Podcasts about Waiting for God

In this episode of "Next Steps 4 Seniors: Conversations on Aging," host Wendy Jones welcomes Pastor Ben Mae from Oakland Church, Michigan, to discuss the spiritual and emotional challenges of waiting as we age. Drawing from his sermon series, Pastor Ben shares three biblical purposes of waiting, emphasizing its meaning and value in the Christian faith. The conversation explores how waiting can prompt intercessory prayer, encourage rest, and deepen relationships with God and loved ones, offering encouragement and practical insights for seniors navigating seasons of uncertainty and anticipation. Be sure to like and subscribe on your favorite podcast platform so that you never miss an episode. Every week brings two ways to grow: Tuesdays dive into the physical next steps with real-life guidance for seniors and families, and Fridays uplift the heart with spiritual and emotional next steps—encouragement, faith, and hope for the journey ahead. To learn more about Next Steps 4 Seniors, contact us at 248-651-5010 or visit us online at www.nextsteps4seniors.com Find us on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@nextsteps4seniors Learn more : https://nextsteps4seniors.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

God is still a God of miracles. Each month Pastor Carolyn Haas joins Susie to study miracles in the Bible and share miracles from her own life and ministry. This episode they're talking about what to do while you wait for God to move. Susie mentions Andrew Murrary's book, "Waiting on God: A 31-Day Adventure into the Heart of God – 4th Edition." Originally aired January 23, 2025 Check out Susie's new podcast God Impressions on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts! Faith Radio podcasts are made possible by your support. Give now: click here

2025 Advent Devotionals: “Longing for the Presence of God”Copyright © 2025 Steve Hoogerhyde. All rights reserved.All Bible references are taken from the New International Version (2011) unless otherwise noted.

Message from Pastor Everage Thomas III on December 14, 2025

Every night, join Father Joseph Matlak as he ends the day with prayer and reflection. In a few short minutes, and using the Douay-Rheims psalter for his reflections, Father Matlak guides you in prayer and shares a brief reflection and a thorough examination of conscience providing you with the encouragement necessary to go forward with peace and strength. ________________

Psalm 66:18 II Corinthians 12:7

Malcolm Clemens Young reflects on Christian waiting as both a spiritual practice and a lived experience. Through the story of his lifelong friend Nick Haan—an adventurer, humanitarian, and creator of the global IPC famine-measurement system—Young illustrates how longing, loss, hope, and purpose shape our journey toward God. He weaves theology, personal narrative, and cultural observation to show that purification by love is central to life in this sacred "in-between" time. Ultimately, this Advent sermon invites listeners to recognize what holds them back from living fully as God's beloved children and to enter Advent with open hands, deep longing, and renewed expectation for the One who is coming.   The Very Rev. Dr. Malcolm Clemens Young, Dean Grace Cathedral, San Francisco, CA   Isaiah 11:1-10 Psalm 72:1-7,18-19 Romans 15:4-13 Matthew 3:1-12

Message from Pastor Everage Thomas III on December 7, 2025

In this sermon, we see that God’s people are called to look to God for mercy, forgiveness, and redemption and wait patiently for Him.

Fhe dangers of being older in a relationship.

When a country erupted in civil war, authorities conscripted a man into military service. However, he objected. “I don’t want any part in destroying [my country].” So he left it. Because he didn’t have proper visas, however, he eventually found himself stuck in another country’s airport. For months, airport employees gave the man food and thousands followed his tweets as he roamed terminals, knitted scarves, and clung to hope. Hearing of his perpetual plight, a community in Canada, raised money, and found him a job and a house. Lamentations presents the cry of Jeremiah who waited for God and the end of His discipline for the sins of his people. The prophet remained confident in an everlasting God who he knew could be trusted. “The Lord is good to those who hope in him” (3:25). God’s people can experience hope even when troubles overwhelm and relief seems impossible. Though they might need to “[bury their] face in the dust” and humbly accept God’s discipline, they can cling to the reality that “there may yet be hope” (v. 29). However desperate the situation, those who know God can experience a hope that flows from Him. “It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord” (v. 26). Without answers or any clear way of escape, we wait for God to help us. We wait, with hope, for the God who’s proven Himself faithful over and over again.

