for the leash. Listening for her feet on the floor.

But even in the ache, Susan noticed something. Each morning, she would turn on 88.7 The Cross. And somehow, the words that came through the speakers gave her something she did not know she needed. Not a distraction. Not a fix. Just a reminder that hope still had a place in her story.

Now, by giving she wants to share that same hope with others.

You see, real hope is not sentimental. It is a Person who shows up when life falls apart. He is present on the good days and the bad. His name is Jesus, and if you have known Him in that way, you know He is worth sharing.

Is there someone who needs the same hope that carried you? You may not know their name. But just like Susan, you can still be part of the reason they keep going.

Will you give today so someone else can experience the same hope Susan found?

Your gift makes it possible for 88.7 The Cross to be there in the quiet, in the heartache, in the moments that matter most. Just like Susan, someone is listening—grieving, searching, reaching for a reason to keep going.

And your generosity can be the reason they hear exactly what they need.

Give hope. Share Jesus. Sponsor a day—or whatever you can—because real hope is worth passing on.

GIVE NOW!

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Banjo Strings and Blessings

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Colossians 3:14 — “And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”

There’s a kind of joy you don’t plan for. It just shows up with paper plates and a guitar. That is how it was sitting outside under the pines at one of my family’s old-fashioned pickin’ and grinnins’.

I was across the table from Uncle Benny. He was working his way through the same question for the fifth a. I kept answering him, because what would be the point in correcting him. Right?

The little ones were darting around barefoot, chasing each other with sticky fingers, dripping popsicle juice everywhere. Someone’s toddler squealed with laughter, and a cousin hollered something about fire ants. If I remember right, a few of the grown-ups rolled their eyes when somebody forgot the ice. Bless it.

The heat was doing what Southern heat does. I kept swatting mosquitoes and trying to smooth down my hair, but before I could even be bothered, the music started.

One by one, a guitar, a banjo, and eventually a karaoke machine made their way out. People gathered near the porch, clapping and singing—some on key, some not even close. It was wonderful.

I couldn’t tell you what we ate that day, probably hot dogs and potato salad, but I remember the sound of my aunt’s laugh. I remember the cold bite of watermelon, and I remember feeling so full, not from food, but from the people around me.

When I think of those “pickin’ and grinnin’” days, my heart aches a little in that sweet way. I want to go back. I want to relive the moments where everything else fell away and all that mattered were the people right in front of me.

So, today, I’m choosing to live like every day is a pickin’ and grinnin’. I won’t wait for the weather to be perfect or for someone else to bring the ice. I want to bring my own glad heart, be interruptible, laugh, and sing off-key.

There’s a lawn chair waiting. Maybe you’d like to join me?

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What Faith Sounds Like in the Dark

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Psalms 119:50 — This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life.

No one talks about the silence after a funeral. It is the kind that wraps around your ribcage and squeezes, the kind that makes you forget how to pray.

After TobyMac’s son, Truett, died from an accidental overdose, he knew people meant well. They quoted verses and reminded him of Heaven, but they hadn’t buried their sons. They hadn’t sat on their child’s bed, with sheets still rumpled, wondering how the world could possibly go on.

There was no song to sing. No words were big enough, and no melody was brave enough. The truth was simple and terrible: his son had died, and no amount of faith could make this less awful.

Weeks passed. Then months. And when he finally walked into his first writing session since it all fell apart, he wasn’t sure why he was there. He still felt hollow.

But something happened in that room. He sat down with a few chords, a few unfinished thoughts. What poured out wasn’t polished or planned. It was raw and quiet—an ache turned into lyrics. And the song that came to life that day was called “Faithfully.”

He wrote it because he needed to. He needed a reminder of what he believed… even when he didn’t feel it.

“But when my world broke into pieces
You were there faithfully
When I cried out to You, Jesus
You made a way for me
I may never be the same man
But I’m a man who still believes
When I cried out to You, Jesus
You were there faithfully”

As the song played back, he let the tears fall. That’s when he knew. This was a gift. Not a fix, not an answer—just a lifeline. A melody for the midnight hour. He hadn’t expected “Faithfully” to become the anchor he’d need, but God did.

And maybe you’re in a place like that now. Gutted. Like your world doesn’t make sense. Like God is a million miles away. If so, let this be a hand on your shoulder.

The truth is, God loves you. And He is still holding on. Faithfully.

This is what Toby discovered in that dark stretch of road. Not all prayers get answers. Not all stories get neat endings. But even then, God is good. He won’t abandon you in your pain. If that’s all you can hold onto right now, believe me, that’s enough.

Lyrics:
It’s been a long year; it almost took me down I swear
Life was so good, I’m not so sure we knew what we had
I’ll never be the same man, I’ll never feel like I felt before
It’s been a hard year, it almost took me down

But when we my world broke into pieces
You were there faithfully
When I cried out to you Jesus
You made a way for me

I may never be the same man
But I’m a man who still believes
When I cried out to you Jesus
You were there faithfully

I’ve had a hard time, finding the blue in the skies above me
And if I’m keeping it real, I’ve been half fakin’ the happy they see
I may look like the same man, but I’m half the man I was
It’s been a hard year it almost took me down

In my darkest hour, You met me
So quietly, so gently
You said You’d never leave, and You stood by Your word

So quietly, so gently
In all my pain, You met me
You said You’d never leave, and You stood by Your word

Songwriters: Kyle Williams / Toby McKeehan

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