glory Archives - Marissa Henley

Our Sovereign God Rules Over All {No Matter What Monday}

January 8, 2018 by Marissa Leave a Comment

Growing up at First United Presbyterian Church, I recited the Lord’s Prayer every Sunday. Starting with “Our Father,” asking God to provide our daily bread, forgive our debts (not trespasses—we’re not Methodist!), and not lead us into temptation. To be honest, by the last few phrases, I was usually cruising on auto-pilot and wondering what was for lunch.

But if you pay attention, you hear that the end of the Lord’s Prayer makes some shocking claims: “For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever.”

These phrases point us to the truth of God’s sovereignty—a theme we will be exploring each Monday this month. God’s sovereignty can’t be fully explored with a few short devotionals, but I hope our glimpses at this aspect of His character will grow our trust and affection for Him.

Take a moment to meditate on these words of King David in his prayer to the Lord:

“Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all.” (I Chronicles 29:11)

God alone rules over His kingdom with power. Everything belongs to the Creator. He rules over the cosmos and creation, over nature and the nations, over the events of history and the details of our days.

God alone receives glory and majesty. Because God is exalted as head over all, there is none more worthy of all glory and honor and praise.

God alone reigns for all eternity. His kingdom, power, and glory will never end. We can rely on the unchanging power of the reigning King who is also our merciful, good Father.

In The Attributes of God, Pink writes, “Divine sovereignty means that God is God in fact, as well as in name, that he is on the Throne of the universe, directing all things, working all things ‘after the counsel of his own will’ (Eph. 1:11).”

God is God. He alone is sovereign. He rules and reigns. And He cares for you.

No matter what you face this week, our sovereign God rules over all He has made.

(Photo by Idan Arad on Unsplash)

God’s power and glory will remain forever {No Matter What Monday}

July 3, 2017 by Marissa Leave a Comment

I love sunsets. (I love sunrises, too, but I prefer to be asleep when they’re happening.) The glorious colors spread over the horizon, as if God took a handful of paintbrushes and danced across the sky. When I look at a gorgeous sunset, I know two things are true: there is a Creator who makes beauty and the Creator is glorious.

And yet, these verses teach us that God’s glory is even greater than the glory of creation:

“Of old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away, but you are the same, and your years have no end” (Psalm 102:25-27).

The heavens are the work of His hands, and they are glorious. But one day, He will change them like He’s changing His clothes. The creation we see now will pass away, but the Lord will remain.

So what does this mean for us on an ordinary Monday when we feel overwhelmed by the week ahead?

Created things – sunsets, people, nature, possessions – can be beautiful, glorious blessings in our lives. These same creations sometimes bring us pain and suffering. In either case, they will pass away.

The Lord is the one Who will always remain. His power and glory will never fade. Those gorgeous sunsets can remind us of this truth: we are loved by a glorious Creator who will never change. His years have no end.

No matter what you face this week, God’s power and glory will remain forever.

This devotional originally appeared on this blog in September 2016.

Our Suffering has a Glorious End {No Matter What Monday}

February 27, 2017 by Marissa Leave a Comment

Why do days filled with mundane tasks tick by so slowly, and vacation days fly by so fast? January and February feel like they will never end, and June just goes zipping by. Happy times seem like minutes compared to seasons of suffering that seem endless.

And yet, today’s verse takes a different view of time. In God’s timeline, our time of suffering slips by quickly, and our time of glory stretches without end.

“And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” (I Peter 5:10)

Peter says, “After you have suffered a little while . . .” Does this make you want to roll your eyes?! Or maybe scream at Peter that he has no idea what he’s talking about? Our suffering doesn’t feel temporary!

Peter understood that suffering sometimes seems endless, but he also understood the truth about the “God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ.” Here, Peter highlights the contrast between our temporary suffering and our eternal glory in Christ. Our present trials are like a gnat on the Mt. Everest of eternity with Christ.

