refuge

Sketched VIII Day 13 Tamar And Absalom

Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

2 Samuel 13 
1 Corinthians 13
2 Samuel 11
Colossians 3:18-25
Psalm 91

Sketched VIII, Day 13

Tamar
What a mess I am in. According to our law, he is supposed to make me his wife. (Deuteronomy 22:28-29) But the law also says he cannot, because what happened between us is a disgrace and we’ll both bear the sin. (Leviticus 18:11, 20:17) However, I know my suffering and shame will be greater than his . . . though he was the initiator and violator.

My name, Tamar, is now soiled because of my half brother, Amnon. How could he deceive me into thinking I was coming to help him in his sickness, when he only wanted to rape me? (2 Samuel 13:6-14) How could he profess his love for me and
commit this great iniquity?
Love isn’t rude like he was.
Love does not do unrighteous acts.
Love is not selfish. (1 Corinthians 13: 5-6)

Amnon never loved me. He loved what he could take from me. And he has taken everything.
My virginity, my trust in men, my hope of a future, my peace.
All of it, stolen, never to be returned.

Who will vindicate me? Will my father, David? I am not sure. Whispers in the court claim he took Bathsheba as his wife in a similar way. Is it true my father also violated Bathsheba while her husband Uriah was fighting a war, as my father should have been? (2 Samuel 11:1-4) Are the rumors true that the child she mourned was also my father’s, a product of their encounter? (2 Samuel 12:16-18)

But she became his wife, so I cannot turn to her with my pain. She will not understand my position because my father did not despise her afterwards as Amnon hates me. O, woe is me! Who can help me in my time of great distress and need?

Surely not my father. No, Amnon is David’s son; David has taught Amnon by word and by deed. How can David chastise his son for something he also did? I will seek out my brother, Absalom. Perhaps he will not fail me.

Absalom
The scoundrel Amnon! He deceived our father and committed a great sin against my sister, Tamar. She came to me hopeless, weeping, covered in ashes of mourning. I took her into my home, asking her to keep quiet so I could make a plan before word of her disgrace spread. (2 Samuel 13:20)

I tried asking my father for help, but was denied. He showed anger, yes. But he did nothing for Tamar (2 Samuel 13:21); he chose his firstborn over us. Therefore, my own anger burned for two years because of his inaction. (Colossians 3:21)

Finally, I vindicated Tamar and made right what King David left in disgrace. Amnon is dead at the hands of the men under my command. Now my father grieves for Amnon while I must flee for my life. (2 Samuel 13:23-37)

Tamar
Amnon is dead. Absalom fled after he ordered Amnon’s killing.
I know Amnon thinks he has vindicated me.
I suppose, if nothing else, he has avenged me.

But I still live with shame. When Absalom ran, he left the household that had been my shelter. I must now return to my mother, Maacah, who is part of David’s royal harem. (2 Samuel 3:3) How humiliating to be the only one who is not a virgin, yet unmarried. No hope of marriage or family is forthcoming for me.

Though he tried, Absalom has also failed me. Blinded by anger and vengeance, he left me here alone.  And now my father mourns for Amnon, but who mourns for me? There is no man in whom I can hope or trust with my life, my well being.

I hurl my broken cries into the void surrounding me, expecting no answer but silence.
Yet here, in my deepest darkness and depression and pain, Someone whispers my name.
Not with derision or scorn, but tenderness and love.

YAHWEH
He alone will be my hope.
He will be my refuge and strength.
He will help me when I am in trouble.
He will provide.

If He is with me, I will not need to be afraid. When men continue to fail me, I will trust in Him. (Psalm 91:1-4) I cling to His promises to protect me and give me peace. (Psalm 91:14-16)

At the hands of men, I have been deceived, abused, violated, ignored, and abandoned.
In the arms of YAHWEH, I have found safety, acceptance, vindication, and redemption.
YAHWEH’s faithfulness, unlike men’s, is everlasting.

Share your thoughts from today’s Journey Study!
Can we pray for you?
Sign up to receive every Journey Study!
Join our Facebook Community!

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 VIII 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 VIII!

Questions Day 10 Why Does Evil Flourish?

1 Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Psalm 37 
Proverbs 21:6-7
James 1:2-4
Psalm 92:6-7

Questions, Day 10

Friends, to be perfectly honest, as I began writing this study, I chose this question, “Why do evil people flourish?”, and held it in my hands, turning it this way and that, wondering why I was even writing this Journey.
My heart isn’t bent out of shape.
I haven’t lived my life frustrated because evil people seem to get ahead, while good people sometimes can’t catch a break. Really, I’ve never thought much about it…

And yet… 

When I began reading Psalm 37, the prickling in my eyes started almost instantly.

