A Sick Little Girl and the God Who Heals

Leave a reply

I will never forget the five nights we spent in the ICU with our then five-year-old daughter, Macey. She was so very sick when we took her to the hospital. She had been losing weight and just wasn’t herself. Then she started throwing up. It lasted a few days, and she was so weak. We knew something was really wrong. All we knew was we needed the God who heals.

Scary Days

As soon as we got to the hospital and got her into a room, a nurse turned to me and said, “It’s ketoacidosis. I can smell it on her breath.” That meant nothing to us in the moment, but we would come to understand all of it later. Over the next few hours, they arranged transport by ambulance to the Childrens’ Hospital of Philadelphia where she would receive the care she needed as a type 1 Diabetic. She was admitted to the ICU. There were so many doctors and nurses coming and going. They spoke of brain damage and the severity of her situation. It was completely overwhelming. Those were some dark days filled with fear, anxiety, and what-ifs.

God got us through those days, and Macey is doing well today. She wears both an insulin pump and a glucose monitor. But I have a special place in my heart for Type 1 Warriors.

(Macey is the one next to me, on the right.)

The Death of a Little Girl

When I read the story of a little girl being sick and then dying, it tugs on my mama’s heartstrings. And that’s the story we read in Luke 8.

The girl’s father, a man named Jairus, comes to Jesus and begs him to save his little girl. The little girl was twelve, and she was dying. He knew it, his wife knew it, and probably the girl herself knew it.

Jesus agrees and begins to make his way to Jairus’s home. It takes him a little bit because the woman with the issue of blood stops him, and He heals her. A messenger comes and finds Jairus and tells him, “Your daughter is dead. Don’t bother the teacher anymore.”

Just Believe

Jesus overhears the man and turns to Jairus and says these words, “Don’t be afraid. Only believe, and she will be saved.” Then they continue on to Jairus’s home. When they get there, only Jairus and his wife and Peter, James, and John are allowed inside with Jesus. Jesus takes the girl by her hand and says, “Child, get up.” The very next order is something that captures my husband’s and my attention. Jesus says, “Get her something to eat.”

Now allow me to hypothesize here for a moment. This is pure conjecture. But Matt and I often wonder if the girl in this story had diabetes. Obviously, they wouldn’t have even known back then that’s what it was. She would have just gotten thinner and thinner and sicker and sicker until she eventually slipped into a coma and then died. So when Jesus comes to her and heals her and then tells them to give her something to eat, it strikes at something inside me. The cure to helping someone whose sugars are too low is to give them something to eat.

Jesus Heals

So did she have diabetes? Maybe. Maybe not. But it certainly has made me think about what it must have been like for Jesus to heal people when he was here on earth. He knew every single disease and ailment He was healing, and yet, so many of those sicknesses weren’t even labeled yet. Can you imagine Jesus healing someone with diabetes? He heals them and can’t even tell them what it is. What would He say? “It’s a disease that they’ll discover in about fifteen hundred years, and they won’t have a cure for it for another five hundred years.”

God is our healer. His name, Jehovah Raphah, means, “the Lord Who heals.” We see this in Exodus 15:26.

He said, “If you will listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his sight, obeying his commands and keeping all his decrees, then I will not make you suffer any of the diseases I sent on the Egyptians; for I am the Lord who heals you.”

Exodus 15:26 NLT

Don’t Stop Asking

It brings me such comfort to know this name of God, the God who heals. I don’t know what you need healed today, but I know the God who does the healing. It may be a physical ailment, or it may be spiritual or mental. I don’t know what it is, but God does. And He’s a God who heals. It’s in the very nature of who He is.

Whatever you need healing from today, take it to the God who heals, believing He will heal. Don’t give up on asking and believing.

And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”

Luke 11:9-13 NLT

More Encouragement

For more encouragement, check out my post, When Trials Knock Your Feet Out from Under You. A book I’m working through right now is Untangle Your Emotions: Naming What You Feel and Knowing What to Do About It.

Trusting in Troubled Times

Leave a reply

Sometimes I wonder if newspapers, whether something generic like the Daily Times or specific like the New York Times, should be called the “Troubled Times.”

