Marissa Henley

Encouraging weary women to hope in Christ alone

You have a Living Hope {No Matter What Monday}

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You have a living hope. Biblical encouragement, Scripture, and devotionals for women.

Have you ever noticed how easy it is to pinpoint the sin of others? Several years ago, I talked with my son about how we all struggle with idolatry. We put people, ideas, possessions, or goals on the throne of our heart, where God alone belongs. I hoped it would encourage serious soul-searching. But my little Star Wars fan replied, “Darth Vader worships an idol. He loves his light saber more than the good guys.”

Where are you tempted to place your trust? You probably aren’t tempted to trust your light saber. But anything you put your hope in besides the Lord will ultimately fail you—whether it’s “me time,” your abilities and success, financial security, comfort, the approval of others, or your perceived control over your life. These false gods are attractive, but they’re inferior to the one true, living God.

When we’re lured by these inferior gods and they disappoint us, God’s Word gives us good news. We’ve been given a better source of hope!

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” (1 Peter 1:3)

Our hope is in a living Savior. None other is worthy of our worship and trust. The difference between the Lord Jesus and any other god is that Christ is risen. His resurrection is the guarantee that our hope is not in vain. He has conquered the toughest enemies we face—sin and death. We can face the days ahead knowing that our future is secure in Him, our living hope.

No matter what you face this week, you have been given a living hope through Christ’s resurrection.

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There is Safety in Trusting the Shepherd {No Matter What Monday}

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Biblical encouragement and devotionals for Christian women

This week’s devotional is a guest post from Glenna Marshall. She’s one of my favorite writers, and I’d love for you to check out more of her writing over on her blog. She’s also just released her first album, Hold Fast, which is filled with beautiful music and biblical encouragement. We’re giving away a free digital download of her album on Instagram today–come check it out!

 

 

Of all the arguments I’ve had in my life, this one was a doozy.

I had jokingly attempted to play devil’s advocate with my friend, but it backfired when my pointed questions about life goals erupted into a full-blown fight about why she would achieve her goals NO MATTER WHAT.

I left the heated conversation wondering what I could have said differently about an obviously sore subject. I had only wanted to encourage her to keep her hands open.

In the past 13 years of infertility, illness, and broken dreams, I’ve learned to hold loosely to long term goals, so I worry when I see people I love white-knuckle their grip on a neatly planned future the way I did. The process of opening a tightly closed fist is a tough one, but sometimes God’s plans diverge starkly from our own. And that divine unclenching of our hands can be the course we need to walk in order to treasure Him more than any goal or accomplishment.

Though I’ve fought against the call to hold loosely many times, the truth is that my years of brokenness have turned up more joy and deep trust in the Lord than I could have ever drafted had I been the architect. Suffering and crushed hopes seem like the harder path. But Scripture teaches us that it is through suffering that we learn our Savior’s nearness and character. We may not understand His path, but there is safety in trusting the Shepherd. If God’s plans sometimes allow us to walk a shadowed valley, then we can see the gift of His rod and His staff, knowing with certainty that He is with us (Psalm 23).

No matter what you face this week, there is safety in trusting the Shepherd.

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God is Always at Work {No Matter What Monday}

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The Israelites were in an impossible situation again. They’d barely finished eating their unleavened Passover bread when Pharaoh changed his mind and decided to reclaim his slaves. A wandering throng of men, women, children, and livestock were now being chased down by the world’s most powerful army. We know the end of the story: the walls of water let the Israelites escape before crashing down on Pharaoh’s chariots. But before the happy ending, I wonder how the Israelites felt.

The vast sea was ahead of them, but what did they see behind? Was there a giant dust cloud as 600 chariots charged through the desert? Could they hear the hooves of the horses and feel the ground shake under the weight of the giant army?

Exodus 14:19-20 tells us that the pillar that accompanied them on their journey out of Egypt moved between the Israelites and the approaching Egyptians as night fell. Could they see the army chasing them or the water parting? Or did they spend a terrifying night clutching their children to their chests, crying out to the Lord for a deliverance that seemed impossible?

Some of you know how those endless, dark nights feel. You cry out to the Lord, but you don’t see the waters parting yet. You’re still drowning in fear, grief, uncertainty, difficulty, or worry. Where is God? Why hasn’t He swooped in and saved the day?

I don’t have an easy answer for you, but I know this: God is always at work. One day, the sun will rise, and we’ll see the parted waters of rescue. He will not abandon you, His beloved child.

No matter what you face this week, God is always at work.

P.S. Have you heard Ellie Holcomb’s new album, “Red Sea Road”? I’m listening to it constantly right now, and I think you’ll like it, too. Click here to hear her perform the title track. It’s SO good!

P.P.S. What’s your #NoMatterWhatMonday? Join me on Instagram and use the hashtag to remind us all of a truth or a verse that you’re clinging to this week. I’d love to see your #NoMatterWhatMonday!

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

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1 peter 5-10

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.

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