Join us for today's Our Daily Bread devotional by Winn Collier, taken from Lamentations 3:22-33. Today's devotional is read by Howie. Meet the team at odb.org/meet-the-team. God bless you.We hope that you have enjoyed today's reading from Our Daily Bread. You can find more exciting content from Our Daily Bread Ministries by following @ourdailybreadeurope on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok. You can even sign up to receive Our Daily Bread Bible reading notes sent straight to your door for free: odb.org/subscribe

Helping you connect with God. Every day. Every way.   Read along with today's devotional: https://www.odbm.org/en/devotionals/devotional-category/waiting-for-god  Want to get Our Daily Bread's daily devotionals delivered to your inbox or mailbox? Subscribe for free here: https://odbm.org.     Our Daily Bread Ministries helps millions of people connect with God each day. For more than 75 years, our purpose has remained the same: to reach people with the life-changing wisdom of the Bible.     All Scripture from the New International Version, unless otherwise noted.    SUPPORT Our Daily Bread  Your generous support helps us make the life-changing wisdom of the Bible understandable and accessible to people around the world. https://donations.ourdailybread.org/intm9.html?motivation=INTM9     More Podcasts from Our Daily Bread:  Discover the Word: https://www.discovertheword.org   God Hears Her: https://www.godhearsher.org/podcast    Ways To Connect With Us:  Facebook: https://facebook.com/ourdailybread ​  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ourdailybread/   Twitter: https://twitter.com/ourdailybread​   Print Subscription: https://odb.org/getprint​   App: https://odb.org/mobile-resources​   Web: https://odbm.org    #ourdailybread #dailydevotional #bible  

We LOVE Keanu Reeves and Samuel Beckett. So to celebrate Keanu being on Broadway right now in Samuel Beckett's “Waiting For God” with his “Bill & Ted” friend Alex Winter, Phil and David are bringing you a special “Naked Lunch” reheated with the highlights of Keanu's “Naked Lunch” recorded with his beloved Dogstar bandmates Bret Domrose & Robert Mailhouse. Then hear Phil's beloved Monica Horan Rosenthal discussing her passion for Samuel Beckett's work and especially his play “Happy Days” —  from Phil and David's episodes with Henry Winkler, Monica and Fran Wild and Paul Reubens.  So “Happy Days” are here again!

Every Christian comes to a time when he or she tires of doing God's will and longs for a change of circumstances. There are few things in our spiritual lives more difficult than waiting for God's guidance. Sometimes it seems He doesn't hear our prayers, or if He does that He refuses to give us an answer. In these seasons resentment can rise up in us. We may decide He's forgotten us and decide to take matters into our own hands. This is a very dangerous moment, because if we're not careful, we can act out of frustration and spoil the plan God has for us. In our lesson for today, Noah is an example of a person who might well have grown frustrated and acted without waiting for God's guidance, but thankfully he refused to do so. Instead, he waited obediently until God's command came and the result was that he stayed in God's perfect timing. As painful as it must have been, Noah chose to wait for God. To receive a free copy of Dr. Steve Schell's newest book Study Verse by Verse: Revelation, email us at info@lifelessonspublishing.com and ask for your copy at no charge!  Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.  

Alex discusses how to live and even bless our persecutors when we are afflicted for our faith. Readings from this service:2 Thessalonians 1: 3-4Psalm 84: 5-13Luke 17: 5-6Thanks for listening! CONNECT with CCFC:Visit us on FacebookVisit our websiteDownload our app!

 If you weren't with us we are continuing our study through the book of Acts and we're near the end of chapter one. The Acts of the Apostles is the full name usually given to this book, but perhaps a more accurate title would be “The Acts of the Holy Spirit through the Disciples”.  Turn to Acts chapter one in your Bible and join us for today's edition of Bridging the Gap.

