Marissa Henley

Encouraging weary women to hope in Christ alone

God’s Verdict is Secure {No Matter What Monday}

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They are the words every child swears they will never say to their kids, and they are the words most parents have said to their child: “Because I said so.”

When a parent says, “Because I said so,” those words are meant to end the argument. Why? Because the parent has the authority. The parent’s words have power. They ultimately win out over the protests and questions of the child. When spoken in love, these words remind children that their parents care for them, and the children can trust their parents to do what’s best for them.

God also says, “Because I said so.” If you are in Christ, you are forgiven and secure—because God said so. God has justified you because of Christ’s death and resurrection, and no one can argue with His decision.

“Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.” (Romans 8:33-34)

Paul just finished reminding us in the previous verses that God is for us and has provided His Son as a sacrifice to redeem us. Now he has us in a courtroom. Charges are being brought by an accuser. A judge will decide whether to condemn or acquit.

Your accuser brings a charge against you to the Judge’s bench. Maybe there’s a crowd forming, each person walking down the courtroom aisle with a charge in their hand, as you sit at the defendant’s table. But when your accusers get closer, they see someone sitting next to the judge. Jesus is there, showing His nail-pierced hands and feet.

God has already declared you righteous because of Jesus’s righteousness. The charges evaporate in your accuser’s hand. Not even Satan himself can bring a charge against you. You’ve been declared righteous—you’ve been justified—and when God said, “Because I said so,” no one gets to argue further.

Christ Jesus died for you. He was raised for you. He sits at the Father’s right hand, interceding for you as your advocate. You’re not sinless, and there will be consequences for your choices. But there won’t be condemnation. Your verdict is secure, because the sentence for your sin has already been served by your Savior.

No matter what you face this week, God’s verdict is secure.

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God Has Proven That He Will Provide {No Matter What Monday}

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When I was waaaay too young, I went on a date to a theme park with a boy who was also waaaay too young. The boy had saved his money for months to pay for my ticket and my meals that day. But I didn’t show up empty-handed. I had a couple of twenties stuffed in the pocket of my shorts, just in case. I didn’t trust a 12-year-old kid to provide for my needs for several hours.

Sometimes my confidence in God’s ability to provide falters, too. My needs are many. My needs are significant. My needs seem unending . . . And those are just the needs that I’m aware of! Surely no one can provide all that I need.

But right after Paul tells us in Romans 8:31 that God is for us, he writes that God has proven that He will provide:

“He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32)

God didn’t make an empty promise to provide for us. He proved it. Paul makes an argument here from the greater to the lesser. If God has sacrificed that which was most costly to Him—His own Son—we can have confidence that He will give us all the lesser things we need.

Do you wonder if God will give you strength to face your suffering? Look at Jesus and know that He will.

Do you wonder if God will give you wisdom in your pressing dilemma? Look at Jesus and know that He will.

Do you wonder if God will give you forgiveness and mercy when you can’t pull it together? Look at Jesus and know that He will.

Because God is all-powerful and in control, He is able to provide for you. Because God is faithful and loves you, He can be trusted to keep His promise to provide. God did not spare His own Son. He gave Him up for you. You can count on Him to not only have everything you need but also graciously give you all things.

No matter what you face this week, God has proven He will provide.

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God is For You. {No Matter What Monday}

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Do you ever feel like it’s you against the world?

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

You vs. The disobedience of the little people in your house.

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

You vs. The hurtful consequences of your sin or the sin of others.

You vs. The fallenness of our world manifested in heartache, 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. It’s a bold claim—but it’s also the logical response to all “these things” he’s written in the verses just before. He just finished saying 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 Rom. 8:1-30.)

If all this is true (and so much more!), we come to this conclusion: God is for us. And if God, the sovereign and powerful Creator and Sustainer of all that exists—if that God is for us, then who can be against us?

The answer is no one and nothing. People and circumstances threaten us and may appear to win, but the truth is that no one can successfully come against those who are in Christ. We are safely held by Him.

God takes what others intend for evil and use it for good in our lives, to sanctify us, refine us, and conform us to the image of His Son. (Gen. 50:20, Rom. 8:29.) Your children’s misbehavior, your co-worker’s schemes, your struggles with temptation, that driver in front of you, this fallen world—whatever your nemesis is this week—none of these can separate you from God’s love or from His plans for you (Rom. 8:38-39, Job 42:2).

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

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He Restores My Soul {No Matter What Monday}

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Do you ever choose your coffee mug based on your mood? I do. When I need to feel productive, I pick the mug that says, “I turn coffee into books.” When I need a boost of confidence, I grab “Anyone can be cool, but awesome takes practice.” But I have one mug in my cabinet I reach for more than any other. I love its shape and how it feels in my hand, but mostly I love the simple script message on its side: “He restores my soul.”

There are many days when my soul feels depleted. I’m weary from serving my family. I’m frustrated by my sin. I’m burdened by the brokenness all around me. I won’t find what I need in the caffeine-laced beverage poured into my favorite mug. But I have a Shepherd who restores my soul.

He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. (Psalm 23:2–3)

We saw last week in Psalm 23:1 that we have a caring Shepherd who provides everything we need. In these verses, we learn that our Shepherd gives us rest, refreshment, restoration, and righteousness.

The Hebrew word translated “restore” means to turn back or return. Our souls were originally created for communion with God, but our relationship with our Creator has been ruined by sin. The good news of these verses is that our Shepherd has returned our soul to the fellowship it was created for, bringing us back into relationship with Himself.

Although David penned these words centuries before Jesus walked the earth, we learn from John 10 that these verses find their fulfillment in our incarnate Shepherd, Jesus Christ. Jesus said that He is the door of the sheep and if “anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture” (John 10:7,9).

We can rest because Jesus our Shepherd laid down His life for us. He refreshes our weary hearts with His love, grace, and mercy. He restores our soul with His Word. He guides His sheep as we grow in righteousness for His glory.

No matter what you face this week, God will give you rest, refreshment, restoration, and righteousness.

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