hurt

Reveal Day 1 Until He Appears

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Habakkuk 1:1-4
Habakkuk 3:16-19
1 Peter 1:3-9
Romans 8:18-38

Reveal, Day 1

“How long, Lord, must I call for help
and you do not listen
or cry out to you about violence
and you do not save?
Why do you force me to look at injustice?
Why do you tolerate wrongdoing?
Oppression and violence are right in front of me.
Strife is ongoing, and conflict escalates.
This is why the law is ineffective
and justice never emerges.
For the wicked restrict the righteous;
therefore, justice comes out perverted.”
(Habakkuk 1:2-4)

If ever there was a prayer for 2020, this passage from Habakkuk pretty much covers it.
Pain, strife, injustice, violence, conflict, loss . . . all wrapped up in a God who has never felt further away.

Christmastime often taps us on our shoulder to remind us what we’ve lost throughout the year, or to bring attention to what we don’t have. Loved ones with whom we once celebrated who will not be sitting at the dinner table this year. Gifts we wish were under the tree, but for which the budget couldn’t make room. A special someone to share life with or children and a family of our own.

But 2020, and all its tumult, have truly humbled our hearts. What we thought was known has toppled into an overwhelming heap, perplexing us when we attempt to piece it back together.
Loss of jobs, businesses, and lives.
Sudden, rapid loss of our “normal.”
The loss of comfort in, and blindness to, the systematic racial inequities still existing in the world, despite the long and hard-fought battles already waged.

It seems impossible that God is here. That He is working. We want to cry out, like Habakkuk, “How long, God!?”
“Where are You now?”
“What are You doing?”
“Why don’t You save us?”

The book of Habakkuk shows us a raw and real conversation between God and Habakkuk on behalf of the nation of Israel. For hundreds of years, since the exodus from Egypt, Israel suffered from the plight of its own sin. Time after time, they turned away from God and deliberately disobeyed Him by worshiping other gods and idols, despite the Father’s constant grace and effort to bring them back to Him.

And so Israel fell, and suffered, at the hand of corrupt nations like Babylon. God delivered them, and they remained faithful . . . for a time. Until they abandoned their Deliverer, and the endless cycle began again, and again, and again.

We see both Habakkuk and God hurting for the world and the sin wreaking havoc at every turn. God shows Habakkuk that He, too, sees the hurt, the pain, the suffering, and the loss. His heart breaks, too. Even though it seemed inconceivable, God was working a plan far greater than their present troubles. In the midst of the consequences of our own sin and the ripple of others’, God’s glorious plan to save His people was being revealed.  

I’m amazed at Habbakuk’s praise at the end of the book. Despite the absence of God’s immediate rescue, Habakkuk rests in God’s constant promises to deliver His people. Habakkuk didn’t have the Christmas story of Immanuel, God with us, or even the knowledge of the Easter story of the resurrection of Jesus, and yet he chose to trust in the midst of loss.

My favorite Christmas hymn lyrics, from the first verse of “O Holy Night,” simply and beautifully remind us of the “now” of our suffering and the “not yet” of the promise to come:

 “Long lay the world in sin and error pining
‘Til He appears and the soul felt its worth
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!” 

How long have you felt the weight of sin and error and pined for relief, crying out to God, “How much longer, Lord?”

Friend, when Christmastime taps us on the shoulder and we look back at 2020 and remember what was lost and painful, may the picture of an innocent baby named Jesus, born in the midst of chaos and filth, prompt our weary hearts to turn toward hope and the bright, new, glorious morning our Father has given us.

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Esther Day 8 Tears That Move God’s Heart

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Esther 4:1-11
Psalm 56
Psalm 66:8-15
James 1:2-3
Romans 5:1-5

Esther, Day 8

Bless our God, you peoples,
let the sound of His praise be heard! (Psalm 66:8)

Reason for rejoicing must be clear here, right?
Such jubilant praise!
Such rich, ardent voices lifted up in adoration!

But the Psalmist continues….
For you, God, tested us;
you refined us as silver is refined.
You lured us into a trap;
you placed burdens on our backs.
You let men ride over our heads;
we went through fire and water….

Wait, what?
Those are crushing words.
Words, I could have written myself, and have, at various points along my own journey.
Burdened, trapped, pressed in upon, barely breathing, trampled over, scorched by flames, drowning in swirling waters.

Praise?
What kind of people would praise while drowning?
Or maybe better, what kind of deity would want to hear praise in dire trials?

