Worship X Day 5 The Unfailing One

May 13, 2022 by Marietta Taylor Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Worship X, Day 5

Dependable and trustworthy.
Has never broken a promise.
Loving and kind, yet strong and protective.
Sounds like the perfect man, right? But these words describe someone far superior to any common man. These words merely scratch the surface in describing our Great God.

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father
There is no shadow of turning with Thee
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be

Great is Thy faithfulness.
Such a bold statement. But God can back it up.
“Know that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps his gracious covenant loyalty for a thousand generations with those who love him and keep his commands.”
(Deuteronomy 7:9)

God is a faithful covenant keeper. With the Abrahamic covenant, He swore by Himself. He fulfilled both sides of the covenant. (Genesis 15) In a covenant, the “lesser” person would walk through the cut up pieces of animals, symbolizing their own fate if they did not uphold their end. But God walked through instead of Abraham, taking upon Himself the punishment. God guaranteed the fulfillment of the covenant because He is faithful.

Thousands of years later, Jesus came, died on the cross and was resurrected to begin a new covenant for all who believe in Him. “For a thousand generations” God was faithful to Israel. And now, thousands of years later, He is still faithful to all who place their trust in Him. (Psalm 100:5) Each day is an opportunity for a fresh measure of His faithfulness.

Morning by morning new mercies I see.
We can boldly proclaim, “Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you. I will praise your name,
for you have accomplished wonders, plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness.”
(Isaiah 25:1)
I can boldly proclaim it, looking back over every desperate prayer I’ve ever prayed, seeing His faithfulness to provide, direct, protect and heal.
He has never failed because His faithfulness is great.

O God My Father.
C. Sproul said, “He has given to us the right and privilege to come into the presence of the majesty of God and address him as Father because indeed he is our Father. He has adopted us into his family and made us co-heirs with his only begotten Son” (Romans 8:16)

When we profess Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we become chosen, adopted, predestined and redeemed by God. (Ephesians 1:1-6) Each day is a reminder that we are His beloved daughters.

Morning by morning new mercies I see.
Jesus gave us a way to become comfortable with calling God our Father when He said, “But when you pray, go into your private room, shut your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret” and “Therefore, you should pray like this: Our Father in heaven, your name be honored as holy.” (Matthew 6:6-14)

This Father, who lavishes His love on us (1 John 3:1) is the one we can call on to provide our every need. (Matthew 6:31-32) He is our ultimate protector. How do we know? His Son told us, “My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.” (John 10:29)

This Son, Jesus, has redeemed us “so that we might receive adoption as sons.
And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba, Father!” So you are no longer a slave but a son [.]” (Galatians 4:5-6) So as sons and daughters, we confidently call to God Our Father who gives us the best gifts.

There is no shadow of turning with Thee.
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (James 1:17)

One of the characteristics of God is His immutability, which means “God is unchanging in his being, perfections, purposes, and promises, yet God does act and feel emotions, and he acts and feels differently in response to different situations.” (Wayne Grudem)

Shadows shift and change, God does not. Shadows are not always present, but God is. God Himself says “For I the Lord do not change” (Malachi 3:6, ESV) The same God who created the earth, (Genesis 1:1-25) formed Adam and Eve, (Genesis 1:26-31) parted the Red Sea, (Exodus 14:15-31) rescued Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego from the fiery furnace, (Daniel 3:8-30) and sent Jesus to redeem us, (John 3:16) is the same unfailing God whose mercies are new every morning. (Lamentations 3:22-23)

As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.
A loving God who’s “faithfulness endures forever.” (Psalm 117:2) Let me tell you about Him in my life. In 2020 my uncle, sister and grandmother and a friend all passed away. I got laid off from my job. Both my daughters lost their jobs. My husband had a medical emergency and had to have an emergency procedure.