We live in troubled times. Don’t we? Jesus called it “wars and rumors of wars.” He said as much in Matthew.

You will hear of wars and rumors of wars but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.

(Matthew 24:6-7)

Troubling Times

Should we be afraid of the times we live in? If you look at the statistics, it doesn’t look good. According to Chris Hedges, a writer for the New York Times, “Of the past 3,400 years, humans have been entirely at peace for 268 of them, or just 8 percent of recorded history.” For all those years of fighting and warring, estimates say 150 million up to 1 billion people have died because of war.¹

What is our hope for the threat of violence and war? Jesus.

Winning the War with Worry

Jesus promised the disciples in John 14 that they didn’t have to be afraid. What could the disciples have been afraid of? They had the Creator of the universe, the One who spun the clouds, splashed the seas with white-capped waves, and flecked the stars across the galaxies like a painter’s flip of the wrist with a brush and a canvas, walking with them. The One who roars with thunder and is gentle as a breeze. The One who stood with the three protestors in the fiery furnace of Nebuchadnezzar. The Bright and Morning Star and Son of God sat with them around a table. What did they have to fear?

The fear that the Romans and religious elite would break down their doors and arrest them was a very real fear. They feared the visceral sight and sound of men wailing as they were being crucified on a hillside. They feared for their lives.

Facing Your Fear

What do you say to someone when they face their deepest fears? What would you want to hear to dispel your fears? Jesus said three words, “Believe in me.” Believe in me? What would “belief” in Jesus do to keep the Romans from arresting them for scheming and plotting against the empire?

Jesus said to them:

Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.

John 14:1

Jesus was saying to them, “Are you afraid? I have something to offer you that will overcome and counteract those fears.” Jesus offered them a promise of an eternal home in heaven. He spent three years telling them Who He was. He spent three years letting them in on His secrets, pulling back the curtain, and revealing more of the story to them. His big reveal was this: “I’m going to go and prepare a place for you.” (John 14:2-6)

Another word for “believe” is trust or faith. Jesus was saying, “You trust God? You can trust me. You have faith in God? Have faith in me.”

Believing in God’s Goodness

Do you believe God is good? Do you believe God can be trusted? Jesus calls us to trust him. Choose to trust Jesus today to calm your fears and quell your frights. Jesus wants to bring calm to your mind to de-stress you.

Don’t let your heart get to the point where you lose your sense of your trust in God.

**This is an excerpt from our devotional, FearLess: Worry-Free Living in a Fear-Filled World.

More Encouragement

For more encouragement, check out my post, 3 Steps to Releasing Worry and Fear.

1. Hedges, Chris, “What Every Person Should Know about War,” July 6, 2003, The New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/06/books/chapters/what-every-person-should-know-about-war.html.

Pause and Reflect

Leave a reply

It’s been a week–a week of devastating losses, fear, trauma, and so much more. If you’ve spent any time watching the news or scrolling on social media, your heart has been impacted by the events of this week. After spending time online, we’re tempted to crawl into a hole and never come back out.

Finding Answers

What’s the answer after a week like this one? Lately, it feels like evil is winning, and good is losing. Where do we turn our focus? How do we find our equilibrium?

Just like every other crisis or hard time, we turn our focus to God. In light of everything going on, the news reports, the social media comments, the evil taking place, I invite you to pause and reflect and take a few moments to remember who God is. Only then can you find the strength and courage you need to keep going.

Verses to Reflect On

We need to actively focus on God and His goodness. We do that by focusing on His Word. These verses bring thoughts of peace, love, and the goodness of God to mind.

Isaiah

“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.
    I have called you by name; you are mine.
When you go through deep waters,
    I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty,
    you will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression,
    you will not be burned up;
    the flames will not consume you.
For I am the Lord, your God,
    the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

Isaiah 43:1-3

Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.
    Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you.
    I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

Isaiah 41:10

“Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.”

The Psalms

Psalm 46:10

But the Lord watches over those who fear him, those who rely on his unfailing love.

Psalm 33:18

Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds.

