Marissa Henley

Encouraging weary women to hope in Christ alone

The Lord Reigns Over the Nations {No Matter What Monday}

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The first presidential election I remember is the 1980 election. I was barely 4 years old, but I remember seeing Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan shaking hands. I understood there had been a change in leadership of our nation. And my peace-loving preschool mind believed that President Carter and President Reagan were buddies. I assumed President Carter was tired of being president, so he let his friend have a turn. Every good preschooler knows about taking turns!

But of course, that’s not how politics works. Rather than being kind to each other, as our preschool teachers taught us, we spew anger and hate, not only at the candidates, but at brothers and sisters in Christ who don’t share our political leanings. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for this election to be over.

Maybe the future of our nation is weighing heavily on your mind, too. Or maybe your personal struggles consume your thoughts, leaving little room for national issues. Either way, I hope today’s Scripture encourages you:

“For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm! God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne” (Psalm 47:7-8).

Our King reigns. He sits on His holy and eternal throne, ruling over the earth and over your life. Nothing in this universe is beyond His sovereign control. He reigns over the leaders of the nations and over each and every detail of your life.

Not one vote, not one cell, not one gust of wind in this world are beyond His control.

Here’s more good news: the one who reigns is not only your King, He is your Father. He loves you and cares for you. We can face our future without fear, because the One who rules the nations cares for us.

No matter what you face this week, your Heavenly Father reigns over the nations.

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Keep Clinging to the Lord {No Matter What Monday}

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It’s a familiar routine. We both climb out of the white minivan, and I lock the doors. As we step out into the parking lot, she slips her soft hand into mine. She knows that at barely 4 feet tall, she’s safest if she’s holding my hand as we walk through the big, bad parking lot.

Who’s holding whom as my daughter and I walk hand-in-hand? She’s the one who reached out and grabbed my hand, but I’m the one who won’t let go. I’m the one who would scoop her up and rush her to safety if danger threatened. If she forgot to reach out and grab my hand one day, I’d reach for hers and grasp it tight.

Psalm 63:8: My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.

In this psalm, David remembers the Lord’s help during dark times. He finds joy in being near to the Lord. And he knows that as his soul clings to the Lord, the Lord’s right hand will hold him tight.

Are you struggling to cling to the Lord? Maybe it feels like you’re trying to grab on, but your fingers keep slipping in the midst of fear and doubt. Or you’re trying to hold on, but your muscles are straining and threatening to quit.

Keep clinging, friend. And when your hands grow weary or start to slip, remember that the Lord’s steady hand upholds you. He’s got a strong grip on you, and He won’t ever let go.

No matter what you face this week, keep clinging to the Lord and trust Him to hold you.

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God is For Us {No Matter What Monday}

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romans-8-31Do you ever feel like your life is you against the world?

You vs. The little people in your house whose behavior threatens to sabotage your sanity.

You vs. The co-worker who undermines your work at every step.

You vs. The slow driver in front of you when you’re already running late.

You vs. The fallenness of our world manifested in sin, illness, and death.

Who or what is your nemesis this week? Take a minute and fill in the blank. This week, it feels like you vs. _____________________.

Then draw your hope and courage from Romans 8:31: What then can we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

In this verse, Paul proclaims that God is for us as a response to the truth he’s just finished talking about in previous verses. He’s told us that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. That God works all things for the good of those who are called according to His purpose. That God foreknew us, predestined us, called us, justified us, and glorified us by His grace. (See Romans 8:1-30.)

If all this is true (and so much more!), there’s other conclusion to draw other than this: God is for us. And if God, the sovereign and powerful Creator and Sustainer, is for us, then who can be against us?

The answer is no one. People and circumstances come against us and appear to win sometimes, but the truth is that no one can successfully come against those who are in Christ. God takes what others mean for evil and use it for good in our lives, to sanctify us, refine us, and conform us to the image of His Son. (See Genesis 50:20 and Romans 8:29.) As Paul goes on to answer his own question, he shouts from the rooftops that nothing can separate us from God’s love in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:38-39). Your children’s misbehavior, your co-worker’s schemes, that driver in front of you, this fallen world—whatever your nemesis is this week—none of these can successfully thwart the Lord’s plans for you.

No matter what you face this week, God is for you.

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God’s Glory and Power Remain Forever {No Matter What Monday}

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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, the glory and power of God remain forever.

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