I could have wallowed in my grief, sorrow and frustration. But instead I trusted in my unchanging God. I prayed to the God who helped me deal with the sudden loss of my dad twenty years earlier. I praised the God who provided a job within one month the previous year when I experienced my first layoff. Every morning I focused my eyes on the new mercy that God provided, enabling me to live for His glory one more day.

Gift cards showed up unexpectedly. Checks showed up from people I had not connected with in year. A job came from an unexpected place. I discovered new worship music to help me through my grief. God connected me more deeply to a beautiful soul, that I now serve alongside in ministry.

That’s just a sampling of how our loving, unfailing God works. There was never a time I felt alone, because God was always with me. (Matthew 28:20) He was always supporting me. (Psalm 94:18) And whatever else may come my way, I can endure because…..

Morning by morning new mercies I see.

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Psalm 28:6-9
1 Samuel 1:27-28
Mark 9:14-29

I’ve sat down several times in the last few days to convey on paper my thoughts to the lyrics of a song that I might describe as haunting (as in, poignant and evocative; difficult to ignore or forget). Little did I know that my procrastination was actually working out God’s sovereign timing. I certainly don’t condone a habit of delaying inevitable tasks, but as always God was doing something, even through my postponement.
Letting go of every single dream, I lay each one down at Your feet.
Every moment of my wandering never changes what You see.
I’ve tried to win this war, I confess.
My hands are weary, I need Your rest.
Mighty Warrior, King of the fight, no matter what I face, You’re by my side.*

On the very morning I realized I could no longer delay my writing, I was also made aware of my great need to fully embrace the truths of the song in which I had chosen to meditate. The first two words stabbed me the very moment they caught my eye.

“Letting go…”
I recognized immediately the impact of those words throughout Scripture.
Abraham
Moses
David
Hannah
These are only a few examples of the kind of surrender to which we are called.

Paul’s life and message compel us to an even more radical release of our own wills, reminding us of the most humble and genuine surrender of all through the life and death of our Lord Jesus. Philippians 2:1-11

As a mama and grandma who has kids and grandkids living thousands of miles away, I have learned that letting go is a part of life. As a foster mom, the reality of releasing hits even harder because of the massive unknown attached to it. In the past several years, I have had to let go of how I had pictured life might look and trust God with the unforeseeable future of all the children that He has placed in my care.
Laying things down that I like at my good Father’s feet is one thing.
Laying people down that I love is another.
It freshly and squarely hit me today that
letting go is always the starting point for trusting God.

On this very day, we find ourselves in a place we have never been as foster parents. We have realized that we are unable to provide everything needed for the children who have recently entered our home. The brothers who came through the door earlier this week have experienced difficulties in their lives that I’ll never fully be able to comprehend.
The neglect they have encountered is completely foreign to me.

After several days of looking at my husband with a broken heart, he confessed that he is overwhelmed and underqualified for this particular situation.
Knowing that fostering kids in need like this has to be a team effort (he is an amazing foster dad), I knew it meant we had to make a change.
I have cried and prayed.
I had to come face to face with hidden motives and agendas and plans.
I had to admit that we are not called to save every child.
We are not even called to rescue them from terrible lives.
We are only called to be faithful servants.
I confessed to God: “My hands are weary, I need Your rest.”

You are my strength and comfort. You are my steady hand.
You are my firm foundation; the rock on which I stand.
Your ways are always higher. Your plans are always good.
There’s not a place where I’ll go, You’ve not already stood.*

Sometimes I do the right thing.
Sometimes I do the right thing for the right reason.
And sometimes I do the right thing for the right reason, but with a skewed view of God.

I forget that He alone is capable of doing what is perfectly good.
Only He knows what tomorrow brings.
I may have good intentions in the spiritual battle I’m fighting,
but if I don’t recognize that He is the King of the fight,
I begin to fight for outcomes and answers
rather than fighting for faith.

As I cry out to Him, I too often hold on to a false hope in my own ability to fix and heal.
Only when I let go of all my pre-conceived notions of what should happen am I able to fully trust Him.
My faith cannot be in the moving mountains or the parting waters,
though He is able to do those things, Exodus 14, Mk 11:22-24
rather my trust is to be completely in Him, not in what He does.