The book of Acts has previously been described as “The Holy Spirit of God - working through the Word of God - in the hearts of the People of God.” That's an appropriate description of the goings-on here in Acts as the post-crucifixion Christian Church was just being established. Many Bible scholars have also turned to Acts one, verse eight as the key statement of the facts --- in Acts - the Holy Spirit descended upon the believers on the day of Pentecost.

Habakkuk 1:12 -- 2:1 "Are you not from everlasting, O LORD my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O LORD, you have ordained them as a judgment, and you, O rock, have established them for reproof. You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong, why do you idly look at traitors and remain silent when the wicked swallows up the man more righteous than he? you make mankind like the fish of the sea, like crawling things that have no ruler. he brings all of them up with a hook; he drags them out with his net; he gathers them in his dragnet; so he rejoices and is glad. Therefore he sacrifices to his net and makes offering to his dragnet; for by them he lives in luxury, and his food is rich. Is he to keep on emptying his net and mercilessly killing nations forever? I will take my stand at my watchlist and station myself on the tower, and look out to see what he will say to me, and what I will answer concerning my complaint."

The day of God's judgment is approaching, whether we recognize it or not. This is God's promise, and what God says is always true. Thankfully, His loving mercy is also certain, for the desire of God is to see sinful people saved. Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/preach-the-word/id1449859151?mt=2 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2aSveQvIs7SPHWB4UcmSUQ

Jacob and Rebekah took matters into their hands when Isaac tried to bless Esau. We trust that God's timing is always correct.

Audio Recording Audio Block Double-click here to upload or link to a .mp3. Learn more Sermon OutlineSpeaker: Rev. Scott StrickmanSermon Series: Come, Let Us Walk in the Light of the LordIsaiah 63:15-64:12 (ESV)15 Look down from heaven and see, from your holy and beautiful habitation.Where are your zeal and your might? The stirring of your inner parts and your compassion are held back from me.16 For you are our Father, though Abraham does not know us, and Israel does not acknowledge us;you, O Lord, are our Father, our Redeemer from of old is your name.17 O Lord, why do you make us wander from your ways and harden our heart, so that we fear you not?Return for the sake of your servants, the tribes of your heritage.18 Your holy people held possession for a little while; our adversaries have trampled down your sanctuary.19 We have become like those over whom you have never ruled, like those who are not called by your name.64:1 Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence—2 as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil—to make your name known to your adversaries, and that the nations might tremble at your presence!3 When you did awesome things that we did not look for, you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence.4 From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear,no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him.5 You meet him who joyfully works righteousness, those who remember you in your ways.Behold, you were angry, and we sinned; in our sins we have been a long time, and shall we be saved?6 We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.7 There is no one who calls upon your name, who rouses himself to take hold of you;for you have hidden your face from us, and have made us melt in the hand of our iniquities.8 But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.9 Be not so terribly angry, O Lord, and remember not iniquity forever. Behold, please look, we are all your people.10 Your holy cities have become a wilderness; Zion has become a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation.11 Our holy and beautiful house, where our fathers praised you,has been burned by fire, and all our pleasant places have become ruins.12 Will you restrain yourself at these things, O Lord? Will you keep silent, and afflict us so terribly?Sermon OutlineWaiting on God (v4) can be hard, but lament helps us resist the pull towards isolation.1. Sin and Its Effectsv15 “Look down from heaven… from your holy and beautiful habitation”; v11 Our holy and beautiful house… has been burned by fire”vv15-19 “your compassion… held back” “Abraham does not know us” “you… harden our heart” “held possession for a little while” “like those over whom you have never ruled”vv5-7 “we sinned” “…unclean… righteous deeds are like a polluted garment… we fade like a leaf... no one who calls upon your name…” (“you meet him who joyfully works righteousness”)2. Remembering and Its Effectsv5 “You meet him who joyfully works righteousness, those who remember you in your ways.” v8 “But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.” (v16 “For you are our Father”)v1, 3 “Oh that you would rend the heavens”, “When you did awesome things that we did not look for, you came down”v4 “no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him.” v9 “Behold, please look”Prayer of ConfessionOur Father, we have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. There is no one who calls upon your name, who rouses himself to take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us, and have made us melt in the hand of our iniquities. But now, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand. Be not so terribly angry, O LORD, and remember not iniquity forever. Behold, please look, we are all your people. As we join our voices with your people who have confessed their sin and helplessness throughout the ages, we do so in the name of Jesus, who makes forgiveness and our return possible. Grant us forgiveness in his name, and cleansing through your Holy Spirit. Amen.Questions for ReflectionWhat do you find hardest about waiting on God? What kinds of things do you do, or want to do, when you feel stuck?What is sin? How do you understand it?Why is it hard to hear that you are a sinner? What is helpful about learning we are all sinners?How can you pray prayers of lament? What are you free to do? What should you not do? What is helpful (and what is not helpful)?What are some ways to resist sins' pull into alienation? What should you watch for so you don't get fooled into thoughts or actions that will further separate you from God or people?Why is remembering a good first step when you feel helpless? What kind of remembering is helpful? What steps might remembering lead to (what is next)?What are some implications of understanding God as our “Father”? How does the relationship between God and His people framed that way help us?How does the humility and suffering of Jesus help us in the absence of answers to our questions? What in the mission and character of Jesus helps us wait faithfully in hard seasons?What role does joyful righteousness play in the Christian life? How can that become more of your way life?Read AheadIsaiah Sermon Series