Psalm 36:5

Revelation

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

Revelation 22:13

During this hard week, carve out some time to pause and reflect and remember God’s goodness. Remember, it’s during times like these that we have to be proactive in thinking about God, or we risk getting sucked into the abyss of negativity and evil swirling all around us.

More Encouragement

For more encouragement, check out my post Can You Really Find Hope in a Crisis? Or check out Reflections on the Psalms by C. S. Lewis.

Breaking Fear’s Stranglehold on My Life

Leave a reply

Did you know it’s impossible to have faith and be afraid at the same time? It’s impossible to have faith and yet fear. Try it. Think of something that makes you terrified or anxious; then think of how God watches over you and protects you. You won’t be able to hang on to the fear when believing, and you won’t be able to hang on to the faith when fear takes over.

Waking Out of a Dead Sleep

Have you ever been woken out of the middle of a dead sleep with fear coursing through you? Several years ago, I had to testify in a custody court case for a woman in our church. Soon after, we were woken in the middle of the night with a car fire. When the tires blew out, the exploding sound woke us up out of a dead sleep. When we looked out the window and saw the flames shooting high into the sky, right next to the room where our three little ones slept, fear shot into me so hard and fast. Someone pounded on our front door, telling us to grab our kids and get out.

There’s nothing like running out of your house in your pajamas with little kids hanging off of you. I remember feeling the biast of the heat hit my face as soon as I stepped out. Neighbors were shouting this and that as we got away from the blazing fire. Eventually, the fire trucks got there and put out the fire. We were safe; none of us had been harmed. But the fear that entered my heart that night didn’t go away for a long time.

No Longer Feeling Safe

The home that we loved suddenly no longer felt safe. I woke up every night around three in the morning with my heart pounding in my chest. I would leave my room and go check on our sleeping children before making my way back to my room.

The aftermath of that fire affected me for a long time with sleepless nights and fear that had a stranglehold on me. It took a long time for me to get victory, but with God’s help, eventually the fear started to fade and I could sleep through the night again.

The only thing that helped during those nights when fear would wrap its icy tentacles around my heart was God’s Word. I said the same few verses over and over and over again.

Breaking Fear’s Stronghold

I have found the only way to conquer fear is God’s Word. These two verses were and still are the verses that I flood my mind with when fear takes over.

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

2 Timothy 1:7 KJV

But when I am afraid,
I will put my trust in you.

Psalm 56:3 NLT

When I say these verses either out loud or in my mind, my faith begins to beat back the fear. Fear can not keep its stranglehold on us when faith beats it back.

I encourage you to memorize these verses and add them to your arsenal. The next time fear tries to control you, say these verses out loud or in your mind. The fear gripping your heart will begin to ease, and faith will beat it back. Peace will flood your heart and soul. Faith wins over fear every single time.

The Storm

We see this in the story in the New Testament. The disciples get caught in a storm and think they are going to die. It must have been quite the storm to scare seasoned fishermen. They wake up Jesus, who was asleep in the boat with them, and ask Him to save them. Before Jesus calms the storm, He has these words to say to them.

Jesus responded, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm.

Matthew 8:26 NLT

Jesus was showing us that it is impossible to have both fear and faith in control at the same time; only one will win. Let’s let faith be the winner. Let your faith grow strong, and your fear will take a backseat.

More Encouragement

For more encouragement, check out my post, 3 Steps to Releasing Worry and Fear. If you want to know more of my story, check out my book, The Hidden Pain: When You Fear God is No Longer Blessing Your Life.

Finding God in a Place You Don’t Want to Be

Leave a reply

Have you ever found yourself in a place you don’t want to be? A city you didn’t choose, a home that’s not what you picked out, a future you didn’t plan for?

The Life of Jeremiah

I’m currently working my way through Eugene Peterson’s book, Run With the Horses. It’s a book that studies the life of Jeremiah and how it’s applicable to our life today.

Let me give the setting for the book of Jeremiah. Jeremiah is known as “the weeping prophet” for a reason. Jeremiah warned the Jews of God’s impending judgement that would come in the form of the Babylonian army. In an act of rebellion, the people of God had turned from God and were serving other gods. He warned that God was about to be done with their wickedness, and he was going to use an evil more corrupt people to bring that judgement.