When You don’t move the mountains I’m needing You to move;
when You don’t part the waters I wish I could walk through;
when You don’t give the answers as I cry out to You, I will trust.*

The Psalmist communicates so clearly again and again that our trust must be solidly placed in only One Person.
HE is our strength and comfort.
HE is our steady hand.
HE is our firm foundation.
HE is our rock.
HE is exalted.

Yet, everything that makes Him a God who is far above us Isaiah 55:8-9,
doesn’t keep Him from also being a Father who is near and good! James 1:17

I am unable to fully explain how much I needed the truths of this song to permeate my heart and mind today. Letting these kids go is so difficult.
What is the Father calling you to let go of and trust Him with?
Lord, “Truth is, You know what tomorrow brings. There’s not a day ahead You have not seen. So, in all things be my life and breath. I want what You want, Lord, and nothing else.
I will trust in You.”*
Amen!

*song lyrics by Lauren Daigle, “Trust In You”

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Wilderness Day 10 Here To Help

March 18, 2022 by Bethany McIlrath 2 Comments

Read His Words Before Ours!

1 Samuel 16:1-13
1 Samuel 18
1 Samuel 24:1-15
Matthew 4:8-10
Psalm 46:10-11

Wilderness, Day 10

On any given day, my internet browser tabs featured Indeed, Zillow, Google Maps, and Bible Gateway.
We were in a wilderness.
The season we’d been in was ending, but we had no idea of our next.

I’d like to say I waited patiently for God’s leading, but truthfully, my frequent visits to those tabs proved otherwise. I believed God had a purpose and a plan, but I thought He needed help fulfilling that purpose.

Sometimes, we try to help God along when we mistake a wilderness season for aimlessness. We’re not alone.
Sarah tried to fulfill God’s promises through Hagar and Ishmael. (Genesis 16)
Bewildered by Jesus’ arrest, Peter offered his assistance with a sword to an ear. (Matthew 26:47-54)

Israel’s king, David, faced the same temptation of treating his wilderness season as a maze to be escaped in order for God’s will to be done.

It started with a promise.
The prophet, Samuel, anointed David king as a young man, signifying God’s promise he would reign over Israel. (1 Samuel 16:1-13)

Then came the problem.
Saul grew jealous of David and attempted to kill him. (1 Samuel 18) Not just once, either. Saul persistently persecuted David, even as David made no attempt to usurp his promised throne. Saul didn’t like God’s will, so he fought against it, chasing David . . . as if he could change God’s promises.

So David entered the wilderness, figuratively and literally. Stuck between God’s promise and the life-threatening problem of a murderous king, David spent years fleeing and hiding. Nothing was settled, nothing was certain. He wandered about in God’s will, and there was great temptation to find a way out.

We see the temptation most clearly in 1 Samuel 24:1-15. Saul entered a cave to relieve himself. David and his fighting men were already there, hidden away. The men told David, “Look, this is the day the Lord told you about: ‘I will hand your enemy over to you so you can do to him whatever you desire.’” (1 Samuel 24:4) It would have been so easy to attack Saul, take the throne, and fulfill God’s promise to David by force. One could even argue it was self-defense, since Saul was there to kill David without cause!

But David didn’t.

“He said to his men, ‘As the Lord is my witness, I would never do such a thing to my lord [King Saul], the Lord’s anointed.’” (1 Samuel 24:6)

David was God’s anointed too, but even in the desperation and temptation of the wilderness, he recognized a way out wasn’t God’s will. He left it up to God to fulfill His own promises. No shortcuts. No “helping” God along. No hurrying God’s perfect timing.

This wilderness season proved great preparation for David when he became king. He’d learned to wait on God’s will, to not fight a battle God hadn’t called him into, and to leave the building of the temple to his son as God instructed, to name a few examples.

