Marissa Henley

Encouraging weary women to hope in Christ alone

God Loved You First {No Matter What Monday}

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Back in early March BC (Before Covid), I shared two devotionals on Ephesians 2:4-5 with plans to write more on these verses that are some of my favorites in all of God’s Word. We saw how “But God” changes everything and wondered at the riches of God’s mercy. This week I’d like to pick up where we left off more than two months ago in these verses. Let’s bask in God’s great love for us.

Sometimes my son and I have an “I love you” contest. We go back and forth: I love you, I love you more, I love you most, I love you to infinity . . . But I always hold the trump card: “I loved you first.” 

What if I played this game with God? Who would win? Which came first, God’s love for me or my love for Him? 

The stakes are high with this question. If God’s love for me follows my love for Him, then His love for me depends on my faithfulness. If I stop loving God, He might stop loving me. 

But if God loved me first, before I had done anything to earn His love, then I am secure. I am loved no matter how many times I fail Him, forget Him, or falter in my faith. 

Thankfully, Ephesians 2 teaches us that God loved us first: 

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved.” (Ephesians 2:4–5)

God loved us with a great love when we were dead in our sin. Before we ever loved Him, God sent Jesus to die for us (Rom. 5:8, I John 4:10). 

God loved us with a great love because of His mercy. He made us alive with Christ and saved us by His grace. None of it depended on our love for Him—praise the Lord! 

God loves us with a great love that is secure. His love depends on His faithfulness, not ours. His love never fails. His love is guaranteed by His perfection, not our performance. 

When you feel unlovable, remember God’s unchanging, unfailing, unstoppable love for you. When you feel overwhelmed by your sin, remember that Christ overcame sin and gave you new life. When you feel like your faith isn’t enough, remember that God loved you even before you believed. 

No matter what you face this week, God loved you first. 

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Overflowing Hope {No Matter What Monday}

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I’m a mostly boring person, and I don’t push the envelope very often. But occasionally, I let my gas gauge get down to E and create some excitement. 

Once I let my engine run on a cold day while I waited for my kids to finish piano lessons. (See how exciting our life was pre-Covid?) I finally realized the little display on my dashboard was trying to tell me I only had five miles to go until empty. I immediately turned off the car and pulled out my phone to search for the nearest gas station. Two miles away. No problem. 

But when the kids piled in and I started driving, the miles on the fuel range display ticked down more quickly than I expected. My kids and I prayed anxiously until we slid into the gas station with a zero on the display. 

Do you feel like you’re running on empty today? Maybe you feel like you’ve been on empty for weeks with no end in sight. I’ve got good news for you! The God of hope can fill you with joy, peace, and hope that overflows. 

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13, NIV)

This overflowing hope is more than you could ever need. It never runs out. You’re not just driving around with your gas gauge on full, there is gas gushing out of your car! 

This hope is overflowing because its source is our infinite God of hope. He is both the object of our hope and the One who grants us hope in Him. This overflowing hope comes by the power of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. 

When we face circumstances that look never-ending and hopeless, we can continue to be hopeful. When we are tempted to turn to other sources of hope and find that they leave us feeling empty, God Himself supplies the true hope we crave. The God of hope promises to fill His children with more than enough hope for all our struggles and suffering. 

No matter what you face this week, God will fill you with overflowing hope. 

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Our Unshakeable Hope {No Matter What Monday}

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Where does your hope come from?

I know the Sunday school answer to this question is “Jesus.” But I also know my own heart and my tendency to want something more tangible in which to place my hope.

In our current global crisis, we may put our hope in our leaders, medical experts, the latest experimental coronavirus treatment, or our personal approach to keeping ourselves safe. I know when I see the uncertainty around me, I’m tempted to look to these for comfort, peace, and reassurance.

If our marriage is failing, we might place our hope in couples counseling or a strategy for changing our spouse. If we are struggling financially, we might place our hope in working overtime toward a promotion at work. If we are stressed about the political climate and the direction of our country, we may place our hope in getting our candidate into office.

Wise choices, godly counsel, diligence, knowledgeable experts, sound leadership . . . none of these things are bad. There’s nothing wrong with pursuing these things. But they shouldn’t be our source of abiding hope, because the hope they give will be short-lived. They won’t satisfy our deepest fears and doubts regarding our struggles.

The only hope that will truly satisfy is our hope in the Lord.

“For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.” (Psalm 62:5)

A few months ago, we looked at this verse and how it teaches us to wait on the Lord. This verse also promises us that as we wait on Him, we will receive a hope that cannot be shaken. The hope that He gives can’t be washed away by a new development in the pandemic or a positive COVID-19 test.

Through every storm, this truth remains: The Lord is our rock and our salvation, the fortress where we can seek shelter, and our unshakeable hope.

No matter what we face this week, the Lord is our only source of unshakeable hope. 

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The Expert of Everything {No Matter What Monday}

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Last week my son asked, “What are the scientists saying about when we can go places again?” 

Well, isn’t that the question of the year? Everyone agrees that our actions in the next few weeks and months are important, but there’s much less agreement on what those actions should be — even among the experts. Sometimes I go down the internet rabbit hole of article-reading, trying to figure out the best plan, before I realize that no one is asking me for my opinion! Instead, I pray for wisdom for our leaders who are looking at the data and deciding on the next steps. And I pray for wisdom for us as individuals as we navigate these unprecedented times. 

When I feel anxious all we don’t know about this virus, I find comfort in knowing that the Lord has all knowledge, and He will guide us. We need an expert, and we have one in the Lord. There is no limit to the extent of His knowledge and wisdom, not just about viruses, but about everything 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. We can feel safe putting our lives in His loving and faithful hands.

We may be tempted to trust in the experts – and we should listen to those who have spent their careers studying for this moment. But as we listen to experts, let’s trust in the Lord who knows every atom He’s created. 

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

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