Reading and Wrestling and Hope for Us All

In Tara Leigh Cobble’s memoir Here’s to Hindsight, she talks about Lauren F. Winner’s memoir Girl Meets God:

On my flight back from New York, I started reading a book called Girl Meets God by Lauren F. Winner, which might as well be called ‘Why I’m Better Than You.’ In other words, I’m jealous of her. … The author’s stories are the ones I wanted to live. It makes me wonder where I would be if I had not taken this route.(Here’s to Hindsight, p. 36-37)

I never quite felt that way reading Girl Meets God, but I did feel like I wanted to be friends with Lauren Winner, in the same way that I wanted to be friends with Tara Leigh Cobble after reading her memoir. (They’re both two of my favorites, and I’d heartily recommend them both for reading material.)

So when I heard that Winner had come out with another memoir-esque book (she asserts that it is not a memoir) entitled Still, I couldn't wait to read it, since it's been nearly a decade since Girl Meets God was released.

The thing is, though, that while Girl Meets God was written in the wake of Winner becoming a Christian, Still is written in the wake of her divorce. I don’t know her, but like I said, I always thought if I did meet her, maybe we’d be friends. So when I learned that news—that she had divorced her husband—it kind of took my breath away, especially as a happily-married, couldn't-imagine that wife but more importantly Christian.

If you’re curious to know what went wrong in her marriage or all the sordid details of the marital breakdown, you won’t find it in this book. She actually mentions very little and what she does mention, she portrays all of that with grace and restraint and lots of self-deprecation, placing the blame of the failed marriage on herself rather than on her ex-husband.

But what you will find in this book is how she talks about how her divorce affected her relationship with God, how she found herself feeling disconnected from God. Most importantly, though, what you will find in this book, which I appreciated, is how even in those times of feeling disconnected from God, she pushed toward him, she continued seeking him, even when they were in only in bits and scraps of moments and efforts and thoughts and prayers.

It is a brutally honest book to be sure, and one that I think few would come away from saying that the moniker ought to be retitled “Why I’m Better Than You.” I think few will come away from reading this part of her story and find themselves jealous of the inner and spiritual turmoil she writes of.

This is not the place to discuss the sanctity of marriage or the sin of her actions and how they consequently affected her relationship with God and whether she was "asking for" the turmoil that ensued. That is not the point of this post.

Rather, the thing that captured my heart as I read her story was something that I think is a challenge we all will face at one time another, because that feeling of feeling disconnected from God, like he's pulled away from us, is a common one, I think, no matter whether it's caused by sin of our own or just the journey of faith.

The thing is, which I think Winner showcases in the book, is that in those moments we have to push on in our faiths, that even when we don’t “feel” like it, when we don’t “feel” close to God, that we still have to push through and fight for our faith and press to reconnect to him.

Too often, I think when some people find themselves at that juncture—whether it’s because of broken dreams or unanswered prayers or just a life that isn’t what they’d expected—they give up. Instead of fighting and pushing and pressing on, they give up.

And that just grieves my heart.

Because it doesn’t have to be that way.

In the Old Testament, we see Jacob who wrestles and wrestles and doesn’t let go until he gets that which he seeks, until the morning when he’s granted a blessing. There’s a lesson in that story, an archetype for all who have followed in his footsteps, Jacob, now renamed Israel: Sometimes we must be willing to wrestle and not let go until God reveals his face to us, until he relents and gives us his blessing.

And that is what I saw in Winner’s raw and honest and heart-wrenching book, Still. I saw proof that if we do not let go—even when our heart and our circumstances and our feelings tell us otherwise—that, as James 4:8 says, “Come close to God, and God will come close to you.”

Let us not give up on God, on our faith, on his Love that overcomes even the darkest of days and sorrowest of sins. Let us come close and wrestle until we receive the blessing of his presence.

(Here are links for finding Here's to Hindsight by Tara Leigh Cobble, Girl Meets God by Lauren F. Winner, and Still by Lauren F. Winner on Amazon.)