God’s Judgement

Jeremiah lived to see that day–the day Babylon came in and destroyed the city, including the walls of the city, the major buildings, and the temple. For the Jewish people, losing the temple was everything. That was where they met with God and felt HIs presence.

Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, also took away all the leaders and anybody important in the land and made them captives in Babylon. They were exiled in waves over a period of time. Only the poor, a small number, were left in the land. Ironically, Jeremiah wasn’t considered anyone of value and is left in the land after its destruction. Jeremiah is left to see the devastation of his land and the aftermath of the devastation.

Jeremiah’s Message

This was a very bleak time in Israel’s history. The Jews either find themselves in a new place or in a devastated land; either way, it was bad. During this dark time, God gives Jeremiah a message to send to the Jews who are living in Babylon now and unable to come back home.

The people living in captivity in Babylon don’t know the story like we do. They assume they’ll be going home any day, especially when false prophets that were carried away with them tell them it will be over soon. Yet, we know, the captivity is going to last seventy years. The prophets had known and had tried to warn God’s people, but they failed to listen.

God’s Message to Those in Captivity

The message from God that Jeremiah sends to those in captivity is really surprising. This is God’s message that Jeremiah sends to the Jews living in Babylon.

Jeremiah wrote a letter from Jerusalem to the elders, priests, prophets, and all the people who had been exiled to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar.

This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says to all the captives he has exiled to Babylon from Jerusalem: “Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce.Marry and have children. Then find spouses for them so that you may have many grandchildren. Multiply! Do not dwindle away!And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare.”

Jeremiah 29:4-7

This New Place is Home

The message then goes on to say not to listen to the false prophets, that the exile will last seventy years.

This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let your prophets and fortune-tellers who are with you in the land of Babylon trick you. Do not listen to their dreams,because they are telling you lies in my name. I have not sent them,” says the Lord.

This is what the Lord says: “You will be in Babylon for seventy years.

Jeremiah 29:8-10

The message tells them that this exile is not going to end quickly. It will last seventy years; that’s an entire lifespan. Many of them would die in the land of Babylon and never again see their homeland. God doesn’t try to hide the truth from them; He tells them exactly what is going to happen.

This message is amazing to me. God tells His people, who are living in a foreign land, that He wants them to establish themselves. Put down roots; plan to stay. They’re told to build homes, plant gardens, get married, have kids and grandkids, and pray for the success of Babylon. If Babylon was successful, they would be blessed as a result.

Losing Everything

Can you imagine how the people felt getting this message from Jeremiah that ultimately came from God? It must have felt like such a slap in the face. Settle here? Make our lives flourish here? Put down roots? Get married and have kids? In this land? It had to seem so countercultural. There was no temple of God here to worship in; there were no prophets telling them how to live.

Eugene Peterson writes about the exile in his book.

They settled down to find out what it meant to be God’s people in the place they did not want to be–Babylon. The result was that this became the most creative period in the entire sweep of Hebrew history. They did not lose their identity; they discovered it. They learned how to pray in deeper and more life-changing ways than ever…The violent dislocation of the exile shook them out of their comfortable but reality-distorting assumptions and allowed them to see depths and heights that they had never even imagined before. They lost everything that that thought was important and found was important: they found God.

Finding God

In the midst of this strange land, they found God. They found the God they had turned their backs on.

Really, God’s message to us today hasn’t changed all that much. This world we live in is not our ultimate home, and yet, we are to live here, build homes, have kids, and live fruitful lives. In the midst of this broken world, we learn what it is to be human–to love, to multiply, to grow gardens and build houses, to marry, have children and watch them grow. This is God’s gift.

Putting Down Roots in This New Place

I don’t know where life has you. Maybe it’s not what you thought it would look like. It could be you’re in a place you don’t want to be, whether that’s figurative or literal. Maybe you never thought you’d still be in this place all these years later.