We see David’s wisdom and trust in God’s will being fulfilled God’s way throughout his kingship. When David died, having reigned as Israel’s greatest king and whose family line would lead to the Messiah, he could look back on the testimony of his life and rest in full assurance God keeps His promises. (Psalm 37:25-31)

Jesus, our promised Messiah, lived out God’s will, God’s way.
Even in His own wilderness experience.

In His wilderness, Jesus was tempted by Satan, who said, “I will give you all these things [the kingdoms of the world and their splendor] if You will fall down and worship me.” (Matthew 4:9)

Satan tempted Jesus with a quick escape to fleethis wilderness and avoid the horror of the cross. Satan lured Jesus to skip ahead to His reign without enduring the pain the wilderness required in order for Christ to become our Great High Priest, able to identify with us in all our weaknesses. (Hebrews 4:15-16)

Jesus said no, and, like David,
persisted in waiting for God to lead Him out of the wilderness and fulfill
His promises,
His way,
in His timing.

He was prepared, having overcome temptation, to say, “My time has not yet arrived” (John 7:6) over and over. He was able to say “no” when a huge crowd of followers attempted to forcefully make Him king. (John 6:15) As a result, Jesus died on the cross and rose from the grave, making a way for us to be reconciled to God, all according to the plan of the Father. (John 5:19)

David and Jesus’ examples of waiting in the wilderness encourages us to “Stop fighting, and know that [He] is God” (Psalm 46:10-11). We can resist the temptation to “help” fulfill God’s promises apart from God.

Having moved multiple times, I can clearly see the difference it makes when I count on God to lead me instead of all those Google tabs! Be assured, sisters, He has, and always will, bring us where He wonderfully intends without any “help” from us.

When we feel stuck in the wilderness, caught between the promise and the fulfillment, let’s wait with teachable spirits as we turn our hearts toward the One who will lead us home!

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Wilderness Day 4 Job’s Wilderness & My Own: Digging Deeper

March 10, 2022 by Rachel Jones Leave a Comment

Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Job’s Wilderness & My Own!

The Questions

1) Why does Job assert he will emerge from his testing as pure gold? (verse 10)

2) Why does Job say that God terrifies him? (verses 15-16)

3) Why does Job say he is not destroyed by the darkness that covers his face? (verse 17)

Job 23:10-17

Yet he knows the way I have taken; when he has tested me, I will emerge as pure gold. ¹¹My feet have followed in His tracks; I have kept to His way and not turned aside. ¹²I have not departed from the commands from His lips; I have treasured the words from His mouth more than my daily food. ¹³But He is unchangeable; who can oppose Him? He does what He desires. ¹⁴He will certainly accomplish what He has decreed for me, and He has many more things like these in mind.¹⁵Therefore I am terrified in His presence; when I consider this, I am afraid of Him. ¹⁶God has made my heart faint; the Almighty has terrified me. ¹⁷Yet I am not destroyed by the darkness, by the thick darkness that covers my face.

Original Intent

1) Why does Job assert he will emerge from his testing as pure gold? (verse 10)
In Job’s biblical account, the Lord tested His servant by allowing him to lose his children, possessions, and health (Job 1:13-19, Job 2:7) John Piper explains that in testing Job, “God chooses to get an open victory over Satan for His own glory. A test will show that in the heart of Job God Himself is more highly esteemed than any possession or any family member.” God knew Job was a man of integrity who feared God (Job 1:8) and wouldn’t turn away from the Lord because of trouble. In fact, Job avowed, “When He has tested me, I will emerge as pure gold.” (verse 10) Although he wavered and struggled because of his difficulties, Job ultimately honored God with his actions and responses to the trials he faced. Job knew that just as gold comes out of intense fire pure and refined, he would come through the Lord’s testing better, wiser, and more steadfast in faith. (Job 42:1-7) Eugene Peterson remarks that when we go through suffering, our “lives are often transformed, deepened, marked with beauty and holiness, in remarkable ways that could never have been anticipated before the suffering.” Although Job was frustrated and discouraged, he did not curse God or give up, as he was encouraged to do. (Job 2:9-10) He complained and protested, but he held no anger against God at his great loss. (Job 13:15) Job knew God was worth more to him than everything else on earth. (Psalm 73:25-26) He respected God’s sovereignty and trusted His perfect will and plan. When we experience trials and troubles, we can follow Job’s example of trust in God and come through the struggles wiser, closer to God, and deeper in our faith.

