The Wonder of God's Faithfulness

When my kids were little, I spent hours reading to them. More often than not, I read them the same story over and over. “Read it again!” they’d ask, just as excited to hear it the tenth time as they did the first time. But after reading the same story on repeat, I wasn’t as thrilled. I lost my fervor to speak in different voices. I found myself reading it faster just to get it over with.

This is true with many things in life. I get excited about something new and enjoy the task. It might be experimenting with a new recipe or starting a new job or learning a new skill, but after doing it over and over again, the newness wears off and I get bored. I find the mundane tiresome.

How different is our God!

From the beginning of time, he ensures the sun rises and sets and each day. The seasons come and go at their appointed times year after year. Animals are fed and cared for. The earth is watered so that food grows and is harvested. God does these things not begrudgingly, but in spectacular fashion. Sunsets never cease to amaze and thrill. The crimson and amber hue on the leaves outside the window are just as beautiful this year as the they were the last. All his works are perfect and he is faithful to perform them.

Even more, he is faithful in our lives. He hears the same prayers from my heart day after day and never tires to hear from me. When I ask him to “provide for me again!” or “deliver me again!” he does so with joy. He never tires or grows bored or desires something new and different. He is the same, yesterday, today, and forever (Heb. 3:8). He is faithful in all that he does. As Moses sang, “The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he” (Deut. 32:4). This means we can depend on God. We can know he is present and with us at all times. We can trust in his steadfast love and faithfulness. Like a child, we can take delight in a God who never ceases to perform wonders for his people. What he promises always comes to pass. What he decrees always stands.

Just as my children loved to hear the same story, “just one more time” and just as they trusted in me to be there to read it to them, how much more so can we find joy and wonder in our God who awakens us each morning with brilliant colors splashed across the sky. How much more will our God be present with us, hear us, and deliver us, no matter how many times we ask.

How have you seen God’s faithful works today?

“Bless the LORD, all his works, in all places of his dominion. Bless the LORD, O my soul!” (Ps. 103:22).

Photo by Dawid Zawiła on Unsplash

When Spring Comes Slowly

We’ve lived in the south for almost seven years now and I still marvel at how spring unfolds here. After living in S. Florida for so long, where there is only one season—summer—I just love to watch the trees bud and flower. I love the color that bursts on scene, pushing away the grey of winter. I love being a witness to new life.

Where I live, spring begins its arrival sometime in February (though this year I spotted some in late January) with the daffodils. All of a sudden, my neighbor’s yards had spots of yellow pop out of the ground. They stood in cheery contrast to the brown grass and dead leaves around them. Then the tulip trees bloomed in their purple glory. This weekend, I noticed the tiniest of buds on my Merlot Redbud tree my son helped me plant this past summer.

Each week I wonder, what will bloom next?

While there’s a date on the calendar when spring officially arrives, in reality, it comes on slowly. I know the leaves on my backyard trees won’t be full and green until mid to late March. My azalea bush and dogwood tree won’t peak until April. Each arrives in its own time.

The Bible uses many agrarian illustrations and metaphors to point to spiritual truths. It talks about faith in terms of seed, plant growth, and harvest. It describes our union with Christ to be like that of vines and branches. Jesus compares the evidences of one’s faith to that of fruit from a healthy tree. Such illustrations made sense to those in ancient times where most people were farmers. They lived off the land and understood the seasons of sowing and harvesting. For those of us who can’t keep a simple house plant alive and who pick our apples, not from a tree but from the neatly stacked rows in the produce section of the local grocers, these illustrations take more work to understand.

But I think spring gives us that opportunity to watch and learn how God works in our lives.

Spring reminds us that growth takes time and that we often have to endure the dark days of winter first. My son’s Civic Club planted hundreds of daffodil bulbs last fall in front of his school. Many months those bulbs remained in the quiet darkness. Above ground, it seemed like nothing was happening. But underground, even in the cold of winter, growth was taking place. This is true in our lives. God is still at work even when we don’t feel it. Even in the darkest days, he never ceases his work in us. “…for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Phil. 2:13). Spring is a reminder that growth in our own lives and in the lives of others is a process. And we remain a work in process until the day that Christ returns.

Spring also reminds us that there is an end to our waiting. There’s an expiration date to the dark and dreary days of winter—and to the shadows of sorrow cast upon our life. It’s an annual reminder that life rises on the other side of death. What we experience now is temporary; the joy of eternity awaits.

Spring reminds us of this hope:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:3-7).

So, when spring comes slowly, may it remind us of how God works in our lives. Because he is at work. Always. The fruit will come in its time. The glory awaits. Just watch and see.

Photo by Михаил Павленко on Unsplash

Hope for the Weary {and a giveaway}

People often ask me which of my books is my favorite. In many ways, my books are like my children—birthed through tears and pain. Yet, I do have a favorite and it’s A Heart Set Free, one I wrote about the Psalms of Lament. The process of writing the book gave me an even greater love and appreciation for the Psalms than I had before. I continue to read and study and learn from its prose.

The Psalms have always met me right where I am. They often hold up a mirror to show me what’s going on in my heart. Whether it was in the grief and depression of adolescence, the postpartum days of early motherhood, or just in the struggles that come with living in a fallen world, the Psalms have been and continue to be a balm to my weary soul.

Lately, I’ve struggled with a deep weariness. Such weariness is likely a combination of health issues, the stage of life I’m in, and the challenge of juggling too many plates. I’m weary of dealing with the thorns and thistles of life. I’m worn from ripping out weeds and pulling out the briars— only to find them reappear soon after. Life too often feels like a Monday, set on repeat.

