Marissa Henley

Encouraging weary women to hope in Christ alone

Our Suffering Advances the Gospel {No Matter What Monday}

by Leave a Comment

phil 1-12-14

Have you ever wondered if there was a purpose to your pain? Knowing there’s a purpose behind our difficult circumstances doesn’t take away the sting of suffering, but it can give us a glimmer of encouragement and help us persevere.

This month, we’re looking at God’s purpose in suffering. Our goal isn’t to wrap up suffering in a neat package with a bow. There’s nothing pretty about pain. But in God’s kind sovereignty, He brings beauty from brokenness as He weaves our trials into the tapestry of His purposes.

In Philippians, Paul addresses friends who were upset about his imprisonment. These friends feared Paul’s imprisonment would end his travel and preaching. They may have worried that the entire Christian movement would fizzle out and die. But Paul reassured them that the gospel continued to go forth:

“I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.” (Philippians 1:12-14)

Your suffering may look differently from Paul’s, but God will use it to advance the gospel. Maybe your suffering is private. No one else even knows. But as you grow in dependence on the Lord, you’re advancing the gospel in your own heart. If your suffering is known by your family or a small circle of friends, they can watch you run to the Lord with your pain and be encouraged to trust Him more.

Whether you’re encouraging thousands with your story or quietly walking in obedience each day, rest assured that in God’s economy, no suffering is wasted. Your trials are advancing the good news of God’s faithfulness, mercy, and grace.

No matter what we face this week, our suffering advances the gospel.

Share

When You Face An Impossible Situation {guest post on (in)courage.me}

by Leave a Comment

20161210_henley_lengths-1

It was one week before Christmas 2010. I sat in my oncologist’s office at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, 600 miles from my home in Arkansas, clutching my husband’s hand as tears streamed down my face.

My oncologist had delivered the great news first: after two rounds of high-dose chemotherapy, the rare and aggressive tumor in my breast was much smaller. But there was bad news. My platelets were dangerously low from the chemo, and I still needed at least four more rounds to have a chance at survival.

My doctor had a solution.

In a clinical trial at MD Anderson, I would receive an experimental drug to boost my platelets. But I would need to spend two out of every three weeks in Houston. At that time, I feared I wouldn’t live long enough to walk my 18-month-old daughter into first grade. I certainly didn’t want to spend any of my time in a Houston hospital room.

But I didn’t have a choice.

 

I’m sharing God’s story of faithfulness in my life over at (in)courage today! It’s a wonderful community and provides rich devotional content daily–I hope you’ll continue reading there, check out their other posts, and subscribe to their devotional emails. 

Share

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

by 1 Comment

nahum-1-7

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.

Share

It is Well With My Soul {No Matter What Monday}

by Leave a Comment

it-is-wellI belted out the words to my favorite hymn, tears flowing freely, as my church family harmonized effortlessly around me. Singing that hymn on that Sunday is one of my most poignant memories of corporate worship.

 

Days earlier, on January 12, 2010, an enormous earthquake rocked the small, impoverished nation of Haiti: a land precious to two families in our church who run schools there, and therefore precious to our entire church family. It was more than an earthquake in a foreign land – it was another symptom of a fallen world, another crack in our broken hearts. And yet, we sang:

“And Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight,

The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;

The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,

Even so, it is well with my soul.”

 

How can your soul be well when nothing else is well?

 

Another verse in the same hymn says:

“My sin—oh the bliss of this glorious thought!—

My sin, not in part, but the whole,

Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,

Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul!”

 

The Lord redeemed us by nailing our sin to the cross of Christ. Through the Son, the Father met our greatest need—our need to be reconciled to Him. As this world falls apart and our hearts break, we can have peace knowing that the Lord who loves us so deeply will never stop caring for our needs. Because we have peace with God through Christ, it is well with our souls.

 

No matter what we face this week, it is well with our souls . . . even when nothing else is well.

 

P.S. The people of Haiti need our help again in the wake of Hurricane Matthew. To learn more about the work my friends are doing in Haiti, please visit the Hope for LaGonave website. I’d love for you to consider donating to their work—I can vouch for the fact that your funds will be used to thoughtfully care for children in Haiti.

 

(Quotations from the hymn “It is Well With My Soul” by Horatio G. Stafford)

Share