Marissa Henley

Encouraging weary women to hope in Christ alone

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You Never Suffer Alone {No Matter What Monday}

May 29, 2017 by Marissa Leave a Comment

You never suffer alone. Biblical encouragement, Scripture, and devotionals for women.

Have you ever felt alone in your suffering? When we’re going through something hard, it can feel like no one gets it, so we feel isolated. But God’s Word gives us hope that we are never alone in our struggles.

In Daniel 3, God’s people are living as exiles in Babylon. Three of the Israelites, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, face a difficult choice between worshipping a golden image or being thrown into a furnace.

In the minds of these three men, the decision is a no-brainer. In fact, the confident manner in which they defy the king’s order to bow down to the idol sends him into a rage.

After the men are thrown to the flames, the king’s fury changes to confusion. “Wait a minute,” he says, “how many men did we throw into that furnace?”

A fourth man, whose appearance was “like the son of the gods,” walked with the three men in the furnace (Daniel 3:25). 

We all know how this story ends: Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego are pulled from the furnace without even a scent of smoke on their clothes. But we know from experience that this type of deliverance isn’t always God’s plan for His people. Sometimes the flames feel like they’re killing us. We may not be pulled from the furnace until we reach heaven. So what can we take away from this story?

Dale Ralph Davis puts it this way in his commentary on Daniel: “Christ did not keep them out of the furnace but found them in it. He does not always shield you from all distresses and dangers, but it is in the loneliness, the betrayal, in the loss that the Fourth Man comes and walks with you.”

If you belong to Christ, you never walk through suffering alone. He has found you, and He will never leave you.

No matter what you face this week, your Savior walks with you in your struggles.

 

(An earlier version of this devotional originally appeared on my website on February 22, 2016.)

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God is Not Surprised {No Matter What Monday}

May 1, 2017 by Marissa Leave a Comment

God is not surprised by your suffering. Biblical encouragement, Scripture, and devotionals for women.

 

Every May 1 for the last ten years, my friend Katherine has heard a knock on her door. She opens the door and feigns surprise when she finds flowers, calling out so the hiding children can hear: “What is this? Who could have left these here?”

My children cover their mouths to stifle their giggles, then nod at each other that it’s time. They run out shouting, “It’s us! Happy May Day!”

Katherine knows we’re coming every May 1. The tradition started more than three decades ago when I hid behind a tree in her front yard every May Day, holding back my laughter as she wondered loudly who left the flowers at her door.

Just as our May Day visit is no surprise to Katherine, God’s Word says our suffering should be no surprise to us. We saw two weeks ago in John 16:33 that Jesus told the disciples to expect trouble in this world. One of those disciples later wrote about suffering to believers who were experiencing it:

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. (1 Peter 4:12-13)

Be encouraged, friend. We can face suffering without fear, because God isn’t scrambling to figure out what went wrong. He’s not surprised or caught off guard by the trial that’s come upon you. He has a plan to use it for your good and for His glory, which will be fully revealed when Christ returns. You can rejoice because Christ suffered for you, so that one day you will be free of suffering forever.

No matter what you face this week, God is not surprised by your suffering.

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God is Always at Work {No Matter What Monday}

March 27, 2017 by Marissa Leave a Comment

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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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The Lord Knows Those Who Take Refuge in Him {No Matter What Monday}

November 14, 2016 by Marissa 1 Comment

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It was the moment every performer dreads. My daughter sat at the grand piano in front of a hushed crowd, staring at her hands on the keys. There was no music in front of her, and her brain refused to bail out her stymied fingers. She was stuck, halfway through her piece. After a long pause and a couple of false starts, she finished the piece and took her bow. But in her mind, it was a disaster. A catastrophe. The Most Embarrassing Moment Ever in her short 7 years of life.

Can you guess what she did next? She ran to me. She climbed into my lap, buried her face in my chest, and cried. She didn’t run to her brothers, who were seated in the front row with the other performers. She didn’t run to the strangers in the audience seated right behind them. She didn’t even run to her piano teacher, whom she adores.

She ran to the one who knows her best.

Where do you run for comfort or refuge when life hurts? If I’m honest, I often run to a friend, to Facebook, or to a bag of popcorn. I forget the One who knows me in a way no one else does. My Heavenly Father knows my troubles and invites me to find refuge in Him.

Nahum 1:7: The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.

This verse gives us three reasons to run to the Lord with our troubles. 1) The Lord is good. It’s simple, but profound. He is unfailingly good. He will not disappoint us. 2) The Lord is a stronghold. He is a sure and steadfast anchor we can cling to in our struggles. 3) The Lord knows us. He knows our struggles. He knows our needs. He knows our past, present, and future. He knows.

No matter what we face this week, the Lord knows those who take refuge in Him.

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marissahenley.com

I write to remind myself of the truth of God's promises. I share my writing here in case you need to be reminded sometimes, too.

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Click the image above to learn more about Marissa's books: After Cancer and Loving Your Friend through Cancer

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