Maybe I do need to remember the truth found in Psalm 37.
Not maybe …
I do need this truth.

I’ve spent much of the past year asking God,
“Why me? Haven’t I kept Your commandments?
Haven’t I upheld Your name?
I thought I was making all of the right choices.
So … why me?
Why does it feel like my life is crumbling around me?”

I keep getting pummeled. Every time I turn around, another disaster hit me square in the face. I held up my hands, bracing to protect myself, but to no avail.

But when I look a little to my right …
“she” has it all together.
“She” has a healthy and whole family.
“She” manages to have a clean house, a perfect body, and a successful husband.
And when I look a little to my left …
“she” has a successful career, plenty of friends,
and all the money to live the lifestyle she desires.

Then, I look down at myself, my hands still shielding my face from yet another blow. I look at my body, which has gained some weight, responding entirely differently than it did to the first crisis I encountered.

I look at my worn jeans, my sister’s shoes on my feet, and my painted hands.
My jeans are worn because they’re the only pair I own.
I wear my sister’s shoes because she died eight months ago and I inherited some of her clothes. My hands are painted because I’m working on my daughters’ Christmas present, a castle I bought second-hand and am painting to make it feel new and special.

When I look in the mirror, I see lines that didn’t exist a year ago, seemingly permanent dark circles, and …

And I see joy.
There, in my eyes, is joy.

People who haven’t faced crisis and disaster are not evil, not at all! And truthfully, none of us travel this life unscathed, especially those who follow Jesus.
Yet, James exhorts us,
“Count it all joy . . . when you meet trials of various kinds,
for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.”
(James 1:2-4)

We can count it all joy because we get to experience more fully who God is, even, no, especially, in the darkest of places. Psalm 37 describes our active God.
He doesn’t sit back and watch us suffer and ache.
He is fighting for us.
The Lord upholds the righteous for He is a knowing God; He knows the days of the blameless. The Lord is our help, our deliverer, and our refuge. 

Psalm 37:25 makes my heart beat a little faster:

“I have been young, and now am old,
yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
or his children begging for bread.” 

Imagine standing at a coffee bar, filling your cup next to an elderly man. As you begin talking, you can almost see the wisdom dripping from him. He puts his wrinkled, weathered hand on top of yours, and you look into his eyes.

He pats your hand and says, “I’ve been your age, and now I’m just an old chap, but I’m telling ya’, I’ve never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging for food. The Lord has always provided.” His eyes gleam with unshed tears, his little smile reveals his perfect dentures, and you just know he’s lived a lifetime filled with heartaches and yet here he is, testifying of the goodness of God.

Sounds like a scene from a Hallmark movie, doesn’t it? But it describes exactly what David is doing as he pours out his heart in the psalm to the Knowing, Listening, Present God. David has faced battles, he’s lost children, he’s suffered from the mistakes of his youth,
but he will still declare the goodness of God.

The enemy is crafty and tricky, and an incredibly good liar, and sometimes, it just seems like evil always wins! This world is fallen and broken because sin has destroyed, killed, and stolen life and delight as we were intended to enjoy when God first created. Because of this reality, we will always be hit with shrapnel from explosions happening around us.

In Psalm 37, and many other places throughout Scripture, we are reminded God will not forsake His saints (anyone who’s given their life to Him!).

The best part?
We have the promise of eternity with Him, where evil will no longer run rampant.

Yes, evil flourishes here on earth…
but ultimately, we already KNOW the battle has been won.
We know God has won the battle.
God wins.

So maybe it feels like evil people will always flourish.

Maybe it feels like we, devoted followers of Jesus who entrust our lives to Him, just can’t catch a break. But the Lord is ever faithful.
Lean in and hold fast because He will never forsake you,
He will never leave you,
and one day,
our success will be our testimony to, and declaration of,
the incredible goodness of God.

Evil flourishes here, but it does NOT have the final victory!
Only Our God holds that!

Ready for more? Dig Deeper!
Join us for every Journey Study by signing up!
Looking for yesterday’s Journey Study?
Share your thoughts from today’s Study!

Don’t miss today’s Digging Deeper!     And we’d love to hear your thoughts from today’s Journey!    Comment Here!