Death had been decreed for Queen Esther and her people.
The date had been set for mass extinction of an entire people group.
There were no backdoors of escape, no democracy to provide checks and balances, only one option, prayer.

Prayer for Old Testament Jews meant a few things, especially in hopeless situations, but among the most prominent were gut-wrenching honesty, humility, petition, and praise.
The prayer book of the Jews was the book of Psalms, it also conveniently doubled as their hymnal. Yes, their prayers were their songs. The lyrics of their worship were the authentic pleadings and praises of their hearts.

Though prayer and the name of God are never explicitly noted in the book of Esther, where there was fasting, sackcloth, lamenting, and mournful weeping for Jews, there was prayer.
And where there was prayer, there was praise.

One only needs a cursory glance through Psalms to find this to be true. Go ahead, try it! Pick up your Bible, open to Psalms, and read a few random songs, skip pages, and read again.

Praise is everywhere, but so is brokenness.

Later in the New Testament, the great Pastor Paul says it like this:
We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed;
perplexed, but not driven to despair;
persecuted, but not forsaken;
struck down, but not destroyed. (2 Corinthians 4:8-9)

As Mordecai wept, ripped his clothing, and dipped trembling, fearful fingers into the dust from which he’d been made and streaked his face with it, he prayed in faith to the God of the Universe.

He knew his weakness.
He recognized his complete and utter inability to change the decree of his own death or the massacre of his people.
Yet, he prayed.

He prayed because he also knew something else.
He knew God’s character could not, would not, be faithless. (2 Timothy 2:13)
He knew God does not abandon the work of His hands. (Psalm 138:8)
And for these reasons, Mordecai, a man on death row, could praise.

When I am afraid,
I will trust in you.
In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I will not be afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me? (Psalm 56:3-4)

No doubt, Mordecai was afraid. He agonized. He mourned. He wailed.
But he knew where to take his fear.

Mordecai did not know how God would answer, nor even if his own life would be spared, but He did trust that God would bring redemption.

Sisters, with tears in my eyes as I write, I too have felt Mordecai’s helpless fear.
My face has been planted into the floor, my clothing as rumpled as my spirit.
My cheeks have been stained with tears (and a whole lot of snot), my hands have trembled with the unknown and the glaring reality of my own endless weakness and inability to change my circumstances.

With upturned hands and downcast, flooded eyes, I’ve begged for mercy, for release, for redemption. I’ve admitted out loud in all gut-wrenching honesty that I did not know if God would bring redemption in my life or, if He did, that it would look as I wanted.

But through praise, lament, and petition, He uncurled my fists and I anchored again in the safe harbor of His sure and certain character.
He would not abandon the work of His hands.

Mordecai couldn’t see the end, but He trusted all the same.
To Esther, he spoke with unshakeable conviction, “For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place…”

I don’t know your fears, your hurt, or your great need for God to redeem and act, but the Lord does know.

You yourself have recorded my wanderings.
Put my tears in your bottle.
Are they not in your book? (Psalm 56:8)

Not a tear falls without the Lord seeing, knowing, holding it, and waiting to redeem it in His time and in His way, which is precisely why we can praise in the midst of floods and fires and ruin and heartache.

Like Mordecai, I do not know how the Lord will work His redemption over my brokenness, but I will shout in triumph in the face of this fear and trembling,
“My enemies will retreat on the day when I call.
This I know: God is for me.” (Psalm 56:8-9)

The rest of that psalm of praise we began this journey with?
The one about being refined as fire, burdened down, and walking through fire and flood?
Here is the worshipper’s refrain on the prayer of his song,
“but You brought us out to abundance.”
(Psalm 66:10-12)

Trust His heart, Lovely One.
Cry the tears.
Rend the garments.
Mourn with authenticity.
Then surrender to the One who holds your tears in a bottle, records your pain in His own journal, and is waiting to bring you into His redemptive abundance!

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Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Esther Week Two! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
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Sketched Day 13 Laura

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Read His Words Before Ours!

John 1:9-13
Galatians 3:23-4:7
Psalm 27:7-14
Psalm 138:7-8

Sketched VI, Day 13

My life is a reflection of the grace of God.
I can’t look at any season I’ve walked through when Jesus hasn’t been faithful to provide.
It may not look like how I wanted, but He is faithful.

I was born to a mother who was addicted to drugs; I was a drug baby.
Those who knew my mother said if I were to think of any terrible action, my mother had done worse to get her hands on drugs. It was common for her to make drug deals in front of my sister and I, and prostitute in front of us.  I’m sure there was more, but it was never told to me – maybe to protect my mind – but I think I get the picture without any more stories.