Related Posts
Why I Stopped Reading Books.... 
Having the Faith to Truly Embrace Grace: What I'm Reading Right Now

{ photo source }

READ FULL POST >>

Walking Through Scripture: Psalm 31

Right now in my daily Bible reading, I'm making my way slowly—purposefully and intentionally so—through each prayer and song and emotion-filled word in the book of Psalms. Every once in awhile, I'll be posting my reflections on some of these psalms, which you can reference here.

This is a longer psalm, so I journalled as I went, reflecting on one or two verses at a time as I journalled. The neat thing about looking at the psalm in this way is that it goes to show how much meat is really there, if we take the time to linger and look and chew.

It may only be 24 verses long, but I took two pages worth of notes on it, and that's without even consulting commentaries or other theological texts. The Word is full of treasures, waiting to be discovered! Here's some of what I took note of as I read...

Psalm 31

For the choir director: A psalm of David. (from the New Living Translation)

¹ O Lord, I have come to you for protection;

    don’t let me be disgraced.

    Save me, for you do what is right.

(verse 1) David came to God for protection—because he knows that God does "what is right." I can relate to this sentiment; I want it to be God who protects and leads and guides and delivers me because I know that when he's at the helm, everything will always work out better. He will always "do what is right." And so it's always in my best intentions to look to him for answers.

² Turn your ear to listen to me;
    rescue me quickly.
Be my rock of protection,
    a fortress where I will be safe.

(verse 2) In my Bible, they translate the first part of this verse as, "Bend down and listen to me." I love that image, because it reminds me of a parent, stooping down to listen to their child. And if you think about it, they don't have to bend down to hear the child. They can certainly hear the child if they're standing erect and looking down at the child. So why do they stoop? To get down on the child's level, to let the child feel heard, to let the child feel loved. It's for the child's benefit that they "bend down and listen." So it is with God.

³ You are my rock and my fortress. For the honor of your name, lead me out of this danger.

(verse 3) In this image, of God as a fortress, there's this underlying idea that God can protect us fully and keep us completely safe from our enemies, where they cannot get to us at all. God can protect us from harm and evil and hardship. So when he doesn't, when those things do threaten us, we must trust that his rescue is coming in a different way or form.

⁴ Pull me from the trap my enemies set for me,
    for I find protection in you alone.
⁵ I entrust my spirit into your hand.
    Rescue me, Lord, for you are a faithful God.

(verses 4-5) "I entrust my spirit into your hand." David comes to God alone for protection, and not just protection regarding his body or his circumstances, but for his whole being, even down to his spirit. Why is he willing to entrust it all? Because "you are a faithful God." He knows that God will act and, like we saw in verse 1, always does what is right. For us, this should be encouragement to not keep any part of ourselves from God's work and redemption. He is the only one who can accomplish complete rescue. 

⁶ I hate those who worship worthless idols.
    I trust in the Lord.
⁷ I will be glad and rejoice in your unfailing love,
    for you have seen my troubles,
    and you care about the anguish of my soul.
⁸ You have not handed me over to my enemies
    but have set me in a safe place.

(verses 6-8) In these verses, we see some of the ways that God has shown David faithfulness even in his suffering: by caring about the anguish of his soul; by noticing (seeing, verse 7) his troubles and being aware of them;  by not handing him over to his enemy but setting him in a safe place. Even in the difficult and discouraging, glimpses of God can always be found—if we're willing to look.

⁹ Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am in distress.
    Tears blur my eyes.
    My body and soul are withering away.
¹⁰ I am dying from grief;
    my years are shortened by sadness.
Sin has drained my strength;
    I am wasting away from within.
¹¹ I am scorned by all my enemies
    and despised by my neighbors—
    even my friends are afraid to come near me.
When they see me on the street,
    they run the other way.
¹² I am ignored as if I were dead,
    as if I were a broken pot.
¹³ I have heard the many rumors about me,
    and I am surrounded by terror.
My enemies conspire against me,
    plotting to take my life.

