Marissa Henley

Encouraging weary women to hope in Christ alone

Your Shepherd is With You

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Every October, the memories from 2010 come flooding back. As the leaves get more colorful, the nights get longer, and the mornings get chillier, it reminds me of the year I found a lump, had a biopsy, waited for results, and then heard the doctor say a word I’d never heard of before: angiosarcoma. When I googled this rare cancer, I was struck with the reality that I might not live to see my kids grow up. I spent the next several months battling through the valley of the shadow of death. 

Your experience with that valley may be different. Whether it’s a life-threatening illness, heartbreaking loss, or the grief that comes from the horrific current events in this world, we all encounter the reality of suffering in some way. So when we read Psalm 23:4, it’s not hypothetical. 

Even if this verse is familiar, take a minute to read it slowly and absorb this promise from God’s Word: 

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4)

The psalmist drew comfort from these four words: “You are with me.” We have peace in the midst of suffering because God is always with us and will never abandon us. 

This verse also tells us that as we endure the pain of suffering, we have nothing to fear. Through our tears and our heartbreak, we can have confidence that Christ conquered cancer, sickness, death, and loss when He rose from the grave. We can say with the apostle Paul, “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:55).

Because our Shepherd, Jesus Christ, experienced death for us, we will never walk through death’s shadow alone. Because our Shepherd suffered for us, we can face suffering without fear. Because our Shepherd demonstrated His love for us on the cross, we have confidence that He will always be there to comfort us and will one day wipe away all our tears. 

No matter what you face this week, your Shepherd is with you in your suffering. 

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The Sting of Death

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A few weeks ago, I was out on a walk when I saw a bee nearby. It wasn’t the first time I’ve seen a bee, but it was the first time I didn’t run away in a panic. When I was a child, allergy testing showed that I was allergic to stinging insects, and I’ve been terrified of them ever since. But I recently had the testing redone, and it turns out that I’ve outgrown the allergy. Now a bee sting would be painful, but not dangerous. I don’t have to be afraid.  

This weekend, we will celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Over the past several weeks, we’ve seen several gifts we receive because of His resurrection: reconciliation, forgiveness, justification, and victory. Today we’ll consider one more gift: because His resurrection made the way for our own resurrection, Christ has removed the sting of death. 

“But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep . . . ‘Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?’” (I Cor. 15:20 and 55, NIV)

Friend, this is good news: Jesus is alive! He is our reigning King who conquered the power of death and rose victorious over the ultimate enemy. The questions here in 1 Corinthians drive home Paul’s point that death has been defeated. 

These verses also teach us that our risen Savior is the firstfruits of the resurrection. “Firstfruits” implies that there are more resurrection fruits to come! When He stepped out of the grave, He made a way for us to have new life in Him now and eternal life with Him forever. Death now has no power over those who are in Christ. 

Death is painful, and we feel we feel that pain often in this fallen world. Our nation has seen so much heartbreak lately, and we grieve with those who grieve. But even in times of sorrow, we can look at the empty grave of Christ and know that He’s robbed death of its ultimate power. We don’t have to be afraid. Jesus Christ took the sting of death for us, and we wait eagerly for the day when we feel it no more. 

No matter what you face this week, the risen Christ removed the sting of death. 

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Your Portion Forever

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When I was diagnosed with cancer in 2010, I experienced loss. I was only 34, but I lost my identity as a healthy person. I lost my plans for the next several months as my calendar was wiped clean and replaced with chemo treatments in another state. I lost my confidence in my future expectations about seeing my kids grow up and growing old with my husband. 

I know you’ve dealt with loss, too. Loss brings grief because good things have been taken away. 

The author of Lamentations also experienced loss. He lost his home—the Promised Land that God gave to His people to be their inheritance (Joshua 14:1). The people of Judah were taken away from the land God had given them, and the city of Jerusalem fell to Babylon and was destroyed. 

Over the past week weeks, we’ve seen how the author of Lamentations responded to this suffering by remembering God’s never-ending mercies and great faithfulness. In the next verse, he declared another reason for his hope: 

“‘The LORD is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I will hope in him.’”(Lamentations 3:24) 

When he said the Lord is his portion, he was referring to a share of an inheritance, like the land that was portioned between the tribes of Israel in the Promised Land. Worldly gifts like land, relationships, health, and money can be taken away, but our inheritance in the Lord is eternal (Ephesians 1:11-14, 1 Peter 1:4). Even when we suffer loss, the Lord is our portion. 

We find this idea echoed in two of my favorite verses from the Psalms: 

“The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.” (Psalm 16:5-6) 

“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” (Psalm 73:26)

This Valentine’s Day, you may be celebrating with loved ones, or you may be grieving unrealized dreams or heart-breaking loss. Either way, you can find your hope in this: those who believe in Christ have the most spectacular inheritance in the Lord. He has promised to be your portion forever. 

No matter what you face this week, place your hope in the Lord and your inheritance in Him. 

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God Will Provide

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Eleven years ago today, I woke up on a Monday morning expecting a phone call that might change everything. When the call came, the news was worse than I had imagined. I had a rare cancer I’d never heard of, and it came with a grim prognosis. 

As I look back on that day and the months of treatment that followed, there are so many overwhelming memories and emotions. But more than anything, what stands out is God’s faithful provision. When my needs became extreme, His provision grew even more extreme. 

God lavishly provided for our tangible needs with friends who fed us for months, an incredible nanny who sacrificed to care for our kids, a home away from home in Houston, and even the use of a private plane for our first trip to MD Anderson Cancer Center. God also provided peace, comfort, and confidence. I knew that He who rescued me from death and gave me eternal life would be with my family and me at every single moment. 

That’s why Romans 8:32 is one of my favorite verses: 

“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? Do you wonder if God will give you wisdom in your pressing dilemma? Do you wonder if God will give you forgiveness and mercy when you keep falling short? Look at the cross of Jesus and know that He will give you all this and more. 

God did not spare His own Son. He gave Him up for you. 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. 

No matter what you face this week, God will provide everything you need. 

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