Marissa Henley

Encouraging weary women to hope in Christ alone

God Can and Will Keep His Promises {No Matter What Monday}

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This month we’re looking at a conversation between a prophet and God in the book of Habakkuk. Last week, we saw Habakkuk cry out to God in his suffering. God answered that He is at work in the situation, but Habakkuk’s circumstances would get worse before they got better (Habakkuk 1:1-11). Habakkuk reminds himself of the truth of God’s character and then waits with eager expectation to hear how God will respond (Habakkuk 2:1). 

“And the LORD answered me: ‘Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay. ‘Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith.’” (Habakkuk 2:2-4)

This phrase—the righteous shall live by his faith—is quoted three times in the New Testament (Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, and Hebrews 10:37-38). When we take all of these passages together, we see that the faith mentioned here ultimately points to faith in Jesus Christ.  

When we live by faith, we believe that God’s promises are true. We believe that Jesus Christ has battled our worst enemies—sin, evil, and death—and He is victorious. 

God put His power on display in the death and resurrection of Jesus—He has the power to deliver on His promises. 

And while we were His enemies, Christ laid down His life for us (Romans 5:8). He loves us, and we are His—He can be trusted to deliver on His promises. 

So as Habakkuk lives out God’s exhortation to “wait for it” in verse 3, he can take comfort knowing that God can and will deliver on His promises. This is how the righteous live by faith: we believe that God’s promises are true while we wait for His purposes to unfold. 

No matter what you face this week, you can have faith that God can and will keep all His promises to you. 

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God is Still Working {No Matter What Monday}

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Have you ever found yourself in a difficult situation that just keeps getting worse? In the short Old Testament book Habakkuk, we get to hear a conversation between the prophet and God. Habakkuk cries out to God because of the wickedness and oppression he sees around him and begs God to intervene (Habakkuk 1:1-4). Then the Lord replies: 

“Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told.” (Habakkuk 1:5)

This sounds like just the answer Habakkuk is looking for, right? But then we keep reading. God goes on to say that He’s going to bring in the Chaldeans (aka, the Babylonians) and that they are even more violent and wicked than the current Assyrian oppressors. 

Wait, what?! I can only imagine the look on Habakkuk’s face as he absorbs this news: things are bad, and they’re getting worse. 

Have you ever felt like God has abandoned you in your suffering? Maybe you struggle to see how He’s at work in your situation. You’ve prayed and begged and pleaded but it feels like God hasn’t shown up. 

When Habakkuk hears this discouraging response from the Lord, he reminds himself of the truth of God’s character. He affirms God’s eternality, holiness, sovereignty, and love for justice (Habakkuk 1:12-17). He trusts God to work in a way consistent with His character. 

This month we are going to look at the continuing conversation between God and Habakkuk. We will see what it means to live by faith in suffering. We will see the precious promise of God’s reign over all and the joy we have in His salvation. 

But today, I want us to remember this: God is at work. It’s not always the answer we’re hoping for. But our God rules over the nations and over every day of our lives. He never stops working in a way that is consistent with His character. He is faithful in all that He does. 

No matter what you face this week, God is at work even when things are getting worse. 

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All God’s Work is Faithful {No Matter What Monday}

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It’s the question every stay-at-home mom dreads: “What did you do all day?” 

When I stayed home with my littles, I never knew how to answer this question. I had been busy all day, but I had nothing to show for it. I changed diapers that were soon dirty again. I put the blocks back in the bin so my son could dump them back out. I fixed food, fed the little people (further contributing to the diaper situation mentioned above), cleaned up the kitchen, and started the entire process over a few hours later. I knew to an outsider (or to my husband when he came home from work), it would look like I’d done nothing all day. 

Do you ever wonder what God’s been up to? Days, weeks, months go by, and you’re still hurting. Your problems haven’t been solved. Your relationship is still broken, your disease hasn’t been healed, your pain seems ever-present. You feel like asking God, “What did you do all day?!” 

When we don’t understand what God’s doing, let’s remember these beautiful words from Psalm 33: 

“For the word of the LORD is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness.” (Ps. 33:4)

The first part of the verse tells us that God’s Word is right. He cannot lie. His Word is good and perfect and true. 

Then we read that all God’s work is done in faithfulness. (I wish I could say the same about my own work!) His work always reflects the promises of His good, perfect, and true Word. 

God’s faithfulness is His complete, unfailing, forever commitment to keep every one of His promises. As He works in our world and in every moment of our lives, His work always puts His faithfulness on display. 

We may not understand what God’s doing, but we do know this: In all that He does, He is faithful. 

No matter what you face this week, all God’s work is done in faithfulness. 

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Supporting a Friend with Cancer {Podcast appearance at Don’t Mom Alone}

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I had the honor of chatting with Heather from the Don’t Mom Alone podcast recently about how we can support a friend with cancer. We covered how to not say the wrong thing, how to avoid burnout when caring for your friend, how to go the extra mile when taking a meal, and so much more. I hope you’ll check it out here!

While you’re there, check out some of the fantastic guests Heather has had on the show. Her podcast has been such an encouragement to me as I seek to glorify God with my parenting!

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