(verses 9-13) Yet, even though David has proclaimed God's faithfulness in the earlier verses (6-8), there's still more. He needs—and prays for—complete rescue. He acknowledges what God has done up to this point and has hope that he will do even more, such as dealing with this whole list of hardships. This is encouragement to be persistent in our prayers, to not give up when we're asking for more of God in our lives.

¹⁴ But I am trusting you, O Lord,
    saying, “You are my God!”

(verse 14) Even though his circumstances are very hard (verses 9-13), still David has hope and trust in the Lord. He chooses to trust in God's promises and character rather than his circumstances!

¹⁵ My future is in your hands.
    Rescue me from those who hunt me down relentlessly.
¹⁶ Let your favor shine on your servant.
    In your unfailing love, rescue me.

(verses 15-16) I love this: "My future is in your hands." In saying this, we can presume that David trusts that since his future is in God's hands, that God can—and will—do something about it. David is not all on his own in this suffering. And I imagine that it's from that knowledge that he gets his hope, trusting that God can turn it all around and let his "favor shine on" him.

¹⁷ Don’t let me be disgraced, O Lord,
    for I call out to you for help.
Let the wicked be disgraced;
    let them lie silent in the grave.
¹⁸ Silence their lying lips—
    those proud and arrogant lips that accuse the godly.
¹⁹ How great is the goodness
    you have stored up for those who fear you.
You lavish it on those who come to you for protection,
    blessing them before the watching world.

(verses 17-19) We see a call for justice. It makes me think that when he says "How great is the goodness you have stored up for those who fear you," he is connecting it with the justice he so desires in the previous verses. He trusts that justice will prevail and because of it, he professes that God's goodness is great. (I'm not 100% sure about that conclusion, but that's just my thoughts, piecing things together in context.) This call to justice reminds me of Psalm 29, where God's judgment—bringing justice to earth—resulted in praise and glory and cause to rejoice. (You can read more about my thoughts on that psalm here.)

²⁰ You hide them in the shelter of your presence,
    safe from those who conspire against them.
You shelter them in your presence,
    far from accusing tongues.

(verse 20) Here, we see that it wasn't just that God keeps his people safe from harm, but that in doing so, he keeps them safe in the shelter of his presence. That is a much more incredible thing, because he's keeping us safe by drawing us so closely to himself that we are with him, in his presence!

²¹ Praise the Lord,
    for he has shown me the wonders of his unfailing love.
    He kept me safe when my city was under attack.
²² In panic I cried out,
    “I am cut off from the Lord!”
But you heard my cry for mercy
    and answered my call for help.

(verses 21-22) In keeping his people safe (verse 20), God is showing his unfailing love (verse 21). I'm curious whether this section was written as something of a post-script to all that precedes. Because it sounds as if in the calling, God answered and now he's providing an update about how God did save him when he cried out. Not sure of that, though...

²³ Love the Lord, all you godly ones!

    For the Lord protects those who are loyal to him,

    but he harshly punishes the arrogant.

(verse 23) Because of what God did for him (because of God's faithfulness and trustworthiness), David calls everyone not only to praise the Lord but to also love the Lord. It almost seems as if he's saying to them, "Love him, because he can be trusted. I saw it myself! Let me tell you about it..."

²⁴ So be strong and courageous,
    all you who put your hope in the Lord!

(verse 24) Sometimes, it's going to take strength and courage to put your hope in God. In the face of difficult and hard circumstances, it can be hard to trust God to act or to rescue or to even listen. It's not always going to be easy, and I think we all know that from some personal experience or another. But David calls us to find that strength and courage, to hold on for just a little bit longer, in spite of the circumstances at bay. Because God can be trusted. We will not be disappointed!

What else do you see in this psalm? What other insights or lessons do you find in it?

