Transitions: Making Space for God in Life’s Shifts

In Get Your Life Back, John Eldredge dedicates a chapter to “Allowing for Transitions.” He observes that our fast-paced lives often propel us from one moment to the next without pause. We move from a tender conversation with a child to a heated call with an insurance company, then dive into work meetings while juggling emails, decisions about aging parents, and planning a spouse’s birthday dinner. Eldredge writes:

“The things we require of ourselves—we go from a tender conversation with our eight-year-old anxious about going to school to an angry phone call with our insurance company as we drive to work… And we wonder why we are having a hard time finding God, receiving more of him, feeling like we’re overflowing with life.” (pp. 66-67)

Each moment demands a different emotional, mental, or spiritual posture, yet we rarely give ourselves time to shift gears. Without transitions, we’re left fragmented, unable to be fully present or at our best. Eldredge suggests a simple practice: pause for a moment between activities, offer the previous experience to God, and seek His wisdom for what’s next. This small act of surrender can ground us and invite God into our daily rhythm.

This idea of transitions extends beyond daily tasks to the larger seasons of life. For years, I’ve taken hiking trips in Colorado that double as spiritual retreats. These times are deeply restorative—until I return home. The 13-hour drive back, rushed and grueling, erases the peace I found. By the time I’m home, “reality” swallows the renewal I experienced. I suspect you’ve felt this too: the high of a retreat, camp, or conference fades as you leap back into routine without time to process or integrate what God revealed.

Yesterday I attended my Aunt Maggie’s funeral, and it stirred a new perspective on transitions. Grief, for those who follow Jesus, is God’s gift to help us navigate loss. It’s a sacred process that moves us from a world where our loved one was present to one where they are not. Our hope in the resurrection and God’s New Creation sustains us, but grief allows us to honor the reality of a changed life. It’s a transition, slow and tender, that helps us carry love forward while releasing what was.

Here’s the heart of this pondering: transitions are vital to our spiritual formation. They are acts of kindness to ourselves, creating space to process, reflect, and invite God into our shifting roles and seasons. Whether it’s a minute between tasks or a slower reentry after a mountaintop experience, transitions help us live with intention and stay connected to God’s presence.

I encourage you to consider how you can build transitions into your life. One practice I’m adopting is to pause after an activity, entrust that moment to God, and ask for His guidance as I step into the next. This simple rhythm helps me show up more fully, reflecting King Jesus in my words and actions. What might transitions look like for you? How could they draw you closer to God’s heart?

Paul’s Ponderings
Reflecting on the truth that transforms.

Living Prayer

“To pray for one another as individuals or communities implies that we shall assist one another in every way for which we pray for one another; otherwise our prayers and thanksgivings for each other are mere hypocrisy.” – Alexander Campbell, The Christian System

Our actions are an extension of our prayers; they bring to life the intentions we express in our talking to God. Prayer is more than words said in solitude—it is a call to align our hearts with God’s will and to step into the world as His hands and feet. I believe it is crucial to ponder the connection between prayer and intention, the importance of backing our words with deeds, and the transformation that emerges in us and our communities when faith moves from an ideal to reality.

I. Understanding the Essence of Prayer

Prayer is both a spiritual and relational act. We see this in Paul’s instruction found in Philippians 4:6, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” 

Through prayer, we lay our hopes, fears, and desires before God, aligning our hearts with His purpose. It’s an act of trust, a declaration that we believe in His power to work in our lives and the lives of others.

Yet prayer is not solitary—it binds us to one another. James 5:16 urges, “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” When we pray for our neighbors, friends, or even strangers, we lovingly pray for those around us, people in our community, lifting up their needs as if they were our own.

II. The Disconnect Between Words and Actions

Alexander Campbell’s words ring with a sobering truth: prayer without action risks becoming hypocrisy. Jesus warned against empty words in Matthew 6:7-8, saying that God sees through mindless repetitions and desires the right motivation and intention. Too often, we pray for the hungry but pass by opportunities to feed them, or we ask for peace but do little to mend broken relationships. This disconnect undermines the power of our prayers.

The apostle John drives this home in 1 John 3:18: “Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” If we pray for someone’s healing but never offer a helping hand, or if we seek justice but stay silent in the face of wrong, our prayers become hollow echoes—lacking the substance of genuine faith.

III. How Actions Fulfill Prayers

Prayer and action are two sides of the same coin, a partnership in co-laboring with God. Ephesians 2:10 reminds us, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” God doesn’t merely hear our prayers—He invites us to participate in answering them.

