Daily Bread in the Wilderness

“Blessed be the Lord,
who daily bears us up;
God is our salvation.”
— Psalm 68:19 (ESV)

One Step at a Time

My father continues to recover well following open-heart surgery.

By God’s grace, he was cleared to move from ICU to the cardiology floor pending an available room. We remain deeply grateful for Dr. Jordan Hoffman and the entire team at UCHealth. They have not simply been caregivers to our family—they have felt like instruments of God’s mercy in this season.

The stories continue to unfold.

The connections feel deeply providential.

And through it all, I keep finding myself noticing something:

God rarely gives us the entire map.

He gives us enough light for the next step.

Another Unexpected Turn

At the same time, our family has also been walking through another unexpected challenge.

On Monday evening, after a long day of work and time spent at the hospital with my parents, my wife Rhonda fell while in a local store. She was taken by ambulance to the hospital and diagnosed with a broken shoulder.

As I write this, doctors are still working through pain management and determining the best path forward for her recovery.

To be honest, I hesitated to share this publicly.

Partly because of the sheer pace of everything happening.

Partly because asking for prayer is strangely humbling.

And partly because there are moments when suffering quietly exposes how little control we actually have.

Numbers 10–11

In my daily reading this week, I found myself in Book of Numbers 10–11, Psalm 68, and **Gospel of John 8.

These weren’t passages I selected because they fit the moment.

They were simply the Scriptures assigned in front of me for the day.

And yet, they felt as though God had already prepared them long before we arrived here.

In Numbers 10, the people of God are learning to move only when God moves.

The cloud lifts.
The trumpets sound.
The people follow.

Not because they understand the road ahead—
but because they trust the One leading them.

Then in Numbers 11, Moses reaches a point of exhaustion.

The burden feels too heavy.

He speaks honestly before the Lord.

And strangely, I found comfort in that.

Scripture does not sanitize weakness.

It does not pretend faith means never feeling overwhelmed.

God meets His people there too.

The God Who Daily Bears Us Up

Psalm 68 has stayed with me all week.

Not just because it declares God’s strength—
but because it reveals His tenderness.

“Blessed be the Lord,
who daily bears us up…”

Not yearly.
Not eventually.

Daily.

One breath.
One moment.
One step at a time.

And honestly, that’s what grace has felt like lately.

Daily grace.

Daily strength.

Daily bread in the wilderness.

The Light of the World

Then in John 8, Jesus says:

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

I’ve thought about that verse often these last few days.

Because there are moments where the future feels unclear.

Moments of surrender.
Moments of waiting.
Moments when all you can really do is trust the next step.

And yet Christ continues to be light enough for today.

Not always answers.
Not always explanations.

But presence.

What Grace Looks Like

One of the most moving parts of this season has been watching people show up.

Our church family.

Friends.

Neighbors.

Even people outside the faith traditions we hold.

Texts.
Calls.
Encouragement.
Quiet kindness.

And I’ve realized again:

So much of God’s grace arrives through people.

Through presence.

Through those willing to simply sit in the wilderness with you.

James 1

James writes:

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.”

I don’t think that means pretending hard things are easy.

I think it means believing God is still forming something in us through them.

Something steadier.

Something deeper.

Something more dependent on Him.

Take Home

Sometimes faith looks less like certainty
and more like receiving enough grace for the next step.

Closing Reflection

We do not fully know the road ahead.

But we are learning again what it means to follow the light of Christ one day at a time.

And even here—
in hospital rooms, setbacks, recovery, exhaustion, and prayer—

God continues to daily bear us up.