71 | God of Comfort: Finding Hope, Healing, and God's Presence in Grief | Lisa Appelo

In this hope-filled episode, Ashley welcomes author, speaker, and fellow Bethany House author Lisa Appelo to discuss her new devotional, God of Comfort. After losing her husband unexpectedly and later walking alongside her son and daughter-in-law through the stillbirth of their baby, Lisa shares how grief transformed her faith, priorities, and understanding of God's presence in suffering. Together, Ashley and Lisa explore the unique challenges of devastating loss, the lies grief often whispers to hurting hearts, and the biblical practice of bringing our deepest questions, fears, and emotions directly to God. Through personal stories, Scripture, and honest reflection, they discuss surrender, God's sovereignty, the hope of Heaven, and the comfort available to every grieving heart through Christ. This conversation offers encouragement that God is not intimidated by your questions, your tears, or your pain. He invites you to bring it all to Him and discover that the pathway through grief is not a formula or a set of stages—but the God of all comfort Himself. In this episode, we discussed: Lisa's story of unexpectedly losing her husband, Dan, overnight, and becoming a widow with seven children Walking through the recent stillbirth of her grandson and supporting her grieving son and daughter-in-law How grandparents experience a unique "double grief" when a grandchild dies Practical ways to support grieving families without inserting your own story or taking control The lies grief often whispers, including fears that joy will never return Regret, guilt, and the "what if" questions that frequently accompany loss Learning to surrender control and trust God's sovereignty when life does not make sense Letting go of the life you expected and embracing the life God has given you The sanctifying work God accomplishes through suffering and grief Why grief is not a tidy process and cannot be reduced to a series of stages Wrestling with the question "Why?" and learning to trust God's character even without answers How suffering deepens our longing for Heaven and reshapes our earthly priorities The gifts that can emerge from grief, including compassion, intimacy with God, and eternal perspective Lisa's devotional God of Comfort and how it helps grieving people encounter God's character through Scripture, prayer, journaling, and reflection Finding hope in the truth that God comforts us so we can comfort others with the same comfort we have received from Him This conversation is a beautiful reminder that grief may change us, but it does not have the final word. As Lisa shares, the way through grief is not found in a method, a timeline, or a set of steps—it is found in a Person. If you are carrying sorrow, wrestling with unanswered questions, or wondering if joy will ever return, this episode will encourage you to bring your broken heart to the God of Comfort, who sees you, loves you, and promises to walk with you every step of the journey. GET THE BOOK! Cradled in Hope is sold on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target, Christianbook, and Baker Bookhouse. [www.bridgetscradles.com/book] EPISODE SHOW NOTES & FULL TRANSCRIPT: [www.bridgetscradles.com/post/episode71] • CRADLED IN HOPE PODCAST WEBSITE: Sign up here to receive email updates and hope-filled resources [www.bridgetscradles.com/podcast] • CRADLED IN HOPE FACEBOOK COMMUNITY FOR GRIEVING MOMS: [www.facebook.com/groups/cradledinhope] • FOLLOW BRIDGET'S CRADLES [www.facebook.com/bridgetscradles] [www.instagram.com/bridgetscradles] [www.pinterest.com/bridgetscradles] • CONNECT WITH THE HOST | ASHLEY OPLIGER [www.ashleyopliger.com] [www.facebook.com/ashleyopliger] [www.instagram.com/ashleyopliger] #cradledinhope #cradledinhopepodcast #bridgetscradles ★ Support this podcast ★