My parents were foster parents when they welcomed my sister and I, which already gives you a glimpse of their hearts and lives, as they cared for children who weren’t their own. Later in life, I asked my mother why she’d never had her own kids. She told me about giving birth to a stillborn baby, which affected her more than anyone wanted to admit. She said she never wanted to experience that pain again.

So, my parents adopted both my sister and I, along with my brother who was born from another family. We lived in California, close to my biological family and siblings. We would visit often, usually weekly. I loved knowing my grandparents, it was like knowing I came from somewhere.

I remember one night packing up and leaving our home. We didn’t say goodbye to anyone, we just left. Our neighbor, who we were best friends with, saw us moving and came over to say goodbye. Later in life, that same neighbor told me she thinks my parents were trying to protect us from my siblings and biological mother in California. They saw the hurt and destruction the relationships were causing with my biological siblings being so close to my mom. My parents didn’t want to that environment for us too.

I remember being embarrassed telling people I was adopted when I entered elementary school. My cousin, Racheal, however, was so proud to know me and told EVERYONE we were related and I was adopted.
But for me, I always hated people knowing this part of my story.

Perhaps it was because my parents were older or a different ethnicity than me.
Or maybe adoption gave off the idea of being unwanted.
Regardless of how I felt about adoption, my parents loved me unconditionally.
Isn’t that strange for someone to love you SO well and SO deeply without being a biological parent?!

In middle school, we took our annual trip to California to visit friends and family where I had the opportunity to meet my biological aunts and uncles.
I had never met them, and I was so excited to meet people who were like me!
Maybe we had the same eye color, or nose, or the texture of our hair was the same. There was something about being adopted; for me, I just wanted to know who I was.

My aunts looked just like me, especially my aunt Vera.
When I met her, I felt like I had a connection with someone who looked like me. I asked my mom if we could move closer to them so I could know them better.
It crushed her, because she had spent the last 14 years of her life caring for us and raising us. To her, I seemed willing to throw that love away on someone I didn’t even know. While my aunt and I are still very close to this day, I think the idea of my mom losing someone she loved – again –  was terrifying.

The deep love the Lord has for us is much like this.
When I gave my life to Jesus at church camp in the summer of 2007, I began understanding His love. I began to take in the truth of the Lord having a plan for me and being for me, not against me.
Jesus had rescued me from a drugged-out woman who told my parents she never wanted me. He was there in the moments of abandonment as a child, comforting me through my earthly father’s love. That’s how good He is, that’s how good His plan is!

The Lord has taught me so much of His grace and what adoption looks like through His eyes. He is our Adopted Father!
I don’t think I really got this picture until I was in my twenties as I began realizing how much my parents sacrificed for our family; all for love.

There is something so sweet about adoption and the way it correlates with Scripture and God’s love for us.
When Jesus adopts us into His family,
He doesn’t give up on us when we do something wrong.
He doesn’t shame us when we fall short.

MY parents would NEVER do that to me, because they loved me like Jesus.
I partied in high school and they never once told me I was rejected from their family.
They chose love.
The same unconditional love our Father gives us surpasses anything I will ever experience.

I was abandoned. I was rejected, but I have been beautifully accepted, loved, and adopted. I know what it’s like to be loved, wanted, valued, heard, and a daughter to someone who said yes to you first!

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A Note About Sketched
In this series, we are stepping into the shoes of various characters throughout history. Some are biblical, some are well-known in modern day times, and some are people our writers know personally. We do our best to research the culture and times surrounding these individuals to give an accurate representation of their first-person perspectives on life and the world, but we can’t be 100% accurate. “Sketched” is our best interpretation of how these characters view(ed) God, themselves, and the world around them. Our hope is that by stepping into their everyday, we will see our own lives a little differently!
Enjoy!
And keep watching for Sketched Themes to pop up throughout the year!

Join the GT Community and share your thoughts!

Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Sketched VI Week Three! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
Here’s a link to all past studies in Sketched VI!

The GT Weekend! ~ Open Week 3

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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

Worship Through Journaling

1)  We all have ugly, difficult, frustrating places and scenarios playing out in our everyday lives, no matter how much we wish otherwise. What are yours? The annoying person you can’t seem to avoid, the coworker driving you insane, the family member who just does not get it, or even more deeply, the people who have hurt you, who continue throwing jabs, who choose to keep dragging you through the mud. Who are these for you? These are your messy places. And Jesus wants to bring hope to every person involved, infusing love and grace like we’ve never known to each circumstance. What if we were conduits for such love? Suppose we were exactly who Jesus wanted to use to expand His kingdom in these messy places. Are we willing to allow that?