Related Posts
The Faith to Trust Where God Has Placed Us
My Testimony: Learning About God's Loyalty Firsthand

{ photo source }

READ FULL POST >>

The Truth About My Inadequacies: A Lesson from the Bible

Through my daily Bible reading plan that walks me through the writings in a (mostly) chronological order, I’m almost at the end of the Old Testament. I’ve made my way through the Garden of Eden, the stories of the patriarchs, the Jews being delivered from slavery in Egypt and making their way to the promised land.

I’ve made my way through the establishment of King David over the tribes, his son, Solomon, building the Temple, then the splitting of the tribes into two kingdoms and the messages from the prophets pleading with the people to turn back to worshiping the Lord instead of gods and idols made by human hands.

I’ve made my way through the people turning their backs on those messages and consequently getting attacked, overthrown and exiled to foreign lands as a means for their hearts to be softened toward God. And then, the Lord, filled with mercy, brings them back home.

It’s here that I am now.

Many of the Israelites who were once captives in Babylon are now back in Jerusalem, reestablishing their lives. When they first arrived, they started immediately to rebuild the Temple, which had been destroyed during the Babylonian siege on the city. With the town in ruins around them, they built an altar and began the routine of worshiping God again.

As they made progress with the Temple, though, some of the older Israelites were discouraged as they looked at the new building that was being erected and remembered how ornate the original Temple built by Solomon was. It says that they “wept aloud.” The younger ones, though, had nothing to compare the building with, so they were filled with joy. “The joyful shouting and weeping mingled together in a loud commotion that could be heard far in the distance.” (Ezra 3:12-13)

But the Lord has a message for these workers, which struck me as so beautiful. He sends the prophet Haggai to them, saying, “Take courage,” to each of the leaders and then to the people. He repeats this refrain and then says, “Take courage and work, for I am with you, says the LORD Almighty.”

God continues this message of encouragement by telling the people that although this Temple may not have the splendor of the old one, “I will fill this place with glory … The future glory of this Temple will be greater than its past glory, says the LORD Almighty. And in this place I will bring peace.”

The people here were saddened by the inadequacy of what they were building. They wanted it to be more—more beautiful, more grand, more worthy of being the Lord’s house. But the Lord steps in and reminds them that that isn’t what this is all about. It isn’t about the grandeur of how it appears, but about the grandeur of the Lord himself.

God was not concerned with the inadequacies of their work at all. He just wanted them to be doing the work! “Take heart and finish the task!” he says in Zechariah 8:9, and a few chapters earlier, he says, “Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin…” He would do the rest, and that was all that mattered. In fact, even though the place may look inadequate from the outside, God will make it more glorious than the building that was gilded in gold!

This resonated with me, as I often struggle with feeling that what I’m doing to serve God is inadequate. I feel like I’m not doing enough, especially in comparison with others. But the truth is that anything we will do is going to be inadequate, even with all the gold and silver in the world. Really all we ought to focus on is doing what we’re capable of and letting God do the rest. He is the only one who can bring true glory to the work of our hands.

Related Posts
Getting a Pep Talk from God: A Lesson from the Father of the Faith
Scripture Memorization System Review

{ photo source }

READ FULL POST >>

My 4 Favorite Free Fonts Right Now

I recently went on a font-downloading kick, which happens every couple of months or so, when I thumb through page after page of type. No doubt, you’ve already noticed the fruits of these typographic adventures as I’ve already been using them in recent posts and photos.

Because I’m still reading my way through the prophets, I thought I’d showcase these findings via some of the Scripture verses that have stuck out to me during my daily Bible reading. These are just a few of the verses I copied into my journal for memory’s sake, ones that I thought were particularly insightful, encouraging or just inspiring.

Together—both what the words are saying and how they look set in different fonts—they create something undeniably beautiful. Enjoy!


Isaiah 64:6 in AdamGorry-Inline


Habakkuk 2:14 in Nouvelle Vague


Habakkuk 3:17-18 in Market Deco


Jeremiah 10:24 in Lullaby

Are there any fonts (or Scriptures!) that you've been especially enjoying lately? I'd love to know in the comments!

