Month: June 2020

A figurine of a little girl dressed up in her mother’s long coat, large hat, and high heels, and a large purse by her feet. It was a Christmas gift from my husband many years ago, and I love it!

She stands about twelve inches tall, and it has always been a special treasure to me.  I displayed her in a prominent place where I could see her often.  She got knocked over once, and there was a little chip broken off.  I was sad, but I glued the chip back into place and I was the only one aware that she had been damaged just a little.

Not long after that, I found the figurine on the floor.  I didn’t see it happen, but it had to be our cat that was responsible this time, and the damage was much more severe.  One high-heeled foot had broken off, a piece of the purse was broken off, and several other areas were chipped.  I was especially sad this time, but I did my best to glue the pieces I could match up.  I didn’t tell anyone about the damage.  I couldn’t leave her on the original prominent shelf because, in the light, it was obvious that she had been broken in many places.  So, I moved her to a shelf in a darker corner where the cracks were not quite as obvious.

Before too long, my husband discovered the damage.  He asked what had happened, and concluded that I should throw it away.  But I told him she was still precious to me, and I wanted to keep her, even with all the cracks.  The following Christmas, I opened a gift from my husband, and it was a new figurine, exactly the same as the original.  I was amazed!  These were quite expensive for our budget at the time, and I was satisfied to keep the one with all the cracks.  But he assured me he wanted to give me the new one! This time, I put her on a shelf where I knew she would be protected.  And she is still perfect!

These figurines now represent what I experienced years later in my marriage and in my relationship with God.  Even though I was a Christian, I made a series of choices that led to an adulterous relationship and eventual separation from my husband.  I knew this was not what God wanted for my life, but it seemed impossible to give up that relationship.  After several months of separation and daily undeniable conviction from God about my choice, I made the decision to return home to my husband if he still wanted me.  By God’s grace, he was willing for me to come home and we agreed to go away for ten days of intensive counseling to work on our marriage.  That was only the beginning of a long period of continuing to try to “fix myself.” My marriage was broken, I was broken, and I felt helpless and hopeless. 

Finally, several months after returning home, I surrendered myself and my marriage completely to God.  God led me that very morning to make an appointment with a counselor who had been able to help a friend of mine.  For the first time, I felt a small degree of hope.  It was a long and painful journey through counseling, but over time God was able to accomplish what was impossible when I was trying to “fix” myself. 

Looking back, I see that I was like that broken figurine when I turned away from God.  And I tried very hard to patch myself and make life work the way it was supposed to.  But when I completely surrendered to God, He didn’t just patch up the broken pieces and put me on a shelf in a dark corner.  He forgave me, and although it took some time, He created in me a new heart of love for Him and for my husband. Our marriage became stronger than it ever was before!  A miracle that only God could accomplish!  He has made me a new creation, not just patched up with all the cracks still showing!  I have a deeper personal understanding of God’s love, His grace and mercy, and His power to change hearts and lives and marriages.  And, in His time, God has given me the blessing of ministering to women again through writing and teaching Bible studies, offering hope and encouragement to those in difficult life circumstances.

PERSONAL REFLECTION

Is there a circumstance in your life that seems hopeless, that you feel helpless to change?

Be encouraged that if you cry out to God for help, He does hear, and He can do what seems impossible.  It begins with complete surrender to God.  He will even help you to have a willing heart to surrender if you ask Him!

Write a prayer of surrender to God.  Trust Him to do what seems impossible. He still does miracles!

Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.

Psalm 37:24

My little grandson, Marshall, was reluctant to step into the water at all. We were enjoying a special day at the lake, and he was happy to just be on the beach. But as I took his hand, he was willing to walk with me into the water, one small step at a time. When he became comfortable with a few steps, I decided to try another challenge. I let him stand by himself in the shallow water close to shore as I took a couple of steps away from him into the deeper water. As I reached out my hands and asked him to come to me, he began taking careful steps toward me reaching out to take hold of my hands again. I loved watching his trust build step by step!

We have a pool at our home, and I had more opportunities to build on that trust with Marshall. I would have him stand at the side of the pool while I stood in the water. I would hold out my arms and invite him to jump. I’ll never forget his question: “Will you catch me?” My answer was, “Yes, I will catch you. I promise.” Imagine my delight as he jumped from the edge of the pool into my arms. His trust that I would catch him gave me such joy!

That was a perfect picture for me of what God wants from us when we are facing uncertain circumstances, or when He calls us to do something that seems difficult or even impossible. He doesn’t expect us to dive immediately into the deep end. He calls us to come to Him in faith, taking just the next step, believing His promise that He is there, no matter what! Then He will lead us to each next step. His Word assures us that He loves us, He knows exactly what is happening every moment of our life. He promises to never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). He is holding our hand.

Here are some scriptures that encourage my heart, and I pray they will encourage you too.

Isaiah 43:2 (NLT) 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.

Psalm 63:8 (NLT) I cling to you; your strong right hand holds me securely.