2)  “There isn’t a person on earth who is unworthy of hearing the message of Jesus.” Yes? Maybe? It’s easy to read aloud or mentally agree with, isn’t it? Of course that statement is true! But, is that how we live? If it’s actually true, how far are we willing to go to share that message? Will we give generously? Will we keep on giving, even when we receive nothing, not even an honorable mention? As you survey the treasures you have around you in your home, your car, your bank account, or even your afternoon, begin seeing these as opportunities to build God’s Kingdom through generosity. Pray over these, asking the Lord to show you how to steward what you’ve been blessed with!

3)  The Land of Offense…we’ve all taken up residency here at various points in our lives. Betrayal. Hurtful words. Neglect. Manipulation. Abandonment. What drives you away to this place of offended and hurt? Go ahead and name the ones that are your most recent experiences with offense. Give yourself permission to feel that hurt and to know that the Lord God sees you and understands your feelings, the wound, the hurt, and wants to free you from it. We can exact no retribution on another that would slay them more deeply than an offering of love and forgiveness (with appropriate boundaries where necessary). This is not a love we can manufacture, but flows from the Spirit’s love inside of us. What would it look like to surrender your right to live in the Land of Offense and choose love instead?

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 1 Corinthians 10:32-11:1 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

Give no offense to Jews or Greeks or the church of God, just as I also try to please everyone in everything, not seeking my own benefit, but the benefit of many, so that they may be saved. Imitate me, as I also imitate Christ.

Prayer Journal
Never do we see our own sin more clearly when we cast but a glance at Your glory and flawless love. Our offenses against You, a Holy and Righteous God, are as innumerable as the sand on the shores. Yet, You choose love over offense. You choose to generously give us Your righteousness when we have nothing to offer but our sin-wrecked selves. You give of Yourself freely to all regardless of any pre-requisite if we just trust You to be who You say You are. Lord, as You continuously treat us with such open generous love in every moment of waking or sleeping, urge us forward to treat others like this as well. Love the world through us, Abba!

Worship Through Community

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Worship Through Prayer

Worship Through Music

Open Day 15 The Land Of Offense

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Open, Day 15

Genesis 45:4-16
Psalm 112:5-9
Luke 12:31-34
2 Corinthians 9:6-8

Are you familiar with the Land of Offense, friend?
Allow me to paint a picture….

The trees in the woods are dark; the forest shrouded in hurt. Every branch juts furiously into the air, each one a reminder of the unforgivable thing done to us. The sky is aflame with ugly orange and red streaks of anger, while the clouds are vicious and circular…not unlike the thought patterns which turn the offense over and over in our minds.

Flowers are unable to bloom for the infestation of irritation, and the borders of the Land of Offense are closed to visitors, because we refuse to allow anyone close enough to see our brokenness. The most interesting feature?
In many cases, the Land is virtually invisible to whomever we might consider “the offender.”

That’s right. This thing we’ve chosen to pick up and carry affects us and everyone around us…..while the person(s) we blame for our misery remain blissfully unaware.

It’s no mistake that when Jesus taught on anger, He instructed that if we are presenting our offering to Him and remember our brother is carrying an offense against us, we are to stop and leave at once to make amends with that person.

Isn’t His wording interesting there?
Rather than instructing us to go and make amends with the person we have offended, He specifically instructs us to first recognize if our brother has picked up an offense against us, and to make that right before we continue with our own offering.

Do you catch the nuances there?
It has little to do with whether or not we feel like we have done something wrong, and everything to do with accepting our responsibility to go to the person who is offended and restore that relationship.

Talk about high challenge.

The truth here, Love?
We have all undoubtedly been hurt.
We live in a world full of broken people. In fact, I can guarantee that 100% of the people in your circle are broken. In the same way, I can guarantee that 100% of us have hurt someone else, intentionally or not.

Do you know who had every right to be offended?
Joseph.
He was betrayed by those who should have loved him best: his older brothers. Worse, they planned to kill him! At the last minute, they sold him into slavery, then convinced his father he’d been killed by a wild animal.

I wonder what we would have done in that situation. 

