As we slow down today, allow this to be a chance to look back over the week in your relationship with the Lord. Don't replay things or overthink them, but notice where He met you. Think over the moments where He carried you and where His grace showed up in your life. Allow these affirmations to help you reflect with honesty and gratitude. I thank God for walking with me through this week. Psalm 143, verse 10, teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your spirit, your good spirit lead me on level ground. I recognize God's faithfulness in both the seen and unseen moments. Psalm 77, verse 11, I will remember the deeds of the Lord. Yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I release regret and receive God's grace. Psalm 32, verse 5, then I acknowledged my sin to you and you forgave the guilt of my sin. I trust that God was at work even when I didn't notice. Ecclesiastes 311, He has made everything beautiful in its time. I give thanks for the strength God provided each day. Psalm 28, verse 7, the Lord is my strength and my shield. My heart trusts in Him and He helps me. I acknowledge where I grew this week. 2 Peter 318, grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I notice where God invited me to trust Him more deeply. Psalm 37, 5, commit your way to the Lord. Trust in Him and He will do this. I receive God's mercy for where I fell short. Micah 718, you delight in mercy. I choose gratitude over self-criticism. Verse Thessalonians 518, give thanks in all circumstances. I honor the work God has been doing in my heart. Philippians 1-6, He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion. I acknowledge God's presence in ordinary moments. Psalm 1611, you make known to me the path of life. I release this week into God's hands. Psalm 5522, cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you. I trust God with what remains unfinished. Proverbs 16, 9, In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps. I thank God for His patience with me. Psalm 103, verse 8, The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. I rest in the truth that God sees me fully. Hebrews 413, nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. I choose to end this week with gratitude. Psalm 92, verse 1, It is good to give thanks to the Lord. I release comparison and embrace contentment. Hebrews 13-5, Be content with what you have because God has said, Never will I leave you. I acknowledge God's protection this week. Psalm 121, verse 7, The Lord will keep you from all harm. I thank God for His provision. Matthew 6, 31, and 32, Your Heavenly Father knows that you need them. I recognize God's quiet guidance. Isaiah 30, 21, This is the way, Walk in it. I let go of striving and receive rest. Psalm 23, verse 2, He leads me beside quiet waters. I honor the limits God has given me. Psalm 127, verse 2, He grants sleep to those He loves. I trust God with what I do not understand. Romans 11, 33, O the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God. I receive peace as I reflect with God. Psalm 4, verse 7, You have filled my heart with greater joy. I end this week grounded in God's faithfulness. Lamentations 323, Great is Your faithfulness. Lord, thank You for walking with me through this week. Help me to see Your faithfulness clearly and to release what I need to let go of. I trust that You were present in ways I noticed and even in the ways I didn't. I place this week into Your hands. Amen. As we spend time listening for God's voice, there are moments when He invites us to step out of our normal routines and to follow Him more intentionally. Bible Study Live is an in-person Bible study experience that I've built around traveling with that kind of purpose. We gather to open scripture together, to pray, to learn and walk through the Bible in community, all while being fully present in these meaningful places. We've recently added a second location and many of the spots are already filled by alumni who've gone on previous trips with me before. Because of that, space is limited. If you've been sensing that God may be inviting you into a deeper season of growth, I'd love to have you join us on one of this year's trips. You can learn more at Biblestudylive.org. Hey friends, I'm Rachel Grohl and I'm your host for the Hearing Jesus podcast where I help you to know God and to make Him known. Hey friends, before we get into today's episode, I want to share something special with you. We just wrapped up our Holy Week series and as we move beyond Easter, I want to invite you into something brand new. It's called 40 Days of Living the Resurrection Life and it's a weekly contemplative prayer series that will help us walk intentionally from Resurrection Sunday all the way to Pentecost. Each week, I'll guide you through a reflective time of prayer and scripture with space to hear from the Lord daily affirmations that you can