God’s message today remains the same: Put down roots. Live your life right where you are. Don’t hold out, waiting for the next thing. This right now is your life; make it a good one. Don’t focus on the next house, a better job, a newer car, a different city. This is where God has you right now. Enjoy it. In our vernacular, put paint on the walls and hang up decorations. Plant some flowers; learn your neighbors’ names. Enjoy your job. Raise your kids in love and find joy in your everyday life. This is what it is to be human.

Solomon’s Message

King Solomon, the wisest man that ever lived, understood this principle.

Even so, I have noticed one thing, at least, that is good. It is good for people to eat, drink, and enjoy their work under the sun during the short life God has given them, and to accept their lot in life. And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life—this is indeed a gift from God. God keeps such people so busy enjoying life that they take no time to brood over the past.

Ecclesiastes 5:18-20

Your life today is a gift from God. Live it to the fullest, honoring God with this precious life He’s given you.

More Encouragement

For more encouragement, check out my post, Choosing to Spend Time Doing What Matters Most.

When You Feel Alone

Leave a reply

One of the biggest lies of the Devil that we fall for is this: Nobody cares. The Devil knows if he can isolate us and make us feel alone, we will be a much easier target to take down. The author of Ecclesiastes reminds us of this in chapter four.

A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.

Ecclesiastes 4:12

Feeling Alone

When we are alone or feel alone, we are much more susceptible and vulnerable to an attack. Once we start feeling alone, we begin to feel helpless and hopeless. We forget that people love us, and we forget that God is with us and we are never alone. We begin to feel the words that David penned when he was hiding in a cave from Saul. He was afraid and running for his life and never felt so alone.

I look for someone to come and help me, but no one gives me a passing thought! No one will help me; no one cares a bit what happens to me.

Psalm 142:4

God’s Presence

And yet, even David didn’t stop there. He continues his thoughts into the next verse. He remembers what the truth is. The truth is that God has promised He will never leave us nor abandon us.

For God has said, “I will never fail you.
I will never abandon you.”

Hebrews 13:5

So David doesn’t stop with his lament that nobody sees him or cares for him. He follows up with truth. What is the truth? We find it in the next verse he penned.

Then I pray to you, O Lord. I say, “You are my place of refuge. You are all I really want in life.

Psalm 142:5

God Sees You

If you’re going through a difficult time and feel like God has forgotten you, take comfort in these words. Or maybe you, just like David, feel really lonely. Maybe you live in a new place, you’re attending a new church, you’re at home with a newborn…whatever the case may be, don’t listen to the Devils’ lie that no one cares about you. Listen to the truth instead.

God loves you. He sees you. Let Him be your place of refuge.

After you remind yourself that God hasn’t left you, then focus on the other people God has placed in your life. Most of us, if we were truly honest with ourselves, would admit that we aren’t actually alone…though it may feel that way. If you’ve found yourself distant from people and relationships, work on putting into those relationships once again.

Spend Time with People

Go on a date with your spouse. Spend an hour at a coffeeshop with a friend. Have a family member or two over for dessert. Sign up for that group at church you’ve been wanting to check out.

None of us is truly alone; that’s just the lie Satan wants us to believe. Remind yourself today of God’s love and then seek out the companionship of others.

More Encouragement

For more on this topic, check out my post, Friends Wanted: How to Cultivate Friendships in a Lonely World or check out Find Your People by Jennie Allen. Want to do a deep dive on this topic? Check out our Devotional, You Are Not Alone.

H. A. L. T. before Making any Major Decisions

1 Reply

Have you ever made a bad decision or reacted to something poorly, and you wished you could get a do-over? Usually, it’s the next morning that you realize you overreacted. Or maybe it’s after you finally eat something that the shame and guilt comes.

Jacob and Esau

So often, we get ruled by our baser instincts and end up doing or saying things we wish we hadn’t. We can see this so clearly from the story of Esau. Esau and Jacob were brothers, born to Isaac and Rebekah. Esau was a hunter and man of the field, while Jacob was an indoor man and loved to cook.

One day, Esau comes in from being out in the fields. He smells what Jacob is cooking and begs for a bowl. Jacob, being the manipulator that he was, saw it as an opportunity. He tells Esau that he can only have a bowl of stew if Esau will give him his birthright. The birthright was something very dear in those days. It was a blessing that was given to the firstborn and carried a lot of weight. Jacob uses this opportunity to take Esau’s blessing from him. Look at Esau’s response.