If you or I had been on the receiving end of murderous intent, then trafficked by our own brothers, would we have resisted the temptation to harbor un-forgiveness and anger toward those who hurt us?
Would we have extended forgiveness?
Would we have offered praise to the Lord, even then?

I don’t know, Sister. I’d like to think so, but if I’m being honest, the truth is that I’ve picked up an offense over far (and I do mean far) less than Joseph’s offenses.

Yet, that’s exactly what Joseph did.
Rather than wallowing in self-pity, or fueling himself with anger and hatred for the rest of his days, he chose to view everything through Kingdom vision and rest in the knowledge that his God was in control.

Even when he was betrayed by those closest to him.
Even when he was stripped of honor and dignity and thrown into a pit like an animal.
Even when he was sold into slavery for a few coins.
Even when he was falsely accused and his reputation destroyed.
Even when he was imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit.

The Lord blessed Joseph, not because of who Joseph was or what he did, but because the Lord is God, and He chose to be with Joseph. He made Joseph successful in every endeavor.

When the time came, and Joseph was given the opportunity to exact vengeance on his guilty brothers, the Lord moved his heart to act in forgiveness instead.
Because Joseph had chosen to trust God even when he had a right to be offended, he wasn’t hung up on what had happened all those years ago.
Because Joseph chose forgiveness rather than offense, the Lord was able to move through Joseph and extend hospitality to the very brothers who once longed to murder him. Through Joseph’s obedience and faith, his entire family was spared from the famine which ravaged the land. They, and everyone in their households, including their livestock, were well cared for and had all they needed.

Sister, what would this place look like if each one of us committed to forgiveness and obedience, in our even when?

Would we begin to see the Lord move powerfully in our families and schools and churches and cities because we would be unwilling to choose citizenship in the Land of Offense?

Would He begin to fill us with a fresh spirit of hospitality,
because there would be so much room to fill in a life lived free from offense?

Would we begin to see a move of God that doesn’t make sense to the world, because rather than handing out condemnation, we would allow Holy Spirit to do His work while we do ours by inviting the broken into our homes, our lives, and our church pews?

Father, You are just and holy.
Forgive me for the times I have been quick to pick up an offense against others.
Show me what a life lived free from offense looks like, so I can be Your vessel, capable of extending hospitality from a heart that is open and ready to give.
I want to be a good ambassador of your Name.
Shape me to look like You!
Amen.

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Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Open Week Three! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!
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Looking for other journeys from this theme?
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Awaken Day 1 A Prayer For Mercy

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Psalm 6
Psalm 13:1-6
2 Corinthians 1:3-7 

Awaken, Day 1

One of the beautiful things about Gracefully Truthful is the vulnerability required to write each Journey studies. From the beginning, we have strived for authenticity, as our desire has been for other women to know we are walking the reality of the Journeys we write.
Rarely do I write from distant experience,
I write what the Lord is revealing in my heart moment by moment.
It is messy, I cry many tears as I write,
and I trust that the Lord will somehow use my scattered words to bring Him glory.

With that transparency I tell you, sisters, I am walking through an incredibly dark valley.
My future is uncertain.
My dreams are shattered.
My heart is broken.

In the midst of this valley, the Psalms has brought comfort, putting into words prayers I haven’t known how to pray. I’ve spent days sitting in one Psalm drawing as much truth and comfort from it as I can hold before moving onto the next.

It is beautiful to see how the Bible has so many dimensions!

The same verses I clung to as a little girl learning the Lord is my shepherd, are the same verses God used to makes me lie down in green pastures.
Today, those same verses remind me I will never walk alone.

The Bible never changes.
But I change.
Because of that, the Bible will always be relevant.

God spoke through Psalm 6, meeting me exactly where I am.
But His word is ready to meet each of us in every circumstance
because His Spirit makes it come alive!

Women trying to conceive can pray these words back to the Lord.
Mamas grieving loss can read these words as the Spirit ministers directly to their souls.
Soldiers could feel as if this psalm was written just for them, finding solace in His rescue.
God’s Word is relatable, bringing us life!
His Word is for each of us!

“Be gracious to me, Lord, for I am weak;
heal me, Lord, for my bones are shaking;
my whole being is shaken with terror.
And you, Lord—how long?”
Psalm 6:2-3

My heart echoes amen and amen.
And countless hearts down through the centuries do the same.
Our beings shake.
Be gracious, Lord!
And Lord?! How Long??

The older I get, the more I realize how incredibly messy life is.
Even in the beautiful seasons, there will always be trials to face.
Every single person reading this page has faced a trial of some kind,
so we can all draw comfort from His Word.