Psalm 20:6 (NASB) Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven with the saving strength of His right hand.

Psalm 16:8 (NASB) I have set the Lord continually before me; because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

PERSONAL REFLECTION

Are you facing uncertain circumstances in your life right now? Which of these scriptures can you receive as God’s encouragement to you?

Is God calling you to do something that seems too difficult, or even impossible? Will you take His hand and trust His promise to provide all you need to do it?

My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

Psalm 121:2

The divorce papers were on the table ready to be signed. After many years of marriage, my husband and I had been separated for several months. In an attempt to restore our marriage, we agreed to attend a 10-day intensive counseling session in Colorado Springs. We were in a desperately difficult situation. One day I was sitting alone outdoors overlooking the amazing red rock formations of the Garden of the Gods. What an incredibly beautiful view! As I was praying, that verse in Psalm 121 came to mind.

I had memorized this scripture as a child, but until that day I had never really paid attention to the last phrase. Why didn’t the Psalmist just end with “My help comes from the Lord?” Period. Why did he add the phrase, who made heaven and earth? The answer came as I prayed and asked God to help me understand. I was reminded of Genesis 1:1-2: In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep…” John 1:3 gives additional information: All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. These verses reminded me that God created the entire universe —everything — out of absolutely nothing.

I began to sense a glimmer of hope. Could God take a lifeless marriage relationship and create a new life? In a heart where love seemed to have died, could God create something new? Maybe God could bring life out of what seemed to be formless and void. I began to trust Him for that.

Years have passed since discovering the hidden treasure in this Psalm. God has been faithful in His creative miracle. It didn’t happen overnight. It took a lot of counseling and determination and forgiveness. We had to learn about what had been missing in our marriage in order to improve our relationship. God did not merely restore an old relationship, but He created something brand new. Deep love is now present in our marriage that was not there before. Only God could have done that. My life has been changed forever, and I have an unshakable faith in God.

I have learned that nothing is impossible with God (Luke 1:37). He is able to do exceedingly abundantly beyond all that we can ask or think (Ephesians 3:20). I learned the power of prayer. Two of my nieces knew of our situation, and I found out later that they had prayed consistently and specifically for me. She knew that I am a believer in Jesus, and she prayed that I would be convicted by the Holy Spirit every morning about the choice I had made to separate from my husband. Her prayers were specifically answered!

It encourages me to realize that no matter how lost someone seems to be, or how far away from God they have drifted, there is still hope. Don’t give up. Keep praying! The God who made the heavens and the earth still creates miracles! Cry out to Him for help, no matter how impossible the situation seems. Remember that nothing is impossible with Him.

PERSONAL REFLECTION

Are you personally struggling with a difficult situation in your life? Or do you know someone whose situation sesems hopeless? How can my story encourage you?

Who can you be praying for that needs a miracle?

I’m really excited to finally share with you some of what I’ve learned over many years of following Jesus and studying God’s Word.   This is my very first blog post!  You can click on “About Me” to read more about the process of getting to this point of publishing the devotional writing as a weekly blog post.  For now, maybe you’d like to grab a cup of coffee or tea, and sit down to share some time with me!  My prayer is that God will encourage you to get to know Him better and desire to have a deeper relationship with Him as you read.

We are currently in the middle of a worldwide Coronavirus pandemic. Do you feel at times like you are in a battle? Do you struggle with loneliness, concern about physical health, emotional instability, financial insecurity? Where can we go for help when we are faced with threatening times like this? God’s Word gives us encouragement!

In Exodus 17:8-18 we read of Moses leading the people of Israel out of slavery in Egypt. As they travel through the desert, they are attacked by their enemy, the Amalekites.  As the battle was being fought, Moses stationed himself at the top of the hill with the staff of God in his hand. When he held up his hand, the Israelites prevailed, but when he became weary and lowered his hands, Amalek prevailed.  What happens next is the encouragement for us in difficult times:

But Moses’ hands were heavy. They took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it; and Aaron and Hur held his hands up — one on one side and one on the other — so that his hands were steady until the sun set. So, Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword (verses 12-13).

Perhaps more difficult than supporting someone else’s weak hands is admitting our own need to be supported. Can you identify with being so weary of the battle that you can no longer hold up your hands? During the times when the battle is the fiercest, God doesn’t expect us to fight alone. He intends for us to bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2) and to strengthen the hands that are weak (Hebrews 12:12).

Notice that Aaron and Hur placed Moses on a stone. Psalm 18:2 tells us The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer. When God calls us to help strengthen one who is weak, we need to lead them to Him, the Rock, not trusting our own solutions to their problem.

God Himself, His wisdom, and His Word need to be at the center of our encouragement to others. Thank you, Lord, that you are our Rock, our Fortress, our Strong deliverer — no matter what circumstances surround us.

PERSONAL REFLECTION

Has God brought someone into your life who needs encouragement? How can this message help you?

Maybe you are the one who is feeling weak from fighting what seems to be a losing battle. How are you encouraged by this message?