“All right,” Jacob replied, “but trade me your rights as the firstborn son.”

“Look, I’m dying of starvation!” said Esau. “What good is my birthright to me now?”

Genesis 25:31,32

Esau’s Hunger

Esau gives up his birthright for a bowl of stew. He made a huge mistake, one he would regret for the rest of his life, simply because he was hungry.

We don’t know how long Esau was out in the field. Was it an entire day? Was it longer than a day? We’re not given a timeline. We only know that he shows up exhausted and hungry and ready to eat, and he is willing to give up his future for some food right now.

Learning to HALT

We’re hard on Esau, but how many of us have done something similar? We make a bad decision or blow it and lose our temper, saying things we regret simply because we didn’t get enough sleep or we didn’t eat soon enough. We get wrapped around the axle and make foolish decisions when our base needs are not met. It happens to all of us, and we need to watch out for it.

So how do we keep from blowing it? Learn to H. A. L. T. Don’t make any major decisions and try to avoid arguments when you are hungry, angry, lonely, or tired.

1. Hungry

It makes us sound so childish, but we make lots of mistakes when we’re hungry. We can take care of this in two ways. One, learn not to be controlled by our hungry. Don’t lose your mind when you’re hungry. You will eat again, and you will make it. Second, don’t go too long without eating, especially if you know it makes you on edge.

2. Angry

When you feel angry, that is not the time for a “discussion.” Wait until you cool off. Nothing positive ever comes from confronting a problem or a person when you’re angry. Your emotions are too close to the surface. Go for a walk, go into another room, take a break…whatever you need to do to help release your anger. Only when you’re no longer angry should you go back to addressing the issue at hand.

3. Lonely

This one creeps up on us because it’s not always so obvious, but don’t make any major decisions when you’re lonely. Don’t move, don’t take a new job, don’t reconnect with somebody you know you shouldn’t, don’t quit your job when you’re lonely.

4. Tired

Life is so much more complicated when you’re tired. Have you ever noticed that? After a night of little sleep, the world feels like a terrible place. Or conversely, after a great night of sleep, life is so good. Don’t let your emotions control you just because you’re tired. Put off confrontations, problems, or things that need a lot of mental attention until you can fix the problem. And do your best to fix the problem. Take a nap, go to bed earlier, go back to bed…whatever you need to do to get the rest you need. This looks different in different seasons of life, and sometimes exhaustion is just the way of life. If that’s the case, just be aware of it and don’t make any major decisions.

So the next time you are ready to make a decision, or confront somebody, or have that argument, HALT first. Make sure you’re not just hungry, angry, lonely, or tired. Fix any of those things first before having that conversation or making that decision. I promise you it will save you a lot of regret in the end.

More Encouragement

For more encouragement, check out my post, You Can Avoid Making Foolish Decisions or check out Lisa TerKeurst’s book, The Best Yes: Making Wise Decisions in the Midst of Endless Demands.

Finding God in the Lonely Places

Leave a reply

Places are important in our lives. Think about a place that means so much to you and your family. Maybe it’s where you got engaged or the restaurant where you had your first date. It could be the house where you found out you were having your first baby, or the town you grew up in. Place have value because they hold memories for us.

God Used Places all the time in the Bible

Places in the Bible are no less important. We see time and time again where God uses places or geographical features to do something in the lives of his people. Often it was deserts or wildernesses. God would use these places as a time set aside for his chosen person, often to get their attention.

Think of Moses in the desert and the burning bush, Joseph in Egypt, David in the caves as he runs from Saul, Elijah on the mountaintop with the prophets of Baal, Jesus praying in the garden…

Hagar in the Wilderness

Hagar was a person who experienced something in the wilderness. We find her story in Genesis 16. Abram knows he’s going to be the father of many nations; God’s promised him that. But when his wife doesn’t get pregnant, and they get too old to have kids, he and his wife take matters into their own hands. Abram sleeps with his servant, Hagar, and she becomes pregnant. Sara becomes bitter about it and treats Hagar terribly, so Hagar runs away.