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 Questions Week Two! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!
Click the above image for today’s Digging Deeper!

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

Pause 3 Day 5 Sure & Certain

2 Comments

Pause 3, Day 5

Strong encouragement and a sure refuge.  
It’s not flowery or poetic or Instagram worthy, but these truths have been, and continue to be, deep wells of safety and, more importantly hope.

When relationships are unsure, He is certain.
When financial plans plummet, His refuge will not fail.
When anger, hurt, or sadness envelopes on all sides, the anchor of the Lord will hold steady.

Regardless of what I do, or don’t do, the ways I live out love, or the times I love myself more than others, nothing will change the hope I have in Jesus.

See, my God cannot lie.
And He has promised safety for me.

Not a safety within this physical realm, though He often provides exactly that, but a safe harbor for my heart forever.

There is no “alone” with the Lord.
There is no “I’m too far gone”.
He is sure.
He is certain.
His anchor for every soul entrusted to Him will hold firm and secure no matter the storm!

Grab your Bible, a journal and pen,
and open your heart to bask in the presence of the Almighty!

Today's Challenge

1) Read through Hebrews 6:13-20 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 3!

Share your thoughts from today’s Journey Study!
Can we pray for you?
Sign up to receive every Journey Study!

Join the GT Community on Facebook!

Hebrews 6:13-20

For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater to swear by, he swore by himself: 14 I will indeed bless you, and I will greatly multiply you. 15 And so, after waiting patiently, Abraham obtained the promise. 16 For people swear by something greater than themselves, and for them a confirming oath ends every dispute. 17 Because God wanted to show his unchangeable purpose even more clearly to the heirs of the promise, he guaranteed it with an oath, 18 so that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us. 19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain. 20 Jesus has entered there on our behalf as a forerunner, because he has become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

How Does “Pause” Work?
1. Each day, Monday through Friday, for 2 weeks, we will provide you with a simple challenge. Each challenge 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 3 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 Pause 3!

The GT Weekend! Awaken Week 3

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

Worship Through Journaling

1) On Monday, Sara shared the difference between “Wonder Woman” and a “Wondering Woman”. How easy it is for us to pursue control in our situations and chase after our solutions rather than slow down and ask the Lord. It’s a challenge to be still, sit, and dwell with the Lord on a regular basis. What would it look like in your life if you intentionally chose to regularly make time with the Lord just to be with Him? Make specific plans this weekend for how you will accomplish this over the next week and let a friend know too, asking her to hold you accountable to really dwelling with the Lord and seeking His ways instead of our own!

2) Bri Bailey wrote, ““I can’t do it anymore. It’s too big, too hard, hurts too much. I can’t.”” Can you, or have you ever, been able to relate to this? In what ways? What specific hurts brought too much pain, what burdens were simply too heavy? How have you walked through those time in the past? What would it mean to you to have a trusted refuge, someone to lift your head when you couldn’t and hold your hand when you were alone? Know that the Lord is exactly that! If you haven’t experienced that from Him, reach out! We’d love to help you connect with a local church community to help you grow deeper!

3) Yesterday, Tawnya shared some tactics she used to keep her heart and mind focused on truth despite her overwhelming circumstances. Consider using time this weekend to do the same and prepare your own heart to be awakened by truth next week instead of overwhelmed. Make some index cards to put in your purse with Scripture truths on them, make a playlist of encouraging music declaring truth to play on your phone, and select Scriptures from this week’s Journey Studies and spend time slowly reading them to wrap your heart in truth.

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 Psalm 150 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

Praise him with trumpet blast;
praise him with harp and lyre.
Praise him with tambourine and dance;
praise him with strings and flute.
Praise him with resounding cymbals;
praise him with clashing cymbals.
Let everything that breathes praise the Lord.
Hallelujah!

Prayer Journal
Hallelujah, what a Savior You are! Your rich character is vast beyond description! To sit here in Your presence is a gift too precious for words. Here, at Your feet, gazing at Your glory, swept up in the beauty of You, my anxieties fall away, the pressures of success fade, and my need for You is filled so sweetly.

Father, to be with You, to praise You, to declare Your goodness is life-giving, but I know I so easily prioritize a million lesser “loves”, counterfeits to You. Bring these idols to my mind that I might confess them before You as You renew my soul to sing and dance for You, Mighty God!