“Save me for the sake of your steadfast love!”
Psalm 6:4

Oh sisters, how weak I have felt in this valley!
How deeply I’ve begged, “Save me for the sake of your steadfast love!”
I’ve never experienced the shaking of my bones quite like I have lately.
Often, I find myself crying out to God,
“How long? How long will this season last? Surely this valley can’t be any deeper?”

Are you weary from your groaning?
Is your pillow drenched every night?
Do you wait until your kids are in bed, then let the tears flow?
Do you hold them in for as many days as you can, until they just burst while you’re driving?
Me, too.

Take comfort in this, Dear One, the Lord sees every single tear that falls.
He catches those tears in a bottle (Psalm 56:8); He knows the source of those tears.
He knows the heartache, the grief, the loss, the suffering, the anger, the disappointment.

Are your eyes swollen from grief?
Does your head throb from the overwhelming thoughts running through it?
Does your body ache from exhaustion as you long to sleep just one night without the interruption of horrible dreams or racing thoughts?
Does your jaw hurt because of the constant clenching?
Me, too.

He sees.
He knows each thought, each dream, and your aching body. (Matthew 11:28-29)
He longs to give you rest.

As I sat in my counseling session sharing with my therapist the anger I was feeling, he explained that my grief will come like the tide, sometimes it will roll in and come further up on the shore before descending back down, but like the tide, it will surely come.
The beauty of grieving, he explained, is that I am able to understand even more deeply the devastation caused by sin, and therefore, grasp the need for a Savior even more than I ever have before.
But I do not have to walk through grief alone.
As I enter into a new phase of grief I can bring it to the Lord,
transparently asking Him to walk with me.

The Lord has heard the sound of my weeping!
He hasn’t turned a deaf ear to my pain.
He hasn’t blocked out my mourning or allowed it to become like white noise mixing with the sounds of weeping across the globe.
He has heard each individual cry.
Yours. Mine. Your neighbor’s. Your child’s. The hungry child in Honduras.
The mourning father in Guam. Each and every wail is heard by the Lord.

And the Lord accepts my prayer.
Not only has He heard.
He listens. He accepts.

I look forward to the day I can write a Journey like this from the other side.
But I’m not there yet, and I won’t be for a while.
So, I sit in the peace that is offered in Psalm 6 and throughout the rest of Scripture.
The Lord knows my pain. He knows my tears.
He knows exactly how long this season will last.
And He will walk with me every step of the way.

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Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Awaken Week One! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
Here’s a link to all past studies in Awaken!

Pause 2 Day 10 Love The Sheep

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Pause 2, Day 10

This “in-the-trenches” book of suffering, of enemy attacks, of warring against the desires of our sinful flesh, ends with a mighty victory speech.

I have a hard time reading this chapter without tears in my eyes as I consider all of my own sufferings and putting them in context of incorruptible faith and hope.

Our God is a Mighty Warrior, a protecting God, and a tender Chief Shepherd, who sees our sufferings and is deeply familiar with each broken place on our souls that is tender to the touch.

He sees the anguish, the struggles, the temptation to give in to defeat, but He lifts our head, pointing our eyes towards the
incorruptible future where all will be made right.

Sisters, I reach out to hold your hand as you survey your hurts, your wounds, your sadness, your grief, your loss; all of those aches, whether as small as the whole box of Cheerios on the floor again, or the empty cavern left by the death of a loved one, are known. I’m reaching out to hold your hand, as you reach out to hold another’s, and she reaches to hold another’s.

Our hope is coming, Sister.
It’s incorruptible!

In the meantime, take courage and love the sheep around you as you proclaim this hope!

The God of all grace,
who called you to His eternal glory in Christ,
will Himself
restore, establish, strengthen, and support
you after you have suffered a little while.
To him be dominion forever.
Amen!

P.S. Hungry for more deep truths from this incredible letter from Peter?!
Journey with us into Incorruptible, launching Monday!
Invite a friend to join you by sharing this link with them.

Today's Invitation

1) Read through 1 Peter 5 out loud today twice. Slowly. Linger over that verse (or verses) that stick out to you, slowing and listening as God’s Spirit speaks to your heart! Choose 1 or 2 to write out on notecards and post them around your house – then post a picture of your reminder cards on Instagram or on our Facebook Community Page. Take the weekend to memorize these and forever hide them in your heart!