Scripture offers vivid examples. Nehemiah prayed fervently for Jerusalem’s restoration, then rose to lead its rebuilding (Nehemiah 2:4-8). The Good Samaritan, in Luke 10:25-37, didn’t just wish well for the wounded man—he bandaged his wounds, carried him to safety, and paid for his care. These stories show that acting on our prayers breathes life into our faith. As James 2:26 declares, “As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.”

IV. Practical Ways to Act on Prayers

So how do we bridge the gap between prayer and action? Start with the causes you lift up in prayer. If you pray for the homeless, volunteer at a shelter or donate resources. If you pray for a struggling friend, follow up with a call, a meal, or a listening ear. If justice or equality weighs on your heart, advocate for change in your community.

Even small, daily actions matter. Galatians 6:2 encourages us, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ.” A kind word, a shared resource, or a moment of service can turn your prayers into living expressions of love. The key is consistency—letting your deeds reflect the hopes you’ve placed before God.

V. The Transformative Power of Prayer and Action

When prayer and action unite, they deepen our faith and reshape our world. Jesus teaches in Matthew 25:35-40 that serving the hungry, the stranger, and the imprisoned is serving Him—a powerful reminder that our actions carry eternal weight. In Acts 2:42-47, the early Christians prayed together, shared their possessions, and built a community marked by unity and growth. Their faith wasn’t passive; it was alive, vibrant, and transformative.

This combination reflects God’s love to the world. As 1 Peter 4:10 says, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” When we pray and act, we become conduits of His grace, strengthening both ourselves and those around us.

Conclusion

Alexander Campbell’s insight challenges us: our prayers for one another must be more than words—they must spark action. Prayer connects us to God’s will, action fulfills its purpose, and together they transform lives and communities. As you reflect on your own prayers, ask yourself: How can my actions bring them to life? 

Let Micah 6:8 guide you: “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” In the union of prayer and action, we find the heartbeat of a living faith.

Paul’s Ponderings
Reflecting on the truth that transforms.

The Power of the Resurrection

Every Easter, you might hear whispers of doubt: “The resurrection of Jesus? Just a myth, recycled from ancient stories of dying and rising gods.” But there’s no evidence to support that claim. The God revealed in Jesus is utterly unique. Even Paul Veyne, a French historian and self-described unbeliever, marveled at this. He wrote, “In the gospel, a person’s life suddenly acquired eternal significance within a cosmic plan… The genius of Christianity was this: the infinite mercy of a God passionate about the fate of each and every individual soul, including mine and yours” (When Our World Became Christian, 2010). Think about that—from someone who didn’t even believe in God!

What makes Jesus different? No other religion or philosophy claims that God would step into our brokenness, suffer in our place, and rise again to give us eternal purpose. The resurrection isn’t just a cosmic spectacle—it’s personal. Jesus didn’t just die for the world; He died for you.

Last week, we explored Romans 5:8: “God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” Christ’s death secured our atonement, bringing justification (being made right with God) and reconciliation (restoring our relationship with Him). But how can we be sure? Romans 5:10 answers: “We will certainly be saved through the life of his Son.” It’s Jesus’ resurrection that guarantees our forgiveness, our new relationship with God, and our eternal life.

This is why the resurrection is the heartbeat of the Gospel. In 1 Corinthians 15:3-8, Paul shares an early Christian creed, a foundational truth: Christ died, was buried, rose again, and appeared to Peter, the apostles, over 500 witnesses, and Paul himself. In Corinth, some Christians struggled with this. Influenced by Greek philosophy, which taught that only the soul survives death, they questioned bodily resurrection. So Paul reminds them: the resurrection isn’t a fairy tale—it’s a historical fact, verified by eyewitnesses, many still alive to testify.

In 1 Corinthians 15:12-20, Paul explains why the resurrection is non-negotiable. Let’s look at his three reasons.

1. Denying Resurrection Undermines the Gospel (vv. 12-14)

Paul confronts a problem: some Corinthian believers accepted Jesus’ resurrection but denied a general resurrection for others. Influenced by Greek ideas that viewed the body as evil, they thought only the soul endured. Paul is blunt: “If there’s no resurrection of the dead, then Christ didn’t rise either. And if Christ hasn’t been raised, our preaching is useless, and so is your faith.” Without the resurrection, the Gospel collapses. No risen Savior means no forgiveness, no reconciliation, no eternal life. It’s like building a house on sand (Matthew 7). Have you ever doubted God’s promises? Easter reminds us: the tomb is empty, and that truth anchors our faith.

