Trusting God When Life Hurts: Finding Refuge in His Perfect Way – with Marlo Hogue

Do you ever look at a diagnosis, a disappointment, or a longing God hasn’t fulfilled and wonder how His way could possibly be perfect? In this episode on Psalm 18:30, Marlo Hogue shares why God’s way is perfect even though it isn’t painless. She also talks about how His pure Word and His presence become a shield and refuge in the hardest seasons.

Description

Angela welcomes Marlo Hogue to talk about Psalm 18:30. Marlo is a Christian women’s speaker, Bible teacher, patient advocate, and healthcare consultant known as Raydiant The Warrior Encourager. For 30 years she has walked through lupus, three years of hemodialysis, and Crohn’s disease. She has also thrived for 22 years as a kidney transplant recipient, with a kidney she received from her father.

Marlo explains why David could call God’s way perfect after years of running from Saul. She shares how that truth changed the way she sees her illness, her time on dialysis, and her long season of singleness. Together, Angela and Marlo talk about bringing every “why” to God, staying close to Him, and remembering that He is near in hard times.

Episode Highlights

• The Book of Psalms is praise set to music, and it shows that God is worthy of praise in every circumstance. Our perspective shifts as we bring our struggles to Him.
• In Psalm 18, David is no longer running from Saul. He names who God is before declaring that His way is perfect and His Word is flawless.
• God’s way is perfect but not painless. Bringing our whys and laments to Him, then listening in quietness, matters more than getting every answer.
• Kidney failure, dialysis, an 85-pound weight gain from medication, and years of waiting for marriage all became places where God shielded Marlo, built her patience, and gave her compassion for others.

Great Quotes

• “His way is perfect. It’s not painless, but it is perfection.”
• “I used to pray, ‘Lord, keep me from this, and keep me from behaving like this.’ Then one day the Holy Spirit said to me, ‘I am keeping, but would you be kept? Be still. Stay right here.'”
• “Do not be afraid for the Lord to walk you through hard things. Run to Him through it. Hard times are hard, but He is faithful in them.”

Resources Mentioned

• Psalm 18 – David’s song after God delivered him from Saul, calling God his rock, fortress, shield, and refuge.
• Psalm 51 – David’s prayer, “Cast me not away from your presence.”
• Joshua 1 – God’s charge to “be strong and courageous” because He is with us.
• Philippians 3:8 – Paul counts everything as loss compared to knowing Christ.
• Hebrews 13:5 – “I will never leave you, nor forsake you.”
• Even in This – Marlo’s free devotional for Christian women leaders living with chronic illness and for anyone facing something chronic. http://marlohogue.gumroad.com/l/eveninthis
• Marlo’s website – marlohogue.com, for her speaking, Bible teaching, and patient advocacy.

Related Episodes 

• Trusting God: Our Rock and Refuge – Shelley Picard on Psalm 18:2 and finding God as a refuge after a traumatic brain injury.
• Praising God When He Gives and When He Takes – Kelly Arena on worshiping God through chronic illness and grief.
• Trusting God When Life is Hard: What Jeremiah 29:11 Really Means with Andy Lee – Trusting God’s plan when life doesn’t look the way you hoped.

Newsletter Invitation

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