Audio Recording Sermon OutlineSpeaker: Rev. Scott StrickmanSermon Series: Come, Let Us Walk in the Light of the LordIsaiah 63:15-64:12 (ESV)15 Look down from heaven and see, from your holy and beautiful habitation.Where are your zeal and your might? The stirring of your inner parts and your compassion are held back from me.16 For you are our Father, though Abraham does not know us, and Israel does not acknowledge us;you, O Lord, are our Father, our Redeemer from of old is your name.17 O Lord, why do you make us wander from your ways and harden our heart, so that we fear you not?Return for the sake of your servants, the tribes of your heritage.18 Your holy people held possession for a little while; our adversaries have trampled down your sanctuary.19 We have become like those over whom you have never ruled, like those who are not called by your name.64:1 Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence—2 as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil—to make your name known to your adversaries, and that the nations might tremble at your presence!3 When you did awesome things that we did not look for, you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence.4 From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear,no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him.5 You meet him who joyfully works righteousness, those who remember you in your ways.Behold, you were angry, and we sinned; in our sins we have been a long time, and shall we be saved?6 We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.7 There is no one who calls upon your name, who rouses himself to take hold of you;for you have hidden your face from us, and have made us melt in the hand of our iniquities.8 But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.9 Be not so terribly angry, O Lord, and remember not iniquity forever. Behold, please look, we are all your people.10 Your holy cities have become a wilderness; Zion has become a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation.11 Our holy and beautiful house, where our fathers praised you,has been burned by fire, and all our pleasant places have become ruins.12 Will you restrain yourself at these things, O Lord? Will you keep silent, and afflict us so terribly?Sermon OutlineWaiting on God (v4) can be hard, but lament helps us resist the pull towards isolation.1. Sin and Its Effectsv15 “Look down from heaven… from your holy and beautiful habitation”; v11 Our holy and beautiful house… has been burned by fire”vv15-19 “your compassion… held back” “Abraham does not know us” “you… harden our heart” “held possession for a little while” “like those over whom you have never ruled”vv5-7 “we sinned” “…unclean… righteous deeds are like a polluted garment… we fade like a leaf... no one who calls upon your name…” (“you meet him who joyfully works righteousness”)2. Remembering and Its Effectsv5 “You meet him who joyfully works righteousness, those who remember you in your ways.” v8 “But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.” (v16 “For you are our Father”)v1, 3 “Oh that you would rend the heavens”, “When you did awesome things that we did not look for, you came down”v4 “no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him.” v9 “Behold, please look”Prayer of ConfessionOur Father, we have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. There is no one who calls upon your name, who rouses himself to take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us, and have made us melt in the hand of our iniquities. But now, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand. Be not so terribly angry, O LORD, and remember not iniquity forever. Behold, please look, we are all your people. As we join our voices with your people who have confessed their sin and helplessness throughout the ages, we do so in the name of Jesus, who makes forgiveness and our return possible. Grant us forgiveness in his name, and cleansing through your Holy Spirit. Amen.Questions for ReflectionWhat do you find hardest about waiting on God? What kinds of things do you do, or want to do, when you feel stuck?What is sin? How do you understand it?Why is it hard to hear that you are a sinner? What is helpful about learning we are all sinners?How can you pray prayers of lament? What are you free to do? What should you not do? What is helpful (and what is not helpful)?What are some ways to resist sins' pull into alienation? What should you watch for so you don't get fooled into thoughts or actions that will further separate you from God or people?Why is remembering a good first step when you feel helpless? What kind of remembering is helpful? What steps might remembering lead to (what is next)?What are some implications of understanding God as our “Father”? How does the relationship between God and His people framed that way help us?How does the humility and suffering of Jesus help us in the absence of answers to our questions? What in the mission and character of Jesus helps us wait faithfully in hard seasons?What role does joyful righteousness play in the Christian life? How can that become more of your way life?Read AheadIsaiah Sermon Series