Related Posts 
Answering Your Questions: Fonts on My Blog 
Answering Your Questions: Blog Design

READ FULL POST >>

Lessons from Reading Through the Prophets

Right now in my Bible reading plan, I’m in the midst of the prophets, as they cry out to the people to stop sinning and start loving God again, as they once did.

One of the things that has struck me as I’ve been reading through these writings is how specific many of these prophecies are. In Isaiah, he points out that Jerusalem is going to be conquered by Babylon but someday a man named Cyrus will let the Israelites return to their homeland. By name, he calls this country and this leader, and both come to pass 150 years later. In Micah, we get the prophecy of the Messiah being born in Bethlehem. By name, he gives us the city where the Savior will be born.

I’ve also noticed how similar many of these prophets' messages are. In Isaiah, he talks about “a remnant remains,” that even though God will bring destruction to the Israelites for abandoning him and worshiping other gods, he will not destroy them all. A remnant will remain, and those he will bring back to himself. Then, in Jeremiah, I noticed it again. He didn’t use the same language, word for word, but he still says that he will save a few and they will return to God’s blessing. I am reminded through these texts how consistent God is.

But I also noticed something else. How God always comes back to restoration. Even in the midst of warning the people that destruction is coming, he always points toward the future when they will be redeemed, when they will come back to him, when heaven will wipe the slate clean.

A few weeks ago, I heard some upsetting news, which left me almost in tears. It was nothing against me personally, just a story I heard. But it moved me. And my thoughts flashed to what I'd been reading through these Scriptures. Curled up against my husband in a hug, I whispered, "Someday, none of this will happen." I remembered the words of the prophets and how they always looked far into the future, when the sheep will lie down with the lions and peace will reign. It encouraged me to look there, myself, when faced with hardship close to home.

There is hope.

And that is essentially what these prophets are crying out, at the top of their lungs. Through their anger and disappointment and frustration, they are screaming out that there is hope—if we would just look to it and see.

Related Posts
Unexpected insights from a boring Old Testament list
Lessons from Nehemiah: More Than a Man Who Rebuilt a Wall

{ photo source }

READ FULL POST >>

For the "In-Between" Times of Life

Psalm 126 is one of my favorites because I can relate to it oh-so often. It's what I refer to as a psalm for the "in-between" times:

Psalm 126

When the LORD brought back the captives to Zion, we were like men who dreamed.  Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, "The LORD has done great things for them." The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.

Restore our fortunes, O LORD, like streams in the Negev.

Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him.

In my previous Bible study in Grand Rapids last spring, we studied Beth Moore’s “Psalms of Ascent,” and looked at this particular psalm. It tells how the people are bemoaning their current situation in light of how God once blessed them so much . They desire those times again and beg God, “Restore our fortunes, LORD.” (Oh, the times when I've longed for the past like that!)

And yet, the beauty of this psalm is that they hold on to hope.

We don't do much sowing or carrying sheaves nowadays, but it's those last two sentences that grow wings and come alive to me. Look at how they talk about “sow[ing] in tears” and “go[ing] out weeping, carrying seed to sow.”

As we studied this psalm, I saw the power in these two lines: How these people pressed forward in spite of their current hardships: they continued planting…because they knew that the Lord would come along at some point and bring harvest to their actions. In spite of the discouragement and disappointment they're experiencing now--in spite of the circumstances that they face today--they look to God for hope and  hold fast to faith.

In other words, they trust not in what they can see, but in God's Word and promises.

Ecclesiastes 11:4 says this another way: “If you worry about the weather and don’t plant seeds, you won’t harvest a crop.” Even when skies are bleak or stars aren’t aligned, we have to set out and press on. We can't let the looming weather steer us away from the task at hand.

That to me is “a leap of faith.” Even if we don’t see fruit or hope immediately, we don’t give up. We continue on: asking, praying, doing, and ultimately trusting in Psalm 27:13-14: “I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”

I often find myself in moments where I’m wishing I were already at the finish line, able to look back and smile appreciatively at everything in hindsight. Like with the unknown about our job situations or where we'll end up settling down. And yet, I know that what I do now--sowing with bold prayers, planting seeds by continuing to tithe rather than give in to the urge to stockpile finances, etc.--will bring about a harvest...when the time is right.

