Marissa Henley

Encouraging weary women to hope in Christ alone

Trust in God’s Steadfast Love {No Matter What Monday}

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Have you ever felt forgettable? Several years ago, a woman introduced herself to me, thinking we’d never met. But she’d actually hosted a skin care party at my house a few months earlier. I felt very forgettable that day. 

As much as it hurts to be forgotten by another person, it’s even more painful when we feel forgotten by the Lord. In Psalm 13:1, David cries out to God in his pain and says, “How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?” 

Maybe you’ve felt the same way.  You look at the circumstances and suffering in your life and wonder why God seems to be ignoring your prayers for help. 

David doesn’t shy away from asking God his difficult questions. He’s honest about his pain and sorrow. He pleads with God to listen and answer his cries for rescue. And at the end of the psalm, David reminds himself of the truth of God’s character: 

“But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the LORD, because he has dealt bountifully with me.” (Psalm 13:5-6)

Even when he feels forgotten, David trusts God’s steadfast love. His circumstances haven’t changed, but he’s choosing to remember what he knows to be true about his God. 

The Hebrew word that is translated “steadfast love” in verse 5 implies not just love but also faithfulness and loyalty. God’s steadfast love is His commitment to keep His covenant promises to His people. This love is steadfast because it’s based on God’s promises rather than on how much we deserve it. 

David knows God will never forget him or abandon him, because God promised to be with David. God can always be counted on to keep His promises. God’s steadfast love endures forever, because God’s promises endure forever. 

No matter what you face this week, trust in God’s steadfast love. 

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Your Help Comes from Your Creator {No Matter What Monday}

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My daughter stared up at the snow-covered Rocky Mountains rising above her. Her small voice said what the rest of us were thinking: “Whenever I see the mountains around me, I feel so small.” 

Often the challenges in our lives feel like mountains and make us feel small. What mountains are you facing today? Maybe it’s an assignment at work that goes beyond your expertise. Maybe it’s sleepless nights with an infant followed by exhausting days chasing a toddler. Maybe it’s a relationship that just gets worse no matter how hard you try to reconcile. 

Where do you turn when your problems are like giant mountains you can’t conquer? How do you even begin when because you feel overwhelmed and underprepared?

When the stresses of life are looming, remember these words from Psalm 121:  

“I lift my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.” (Psalm 121:1-2)

When you look at those mountains and see your smallness, remember the limitless One who created all things. The snow-covered mountains, the depths of the ocean, the infant knitted in his mother’s womb . . . everywhere around us, God is giving us a glimpse of His power, goodness, and might.  

The God who raised those mountains from the ground? He’s planned my future.  

The Lord who holds the ocean depths in the palm of His hand? He loves me with an everlasting love.  

My Father who knit me together in my mother’s womb? Every cell in my body answers to Him.  

When you see the mountain before you and cry out to the Lord for help, you are depending on the One created the universe and upholds it by His will. He has promised to be your Helper and your Deliverer. He can keep all His promises because He rules over all that He has made. Let the wonders of His creation remind you of His power and might at work in your life and in your circumstances.  

No matter what you face this week, your help comes from the Maker of heaven and earth.  

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Our Light and Salvation {No Matter What Monday}

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I’m not a fan of scary movies—in fact, my tolerance for suspense is probably at about the 2nd grade level. At the slightest bit of suspense, my hands fly to my face to cover my eyes, and I make the person next to me to narrate what’s happening. (I don’t want to watch, but I also don’t want to miss anything!) I remember my  friends making fun of me in high school because I got scared watching “Kindergarten Cop.” I don’t remember the movie well, but I’m positive it was more intense than it sounds. 😉

And if I think Kindergarten Cop is scary, the real world is much, much worse. We face days, months, and years filled with uncertainty, suffering, and trouble, and it seems to be getting worse every day.

So how can we possibly follow the Bible’s exhortation to live without fear? Psalm 27:1 offers an answer to that question: 

“The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”

The Lord is our light. When all feels dark, His light shines even brighter. Micah 7:8 says, “When I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me.” Isaiah 60:20 refers to the everlasting light of the Lord. Our Heavenly Father promises to always shine His unfailing light into our darkest places. 

The Lord is our salvation. Colossians 1:13-14 tells us He’s delivered us from the dominion of darkness, brought us into the kingdom of His Son Jesus Christ, and given us redemption and forgiveness. Our future is secure in Christ, and nothing can snatch us from His hand.

I doubt I will ever completely conquer the temptation to fear in this life—whether watching movies or facing reality. But remembering that the Lord is my light and salvation helps me to face a frightening world with less fear and more confidence in the Lord’s promises. 

No matter what you face this week, don’t be afraid—the Lord is your light and salvation.

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Wait for the Lord {No Matter What Monday}

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I hate to wait. As someone who hates to wait at red lights, you can imagine the distress I felt last month when I learned that to renew my husband’s car registration, one of us would need to go to the Department of Motor Vehicles in person and visit not just one but THREE separate departments in the building. And as the one who doesn’t have a full-time job, this lovely responsibility fell to me.

We groan when we hear that we need to visit the DMV, don’t we? Because we know we will have to wait. We expect to wait at the DMV, doctor’s offices, and the car line at school. But these are all minor inconveniences compared to the big waits in life. Maybe you’re waiting for healing, for reconciliation in a relationship, or for a prodigal child to return. Maybe you don’t know which way to go, and you’re waiting for direction.

While I knew I’d eventually leave the DMV with a little sticker for my husband’s license plate, we often don’t know when or how our waiting will end. What we do know is the One we are waiting for.

“Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” (Psalm 27:14)

We can be strong and have courage as we wait, because we know the Lord is with us. Our hope isn’t in a particular outcome; our hope is in Him. His presence gives us peace as we wait.

“And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you.” (Psalm 39:7)

And as we wait, we can have peace because of the promises of God’s Word. The truth of His Word sustains us as we wait.

“I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope.” (Psalm 130:5)

Waiting is hard, friends. But we are not left alone. We are waiting for the Lord, who gives us hope through the promises of His Word.

No matter what you face this week, let your heart take courage as you wait for the Lord.

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