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

Safe Day 7
For Such A Time As This: Digging Deeper

Leave a Comment

Digging Deeper posts are intended to help us go farther into God’s word than a simple surface reading
and are designed to help us discover new tools in the process.
Curious as to why we Dig Deeper? Here’s Why! 

The Passage

Looking for yesterday’s Journey Post? Check out For Such A Time As This!

Psalm 91 English Standard Version (ESV)

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
    will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,
    my God, in whom I trust.”

3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
    and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his pinions,
    and under his wings you will find refuge;
    his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
5 You will not fear the terror of the night,
    nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
    nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.

7 A thousand may fall at your side,
    ten thousand at your right hand,
    but it will not come near you.
8 You will only look with your eyes
    and see the recompense of the wicked.

9 Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place—
    the Most High, who is my refuge[b]—
10 no evil shall be allowed to befall you,
    no plague come near your tent.

11 For he will command his angels concerning you
    to guard you in all your ways.
12 On their hands they will bear you up,
    lest you strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the adder;
    the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.

14 “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him;
    I will protect him, because he knows my name.
15 When he calls to me, I will answer him;
    I will be with him in trouble;
    I will rescue him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him
    and show him my salvation.”

My Questions

1) What does it mean to dwell in the shelter of the Most High?

2) Who is speaking in this Psalm?

3) What actions must I take according to this Psalm? What promises does God give?

4) What word pictures are used by the Psalmist to describe God?

The Tools

A trip to www.studylight.org is in order here.
We will get super cozy with this site as we study Scripture together!
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 Findings for Original Intent

1) With a little investigation we can look up the word “dwells” and it means: to remain, to sit, to abide, to have one’s abode, to be inhabited by. This is a description of God’s place in our life. God desires to abide in us and for us to allow Him to take residence in our heart. We are to be inhabited by God in the power of the Holy Spirit.

2) In this Psalm, the Psalmist is not named; however, we do know that most of the Psalms were sung or chanted as worship songs. This particular one is dealing specifically with the security that the Lord offers when we put our trust in Him.

3) When reading through a Psalm, I like to mark what we as believers are asked to do and what God’s promises are in light of that. In this Psalm, we, the believer, are asked to dwell, make the Lord our refuge, to be on guard, call to the Lord, and hold fast to Him. God promises us that He will deliver us, cover us, be our shield and buckler, protect us from evil, guard us, be with us, answer us, and be our salvation. God is the God of promises! When we trust in Him, He will deliver us for all eternity.

4) There are a lot of analogies used in the Psalms. In this Psalm we see in v. 3 that God will deliver us from snare of the fowler (or trapper). The idea being that God saves us from the snares and traps of this world. In v 4, God will cover us with His pinions (wings). God’s “wings” are a safe place of refuge and coverage. In v. 11, He is the commander of the army, the angel army. This army guards us “in all of our ways.” The security we have in God is made abundantly clear with word pictures that allow us to “see” God’s character.

Some Applications for Our Everyday Lives

1) We are called to dwell in the Lord and allow Him to dwell in us. When we dwell, He abides. The circumstances of our life do not change our position of dwelling. God is at home in our hearts whether we are facing a life or death situation like Esther or dealing with the mundane every day. God calls upon us to make our abode with Him.

2) We see both the Psalmist and God speaking in these sixteen verses. God is faithful and speaks His promises clearly, “When he calls to me, I will answer him;  I will be with him in trouble;  I will rescue him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.” (Psalm 91:15-16) God speaks through His word and through the words of the Psalmist.

3) Several times throughout Scripture there are “If, Then” statements. If you dwell, then I will abide. (v.1) If you love Me, then I will deliver you. (v.13) God is God no matter how foolish we are; however, God does ask us to trust Him, cling to Him, and dwell in Him, the Almighty! He lays out structure for us as His children, not as a list of “must-do’s”, but as a means of opening the door for His fullness to abide in us!

4) God protects us from the snares of this world, God will cover us with His wings, He is the commander of angel armies that fight on our behalf and defend us! “…in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?” (Psalm 56:11) Every believer will encounter situations where we decide if we will trust God “for such a time as this”. Do you trust God to protect you from the snare, be your shield and defender, and cover you with His wings? The more we know about God’s character, the more confident we can be in the middle of difficulty. He’s always inviting us to know Him better!

We’d love to hear how God challenged you through today’s Journey Study! Share your thoughts, comments, and questions with the GT Community!
Can we pray for you? 
Looking for faith stories?

Want To Try It For Yourself?!

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!

Share Your Thoughts with the GT Community!

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.

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

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