Hope with God... with Andrew and Wendy Palau

Have you ever run into a dead end or found your path blocked by a fence or a wall? Some of us carry invisible walls inside. Pain, fear, or past mistakes block us from where we had hoped our lives would go. But there’s hope. The Bible says… Through Jesus, we who were far away have been brought near. He is our peace. He tore down the wall that kept us apart from God and from each other. Jesus came t...

Can I tell you what God has done for me? I grew up in a Christian home, but I turned away from God and the way of my family. I made decisions, I did things, I went places, I never thought I would. I imagined that these experiences would bring me enlightenment and satisfaction, but the opposite was true. I became depressed and confused. I was full of shame. I was certain that God wanted nothing to...

Do you ever feel like you just don’t fit in anywhere? Here’s something amazing: the Bible talks about a future where people from every nation, every tribe, every language will stand together before God. There will be no racism, no division, no rejection—only love. This is what we were made for—a place to truly belong. God made each one of us and values EVERY person. And He’s preparing that eternal...

Where do you find peace? Peace is the one thing that every human wants and needs on the face of the earth. Where do we find it? Some say: Well, there’s chaos on the outside, but I strive for inner peace. I don’t know about you, but I found that even that is elusive. There is a peace that God gives. Jesus says: ‘I give you MY peace and I don't give to you as the world gives..do not let your heart b...

Life isn’t always easy. Some days you feel tired, hurt, or just unsure of where to go next. Take comfort in this truth: When Jesus was born, an angel from God came and said, “Don’t be afraid. I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.” All people. That means you. Jesus came to offer you joy, healing, and peace, and rescue. He came so that we wouldn’t have to face life alone—and...

Do you consider yourself spiritually open-minded? Maybe you believe that there is a God. Or you’ve discovered that there is definitely a spiritual aspect to this world. Do you know that the only true spiritual seeker is God Himself? He is the one who comes and seeks after us. He’s even seeking after you—pursuing you right now. Have you considered that you could be known personally and live in an i...

Long ago, through a prophet named Isaiah, God promised to send a Savior to the world. And we’re told that the government would be on His shoulders. That word government means rule, authority, power. And the word shoulders means the place of carrying a burden. Is it possible that ruling your life has moved from being a responsibility to a burden? Your Savior has come, and He offers to take this bur...

Have you traveled far in the hope of a better life? The future is uncertain. And even when you arrive, you may end up feeling, I’ve lost part of myself. Jesus once said, “I have come to seek and to save that which was lost.” He isn’t passively waiting for you to come to Him—He’s with you even now. He’s near to you, calling for you to come and follow Him. And He’s no stranger to rejection, no stran...

Are you weighed down from carrying the weight of sorrow? Sorrow can make us angry and bitter, and full of self-pity. We can end up moving through the world without hope. The prophet Isaiah, in the Bible, beautifully proclaimed what Jesus would do centuries before it happened: He took up our sickness, and He carried our sorrows. When Jesus went to the cross, He didn’t just see our sorrow or have co...

Have you ever felt like you’ve done everything you were supposed to do—you worked hard, you stayed hopeful, maybe you got an education, and yet you still feel stuck? There is a God who sees you. He has compassion for you. And He knows your questions, He knows your doubts, and He wants to guide you through it. There’s a verse I read in the Bible, God’s holy book, and it says this: “Trust in the Lor...

Have you worked hard and made sacrifices to support the people you love? Maybe you’ve given everything—for the family, for the hope of a better future. But sometimes, maybe, you’ve just felt forgotten, unseen, maybe even an emptiness. I want to tell you, there’s a love that never forgets you. A hope that reaches across all the divisions, all the boundaries. Jesus once said, “There is no greater lo...

Are you burdened by sickness? In Isaiah 53 in God’s holy book, the Bible, we’re told that when Jesus went to the cross, He took the burden of our sickness. The sickness of the world and the sickness from within eat away at us, and we are burdened. But Jesus came as a servant, and He gave His life, and He says, I will take the burden of your sickness—of this consuming brokenness. I’ll take it on my...