Hagar finds herself alone in the wilderness. She’s sad, scared, uncertain, and all alone. And yet, God finds her there. The angel of the Lord that she will have a son. Her son, Ishmael, will have many offspring, too many to count.

The God Who Sees Me

Hagar is overcome with emotion and the fact that God came to her. She calls God by his name El-roi, “the God who sees me.” She takes notice of the fact that God saw her...in this place.

So she named the Lord who spoke to her: “You are El-roi,” for she said, “In this place, have I actually seen the one who sees me?”

Genesis 16:13CSB

Had Hagar been in a different place, would God have seen her? Yes. Would He have come to her? I don’t know. If she had stayed with Sara and Abraham, it’s possible God might not have made an appearance to her. But in the wilderness, in the place where she was very alone, God appeared to her.

Seasons in Our Lives

There are seasons and places in our lives where God comes to us and “shows” Himself to us more than at other times. Often, it’s in the “wilderness” or “desert” seasons. It’s in those times when we feel so alone, isolated, forgotten, that God shows us Himself. Sometimes, it really is a location.

It can be a college dorm room, the first time we’re away from our family. We don’t know anybody, and we are completely and utterly alone, even though we’re surrounded by hundreds or thousands of other students. Our wilderness can be in a new city or after we leave our job to stay at home with a baby. Maybe it’s after a divorce, and we suddenly find ourselves alone once again for the first time in years. Wilderness times can surprise us; other times, we know they’re coming. So many times, God uses these wilderness times to “come to us,” to remind us of who He is. It was after a time of testing when Job lost everything that he says, “I had only heard about you before, but now I’ve seen you.” (Job 42:5)

Wilderness Times

There will be times when God takes you away from everything you know, whether that’s literal or figurative. You will be completely alone and isolated, whether that’s from people or even just from peace and joy. You’ll feel alone and abandoned, discouraged and depressed. Yet, these are the times that God shows Himself to us; He shows us who He really is. When these times come, and they will, don’t abandon your faith. Don’t abandon your belief that God is good. Trust that He is still working on your behalf. He hasn’t forgotten you, and He knows exactly what you’re going through.

Instead, spend the time searching for Him. Spend extra time in your morning time routine. Pray more often; journal more frequently. Keep your eyes open and alert because it’s in the wilderness or alone times that God often shows Himself to us in a way that’s so remarkable, we won’t ever forget it.

More Encouragement

For more on this topic, check out my post, The God Who Sees Me, or check out The Hidden Pain.

4 Benefits to Getting Back Into God’s Word

Leave a reply

Today is August 1st, and for our family, that means the start of a new homeschool year. It’s always hard the first day, but it feels good to get back on track with schedules and routines.

August and September are a great time to get back into a morning time routine, if we’ve let that go. We know we need to spend time in God’s Word, but sometimes we need a little push. Today, I’m sharing four benefits to reading and studying God’s Word.

Benefits from Psalm 1

What happens when we study God’s Word and apply it to our lives? We already know from Psalm 1 that we become like a strong tree planted along a riverbank that bears fruit in every season and is prosperous.

But they delight in the law of the Lord,
    meditating on it day and night.
They are like trees planted along the riverbank,
    bearing fruit each season.
Their leaves never wither,
    and they prosper in all they do.

Psalm 1

4 Benefits to Reading God’s Word

The verses in Psalm 19 add to that.

The instructions of the Lord are perfect,
    reviving the soul.
The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy,
    making wise the simple.
The commandments of the Lord are right,
    bringing joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are clear,
    giving insight for living.

Psalm 19:7-9

From these verses, we can pull out four benefits of reading and studying God’s Word.

1. God’s Word Revives our Soul

Do you ever feel weary at the soul level? It’s more than just being tired or discouraged. Being weary at the soul level feels like you will never get past what you’re going through. It feels hopeless, and you feel like God has forgotten you.

God tells us that the antidote to feeling this way is to read and study God’s Word. When we feel this low, only God can revive or bring life to our would; and He does it through His Word.