2) Why does Job say that God terrifies him? (verses 15-16)
Job declared he was terrified of God (verses 15-16) because he witnessed the extremes of the Lord’s decrees for his life. God blessed Job with great wealth and happiness, but He also allowed Satan to test Job with multiple calamities that shook his faith. Because of this, Job developed a healthy fear, or deep awe-filled respect, of God and His power. Albert Barnes declares that God, “who has an eternal plan, and who is able to accomplish all that He purposes, and who makes known none of His dealings beforehand, should be an object of veneration and fear.” Job knew God held everything in His hands and can change everything as He sees fit in the blink of an eye. Job was awed by the sheer magnitude of God’s might. He realized that just as God can be amazingly gracious, He can also allow everything to be taken in an instant. This caused him to declare himself afraid of the Almighty. Job’s fear of God was not like the fear of man, which the Bible calls a snare. (Proverbs 29:25) God actually instructs the whole earth to fear the Lord. (Psalm 33:8) Scripture informs us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. (Proverbs 9:10, Psalm 111:10) Having a reverential respect for God makes us happy (Psalm 112:1) and is a fountain of life to help us avoid the snares of death. (Proverbs 14:27) Job was in awe of God’s greatness and sovereign power, which kept him from sinning against the Lord and allowed him to accept the good and the bad that came into his life. Job accepted that God knew more than him, and that God’s ways were better than his own; this reverence blessed Job’s life.

3) Why does Job say he is not destroyed by the darkness that covers his face? (verse 17)
After Job suffered from the testing God allowed, he declared himself “terrified of God and faint of heart”. (verse 16) Even so, he proclaimed he wasn’t destroyed by the “thick darkness that covers my face”. (verse 17) Job announced that though he was down for the count, he was not out. He endured the testing of the Lord and lived to tell the tale. He suffered immense loss, but he did not die and neither did he lose his faith. He survived to rebuild and thrive in the aftermath of the Lord’s dealings with him. Interestingly, Paul expressed something similar in 2 Corinthians 4:8-9, when he wrote, “We are afflicted in every way but not crushed; we are perplexed but not in despair; we are persecuted but not abandoned; we are struck down but not destroyed.” James also wrote about troubles, “Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance.” (James 1:2-3) When God allows suffering, it is never without cause. Suffering produces endurance, like for Paul and James. Or like for Job, it can draw us closer to God. Ann Voskamp suggests, “That which tears open our souls, those holes that splatter our sight, may actually become the thin, open places to see through the mess of this place to the heart-aching beauty beyond. To Him. To the God whom we endlessly crave.” Thanks be to God for redeeming the painful tragedies of our lives and using them to bring us close to Him!

Everyday Application

1) Why does Job assert he will emerge from his testing as pure gold? (verse 10)
When I read Job’s belief that he will “emerge from his testing as pure gold” (verse 10), I think of the saying “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”. In Job’s case, he hoped he would be killed, or had never been born. (Job 3) Times could not have been harder for Job. He lost everything except his relationship with God. Through his trials he learned God was all he really needed, and that God was more important than anything. Eric Ortlund asserts that “When God puts us into a position where we must hold onto our relationship with God for God’s sake only—in which we stand to gain nothing but God—we start to receive him more fully than we ever had before.” When Job was tested, he clung to God. He questioned and complained and lamented, but he never turned his back on God. He recognized that whatever reason God had for testing him, he would come through the trials “as pure gold” because he trusted and hoped in God. Today our culture holds this hope that some good will come from going through hard times. The apostle Paul tells us that God works “all things together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purposes”. (Romans 8:28) Eventually, God blessed Job with more than he ever lost, working everything out for Job’s good and God’s glory. (Job 42:12) May we also see our hardships as opportunities to lean into God and realize He is truly all we need. (Philippians 4:19)

