Quieting Your Heart – Advent Devotional Bible Study

Over the course of four weeks beginning Tuesday, November 28th, and leading up to Christmas, join me as we journey together through the rich biblical themes of Love, Joy, Hope, and Peace. Each day is a refreshing look at scripture, shedding light on timeless stories ranging from Jacob and Rachel’s enduring love to the inspiring resilience of Paul and Silas.

This advent-devotional Bible study is an invitation to rediscover the profound love of God, revealed in the humble birth of our Savior.

Karissa will also be back to bless us with her insightful weekly videos. If you would like more information on our study, click here.

For those who’d like a copy, “Quieting Your Heart: An Invitation to Dwell in His Presence This Christmas” is available on Amazon.com.

Are you looking for the other posts in this study? Click here for the table of contents.

My Closing Thoughts on Jonah Chapter 4

Whether I was 7 or 8, I don’t remember exactly, but I do remember dragging a plastic bag filled with summer clothes and a baby doll halfway down the block, determined to escape. Stress had taken hold of my little heart that day, and I needed to hide away from the world—a place where no one could find me, to be alone with my feelings.

As an adult, my methods of escape have changed, but every once in a while, there’s still a desire to hide away from the world. Whenever life becomes too much, whenever stress takes hold of my heart, I find solace beneath the blankets, alone in my bed. There, in the quietude of my bedroom, I run, I hide, I shut out the world.

But love — true, relentless love — doesn’t let us hide for long. My husband, Michael, knows the signs of my retreat all too well. With a gentle persistence that I’ve come to cherish, he enters my place of solitude. His approaching footsteps are the sound of love refusing to let me dwell in sorrow and pain. Gently pulling back the covers, he offers me a safe space to share, to unload my burdens, to be vulnerable.

This pattern of loving and tender pursuit is mirrored in the book of Jonah. Jonah found his escape in the belly of a great fish, not in the solitude of his bed. Enveloped in darkness, swallowed by his own despair. Yet, it was there, in the depths of his flight from the Lord, that he encountered God’s inescapable love.

His rescue didn’t look like one at first glance. But isn’t that how life is sometimes? Our safe place in the storm isn’t always ideal. Sometimes we’re shrouded in darkness, unaware that God’s hand is at work.

Jonah’s prayer from the belly of the fish was a turning point, a moment of raw vulnerability before God. It’s a tender picture of God’s love for us — a love that doesn’t shy away from our mess, our fears, or our attempts to hide. God’s hand is never too short to reach down, lift us up, and draw us close to His heart, where every shadow is banished by the light of His unfailing love.

Our attempts to run from God are futile because His love is inescapable. He is there, in the midst of our darkest and most hidden places, offering a love that is as relentless as it is comforting. It’s a love that doesn’t simply find us; it transforms our hiding places into divine spaces of His unfailing grace. As we reflect on Jonah’s story, let’s remember our own paths. Though they may be marked by rebellion and sin, we’re never beyond the reach of God’s unfailing grace.

Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. (Isaiah 59:1, NIV)

That’s it for our study on Jonah, ladies. Have a great weekend!

You are loved by an almighty God,

Darlene Schacht
The Time-Warp Wife

This Week’s Printable

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