Marissa Henley

Encouraging weary women to hope in Christ alone

No Reason to Fear

by 2 Comments

I sat in a Bible study lecture in October 2010, taking notes furiously as our teacher unpacked Isaiah 7. When you’re looking for inspirational, life-changing encouragement in God’s Word, Isaiah probably isn’t the first place you turn. 

But that week, as I sat in the pew with a lump in my breast and a biopsy on the calendar, this verse was exactly what I needed to hear: 

“And say to him, ‘Be careful, be quiet, do not fear, and do not let your heart be faint because of these two smoldering stumps of firebrands, at the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria and the son of Remaliah.’” (Isaiah 7:4)

When God sent Isaiah to talk to King Ahaz, the king had a valid reason to be afraid. He had just learned that two threatening armies had a powerful new ally who could help their attack succeed. And yet, the Lord told Ahaz not to fear these powerful enemies. 

The notes I took that evening became a source of hope and peace for me when the biopsy results came back. I had a rare and aggressive cancer called angiosarcoma. The prognosis was not good, and I faced a lengthy battle for my life. 

I’ll be honest—I was afraid. Cancer is terrifying. But on the cross, Jesus dealt a death blow to my biggest reason to fear: the separation from God my sin deserves. My suffering Savior eliminated the greatest threat against me. 

Because of His sacrifice for my salvation, I have confidence in God’s promises, even in times of suffering. I can face uncertainty with hope and joy, knowing my faithful Heavenly Father is with me. Because I belong to Christ, my future with Him is secure, and I truly have no reason to fear. 

This truth doesn’t eliminate all feelings of fear in my life, and I still struggle with anxiety sometimes. Maybe it’s a struggle for you right now, too. But when we’re afraid, we can remind ourselves of this reality. We stare down those frightening circumstances and know it’s possible to stay calm and not let our hearts become faint—because of Christ, we have nothing to fear. 

No matter what you face this week, those who belong to Christ have no reason to fear. 

Share

The Glorious End {No Matter What Monday}

by Leave a Comment

Why do days filled with mundane tasks tick by so slowly, and vacation days fly by so fast? January and February feel like they will never end, and June just goes zipping by. Happy times seem like minutes compared to seasons of suffering that seem endless. 

And  yet, today’s verse takes a different view of time. In God’s timeline, our time of suffering slips by quickly, and our time of glory stretches without end. 

“And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” (I Peter 5:10)

Peter says, “After you have suffered a little while . . .” Does this make you want to roll your eyes?! Or maybe scream at Peter that he has no idea what he’s talking about? Our suffering doesn’t feel temporary! 

Peter understood that suffering sometimes seems endless, but he also understood the truth about the “God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ.” Here, Peter highlights the contrast between our temporary suffering and our eternal glory in Christ. Our present trials are like a gnat on the Mt. Everest of eternity with Christ. 

As the verse promises, “God will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” The Lord will bring this to an end—the outcome doesn’t depend on us. It’s a gift of His grace in Christ. He will restore us. He will confirm our position as His children. He will strengthen us by His mercy. He will establish us as heirs of His promises.  

One of God’s purposes in our suffering is to point us to its glorious end. One day, He will turn evil on its head and our joy will be sweeter because of our pain. As Tim Keller says, “The evil that hurts us now will be the eventual servant of our joy and glory eternally.”

No matter what we face this week, there will be a glorious end to our suffering. 

Share

Suffering Produces Steadfastness {No Matter What Monday}

by Leave a Comment

Quick, answer this question: what’s 3 times 8? 

As a parent, there are three major hurdles I’ve jumped with my kids: potty training, learning to read, and memorizing multiplication tables. My three kids have conquered these skills, but it wasn’t easy. And now I have to teach them how to drive! (Yikes.)

As an adult, we take it for granted that we know our multiplication tables. But as an 8-year-old staring at the giant table of 144 numbers to learn, it seems overwhelming. Yes, there were some tears. For all of us. But the hours of drilling and repeating and chanting out loud, “3 times 1 is 3. 3 times 2 is 6. 3 times 3 is 9 . . .” eventually resulted in my kids instinctively knowing the answer to 3 times 8.

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1:2-4)

In today’s passage, James is reminding his readers that God has a purpose in their suffering. The testing of their faith will produce steadfastness, and steadfastness will lead to spiritual maturity. James says we should count it all joy when our trials produce these traits in us.  

Steadfastness and spiritual maturity may feel about as exciting to you as learning multiplication tables. But from the Lord’s perspective, our steadfastness is beautiful. Just as my kids’ time memorizing math facts will not be wasted, your suffering will not be wasted. It will produce God’s desired effect: the growth of your faith and character, your perseverance in hope, and your full equipping for the next task God has for you. And from an eternal viewpoint, that’s a great reason to rejoice! 

No matter what you face this week, God will use your suffering to produce steadfastness. 

Share

Suffering Leads to Reliance {No Matter What Monday}

by Leave a Comment

My grandpa loved to tell the story of letting my dad drive a tractor when he was a young child. My dad sat on his dad’s lap with his small hands on the steering wheel as they drove over smooth ground. But when they hit a rough patch of bumpy road and the steering wheel bounced erratically, he would throw his hands in the air and yell, “Take it, Dad!” 

In a similar way, our suffering causes us to cry out to our Heavenly Father for help. When life is smooth, we are often lulled into thinking we can handle things on our own. Then the rocky patches come and we have no choice but to throw up our hands and plead with Him to pull us through. 

“For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.” (2 Corinthians 1:8-9)

In these verses, Paul is telling the Corinthians about his severe suffering—trials so severe that Paul and his companions hoped death would come quickly. But Paul sees God’s purpose in the pain: “to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.” 

We cherish our self-sufficiency, don’t we? It’s hard to admit our weakness and ask for help. But when our suffering pushes us to deeper reliance on the Lord, we find He is there, gripping the wheel, guiding us through the hard times. Our greater reliance on Him is a gift He gives us by His grace. 

No matter what you face this week, God will use your suffering to grow your reliance on Him. 

Share