2) Why does Job say that God terrifies him? (verses 15-16)
I recently saw something I wanted; a 5-year planner. I love knowing what to expect; mapping out the next five years would be reassuring, even if it’s not realistic. Not knowing what to expect is slightly terrifying. It is so easy to expend time and energy trying to figure out what the future holds. Dread of the unknown also frightened Job. He went from having ten children and a valuable estate at the beginning of the day to having nothing by the end of the same day. Knowing God could change things so drastically at any time made Job realize how powerfulness and finite he was compared to God. He feared this All-Powerful God who could give and take away, but it was a righteous fear, a reverent respect for a God so far above his own ways and thoughts. (Isaiah 55:9) Although God’s ways are “unsearchable and untraceable” (Romans 11:33), we do have some idea of what to expect as God’s child. He doesn’t spell out His specific plans for us, but He proclaims they are good. He will give us a hope and a future in Him when we trust Him as our Savior. (Jeremiah 29:11) He also declares we will encounter struggle in this world, but He has overcome the world. (John 16:33) God lets us know what He wants us to do no matter what lies ahead; He created us to do good works (Ephesians 2:10), which include being fair, faithful, and humble. (Micah 6:8) The truth giving me the most peace when facing the unknown is that no matter what happens, God is in control (Isaiah 14:24) and I can trust Him (Isaiah 25:1) As I continue facing uncertainty, I purpose to trust the God who gives, takes away, and is lovingly in control of everything.

3) Why does Job say he is not destroyed by the darkness that covers his face? (verse 17)
When something sorrowful happens, like the death of a loved one or the abuse of a child, people sometimes get angry with God or doubt His existence, questioning why He would allow such tragedy. For some, the pain and grief cannot be overcome and they sink into sorrow and despair. This could have happened to Job after losing his children, his possessions, his health, and his friendships. He had nothing left to lose but his life and his faith. Still, Job was not “destroyed by the thick darkness that covers my face”. (verse 17) He learned through the course of his trials that even through heartache, God could be trusted. Hannah Hurnard writes, “The High Places of victory and union with Christ can be reached by learning to accept, day by day, the actual conditions and tests permitted by God, by laying down of our own will and accepting His. The lessons [are] of accepting and triumphing over evil, of becoming acquainted with grief, and pain, and of finding them transformed into something incomparably precious.” When we endure suffering, we are drawn closer to God (Psalm 23:4, Psalm 34:18) and are made more like our Lord (Hebrews 12:10). No matter what God allows to enter into our lives, we know He is true and trustworthy. (Psalm 33:4) Suffering is “producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory” (2 Corinthians 4:16-17), a reward in heaven that will be so much better than anything we could imagine on earth!

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Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

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Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

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Wilderness Day 3 Job’s Wilderness & My Own

March 9, 2022 by Paula Romang Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Job 19:25-27
Job 23:10-17
Job 42:5-17
Psalm 18:25-36
1 Peter 1:3-9

Wilderness, Day 3

Life is like embroidery work.

A piece of embroidery has two sides, two stories stitched simultaneously. The back is often a tangle of knots and strings, giving only a faint suggestion of the front image. Our life on earth is like the back of that piece, while God is creating a magnificent work of art on the other side; a stunning, eternal masterpiece.

Tucked away in the Old Testament lies a remarkable story that mirrors this sort of heavenly embroidery: the story of our brother Job and his staggering loss. His struggles challenge his understanding of God and leave him with more questions than answers.