2) We are so excited to share this hand-crafted Spotify playlist! We created it as we prayed over *you*. Put this playlist on repeat this weekend and be reminded of the rich truths God has shown you this week in Pause!

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Colossians 1:1-14

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

2 To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, 7 just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf 8 and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.

9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

How Does “Pause” Work?
1.Each day, Monday through Friday, for 2 weeks, we will provide you with an invitation to get away with the Savior. Each one is designed for you to engage with the Almighty in a deeper way and perhaps in a new way than you have been recently.

2. Having a journal is a must! You’ll want to take notes as you walk this special Journey of Pause.

3. Each week focuses on one or two passage of Scripture and we walk with you as you study and flesh these out for yourself. As you write your thoughts, read His Word, and pray, questions might come up. That’s Perfect! Ask a trusted fellow believer, a pastor, or send us an email as you work through them!

4. Jumping in at the middle? No problem! Here is the entire Journey Theme.

5. Connect with others on Facebook by visiting our GT Community Group!

Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Pause 2 Week Two!
Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

Looking for other journeys from this theme? Here’s a link to all past studies
in Pause 2!

The GT Weekend! Prayer Week 2

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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

Worship Through Journaling

1) In Matthew 4:4 we see Jesus say, “Man must not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Where is your daily time with the Lord? Are you intentionally asking to hear from God? He is ready to speak truth into your life! Pray for the Holy Spirit to give you a heart that is ready to receive the Word of God!  

2) When we put the notion of forgiveness in reference to how much forgiveness we have received, our hearts are often softened. We are in a much better place in our relationship with the Lord to begin forgiving others. Spend time today thinking about your sin and the forgiveness you have been given. Do you need to ask the Lord for forgiveness in any other areas? Do you need to extend forgiveness to anyone? Pray over these instances and the people involved! 

3) Often in life, we get hurt and an apology is not offered. We desire that response to be there, but the reality is staring us in the face, not saying a word. Think through how you can still come to a place of forgiveness without ever receiving an apology. What Scripture helps you wrestle with longing for justice, not wanting to let the other person have free pass for sinning*, and freely offering forgiveness? Want some ideas of where to start looking in Scripture? Connect with us below or at prayer@gracefullytruthful.com  

*Please note that we do NOT support you blindly “forgiving” an abuser in a relationship by allowing them to continue harming you. Please seek professional help and safety!  

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 Colossians 3:12-14 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

12 Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a grievance against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you are also to forgive. 14 Above all, put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.  

Prayer Journal
Lord God Almighty, You have poured out Your mercy on me so lavishly. I now have new birth in living hope because of Your Son’s death and resurrection. That You would long to have relationship with me, a sinner, of which I am the worst, blows my mind. Thank You Lord for accepting me. Remind me daily that Your acceptance of me isn’t founded in my ability to perform well, it’s founded in Your love for my life.  

God, as I think of forgiving people in my life, open my eyes to see where I’m being stingy. I get my feelings all tied in a knot when I don’t hear the exact apology I want to hear and am quick to judge, rather than forgive. Forgive me, Lord, for that. Show me more of You that I might move more quickly to forgive others in my life.  

Worship Through Community

Can we pray for you? Reach Out! We’d love to pray for and with you!
Send us an email at prayer@gracefullytruthful.com

Build community, be transparent, and encourage others:
Share how God spoke to you today!
Comment Here or in our Facebook Community Group!

Worship Through Prayer

Worship Through Music

Chase Day 7 Chasing Anger: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days...are a pretty big deal at GT!

We search God's Word together, ask questions as we read, dig around to find the original intentions at the time of writing, and then make some applications to our everyday lives.
Along the way, we hope you'll pick up some new tools to study Scripture and you'll see truth in a new and accessible way!
Dig In!

The Passage

Looking for yesterday’s
Journey Study?
Check out Chasing Anger

James 1:19-21 Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

My dear brothers and sisters, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger, 20 for human anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness. 21 Therefore, ridding yourselves of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent, humbly receive the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

The Questions

1) How are listening, speaking, and anger related?

2) Is human anger different from God’s anger?

3) What produces the righteousness of God?