Trusting God's timing is always a wise choice.

Pastor Laryn shares a message from John 11 titled “Waiting for God's Resurrection Power.” Together, we'll reflect on the story of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, and be reminded that even in seasons of waiting, God's resurrection power is still at work. Discover what it means to overcome death, find life in the midst of loss, and step into the overcoming life God offers us today.

Waiting can feel like the hardest part – especially when you're waiting on an answer from God. James 1:5 says if you lack wisdom, ask God, and He will give it. But here's what I've noticed: it doesn't say how that wisdom will come… or when. And if you're anything like me, that “when” part can really test your patience.

Send us a textFollow along with message notes at https://www.westsidecommunitychurch.com/notes-resourcesJoin us as Pastor Gabe Kolstad brings us a message about When You're Waiting for God to Work.#miracles #explainingmiracles #modernmiracles #hope #Jesus #fullservice #fullchurchservice #christian #sermon #worship #westside #church #2025sermon #churchonline #gabekolstadWestside is a place made up of real people from all walks of life. We are a “come as you are” church that strives to be a safe place for people to investigate faith. No matter your story, questions, doubts or struggles, we're glad you're here today.LINKS & RESOURCES:SUBSCRIBE to always see our content and let us reach more people for Jesus: https://www.youtube.com/westsidecommunitychurchpdx?sub_confirmation=1Give to support this ministry and help us reach people all around the world: https://www.westsidecommunitychurch.com/giveSTAY CONNECTED:Website: https://www.westsidecommunitychurch.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/westsidecommunitychurch/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/westsidecommunitychurchpdx/

God is still a God of miracles. Each month Pastor Carolyn Haas joins Susie to study miracles in the Bible and share miracles from her own life and ministry. This episode they're talking about what to do while you wait for God to move.  Susie mentions Andrew Murrary's book, "Waiting on God: A 31-Day Adventure into the Heart of God – 4th Edition."  Originally aired January 23, 2025  Faith Radio podcasts are made possible by your support. Give now: click here 

Rationalizations that lead to sin: 5. I'll just do it one time 4. Nobody will know 3. That's not sin, that's not wrong, everyone is doing it. 2. This can't possibly be wrong 1. God will forgive me   1. Trust God to make things right Lesson: Watch out for temptation 2. Trust God to Protect you 3. Trust God for your salvation   Ways we can be misled into thinking we have assurance of salvation: 1. I said the sinner's prayer (Acts 20:21) 2. I'm convicted when I sin (2 Cor. 7:10) 3. I feel close to God 4. I pray, read the Bible, and go to church (Mat. 7:22-23) 5. God is blessing my life (Mat. 5:45) 6. I know Jesus died and rose again (James 2:19)

In this episode of The Crosswalk Devotional, we explore the theme of When You’re Waiting for God’s Answers. Waiting can be one of the most challenging aspects of our faith journey, filled with uncertainty and doubt. We’ll discuss how to navigate these seasons of waiting, emphasizing the importance of patience and trust in God’s perfect timing. Through scripture and personal testimonies, we’ll uncover the growth and understanding that can emerge during these waiting periods, reminding us that God is always listening and working on our behalf. Join the Conversation: We’d love to hear from you! How have you learned to wait for God’s answers in your life? Share your stories and insights with us on social media @LifeaudioNetwork or via email. What verses encourage you during times of waiting? Let’s support one another as we embrace the lessons and blessings found in these waiting seasons!