Before we reach the end of chapter one, we find him stunned and grief-stricken. (Job 1) Job had recently placed the lifeless bodies of all 10 of his children in their graves. In the space of a few hours, he became a dweller of the surreal Land of Loss all grievers know well. In this land, nothing matters but the gaping wound and the ever-present pain.

The dust settles and Job’s questions arise.

“Why was I not stillborn;
Why didn’t I die as I came from the womb? [. . .]
Why is light given to one burdened with grief,
And life to those whose existence is bitter,
Who waits for death, but it does not come [. . .]
I have no rest, for turmoil has come.” (Job 3:11, 20-21, 26)

Wealth can be rebuilt, illness treated. Children cannot be replaced. Yet these priceless treasures were unceremoniously ripped away in a freak accident.

Job had no explanation. He was not privy to the conversations between God and Satan relayed in the text. (Job 1:6-12, Job 2:1-7) His confusion is warranted; His understanding of God and His ways were just body-slammed.

Like Job, our finite minds conclude our all-powerful, compassionate God can and should stop all suffering; yet, He doesn’t. We all have scars to prove it. Any notion suggesting God miraculously delivers His own from painful trials is patently false. (John 16:33)

So, in the quiet back channels of our soul, the unending “why” rises like a mist. Our suffering doesn’t make sense; He doesn’t make sense.

We’re reminded of the back of the embroidery work, where life is mostly a confusion of outlines, knots, and strings. Truthfully, Job never received answers to the questions haunting his sleepless nights, and we may not, either. Still, truth remains; God acts for His holy and eternal purposes. (Isaiah 40:12-14, 21-26)

I have spent ample time in the ash-heap of grief. Our brother Job buried ten children; I buried one. During my sojourn into loss, several stabilizing mindsets emerged, anchoring my soul with solid hope. Solid hope, I found, resides in solid truth—the truth of Scripture. As I began the practice of marinating my soul in Scripture, I came to know God as my Companion and Friend. The more deeply I knew Him, the more I trusted Him, which empowered tenacious devotion, gritty faith, and audacious obedience. (Jeremiah 17:7-8)

Frankly, were it not for my solid foundation of truth, I would not have survived Matthew’s long-term illness and death with my faith intact.

Though my anchor held fast, I too, wrestled through puzzling contradictions and unanswered questions. However, through the pain and confusion, this truth rose in an ever-present whisper: life on earth is not our only. Eternity awaits just beyond, through the veil of time and space.

As I await eternity, I find encouragement in Apostle Paul’s words:

“Therefore, we do not give up. Even though our outer person is being destroyed, our inner person is being renewed day by day. For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory. So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)

This truth gave perspective and purpose for the pain, while infusing a deeply-abiding, grounded hope and true joy for the reality of eternity.

This solid relationship with God empowered me to face life with unanswered questions, much like our brother Job. In the dark night of my soul, He whispered, “I see you; I am with you. I’m doing something deep and beautiful. Trust Me.” His words were mostly about trust and relationship; very little was said about changing circumstances in my favor.

Through the loneliness and desperation rose quiet, peaceful intimacy. He became my treasure and joy. I became fruitful, even in the place of pain. Knowing my Jesus was in control, holding my boys and I in His arms, became enough for me. I could maneuver through the knots and strings, knowing Who was creating a masterpiece on the flip-side.

Though we live on the backside now, when we see Him, He will flip the embroidery piece. We will be stunned at the masterpiece He created from what we only knew as tangled knots and strings. How could we imagine He’s been working all along, refining gold through our painful trials, weaving glistening threads through our darkest days, and crafting delicate, priceless jewels from our deepest sorrows.

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The GT Weekend! ~ Build Week 3

March 5, 2022 by Multiple Authors Leave a Comment

The GT Weekend!

At Gracefully Truthful, weekends aren’t for “checking out”.
Use this time to invite the Almighty’s fullness into you life in a deeper way!
Saturdays and Sundays are a chance to
reflect, rest, and re-center our lives onto Christ.
Don’t miss the opportunity to connect with other women in prayer,
rest your soul in reflective journaling,
and spend time worshiping the Creator who
longs for intimacy with each of us!

