Marissa Henley

Encouraging weary women to hope in Christ alone

God’s Faithfulness in a Winter Season – Part 3 {Guest post for enCourage}

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I recently shared a three-part series on the enCourage blog, a blog for the women’s ministry of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). Here’s a preview of the third article. (You can see the first two posts here and here.)

When I battled a rare cancer in 2010-2011, the effect of the chemotherapy on my platelets caused me to need a clinical trial and receive treatment hundreds of miles away from my home and my young family. I was suffering in a way that I never had before, and I was completely powerless to change my circumstances.

A friend of mine read about a study in Greece that found that eating purple grapes would boost your platelets. It was on the internet, so it was probably true, right? I started eating large amounts purple grapes. You can probably guess how much impact it had on my platelets. That’s right—none at all. It was one more reminder of my weakness. I was suffering, everyone I loved was suffering along with me, and there was nothing I could do but sit in a beige recliner, passively receive the chemotherapy that made me feel awful, and beg God to heal me.

When we’re in a winter season of suffering, we often feel weak and powerless to fix our circumstances. If we could change things and get ourselves out of that season, we certainly would. This feeling of weakness is an unavoidable part of our experience of suffering. And yet, when we consider God’s faithfulness to us in suffering, we can start to view our weakness as one of His gifts in our winter seasons.

To read the rest of the article, head over to the enCourage blog. I hope it blesses you if you are in a winter season of suffering today.

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God’s Faithfulness in a Winter Season – Part Two {Guest post for the enCourage blog}

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Recently I shared the second in a three-part series on the enCourage blog, a blog for the women’s ministry of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). Here’s a preview . . .

In part one of this series, I shared my experience of battling a rare form of cancer as a young mom and how I saw God’s faithfulness on display. As we continue to consider Habakkuk 3 and God’s gifts of faithfulness in suffering, let’s focus on God’s gift of wellness in our winter seasons. When I talk about God’s gift of wellness, I don’t mean physical health or personal safety. We may not always have those things, but we can have a wellness in our souls because of the unshakeable promises and presence of our heavenly Father.

Some of you may have read the first post in this series about the ways I witnessed God’s faithfulness and thought, “Well good for her, but that’s not my story.” Maybe today you can’t see how God is at work in your circumstances. Maybe you feel like God isn’t showing up or you don’t understand why He would allow this to happen. Maybe there can’t be a happy ending in your winter season as you grieve the loss of someone or something you’ll never get back. How is God faithful in those moments?

Habakkuk was in a similar situation. He had no expectation that his circumstances were going to improve. In fact, God had assured him that things were only going to get worse (Hab.1:5-11). And yet Habakkuk rejoiced in the God of his salvation (Hab. 3:18).

Even if Habakkuk had nothing else, he had God’s promised salvation. Habakkuk didn’t understand why God was using the Babylonians to judge Judah, but he knew God’s character (Hab.1:12-13). He knew he could trust the Lord in any situation. The Lord was his deliverer and his salvation (Hab. 3:13).

You can read the rest of the article here at enCourage. I hope it encourages you if you’re in a winter season today.

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God’s Faithfulness in a Winter Season – Part One {Guest post for the enCourage blog}

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Recently I shared the first in a three-part series on the enCourage blog, a blog for the women’s ministry of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). Here’s a preview . . .

Have you ever found yourself in a winter season of suffering, when your world feels dark and cold? My winter season started 14 years ago when I found a lump in my breast. The lump led to tests, which led to a biopsy, which led to a phone call on the day before my 34th birthday.

The doctor said the biopsy revealed a rare and aggressive cancer in the lining of my blood vessels called angiosarcoma. A quick internet search informed me that I was statistically unlikely to live to see my three young children reach adolescence.

I started a treatment plan of high doses of chemotherapy, covered by the prayers of thousands of people and supported by the most amazing community of family and friends. After two rounds of chemo, my situation got even worse. My platelets were dangerously low from the chemo, and the only way for me to continue treatment was to start a clinical trial at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, 700 miles from my home in Arkansas.

I thought the angiosarcoma diagnosis was devastating, but this news was even worse. I didn’t know if I’d live long enough for my one-year-old daughter to remember me. I didn’t want to spend time away from my family, receiving treatment in Houston for several weeks. But I didn’t have any other options.

I think this experience is why Habakkuk is one of my favorite books of the Bible. Habakkuk had a similar experience of suffering that kept getting worse. And yet, at the end of this short book, Habakkuk proclaims his trust in the Lord. As we look at Habakkuk’s prayer in chapter 3, we find a beautiful example of how to look for God’s gifts, even in the midst of suffering.

You can read the rest of the article here at enCourage. I hope it encourages you if you’re in a winter season today.

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Trust the Expert of Everything

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Have you ever needed an expert? In 2010, I was diagnosed with angiosarcoma, a rare cancer that doctors in my area only see about once a decade. I went to the largest medical facility in my state, where they see it once or twice a year. Then I went to MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. There we found an oncologist who treats it once or twice a week, with great success. My husband and I looked at each other with the same thought in our heads: “We choose this guy.” 

We trusted this doctor because he knows more about angiosarcoma than most people on the planet. We knew that no matter how much searching and reading we did, our understanding of this complicated disease could never match his. Because of his expertise, we decided to do whatever he told us to do—even when we didn’t like his plans, and even when his recommendations were difficult and life-altering. His expertise led us to put my life in his hands, medically speaking. 

The same is true of the Lord. There is no limit to the extent of His knowledge and wisdom, not just about cancer, but about foreign policy, immunology, and everything else in all creation. He is the ultimate Expert of everything. 

“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! ‘For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?’” (Romans 11:33-34)

We can confidently choose to trust the Lord because of His riches of wisdom. He knows the past, present, and future. He knows all the possibilities and which ones will become realities. He knows how He will provide for His children and every situation they will face. He knows what is best for us, even when it doesn’t make sense from our perspective. 

Not only does He know all things, but He uses His knowledge to always do what is right. Even when His commands are challenging and His plans are perplexing, we are secure in His loving and faithful hands.

No matter what you face this week, you can trust the One who is the ultimate Expert of everything. 

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