February 23, 2025 - Rev. Jonas A. Brock

God is still a God of miracles. Each month Pastor Carolyn Haas joins Susie to study miracles in the Bible and share miracles from her own life and ministry. This episode they're talking about what to do while you wait for God to move. Susie mentions Andrew Murrary's book, "Waiting on God: A 31-Day Adventure into the Heart of God – 4th Edition." Faith Radio podcasts are made possible by your support. Give now: click here

Our guests in this episode have been described as the world's two oldest scientifically astute longevity activists. They are Kenneth Scott, aged 82, who is based in Florida, and Helga Sands, aged 86, who lives in London.David has met both of them several times at a number of longevity events, and they always impress him, not only with their vitality and good health, but also with the level of knowledge and intelligence they apply to the question of which treatments are the best, for them personally and for others, to help keep people young and vibrant.Selected follow-ups:Waiting For God - 1990s BBC ComedyAdelle Davis, NutritionistRoger J. Williams, BiochemistThe Importance of Maintaining a Low Omega-6/Omega-3 RatioLife Extension MagazineCalifornia Age Management InstituteFibrinogen and agingProfessor Angus Dalgleish, Nuffield HealthAbout Aubrey de Grey speaking at the Royal InstitutionGeorge Church, GeneticistJames Kirkland, Mayo ClinicDaniel Munoz-Espin, CambridgeNobel Prize for John Gurdon and Shinya YamanakaVSELs and S.O.N.G. laserXtend Optimal HealthFollistatin gene therapy, MinicircleExosomes vs Stem CellsPrevent and Reverse Heart Disease - book by Caldwell Esselstyn Jr Dasatinib and Quercetin (senolytics)We reverse atherosclerosis - Repair BiotechnologiesBioreactor-Grown Mitochondria - MitrixNobel Winner Shinya Yamanaka: Cell Therapy Is ‘Very Promising' For Cancer, Parkison's, MoreDeath of the world's oldest man, 25th Nov 2024Blueprint protocol - Bryan JohnsonMusic: Spike Protein, by Koi Discovery, available under CC0 1.0 Public Domain Declaration

