faithfulness Archives - Marissa Henley

God is Good While We Wait {No Matter What Monday}

November 12, 2018 by Marissa Leave a Comment

Have you ever been so eager to see how a book ends that it makes you rush toward the finish? Often I skim quickly through pages of character development, scenic descriptions, and emotionally-laden dialogue because I just can’t wait to see the outcome. I miss the goodness and beauty as I rush through the tension to the resolution.

In a similar way, I sometimes miss the beauty of God’s goodness in the struggles of life because I’m weary of waiting. I shared last week how much I hate to wait. But God’s Word reminds us that the Author of our story always shows His goodness to us—not just by bringing an end to our waiting, but in the dreary, dragging, difficult middle.

In Lamentations 3, Jeremiah is in a tough spot. He has forgotten his happiness and finds himself in deep turmoil (Lamentations 3:17). He calls to mind God’s faithfulness, steadfast love, and daily mercies, and he puts his hope in the Lord (Lamentations 3:21-24). But his suffering doesn’t instantly end. He has peace, but he also still has problems. And then he says:

“The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him “ (Lamentations 3:25).

The Lord is good to us in our waiting. We don’t only look forward to future goodness when our wait is over. We can cling to His present goodness right here in the messy middle.

While you wait, God will hear you when you cry out to Him, and He will be with you (Micah 7:7, Psalm 40:1, Joshua 1:9, Hebrews 13:5).

While you wait, God will renew your strength when you are weary (Isaiah 40:31).

While you wait, God will never stop caring for you—not for one single minute (Psalm 23:6).

No matter what you face this week, God is good while you wait.

God Loved You First {No Matter What Monday}

February 12, 2018 by Marissa 1 Comment

It’s the age-old question: Which came first, the chicken or the egg? I’m no philosopher, and I haven’t figured out the answer to that one. But there’s an even more important question that God’s Word answers for us: Which came first, God’s love for us or our 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.

“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 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 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’s love for us 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, and He will love you forever.

Past, Present, and Future Faithfulness {No Matter What Monday}

September 4, 2017 by Marissa Leave a Comment

Fifteen times in the past six years, a machine has taken photos of my insides, and a radiologist has scoured the images for evidence of cancer recurrence. Scan Days cause me to swing on a pendulum between complete confidence that everything will be fine and dreadful certainty that nothing will be fine.

One tactic I use during those stressful weeks is to remind myself that, no matter how worked up I get each time, all my other scans have been clear. Remembering past experiences brings some peace when I face uncertainty, but it’s a shaky, tentative peace. Statistically speaking, the years of good results makes future good results more likely. But there is no guarantee.

When contemplating past medical success doesn’t quiet my soul, I’m thankful there’s something better.

“But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:21-23)

Calling to mind the Lord’s faithfulness and steadfast love brings hope and peace to my anxious soul. Remembering His past faithfulness to His people in general and in my life specifically gives me confidence as I face uncertainty and doubts. Because God never changes, His past faithfulness absolutely guarantees His present and future faithfulness to us.

I don’t know if everything will be fine. But I do know the Lord will be faithful.

Because He was faithful yesterday, I can confidently depend on Him to be faithful today and expect Him to be faithful tomorrow.

No matter what we face this week, we can remember God’s past faithfulness, depend on His present faithfulness, and expect His future faithfulness.

(This week’s devotional is a flashback adapted from a post which first appeared here on May 30, 2016.)

Trust the Faithful Creator to Perfectly Guard Your Soul {No Matter What Monday}

August 21, 2017 by Marissa Leave a Comment

Confession time: I am a control freak. This admission is no big surprise to those who know me! One annoying side effect of my control-freak condition is that I stink at delegating. I love the idea of it—I’d like you to do some of the work. But in the back of my mind, I’m wondering if you’ll do a good job. Will you get busy and forget? Will you hand it off to someone else? Will I need to fix your mistakes?

But what if you were perfect? What if you could show me a flawless record of always doing exactly what you said you would do? What if I knew you would excel in every task I handed you? If I believed these things were true, I’d trust you with anything!

We’ve been looking at God’s faithfulness for the past two weeks. This week’s Scripture tells us that we can trust our faithful God with the most important task—the security of our souls.

“Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.” (1 Peter 4:19)

In this passage, Peter is encouraging his readers to persevere through persecution. He tells them there’s something for them to do, and there’s something for them to leave in God’s hands.

It’s God’s job to guard our souls. We don’t need to fear persecution, suffering, or even death – because our faithful Creator can be trusted with the eternal care of our souls. The One who made us has also redeemed us and will guard our souls. Because He is faithful, He can be trusted to do so perfectly and completely.

While we delegate our soul-security to our faithful Creator, we are to do good works, even in hard times. It seems like a tall order! But when the responsibility for protecting ourselves is given to the Lord, we can focus on living out our faith in the midst of suffering.

No matter what you face this week, you can entrust your soul to your faithful Creator.