The Findings for Intention

1) How are listening, speaking, and anger related?
Cross references are incredibly helpful tools for students of the Bible. Others have already done all the hard work to connect the same word or same usage of that word to other similar usages/phrases in the Bible. The cross-references for “anger” in verse 21 lead us to several passages; consider this one from Ecclesiastes 5:1-2 or here from Proverbs 4:23-27. Both of these references (and many more) teach that our outward actions, words, and emotions are rooted directly to our hearts. How we listen and how we speak, are barometers for the condition of our hearts. Jesus talks about this in Luke 6:45 saying, “…out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.” The book of James as a whole is about training in the disciplines of godly living that honors God with our whole life. One of these is the discipline of the tongue. To safeguard against anger, James teaches us to train our tongue as well as our ears. Slow. Slow. Slow. Slow to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger will do much for our training in godliness.  See also James 3:1-12 for more on this disciplined training!

2) Is human anger different from God’s anger?
So Much Yes! James makes a clear distinction here to help us see the difference. Man’s anger doesn’t bring about the righteousness of God, and the opposite is true as well. God’s anger does bring about His righteousness. When we become angry and let it spew unbridled from our tongue, and when, because of anger, we stop listening, only jumping in to defend ourselves, we will never bring about God’s righteousness in our relationships. Instead, relationships are broken and we recklessly hurt others with our words (Proverbs 12:18). God’s anger is a righteous anger over sin in the lives of His beloved children. His anger is purposeful with a heart of love behind it, a love that is pursuing a relationship of intimacy with us. Our anger? It rarely comes from a heart of love for the other person. Though, sometimes our anger can indeed have pure motives, but Paul warns us, “In your anger, do not sin.” (Ephesians 4:26)

3) What produces the righteousness of God?
In verse 21, we see “therefore”, which should be read “in light of” or “because our anger doesn’t produce God’s righteousness, and we are called to holy, righteous living, combat that anger with these”: “put away all filthiness, all rampant wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word.” That “word” is the freeing gospel of Jesus Christ, knowing that we were helpless to create righteousness on our own, Jesus became righteousness for us on our behalf! (2 Corinthians 5:21) None of this discipline training is possible without this full-hearted embrace of the freeing gospel! But James is quick to insist, “be doers of the word and not just hearers only.” Embrace the word of the free gospel, but link arms with “Faith” and “Obedience” and follow closely as you train in godliness.

The Everyday Application

1) How are listening, speaking, and anger related?
In our culture, we spend a lot of time disciplining our bodies and training them to excel at the best with food and fitness. Have you ever considered what it would look like to train and discipline our hearts? After all, it’s only our souls that will last into eternity, not our bodies. Consider beginning some heart-training for godliness in the arena of your ears, your tongue, and the anger inside. Ask the Holy Spirit for His help to grow you and to help you reach for grace instead of anger. When we listen, let’s be intentional and slow down to really hear (not distracted hearing). When we choose to speak, let’s choose our words carefully and slowly. When in doubt, give the benefit of the doubt! Don’t think the worst of the other person, instead, extend grace and ask for clarification. It’s hard! Don’t be discouraged, training and discipline is hard work with great reward! When in doubt, give the benefit of the doubt! Don’t think the worst of the other person, instead, extend grace and ask for clarification.

2) Is human anger different from God’s anger?
When we’re speaking with non-believers, we want to share His love. Our words and actions need to be in alignment to do that effectively. The listener will not receive our words well if we are shouting at them about how wrong they are or even how much they annoy us; they will only walk out of our lives. Keeping our anger in check allows for even more conversation with our sisters to transpire. Reflecting on God’s holy anger over our sin can be a source of encouragement to be broken over the sin in our life instead of turning a blind eye to that sin.

3) What produces the righteousness of God?
If we put our faith in the King of Kings, the Mighty One, the Prince of Peace, our lives will be changed forever. The Holy Spirit is in the business of transforming lives by leading us into things that sharpen us and let us reflect the Son even better. After experiencing that initial transformation, we have begun to produce the righteousness of God in our lives. As that takes root and begins to bear fruit, our faith is deepened and God’s righteousness is on display even brighter. It throws us into a beautiful cycle, for His glory on display for the world to see!

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*Written by Michelle Promise and Rebecca Adams

I Can Do That!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read through it (always more than a verse or two).
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!

The Community!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into
Chase Week Two!
Don’t miss out on the discussion. 
We’d love to hear your thoughts!

The Tools!

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources.  Just type in the verse you’re looking at and Boom! It’s right in front of you in English and Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament), which are the original languages the Bible was written in.

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. Find super awesome stuff like “origin”, “definition”, and even all the different ways that single word has been translated into English! If you want to be geeky, you can even click the word and hear its original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want to get more background on a word or phrasing or passage? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

The Why!

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.

Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus.
Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
See all past studies in Chase!