“What are you going through?” This was one of the central animating questions in Simone Weil's thought that pushed her beyond philosophy into action. Weil believed that genuinely asking this question of the other, particularly the afflicted other, then truly listening and prayerfully attending, would move us toward an enactment of justice and love.Simone Weil believed that any suffering that can be ameliorated, should be.In this episode, Part 2 of our short series on How to Read Simone Weil, Cynthia Wallace (Associate Professor of English at St. Thomas More College at the University of Saskatchewan), and author of The Literary Afterlives of Simone Weil: Feminism, Justice, and the Challenge of Religion and Evan Rosa discuss the risky self-giving way of Simone Weil; her incredible literary influence, particularly on late 20th century feminist writers; the possibility of redemptive suffering; the morally complicated territory of self-sacrificial care and the way that has traditionally fallen to women and minorities; what it means to make room and practicing hospitality for the afflicted other; hunger; the beauty of vulnerability; and that grounding question for Simone Weil political ethics, “What are you going through?”We're in our second episode of a short series exploring How to Read Simone Weil. She's the author of Gravity and Grace, The Need for Roots, and Waiting for God—among many other essays, letters, and notes—and a deep and lasting influence that continues today.In this series, we're exploring Simone Weil the Mystic, Simone Weil the Activist, Simone Weil the Existentialist. And what we'll see is that so much of her spiritual, political, and philosophical life, are deeply unified in her way of being and living and dying.And on that note, before we go any further, I need to issue a correction from our previous episode in which I erroneously stated that Weil died in France. And I want to thank subscriber and listener Michael for writing and correcting me.Actually she died in England in 1943, having ambivalently fled France in 1942 when it was already under Nazi occupation—first to New York, then to London to work with the Free French movement and be closer to her home.And as I went back to fix my research, I began to realize just how important her place of death was. She died in a nursing home outside London. In Kent, Ashford to be precise. She had become very sick, and in August 1943 was moved to the Grosvenor Sanitorium.The manner and location of her death matter because it's arguable that her death by heart failure was not a self-starving suicide (as the coroner reported), but rather, her inability to eat was a complication rising from tuberculosis, combined with her practice of eating no more than the meager rations her fellow Frenchmen lived on under Nazi occupation.Her biographer Richard Rees wrote: "As for her death, whatever explanation one may give of it will amount in the end to saying that she died of love.In going back over the details of her death, I found a 1977 New York Times article by Elizabeth Hardwick, and I'll quote at length, as it offers a very fitting entry into this week's episode on her life of action, solidarity, and identification with and attention to the affliction of others.“Simone Weil, one of the most brilliant, and original minds of 20th century France, died at the age of 34 in a nursing home near London. The coroner issued a verdict of suicide, due to voluntary starvation—an action undertaken at least in part out of wish not to eat more than the rations given her compatriots in France under the German occupation. The year of her death was 1943.“The willed deprivation of her last period was not new; indeed refusal seems to have been a part of her character since infancy. What sets her apart from our current ascetics with their practice of transcendental meditation, diet, vegetarianism, ashram simplicities, yoga is that with them the deprivations and rigors‐are undergone for the pay‐off—for tranquility, for thinness, for the hope of a long life—or frequently, it seems, to fill the hole of emptiness so painful to the narcissist. With Simone Well it was entirely the opposite.“It was her wish, or her need, to undergo misery, affliction and deprivation because such had been the lot of mankind throughout history. Her wish was not to feel better, but to honor the sufferings of the lowest. Thus around 1935, when she was 25 years old, this woman of transcendent intellectual gifts and the widest learning, already very frail and suffering from severe headaches, was determined to undertake a year of work in a factory. The factories, the assembly lines, were then the modem equivalent of “slavery,” and she survived in her own words as “forever a slave.” What she went through at the factory “marked me in so lasting a manner that still today when any human being, whoever he may be and in whatever circumstances, speaks to me without brutality, I cannot help having the impression teat there must be a mistake....”[Her contemporary] “Simone de Beauvoir tells of meeting her when they were preparing for examinations to enter a prestigious private school. ‘She intrigued me because of her great reputation for intelligence and her bizarre outfits. ... A great famine had broken out in China, and I was told that when she heard the news she had wept. . . . I envied her for having a heart that could beat round the world.'