Marissa Henley

Encouraging weary women to hope in Christ alone

Your Shepherd Will Give You What You Need {No Matter What Monday}

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The clock read 12:30 a.m. as I tried to calm my daughter’s cries. Sleeplessness had turned into panic as she realized how exhaustion would affect her the next day. I stroked her hair and struggled to believe my own words: “Sweetheart, you can trust God to give you the rest you need to face each day.”

One of the most well-known verses in the Bible tells us that God will supply everything we need. But have these familiar words taken root in our hearts? I know this is an area where my trust still needs to grow.

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.” (Psalm 23:1)

Step back and imagine you are an ancient Israelite, worshipping the Lord with your family, hearing this for the first time. I think it would make me stop and think, because this verse makes some shocking claims!

First of all, David says the Lord is our Shepherd. He’s not only Creator and King ruling over all things. He isn’t just a strong Rock or Shelter we can run to for protection. He is all of these things, but He is also our Shepherd: He is with us, knows us personally, carries us, and provides for us.

And because our Shepherd is also the Creator of the universe and the powerful King of kings, we shall not want. Let that soak in. We will not ever go without anything we need.

I’ll be the first to admit this doesn’t always feel true. But we see throughout God’s Word that He provides for His children. He gave His most precious gift to provide for our greatest need: His only Son sacrificed for our salvation. As Romans 8:32 says, we know that in addition to Christ, He will give us everything else we need.

My Shepherd may not give me everything I want, but He gives me everything I need. As I learn to find my greatest delight in Him and in His gifts, I shall not want.

No matter what you face this week, your Shepherd will give you all that you need.

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When Motherhood Meets Cancer {Guest Appearance at Risen Motherhood}

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In October 2010, my husband and I sat on the floor in our boys’ bedroom as they ran around us in a pre-bedtime frenzy. Surrounded by bunk beds, toys, and trains, we told our young sons I had cancer.

When the doctor called earlier that afternoon, I expected him to say the lump in my breast was breast cancer or not breast cancer. Instead, I heard a strange new word: angiosarcoma. When I typed it into Google, I quickly understood why the doctor’s tone had been so serious.

Angiosarcoma has a five-year survival rate of 30%. My boys were six and four, and their little sister was 18 months old. I closed my tear-filled eyes and started begging the Lord to give us those five years. I wasn’t bold enough to ask for more.

Over the next several months, I endured seven rounds of chemotherapy, most of which involved a clinical trial at a Cancer Center, 600 miles from home. Chemo was followed by five weeks of radiation and then surgery, all out of town. I spent a total of fourteen weeks away from my family, sacrificing months with the hope of gaining years.

I wrestled through many questions during my cancer battle and the tenuous years that followed.

Could I trust the Lord to care for my children even if losing me was part of their story?

Would he meet their needs when I could not?

And at the end of this, would they be emotionally scarred or would they be spiritually stronger?

The Lord met me in that questioning place with the truth of his word. The questions never vanished, but he taught me to cling to his promises as the uncertainty raged around me.

To read the entire post, head over to Risen Motherhood – it’s one of my favorite blogs. I hope you’ll take a look around while you’re there and check out their podcast for some wonderful, gospel-centered encouragement for moms! 

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God Knows More {No Matter What Monday}

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I recently sat at a coffee shop table with a friend and chatted about the challenges of parenting tweens and teens. We shared areas where we were making decisions that are unpopular with our kids and encouraged each other to stay the course.

When you’re the one facing the eye-rolling and disgusted sighs of a child whose happiness you care about, you’ve got to cling to this basic truth: you know what’s best for your child. You know more than she does. She doesn’t understand how you could possibly be acting in her best interest, but you’ve got 20-30 more years of experience in this world, and you are qualified to make some decisions in her life.

I like to think I’m mature than my kids, but there are times that I want to do more than just roll my eyes at God. “I don’t get it!” I cry out in my pain and confusion. “How could this possibly be Your plan?”

God’s Word gently reminds me that my heavenly Father is qualified to rule over my days:

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)

Even when we don’t understand His ways, we can have confidence in His goodness and love toward us in all that He does. The Bible tells us about one more aspect of God’s character that is higher than the heavens. Psalm 103:11 says, “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him.”

These are two things our finite human minds can’t fathom: God’s ways and God’s steadfast love. When we don’t understand what He’s doing, we can trust that His actions flow from a heart of steadfast love for His children.

No matter what you face this week, you can trust the One who knows more than you.

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He Sings Over You. {No Matter What Monday}

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Last year I spent a few days in Michigan with my brother, sister-in-law, and newborn nephew. It had been years since I rocked a baby in the middle of the night, but all the memories came rushing back . . . A baby cradled in my arms, the soft glow of a nightlight, and quiet singing to help lull him back to sleep.

As I sang over the cherished, peaceful baby in my arms, I was reminded that this is how God loves His children. Did you know that the King of the universe sings over you?

“The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save;

he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love;

he will exult over you with loud singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17)

God’s singing over us shows His love and care for us. We don’t sing over acquaintances or even our friends. Just think how awkward it would be to ask a stranger if you could hold her and sing over her!

We sing over those we are closest to – the children we hold in our arms, whose every need we would give our lives to meet, whose presence with us brings great joy.

Your heavenly Father holds you and sings, because the Son gave His life to meet your greatest need and bring you into a relationship with the Father. Two verses earlier in Zephaniah 3:15, we read that the Lord swept away the judgments against us and now dwells with us. This restored relationship bring us joy, and it causes God to rejoice as well (see also Psalm 149:4, Isaiah 62:5, Isaiah 65:19).

The singing of your heavenly Father isn’t quiet singing meant to put you to sleep. It is the loud singing of One who rejoices in bringing His children home. He gladly rejoices over you, quiets your fears with His love, and celebrates your salvation with singing.

No matter what you face this week, your heavenly Father sings His love over you.

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