Maybe you’re used to carrying responsibility and showing strength, and keeping harmony, and doing what’s expected. But even when you’re getting everything right, there might be a quiet loneliness in your heart—a longing to be known, not just for what you’ve done, but for who you are. Jesus says to you, “Come to me… and you will find rest for your soul.” The rest He offers isn’t laziness. It’s the...

God isn't interested in offering you just a bandage. Bandages are for small cuts, temporary fixes. God wants to do surgery on your life. Many of us come to God, and we say, I'm in pain, will you help me? And God says, yes, of course, I'll help you. Give it all to me. Jesus offers us so much more than a quick fix! He says: "I came so that they (that's you) can have real and eternal life, more...

What do you most value? Maybe you’re educated…the type that grapples with hard questions and seeks the honest answers. But sometimes—even when we gather all the knowledge we can—there’s still a quiet ache in your heart and your soul, a sense that something’s missing. Here’s what Jesus says about it: “I have come that you may have life, and have it to the full.” Life! Full and rich and rooted in lo...

Are you a driven person with big goals? When you’re surrounded by ambition, it’s easy to believe that if you just work harder, earn more, or achieve more, then you’ll feel secure. But deep inside, maybe you still feel like there’s something missing. Jesus once asked his friends a rhetorical question: “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” He wasn’t shaming s...

What do you imagine God hears when you cry out to Him? Maybe you wonder if He’s listening. Maybe you wonder if He’s even real. In Psalm 18, the writer says: “In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried out to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him… into his ears.” What a beautiful image. The interesting thing about these words is that the writer says: “I cried...

Have you spent your life seeking peace? Maybe you’ve worked hard at finding peace…through silence, or discipline, or practicing kindness. And yet, sometimes pain still assails you. Jesus once said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.” His peace can enter into your heart if you want it. It doesn’t erase the pain, but it holds you in the middle of i...

We are made for beauty. It drives us—our urges, our longings. We love beautiful things. We love new babies, and new cars, and beautiful forests, and mountains, and rivers. There is a type of beauty that takes us past the surface-level longing. The prophet Isaiah, from the Bible, tells us that Jesus had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him. He put His beauty—His glory—aside so that we could se...

Has life ever felt to you like it’s just all about proving yourself? Working hard, caring for your family, trying to keep hope alive—these things matter. But the truth is, for every one of us, we wear out. I've felt it myself. And in my darkest times, I’ve discovered something—someone—that has changed me. Jesus once told His followers, “Don’t be afraid, little flock, your Father has been pleased t...

When fighting, violence, or loss turns your world upside down, it can feel like life as you know it has ended. Your home and your friends and your future… the dreams you always thought would come true—they can feel shattered. Maybe you’re wondering, is healing even possible? Jesus once said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” Those are much more than just nice words—He is o...

Are you a wanderer? Exploration, inquiry, and discovery… are all great things, and we’re made for them. But wandering can have deep consequences. Where I live in Portland, Oregon, people die every year in our mountains and wildernesses because they get lost. Listen to these words from Isaiah 53, from the Message version of the Bible: “We’re all like sheep who’ve wandered and gotten lost. We’ve all...

Have you ever lived in a new place that just doesn’t feel like it will ever be your home? Maybe that’s you right now. Living far from home can make you feel invisible, like nobody really sees your heart or the weight that you carry. Jesus once told a story about a shepherd who left the ninety-nine sheep to find the one that was lost—that mattered. And you also matter. Even if you’ve never heard Hi...

Do you feel forsaken by God? Forgotten, abandoned? You’re not. In fact, Jesus knows what it feels like to be forsaken. On the cross, when He died, Jesus cried out in His pain and His suffering, “My God! Why have you forsaken me?” Yet, Jesus stayed, and He died. And because of this act of sacrifice, you will never be forsaken. I will never be forsaken. That word forsaken means: to leave, abandon. J...

Maybe you've felt that longing—that ache for something real, something lasting—and you've searched, and you've questioned, even felt moments of connecting with something deep. What if true peace isn’t something that you have to work for, but someone who longs to know you? Jesus once said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” His peace isn’t fragile or dist...