When Hope Is Tried: Meditations for Those Who Are Ill and the People Who Love Them

A journey of grace for those who are ill . . .I spend my nights asking hundreds of questions: What will my husband do when I’m dead? How many people will show up for my funeral? What if I can’t get out of bed, shower, and get myself dressed tomorrow? And who’ll then shop for groceries, do the laundry, and put the garden to sleep for the winter? God, you promised you’d be with me. Where are you?Dealing with illness is never easy, but it can be especially difficult when that illness is terminal, such as cancer. Over a period of six years living with cancer, author Carol Winters kept a journal. When Hope Is Tried brings together thirty-one of these daily meditations, which, taken together, depict a movement from outright anger to trusting God.
In offering these meditations, Winters hoped to encourage others dealing with illness—and the people who care for them—to discover that God's grace is enough. This honest, faith-filled, and deeply personal devotional book includes Scripture passages, meditations, short prayers, and suggested Bible readings.
“When Hope Is Tried is not for those seeking sentimental and easy answers. Winters dares to express anger, doubt, hesitation, pain, and confusion—in other words, she stands before God as a witness that we are in a broken world and declares that sometimes God’s plan seems mightily confusing. But as a witness, Winters points out in ringing and impassioned tones that even with pain and doubt, God is there; and even with confusion, God is there; and even with anger, God is there. And because God is always there, we can dare to live, and to live well.”
—Dr. Gary Schmidt, author, Anson’s Way