Lord, Not Again!
Facing yet another trial? Questioning God’s plan after all you’ve endured? Through her own struggles, Dianna Hobbs saw the Israelites wrestle with the same questions. But their story—and hers—reveals a powerful truth: God’s power never dims, His presence never fades, and His promises stand firm, especially when we’re weary.
Credit: Vladimir Vladimirov/Getty
I can't recall a time when I felt more uncomfortable sharing something on my blog than I did on Monday. If I could have vanished into thin air the moment I hit publish, I would have.
My post, “This Broken Place”—oof—was a lot for me.
Writing those words felt like emotional surgery without anesthesia. Each sentence stripped away another protective layer.
I know I've spent my life communicating, and words are my lifeline, but when it comes to my own story? Whew! Those same words get stuck somewhere between my heart and my throat.
But your love, support, and beautiful comments and messages have touched me so deeply. And in those moments when opening up feels hard, keeping a higher perspective—remembering that God is using my story to fulfill His purposes and help others—gives me strength.
Speaking of a higher perspective, without it, I’d paint a pretty bleak picture of the last nine years since 2016, and it would probably go something like this:
I’ve been sick—again and again. I’ve fought—again and again. I’ve watched my body betray me, my immune system collapse, my strength drain, and my plans unravel—again and again.
Life flipped upside down. Now my hubby, Kenya, is out at events, and I'm sidelined—my immune system, compromised since the ministroke, keeps letting me down. Vitamins, strict diets, careful management—nothing tames my white blood cell count. Sickness keeps finding me, no matter how hard I push back.
When people ask about me, Kenya keeps it real: "Pray for her." And every time, I cringe—feeling exposed. I never envisioned myself as that woman, the one whispered about with pity, always dangling on the brink, always needing a lifeline.
One of my dearest friends, Cassandra Elliott—a powerful worship leader—understood completely. Before kidney disease took her in 2021, we shared our most vulnerable feelings about chronic illness. "The hardest part," she once said, "is feeling like a liability to our own families."
I felt that on a deep level.
During my first extended bout of illness between 2016 and 2017, when I nearly died, Kenya lost his job. The guilt consumed me. Every hospital visit, every medical bill felt like another weight dragging our family down. I couldn't work. Our medical expenses kept eating into our finances. I felt utterly useless—a drain on the people I love most.
Even now, years later, I still can't do what I used to. And the truth? It still cuts deep. Some days, the limitations feel suffocating.
****
Sidebar: Can we acknowledge for a minute how sad this sounds from this angle?
Okay, let’s continue.
Then 2017 hit with a miracle. At a prayer service in Niagara Falls, the room exploding in worship, God wiped out two autoimmune diseases in minutes: Rheumatoid Arthritis. Fibromyalgia. Gone.
I wrote a book, God Did It. Released it in 2018. I traveled. I shared my testimony with a heart full of gratitude, truly believing that miraculous moment—surrounded by hundreds of witnesses—meant my health battles were over for good.
Wrong.
The year after my book release, while the autoimmune diseases remained buried—God’s healing completely intact—another crisis emerged. Brutal. Unexpected. A ministroke that would carve brain damage into my story, rewriting everything I thought I knew about healing, about hope, about survival.
I'm here, breathing—doctors say I shouldn’t be—but the weariness lingers. The quiet shame of being sick again scalds, leaving me feeling pitied, not powerful.
In 2019, with death knocking again, I broke.
Lord, not again.
Sick again.
Fighting again.
Body failing again.
I was shattered—physically spent, spiritually threadbare, still reeling from one battle when this one roared up.
My Lord, it’s been rough!
And I’d guess your life’s got its own battles you could frame in that same dim light.
****
We could all sketch a bleak portrait of our scars, staring at our life’s wreckage. But thank God for His Word—it rewires our vision, lifts our eyes to Him, and reveals the victory He sees in the struggle!
That’s why I love the Israelites' Jordan River story so much. It shatters the pessimistic lens. The miraculous account reminds me that even when life feels like an endless cycle of struggle, God is still writing a greater narrative—one of deliverance and purpose.
40 years after experiencing the miracle of the Red Sea (Exodus 14), the Hebrews found themselves standing at the edge of the Jordan River (Joshua 3). They needed God to make a way through the water—again.
