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The Lord Will Sustain You {No Matter What Monday}

May 21, 2018 by Marissa Leave a Comment

*** My new book, Loving Your Friend through Cancer, releases at the end of this month! To celebrate, each Monday devotional in May will feature one of my favorite verses from my cancer battle several years ago. I hope you will be encouraged by these scriptures and add them to your list to share with a friend who is suffering. ***

Have you ever felt like the weight of suffering or sorrow might crush you? I remember an especially difficult day in the midst of my cancer battle seven years ago. We had just learned that I would need to start spending most of my time in Houston, receiving treatment on a clinical trial at MD Anderson Cancer Center.

As I sat in the Houston airport waiting to return home for a few days, the tears wouldn’t stop flowing. The logistical challenges swirled in my mind. I felt weighed down by grief, knowing I’d miss so much time with my young children.

In the months that followed, the Lord showed me over and over again that He was with me in my suffering. He never asked me to carry the burden alone. He taught me how to accept help from the body of Christ and often quieted my anxious heart with His sustaining faithfulness.

“Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.” (Psalm 55:22, NIV)

What does it look like to cast your cares on the Lord? The word cast means to throw, hurl, or fling. Imagine standing at the edge of a cliff, reaching your arm behind you, and throwing your worries as far as they will go. When our burdens are too much for our own strength, we can cast them on the Lord. He will carry them for us.

As we cast our burdens on Him, God says He will sustain us. We don’t need to stand on our own strength or skill. He doesn’t look at our pain and say, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” He sees our weakness and asks us to throw the burden on Him. He has all the strength we need. He holds us tight and will never let us go.

No matter what you face this week, the Lord will sustain you.

The One Who Called You By Name {No Matter What Monday}

May 7, 2018 by Marissa Leave a Comment

The text came from a friend as I recovered from chemo in Houston in 2011. She wanted to know my favorite verse. I had a hard time choosing from my long list of favorites, but there was one that had become so precious in my suffering.

When I battled angiosarcoma, there was no guarantee of a happy ending from my worldly perspective. No one could promise me I’d get my old life back. I definitely wasn’t getting my old body back. And I wondered if life after cancer would ever come close to normal for my family and me.

One thing I knew for sure: God’s presence with me was absolutely guaranteed. The fire was hot. The waves were high. But I was not alone.

“But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.’” (Isaiah 43:1–2)

The Lord gives us a reason not to fear: our redemption, His calling us by name. We belong to Him. He knows us. He cares for us. We are His, so we have nothing to fear.

Our suffering may feel like giant ocean waves tossing us into the air and then plunging us into the depths. But the Lord will hold us fast. Even when our future here is uncertain, our future with Him is secure, because He said, “You are Mine.”

No matter what you face this week, the One who called you by name will never leave you.

He Sings Over You. {No Matter What Monday}

April 30, 2018 by Marissa Leave a Comment

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.

Hope that Overflows {No Matter What Monday}

April 23, 2018 by Marissa Leave a Comment

I’m a mostly boring person, and I don’t push the envelope very often. But occasionally, I let my gas gauge get down to E and create some excitement.

Once I let my engine run on a cold day while I waited for my kids to finish piano lessons. (See how exciting our life is?) I finally realized the little display on my dashboard was trying to tell me I only had five miles to go until empty. I immediately turned off the car and pulled out my phone to search for the nearest gas station. Two miles away. No problem.

But when the kids piled in and I started driving, the miles on the fuel range display ticked down more quickly than I expected. My kids and I prayed anxiously until we slid into the gas station with a zero on the display.

Do you feel like you’re running on empty today? I’ve got good news for you! The God of hope will fill you with joy, peace, and hope that overflows.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13, NIV)

This overflowing hope is more than you could ever need. It never runs out. You’re not just driving around with your gas gauge on full, there is gas gushing out of your car!

This hope is overflowing because its source is our infinite God of hope. He is the source of our hope, and our hope is in Him. This overflowing hope comes by the power of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.

When we face circumstances that look hopeless, we can continue to be hopeful. The God of hope promises to fill His children with more than enough hope for all our struggles and suffering.

No matter what you face this week, God will fill you with overflowing hope.

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