As the verse promises, “God will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” The Lord will bring this to an end—the outcome doesn’t depend on us. It’s a gift of His grace in Christ. He will restore us. He will confirm our position as His children. He will strengthen us by His mercy. He will establish us as heirs of His promises.

One of God’s purposes in our suffering is to point us to its glorious end. One day, He will turn evil on its head and our joy will be sweeter because of our pain. As Tim Keller says, “The evil that hurts us now will be the eventual servant of our joy and glory eternally.”

No matter what we face this week, there will be a glorious end to our suffering.

When All You Want is Answers (and All You Have is a Parachute)

November 2, 2016 by Marissa 1 Comment

We soared through the air, our legs dangling over an ocean that could swallow us up with barely a ripple of acknowledgement. We tried to enjoy the view: the multi-colored landscape, buildings scattered across the island, the water below us marbled with different shades of blue and green, white waves breaking 400 feet beneath us. We spoke reassuring words to each other, remembering my brother-in-law’s assessment that it’s “no scarier than a ferris wheel.” I wasn’t sure I agreed.

Several minutes into our parasailing adventure, I turned to my sister and said, “Once we’re sitting in that boat, this will be the coolest thing we have ever done.”

Statistically speaking, I knew the outcome would be good. But there were just enough unknowns, however unlikely they were, to keep my stomach flip-flopping. Would the rope break? Would the parachute rip? Would the harness fail and send us free-falling into the sea?

Once we were on the boat, these questions would be answered. With the answers would come peace and certainty. In the meantime, I tried to relax and trust the parasailing operators, whose names I didn’t even know.

What do your answer-less places feel like to you? Maybe you feel stuck between two cliffs, not sure where to put your hands and feet next as you try to climb to safety. Maybe you feel lost in a tunnel, clutching a faint lantern and hoping you’re walking toward the exit.

If you haven’t been there already, you will be one day: the difficult, in-between place. You’ve been ripped from a worry-free life, where you enjoyed certainty and answers. You no longer have your present and future figured out. You’ve been thrown into a place of hardship, struggle, and darkness. You have more questions than answers.

And yet, we have hope through the hardship. There is a glimmer of light, reminding us that God’s promises are true. One day, we may have answers on this earth and see the purpose in our suffering. Or we may be asked to wait until we see Him face-to-face and the light of His glory melts our questions away.

In the meantime, how do we live in the near-darkness of the in-between place? If you’re like me, there are some days when your lantern burns brightly, and you’re convinced God’s promises are true. Other days, you fear the flame might die completely as you struggle to trust what doesn’t feel true at all.

The in-between place is a place of tension. We trust and we doubt. We are filled with peace and still fear. We know God is good but our circumstances are anything but good. We clamor to cling to Christ with slippery fingers.

Friend, I’ve lived in that tension. I’m right back there sometimes. Each time I visit the dark, uncertain tunnel, the Lord uses the tension to grow my trust in Him. My lantern grows a bit brighter the next time.

When I was in the air, I believed the men on the boat were parasailing operators. But I didn’t trust that they were safe until I’d lived through the tension of unanswered questions and landed on my bottom on the back of that boat. In a similar way, God works in the in-between place, transforming our belief into trust. He holds us even when we doubt and fear, and He nudges us a little closer to faith that doesn’t need answers to thrive.

Are you walking in the tunnel? Are you stuck in the in-between place, craving answers? Let’s wrestle through it together.

If you lived near me, I’d bring you a pan of enchiladas (the only decent meal I can make). I’d sit and listen to your struggles and questions. I’d share my own, letting you know you’re not alone. And I’d gently point you to the light of God’s promises. I’d remind you that even though the in-between place is hard—so hard—it is not permanent. And you are not alone.

I can’t bring you enchiladas, but I’ll bring all the good I can: God’s true, unchanging promises. I hope to point you to Him and help your lantern of faith burn a little brighter as you struggle through your in-between place.