“In London her health vanished, even though the great amount of writing she did right up to the time she went to the hospital must have come from those energies of the dying we do not understand—the energies of certain chosen dying ones, that is. Her behavior in the hospital, her refusal and by now her Inability to eat, vexed and bewildered the staff. Her sense of personal accountability to the world's suffering had reached farther than sense could follow.”Last week, we heard from Eric Springsted, one of the co-founders of the American Weil Society and author of Simone Weil for the Twenty-First Century.Next week, we'll explore Simone Weil the Existentialist—with philosopher Deborah Casewell, author of Monotheism & Existentialism and Co-Director of the Simone Weil Research Network in the UK.But this week we're looking at Simone Weil the Activist—her perspectives on redemptive suffering, her longing for justice, and her lasting influence on feminist writers. With me is Cynthia Wallace, associate professor of English at St. Thomas More College at the University of Saskatchewan, and author of The Literary Afterlives of Simone Weil: Feminism, Justice, and the Challenge of Religion.This is unique because it's learning how to read Simone Weil from some of her closest readers and those she influenced, including poets and writers such as Adrienne Rich, Denise Levertov, and Annie Dillard.About Cynthia WallaceCynthia Wallace is Associate Professor of English at St. Thomas More College at the University of Saskatchewan, and author of The Literary Afterlives of Simone Weil: Feminism, Justice, and the Challenge of Religion, as well as **Of Women Borne: A Literary Ethics of Suffering.About Simone WeilSimone Weil (1909–1943) was a French philosopher, mystic, and political activist. She's the author of Gravity and Grace, The Need for Roots, and Waiting for God—among many other essays, letters, and notes.Show NotesCynthia Wallace (Associate Professor of English at St. Thomas More College at the University of Saskatchewan), and author of The Literary Afterlives of Simone Weil: Feminism, Justice, and the Challenge of ReligionElizabeth Hardwick, “A woman of transcendent intellect who assumed the sufferings of humanity” (New York Times, Jan 23, 1977)Of Women Borne: A Literary Ethics of SufferingThe hard work of productive tensionSimone Weil on homework: “Reflections on the Right Use of School Studies with a View to the Love of God”Open, patient, receptive waiting in school studies — same skill as prayer“What are you going through?” Then you listen.Union organizerWaiting for God and Gravity & GraceVulnerability and tendernessJustice and Feminism, and “making room for the other”Denise Levertov's  ”Mass for the Day of St. Thomas Didymus”“Levertov wrote herself into Catholic conversion”“after pages and pages of struggle, she finally says: “So be it. Come rag of pungent quiverings,  dim star, let's try  if something human still can shield you, spark of remote light.”“And so she  argues that God isn't  particularly active in the world that we have, except for when we open ourselves to these chances of divine encounter.”“ Her imagination of God is different from how I think  a lot of contemporary Western   people think about an all powerful, all knowing God. Vae thinks about God as having done exactly what she's asking us to do, which is to make room for the other to exist in a way that requires us to give up power.”Exploiting self-emptying, particularly of women“Exposing the degree to which women have been disproportionately expected to sacrifice themselves.”Disproportionate self-sacrifice of women and in particular women of colorAdrienne Rich, Of Woman Borne: ethics that care for the otherThe distinction between suffering and afflictionAdrienne Rich's poem, “Hunger”Embodiment“ You have to follow both sides to the kind of limit of their capacity for thought, and then see what you find in that untidy both-and-ness.”Annie Dillard's expansive attentivenessPilgrim at Tinker Creek and attending to the world: “ to bear witness to the world in a way that tells the truth about what is brutal in the world, while also telling the truth about what is glorious  in the world.”“She's suspicious of our imaginations because she doesn't want us to distract  ourselves from contemplating the void.”Dillard, For the Time Being (1999) on natural evil and injusticeGoing from attention to creation“Reading writers writing about writing”Joan Didion: “I write entirely to find out what I'm thinking, what I'm looking at, what I see and what it means, what I want and what I fear.”Writing as both creation and discoveryFriendship and “ we let the other person be who they are instead of trying to make them who we want them to be.”The joy of creativity—pleasure and desire“ Simone Weil argues that suffering that can be ameliorated should be.”“ What is possible through shared practices of attention?”The beauty of vulnerability and the blossoms of fruit trees“What it takes for us to be fed”Need for ourselves, each other, and the divineProduction NotesThis podcast featured Cynthia WallaceEdited and Produced by Evan RosaHosted by Evan RosaProduction Assistance by Emily Brookfield, Liz Vukovic, and Kacie BarrettA Production of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture at Yale Divinity School https://faith.yale.edu/aboutSupport For the Life of the World podcast by giving to the Yale Center for Faith & Culture: https://faith.yale.edu/give

Come, Lord Jesus: Waiting for God's Kingdom

Prayer can bring us pleasure as it draws us closer to God. But our prayers can also be taken to the next level—a level that's much more effective… but much less comfortable. In this message, Dr. Tony Evans, explores the qualities of an effectual, fervent prayer.

Prayer can bring us pleasure as it draws us closer to God. But our prayers can also be taken to the next level—a level that's much more effective… but much less comfortable. In this message, Dr. Tony Evans, explores the qualities of an effectual, fervent prayer.

Prayer can bring us pleasure as it draws us closer to God. But our prayers can also be taken to the next levela level that's much more effective but much less comfortable. In this message, Dr. Tony Evans, explores the qualities of an effectual, fervent prayer.