Related Posts
Making the Psalms Your Own
Learning to Plant In Spite of Stormy Weather

{ photo credit }

READ FULL POST >>

Unexpected insights from a boring Old Testament list

While I love making my own lists, I don't have much interest in reading them, other than to cross them off with a big swash of ink. You don't have to read through the Bible very long before you stumble upon some sort of list, whether it's a 'so-and-so beget so-and-so" genealogy or a list of do-and-don't laws.

I was reading through the Old Testament book of Numbers and reached a list that detailed a bunch of Middle Eastern places where the Israelites journeyed after they left Egypt on their way to the promised land, West of the Jordan River. As I was reading, I found myself start skimming, murmuring to myself, "Yeah, yeah, yeah. They moved a lot of places. Let's skip ahead to the good stuff."

Which made me wonder: Why did God include this laundry list of locations? Why is this important? Obviously it must be, to make it in the Holy Word, so what might that be? Over and over again they moved around on this journey to their home. Perhaps this is a bird's eye view of all our lives: God is moving us from point a to b to c to d to e...

And then I noticed that as Moses listed each location, occasionally he'd offer a short description like this place was a desert, this one was without any water or it was an oasis with "12 springs and 70 palm trees." This list goes from Numbers 33:5-37, so about 32 moves. Of these, there are 4 deserts they journey through, one noted place where "there was no water for the people to drink," a sea they journey through and one oasis that they reach after making their way out of the wilderness. Most of the time, though, the places were pretty ordinary with little to say about them.

Does this sound like our lives? A few notable peaks and valleys, and a lot of seemingly unmentionable stuff in the middle? And yet, God mentions it. Verse 2 says, "At the LORD's command Moses wrote down the places where they went as they traveled. This is the list." He watched and recorded it all. And because God is the same as he ever was, he continues to watch it and record it all in our journeys even now. Every blip on the map matters to him and take us to where we're going: The promised land.

Related Posts
Why I love reading the Old Testament
Making the Psalms Your Own

{ photo by Static of the Gods } 

READ FULL POST >>

What It Looks Like When We Take Things Into Our Own Hands: A Story About Two Brothers

original illustration by art.crazed

Once upon a time, there were two brothers, Jacob and Esau. Essentially, Jacob was a jerk who cheated his brother out of everything. Jacob ended up with all the wealth and all the blessing, with nothing left for his big brother. And they (well, Jacob, anyway) lived happily ever after.

Am I the only one who reads this story and goes, "HUH?!" It has always ticked me off to read about how Jacob did all these mean things to his brother (though Esau definitely played a part when it came to paying for his stew) and still ended up getting rewarded by God in the end. How is that fair? I thought cheaters weren't supposed to prosper? It just didn't sit well with me at all.

Recently, I read that story again and still couldn't shake those feelings and questions about why God would reward such deceit. So I decided to do a little investigation...and finally got some answers to these questions that wrestled with my conscience.

In this story of Jacob stealing his brother's inheritance and blessing, I read in my study bible about how God had already promised that Jacob would rule over Esau, even though he was the younger brother. Yet, God's promise didn't seem enough; Jacob and his mother Rebekah decided to take matters to into their own hands and make it happen now. They used trickery and bribery to usher in something God had already promised them, rather than wait on his perfect timing!

Isn't this what we see time and time again, in the Bible and in our own lives? Abraham and Sarah are promised a baby but when she doesn't become pregnant, she has him sleep with her maidservant. God tells us he'll provide for us, but we spend time worrying and fretting about finances and accumulating wealth.

And look at the pain that it caused. The commentary in my study bible points out: Although Jacob got the blessing he wanted, his deceptions cost him dearly. He never saw his mother again. His brother wanted to kill him. His family became torn by strife. Esau became the founder of an enemy nation. He was on the receiving end of deception when he wanted to marry Rachel.