At first glance, these crossings might seem identical. In both situations, the Israelites required God to part the waters, to create a path forward. But God revealed something profound: while the circumstances looked similar, His purpose was different.
To Joshua, He said, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses” (Joshua 3:7, NIV).
This wasn’t a rerun. It wasn’t déjà vu—it was a megaphone blasting God’s undiminished power. He needed them to see He hadn’t faded. The same God who unleashed His awe-inspiring might through Moses remained just as steadfast and powerful alongside Joshua.
****
Catch this, though: He couldn’t show that power again unless Israel hit a wall—again. Different mess, same unstoppable God.
The Israelites might have questioned why yet another body of water stood before them after all they’d endured. But God sought to reveal His presence afresh. He wasn’t merely the God of Moses—He was Joshua’s God too. His power remained unshaken, His provision unchanged, His promise unwavering.
Maybe you’re at your own "again" moment, whispering, Lord, not again. Not another hit. Not another wall. Not another mountain. Doubt crashes, fear howls—you’re wondering if you’ve got one more round in you.
But God is nudging us to change our perspective when standing at our own Red Seas and Jordan Rivers. Instead of sighing not again, let’s start shouting do it again!
He specializes in repeat performances. He’s the King of comebacks, the Lord of encores.
I’ve lived it—the enemy wanted me crushed, neck bent in another valley, but I’ve chosen to rejoice. God has lifted me up again, proving that His power hasn’t changed and that His glory is shining bright as ever.
“God permitted the storm to reveal that He can calm it, allowed the affliction to show that He can heal it, and let the impossible stand to prove He can overcome it—time and time again.”
In today’s text, we see, from Moses to Joshua, how God proved He is the same miracle-working God—parting seas, commanding rivers, and granting victory despite impossible odds.
He continues to do it again and again.
So, why, then, do we love to shout, “The God who did it before will do it again!”—until “again” arrives, and we groan, “Lord, not again”?
Listen, here’s the truth: As long as we’ve got breath, battles will roll in. Yesterday had some, today’s got some, and tomorrow will surely bring more.
But here’s the good news: we’ve got a Savior who fights for us—and He’s the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8).
Forever faithful.
Forever a healer.
Forever a provider.
Forever a deliverer.
Forever a strong tower.
Forever a way-maker.
Forever able to do anything but fail!
The situation shifts, but He doesn’t.
That fresh giant in your face? It’s not a setback. It’s a platform. God’s stage to show forth His might in ways you've never seen before. Every obstacle is an opportunity—another chance for Him to show up, to work miracles, to demonstrate that His power is as potent as ever.
The God who split the Red Sea can carve a path through the Jordan River rising in your life. He’s gearing up to show once more that He’s with you, and His power is at work.
Oh, bless His name!
To remind you of this truth, I’m stirring the words of Jesus into your cup of inspiration: “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33, NIV).
As you drink down the contents of your cup, let this promise bring relief when your shoulders slump under the weight of needing a breakthrough again. Rejoice that you serve the God of Again—the One whose power never runs dry. The One whose grace never runs out. The One who delivers from every affliction. The One who has never faced a challenge He could not overcome.
The next time you’re confronted with an undesirable circumstance, God is urging you to replace your “not again” with the command of Philippians 4:4: “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I say—rejoice!"
Rejoice that the God of Again is still very much in the business of supplying every need, restoring every loss, and healing every affliction, over and over.
Now, let’s pray.
God, when my soul is battered and my spirit is weary, thank You for refreshing me! Your Word declares: no matter how many afflictions come my way, You will deliver me out of them all (Psalm 34:19). So, I reject every pity party and rejoice over and over—because You fight for me, over and over. You pour out favor, over and over. You work miracles, over and over. I bless Your Holy name—for You are the God of Again! In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.
Did this message bless you? Sow a seed into Dianna Hobbs’ ministry to help her share God’s word. As you give, may God richly reward you.
If you desire prayer, please allow me, along with my intercessory prayer team, to stand in faith with you for breakthrough. We would be so honored. We have seen God work over and over again. There is power in agreement. Click here to request prayer now.
As always, thanks for reading and until next time... may today's cup of inspiration uplift, encourage, and empower you!