2. It Makes Us Wise

Reading and studying God’s Word makes us wise. I don’t know about you, but the older I get, the more wisdom I need to navigate life, relationships, parenting, and more. We need God’s wisdom and help regularly if we’re going to make the right decisions and live the life He’s purposed for us.

3. It Brings Joy to our Heart

Do you want more joy in your life? Spend time in God’s Word. The only true joy in this life that’s not fleeting comes from God. If we want to find that joy, we have to carve out time to spend reading God’s Word and praying. How do we get joy from reading God’s Word? We’re reminded that God is for us, He loves us, He is always with us, He has a plan for our lives…When we read truths like this, we can’t help but find more joy.

4. God’s Word Gives Us Insight for Living

God’s Word gives us insight on how to live by giving us examples to follow or avoid. It shows us how to love like Jesus and gives us snippets of wisdom from the wisest man who ever lived. It reminds us that we can come back again from failure, like Peter and that we can trust that God is working in our lives even when it doesn’t feel like it, like the story of Esther.

These benefits are amazing, but we don’t get to have them in our lives if we don’t carve out time to read and study God’s Word. This fall is a great time to get back on track if you’ve gotten away from it. Pick a new Bible study or grab a new journal and some pens and get excited about getting back into God’s Word. I know you won’t regret it!

More Encouragement

For more on this topic, check out our free morning time routine guide or my post on jumpstarting your morning time routine.

Learning to Trust a God Who Isn’t Mortal

Leave a reply

We’ve been working through the Immerse Bible at our church this summer. We do this every summer, and this summer’s Immerse Bible is the Poets. It covers the books of Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, and Job. I’m just about finished and am currently working my way through the last half of the book of Job.

Summarizing the Story of Job

I have always loved the book of Job; there are so many nuggets of wisdom that you can find if you dig in. This week, in my morning time routine, a phrase jumped out at me that I feel like can summarize the entire book of Job and help us to understand how God works. It’s this phrase: God is not a mortal like me. (Job 9:32)

God is not mortal or human like we are. He existed before we began, and He will continue long after we are gone. He does not need to rest, nor does He need to eat. He doesn’t get weary or tired or discouraged. He doesn’t fear anything. He made everything we see, including us. Because of all this, He’s not going to see the world the way we see it. He’s doesn’t operate on the timetables we set. We see the here and now; He sees eternity.

God is Not Mortal, Like Us

It’s so important for us to try to wrap our minds around this concept, that God is not mortal like we are. It’s such a crucial point to understanding our lives and how God works. If we don’t understand this truth, we are going to walk around in circles, frustrated, asking questions, and trying to make sense of what’s going on in our lives. It’s only when we truly begin to understand the vastness of who God is that we can begin to understand our smallness.

This shouldn’t discourage us; rather, it should bring us so much hope and encouragement because it reminds us that God is working in every detail of our lives. He’s working out a future for us that we can’t see yet. He’s moving people and events into our lives to prepare us for what’s to come. If we will allow Him, He will work in ways we can’t begin to imagine. He’s working for our future even now.

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

Jeremiah 29:11

God is At Work In Your Life

God was at work long before you and I were ever born. Before you were born, He already had a plan for your life and every day accounted for.

You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
before a single day had passed.

Psalm 139:16

The second part of that verse always blows my mind. “Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.” Before we were one day old, God had every moment of our lives already planned out. That’s a crippling thought if we don’t trust God. If we do trust God, that’s the most encouraging thought ever. God knows exactly what is going on today, and He knows exactly what’s going to happen tomorrow. It’s all part of His plan.

God’s Plan for My Life

There is incredible freedom in knowing that God is working today in my life, and it is going exactly according to His plan. His plan, not our plan.

The Lord will work out his plans for my life…

Psalm 138:8

I don’t know what you’re facing today, but this is your reminder that God is actively working in your life today, preparing you for your future. Trust Him. Trust the process. Don’t forget that He has planned every single day, and He will walk with you every step of the way.

More Encouragement

For more encouragement, check out my post, God’s Working on Your Behalf Today, or you can check out my book, Finding Free: 5 Simple Steps to a More Peaceful, Content, and Happy You.