carry into your daily life. If Easter left you wondering, now what? Then this series is for you. Now let's settle in for week one of 40 days of Living the Resurrection Life. Today's episode is called Hope Has a Name. Hope has a name. Hi friend, welcome to this week's contemplative prayer. Maybe you're feeling it. That slow, quiet ache that whispers, is anything really going to change this year? You want to believe that things will get better. You want to believe that hope is real. But if you're honest, it's hard. Today's prayer is for the one who's still standing at the edge of the tomb. Unsure if life really comes after loss. We're going to walk through Luke 24 verses 1 through 12, the resurrection story from the perspective of the women at the tomb. And we'll ask Jesus to remind us what's true. That hope isn't just an idea. It has a name. And that name is Jesus. So find a quiet space. Sit comfortably. And take a deep breath with me. As we breathe in, we'll pause. We'll hold our breath for four seconds. And then we'll breathe out slowly these breath prayers. And as you breathe in, breathe in the promise of resurrection. Then hold and breathe out the fear, the striving, the uncertainty. Breathe in the promise of resurrection. Hold. And breathe out the fear, the striving, the uncertainty. Breathe in the promise of resurrection. Hold. And breathe out fear, striving, and uncertainty. Jesus quiet my mind. Settle my spirit. Make me aware of your presence with me right now. Luke 24. It's early in the morning. The women walk to the tomb. Burial spices in hand. Grief still fresh. They are not expecting joy. They're preparing their hearts for mourning. Let yourself picture it. You're walking with them. The air is cool. Your feet crunch against the stone path. Your heart is heavy. Your eyes burn. You're tired. And you've come to say goodbye again. When you arrive, the stone has already been rolled away. Let that sink in. The stone was rolled away. You step closer. The tomb is empty. Panic rises until two dazzling figures appear. They speak not with fear, but with assurance. Why do you look for the living among the dead? He's not here. He has risen. Let those words wrap around your heart. He's not here. He has risen. Hope is not buried. Hope walked out of the tomb. The women run to tell the others hearts pounding, fear and joy colliding. Their mourning has been interrupted by resurrection. What if your story is being interrupted by resurrection too? Let's settle into a breath prayer. Breathe in. Hope is alive. And breathe out. I am not alone. Hope is alive. And I am not alone. Hope is alive. And I am not alone. Hope is alive. And I am not alone. Let it slow your breathing. Let it anchor your thoughts. And repeat it once more. Hope is alive. I am not alone. Where in your life have you felt like something died? A dream? A relationship? A career? Joy? Peace? Are there places you've already said goodbye to? Places where you never expect to see hope again? Now imagine Jesus meeting you there in that place. He's not rushing you. He's not pushing you to be okay. He's just there. Present. Alive. What does he say to you? What does his resurrected presence whisper into your weariness? Maybe he's saying this. Don't stop at the tomb. I'm still writing this story. Don't stop at the tomb. I'm still writing your story. Let these truths wash over you. Hope walked out of the tomb and into my life. Hope walked out of the tomb and into my life. I don't have to live like Friday won. I live like Sunday did. I don't have to live like Friday won. I live like Sunday did. Because he lives, I can breathe again. Because he lives, I can breathe again. Jesus, thank you that you did not stay in that grave. When everything felt lost, you made a way. You broke through the silence, the fear, the finality, and you did it for me. Help me to live like resurrection is real. Help me to walk in hope that is alive and active, not buried and forgotten, but beating within me every day. Thank you for being the God who still writes our stories. Help me to trust you with mine. Amen. Friends, if this time of prayer was meaningful for you, I want to invite you into the full journey. 40 days of living the resurrection life is a special series I created to help you stay rooted in the truth of the resurrection, long after Easter Sunday has passed. Each week, we release a new contemplative prayer episode like this one, along with daily affirmations to carry that truth into your everyday life. This first episode is free so that you can experience what the series is like, but the rest of the journey lives exclusively on Patreon. If you're looking for a quiet space to reconnect with God, to breathe a little deeper and to live like resurrection still changes everything. I'd love to have you join us. You can learn more by clicking the link in today's show notes. I'll meet you there. Thank you.