While God still used Jacob's deceptions to fulfill the purpose he'd already established, we have to believe that this was not the plan God had in mind. And had Jacob waited for God to bring it about, we can only imagine how different his life--and perhaps even the world--might have turned out!

Realizing all this has really opened my eyes to making me aware of not trying to force God's hand in my life, but to wait on him to bring about the things he has promised. (Specifically, things like the right job!)

Related Posts
Ever wonder how God “talks” or how to “hear” him?
A Book Review: “The Sacred Meal” by Nora Gallagher

READ FULL POST >>

Getting a Pep Talk from God

photo by ashcroft54

The other day, I was reading about Abraham, back when he was just "Abram." God had already told him once all about the promised land and that he'd get to finally have a child to carry on his name. Abram believes God and leaves the land he's known and sets out to where God will show him. As he's traveling, he runs into a few bumps along the way: Almost loses his wife in Egypt and then has to split off from his nephew because there's not enough land for them both to settle on.

It's here that I noticed something: God came back again and encouraged Abram, telling him again that he's going to be blessed with more land and more descendants than he can fathom. The thing is, God already told him this once--and because it's the God of the Universe making this promise, once ought to be enough. But usually, because we're prone to fear and anxiety and uncertainty, we often need an extra push to keep us going, to keep us fighting for the goal ahead.

And I've seen it in my own life that God gives me grace in this area. Though "once ought to be enough," he is kind and generous and full of grace and love to come back and encourage me once, twice, three times and on again, as I need it. It's like a tiny little pep talk that reawakens my heart to believe, "Yes, everything's going to be OK! Yes, it's going to all be redeemed! Yes, I trust and believe!"

Immediately the father cried out [to Jesus], "I do believe! Help me believe more!"
- Mark 9:24

Related Posts
The encouraging testimonies of answered prayers
I'm a sucker for romance: Why I love reading the Old Testament prophets

READ FULL POST >>

I'm a sucker for romance: Why I love reading the Old Testament prophets

 
One of my favorite sections of the Bible to read is the Old Testament prophets. That's because it's here that, verse after verse, the prophets declare God's love for his people. They share time and time again that God will restore them inspite of their disobedience and hardened hearts. Over and over again, God speaks up and promises us his heart, his love, his forgiveness, his redemption. I know that if I'm having a hard day or just want a good reminder for my heart, I can flip to these chapters (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekial and the like) and not have to flip long before I rediscover these truths, beautiful sentiments like:

"The LORD your God is with you; the mighty One will save you. He will rejoice over you. You will rest in his love; he will sing and be joyful about you." (Zephaniah 3:17)


"...I will not forget you. See, I have written your name on my hand. Jerusalem, I always think about your walls." (Isaiah 49:15-16)

"Israel, how can I give you up? How can I give you away, Israel? .... My heart beats for you, and my love for you stirs up my pity." (Hosea 11:8)

One thing I especially love that you find in these books is that God showers these affections on his people most often when they've betrayed him, left him, turned their backs on him and brought destruction upon themselves. Even in those moments, he shares his deep devotion to them and his desire to restore them, heal them, lavish them:

"So, I [the Lord] am going to attract her [the people of Israel, who are worshiping other gods and idols]; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her. There I will give her back her vineyards, and I will make the Valley of Trouble a door of hope...." (Hosea 2:14-15)

"'I have seen what they have done, but I will heal them. I will guide them and comfort them and those who felt sad for them. They will all praise me. I will give peace, real peace, to those far and near, and I will heal them,' says the LORD." (Isaiah 57:18-19)

How beautiful are those words? And he still is whispering them to us, today.

1 John 3:1 says, "Consider this: The Father has given us his love. He loves us so much that we are actually called God's dear children. And that's what we are." We can rest assured that we too stir his heart, that our names are written on the palm of his hand.

Related Posts
A lesson from the Garden of Eden: How God prepares for us
Unexpected insights from a boring Old Testament list

READ FULL POST >>