2. No Resurrection, No Salvation (vv. 15-19)

Paul raises the stakes: “If Christ has not been raised, we are… false witnesses about God.” The apostles didn’t preach ethics; they staked their lives on seeing the risen Jesus. If He didn’t rise, their testimony is a lie. Worse, “your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.” Without resurrection, Christ’s death doesn’t atone—there’s no justification, no reconciliation. Those who died trusting Jesus are lost forever, and our hope is reduced to this life alone, making Christians “of all people most to be pitied.” Why suffer or live sacrificially if there’s no resurrection? Paul rejects the Greek notion of souls drifting as shadows. We are embodied beings, and eternal life requires a bodily resurrection (2 Corinthians 5:4).

3. Christ Is Risen, Our Hope Is Sure (v. 20)

Then Paul flips the script: “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” Jesus’ resurrection is historical, not mythical. Three realities confirm it:

• Eyewitnesses: Peter, the apostles, over 500 people, and Paul saw Jesus alive. Their courage, even unto death, proves they saw the risen Lord.
• The Empty Tomb: The Gospels report it, and Jesus’ enemies didn’t deny it (Matthew 28:11-15). If His body was still there, they’d have displayed it to crush Christianity.
• Transformed Lives: The disciples went from fear to boldness (Acts 4:13-20). Paul, a persecutor, became a missionary (Acts 9:1-6). Lives still change today because Jesus lives.

“Firstfruits” means Jesus’ resurrection is the beginning of the harvest—our resurrection is next. Because He’s human, His victory is ours. The empty tomb declares: your salvation is secure!

Living as Easter People

Paul’s message is clear: deny the resurrection, and we lose atonement, reconciliation, and eternity. But Christ is risen, the guarantee of our salvation. So how do we respond?

1. Believe: If you’re doubting, consider the evidence—hundreds saw Jesus alive. Trust Him as your risen Savior. If you’ve never given your life to Christ, today’s the day—He’s alive to save you.
2. Live: Live like Easter is true. Pray confidently, knowing Jesus hears. Share this hope with a friend or neighbor. Write down a fear—death, failure, loss—and cross it out, because the tomb is empty.
3. Worship: Praise the God who raised Jesus. Imagine the day when He returns, when we receive new, Spirit-empowered bodies to live in God’s new creation, reflecting His character in all we do.

Big Idea: The resurrection of Jesus means our sins are forgiven and our place in God’s new creation is secure. This is the anchor of our faith, grounded in a real event 2,000 years ago.

Challenge: This week, write out the hope you have in Jesus. Putting it into words moves it from an idea to a tangible reality, strengthening you for life’s storms.

Final Thought: Imagine driving down a country road that ends at a wide river. No bridge, no way across. On your side, people stand in doubt and skepticism. But across the water, you see joyful, alive people who made it. How? The resurrection is the dividing line, and faith—backed by eyewitnesses, an empty tomb, and God’s power—is the ferry. Step onto it. Cross from doubt to belief, from death to life. That’s Easter’s invitation.

Prayer:

• Thank God for the hope we have in Jesus and our place in His new creation.
• Ask for forgiveness, reorienting your life to Jesus.
• Commit to following Him.

If you’re struggling to hear God’s voice or want to take the step of baptism to begin your journey with Christ, let’s talk. The risen Jesus is ready to meet you.

Paul’s Ponderings
Reflecting on the truth that transforms.

Sunday Prayer: The Hope of the Resurrection

Heavenly Father,

We come before You with hearts full of gratitude for the resurrection of Your Son, Jesus Christ, the cornerstone of our faith. As the Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15, if King Jesus has not been raised, our faith is futile, and we are still in our sins. But You, in Your infinite love and power, raised Him from the dead, declaring victory over sin and death.

Lord, we thank You for this truth that anchors our hope. Because Christ is risen, we are no longer lost, but found; no longer condemned, but redeemed. His resurrection assures us that death is not the end, and Your promises are true. Help us to live boldly in this reality, sharing the hope of eternal life with others.

Strengthen our faith when doubts arise, and fill us with the joy of knowing that Christ is the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. May we walk in the light of His triumph, trusting that we, too, will rise with Him.

In Jesus’ holy name, Amen.