Worship Through Journaling

1) Confessing sin isn’t glamorous or exciting. It doesn’t increase our popularity or score us bonus points on social media. But, as Marietta described on Monday, confession and repentance are the only materials that can properly sustain the desired framework of revival and renewal. Whether it’s in our own hearts, our closest relationships, or within the broader contexts of church, career, or city, confession and repentance, while completely un-lucrative, are absolutely essential for Building Renewal. I’m raising my hand to wanting the new life of revival and renewal breathed into every area of my life. Imagine the lasting good that would unfurl in my parenting, marriage, ministry, church, and city! Pause here for a few minutes, not with an agenda, but to just be still before the Lord. He desires good because He IS good. Focus on His good character. Ask Him directly what good He wants to build in and through you. Are you willing to ask Him to convict you of sin that He might bring this good work? Ask Him for grace to receive His conviction and holy desire to repent and flee from sin that true revival might be unleashed in you!

2) Have you ever moved homes unexpectedly or against your wishes? As a pastor’s wife, we moved 6 times. While we usually had some choice in the matter, the new place always came with different needs. There were often “expectations” for me as pastor’s wife that didn’t quite fit me. Sometimes, the ministry I most enjoyed already had a qualified leader in that position, so I was given different roles that I didn’t feel equipped to fulfill. Yet, with every challenge, I learned to be secure in God’s plan. He taught me to trust Him and often, I learned many new things. On Wednesday, Bethany shared, “God has placed you, and for a purpose.” I’m reminded of Esther when Mordecai encouraged her, “Who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14) Are you in a hard place? Have you been placed ‘for such a time as this’? Remember the faithful, sovereign God is always in control. He has a plan, and we can trust it. Ask Him what He would have you do rather than asking to be removed from that place; watch how He equips and builds you to do His work!

3) Gather. Community. Worship. What images are stirred up as you read these three simple words? Go back and read them again, pausing to prayerfully allow the Holy Spirit to speak to your heart. Do you have an internal angst as you wrestle with imagery over a specific word? Talk to the Lord about this. Physically hold open your hands and repeat the word over and over slowly, asking the Lord to rebuild your ideas and bring conviction or encouragement surrounding this idea. Where are you bringing your heart to gather recently? Again, in prayer with your eyes closed to avoid distractions, reflect on your week. Where has your heart been drawn? Go slow and let the Spirit lead your thoughts and speak truth and grace over you. Where do you see the Lord’s unabashed love for you? Where is He inviting you into deeper worship? How have you responded to opportunity to partake in biblical community? Breathe deeply, friend, the Lord your God has died for you, taken you punishment for your sin, and risen alive to conquer your shame and guilt for eternity! Drink deeply of this radical love and open yourself in new ways to the building plans of the Master Architect!

Praying Scripture back to the One who wrote it in the first place is a great way to jump start our prayer-life! Pray this passage from Jeremiah 31:3-6 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, I have continued to extend faithful love to you. Again, I will build you so that you will be rebuilt, Virgin Israel. [insert your name]
You will take up your tambourines again and go out in joyful dancing.
You will plant vineyards again… and will enjoy the fruit.
“Come, let’s go up to Zion, to the Lord our God!”

Prayer Journal
Lord, I come in humbleness before You. I ask forgiveness for times I have not trusted You and gone out on my own; for times when I forgot You love me perfectly and have my best interest in mind. Renew my life, Lord. You love me with an everlasting love, and I don’t deserve it. But I do love You, Lord. I long to come into Your presence with joyful singing and dancing once again. Please rebuild my life to glorify You. Thank you, Lord for never leaving me alone. Thank You for convicting me of sin or when I stumble. Thank You for giving me a song in the night. You are a good, good Father.

Worship Through Community

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Worship Through Prayer

Worship Through Music