And so I go to where I know I’ll find hope: the Psalms.

Psalm 71

I recently read Psalm 71. In one of my Bibles, the heading reads “Forsake me not when my strength is spent.” Yes! That’s a good description of where I’m at: spent strength. In another study Bible, the heading reads “God’s help in old age.” (I smiled when I read that title.)

The psalmist was likely advanced in years when he penned the psalm, for he wrote, “Do not cast me off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength is spent” (v.9) and “So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come but whether one is old or young, it points to our hope” (v.18). Whether we are young or old, or somewhere in between, Psalm 71 points us to our great hope in God.

As I read this psalm, it was like learning from a mentor who has walked with the Lord for many years. He models what it looks like to lament with hope. It is both a psalm of lament, where the psalmist cries out to God for help and rescue, but it is also a testimony of God’s faithfulness. “Upon you I have leaned from before my birth; you are he who took me from my mother’s womb” (v.6). The psalmist’s knowledge of God isn’t merely theological, it’s also experiential. He knows from past experience of God’s steadfast love and faithfulness. He’s seen God move in his life and rescue him time and time again. He’s learned where to turn when life is hard, when evil pushes in from every side, when he feels weak and unable to stand. “O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds” (v.17).

In this psalm, the writer faces enemies who plot against him. He asks the Lord to rescue him: “In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me; incline your ear to me, and save me! Be to me a rock of refuge, to which I may continually come; you have given the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress” (vv.2-3). Like a wise mentor, the psalmist points the reader to who God is throughout the psalm. He describes God as a rock, refuge, fortress, hope, righteousness, salvation, strength, and faithful. He talks about God’s works and acts of righteousness. He looks to God as his salvation and hope in the midst of his fears. “Your righteousness, O God, reaches the high heavens. You who have done great things, O God, who is like you?” (v.19).

Though this psalm is a lament, though the psalmist is fearful of those who are against him and cries out to God for his help and deliverance, there is also praise and worship woven throughout. The psalmist interrupts his complaints to praise God for who he is “My mouth is filled with your praise, and with your glory all the day” (v.8) and “But I will hope continually and will praise you yet more and more” (v.14).

A Testimony for the Weak and Weary

I recently talked with a mentor/friend who lost a loved one. She testified to me of God’s great love for her during a hard and painful time. She spoke of God’s grace and faithfulness toward her in her grief. She did as the psalmist did in verse 18: “I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come.” My friend, like the psalmist, has known God’s love and faithfulness throughout her life. She knows that while sorrows and storms will roll over her, God is her refuge. She knows, like the the psalmist, that God is her comfort. “You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again; from the depths of the earth you will bring me up again. You will increase my greatness and comfort me again” (vv. 20-21).

What a testimony for the weak and weary! These truths are what my heart needs most as I face my own weariness. God is my refuge and strength. He will sustain me and carry me. He is my salvation. I want my own heart to respond as the psalmist in Psalm 71. I want to cry out to God for help in the face of life’s circumstances. I want to remember all he’s done for me in the past. I want to trust him to carry me in my weakness. And I want a heart that bursts out into praise and worship, even in the midst of fear, sorrow, and weariness, so that others might also know that God alone is the source of hope and help.

I’d love to share with you the joy of reading and studying the Psalms—of learning how to model your own prayers and heart cries after the Psalms of Lament. To that end, I am running a giveaway of A Heart Set Free. Enter below in the giveaway box, US residents only. Giveaway ends on March 15 at 12am EST. Update: this giveaway has ended and the winners have been contacted. Thank you for entering!

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Three Things to Remember When You Fear the Future

The future and I have a love/hate relationship with each other.

There are times in life when I view the future with excitement. Things I've planned and worked for are about to come to fruition and I watch with anticipation as they unfold before my eyes—like when I completed a degree program, got married, or had a child. In those times, I love the future, and even strive to speed up its arrival—as if that were possible!

But there are other times in life when the future is not exciting at all. Instead, the future is dark with shadows and it seems to hide its intentions. I can't see what lies ahead and it fills me with dread and fear. The unknown keeps me awake at night thinking through all the "What if?" scenarios. "What if ____ happens? Then what will I do?" In those times, I do what I can to keep the future at bay—as if I ever could!

I'm in the midst of one of those "what if?" seasons right now. It's hard not to worry and fret about the unknown. It's hard not to fear.  

And it can be hard to trust God with the future.

But I want to. I want to be able to say with the psalmist, "Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. (Psalm 46:2-3) I want to look at the future with anticipation and hope—no matter what lies ahead—knowing that God is my refuge and strength (Psalm 46:1). 

Perhaps you are in a similar season where the future looks fearful. You don't know what the future has in store and you fear you will be unprepared. You fear you aren't strong enough to endure whatever trial or difficult circumstance awaits. You fear the future will hold something too hard, too difficult, too painful.

In our battles against fear, we need to remember three things:

God Holds the Future

Our God is sovereign over all things. Every molecule is under his control. He determines even those things that seem random in our eyes (Proverbs 16:33). He rules over the hearts of man (Proverbs 21:1). We may make our plans, but it is God who directs our paths (Proverbs 16:9). God's purposes and plans always come to pass. Nothing and no one can interfere with his plan. "For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,
and I will accomplish all my purpose" (Isaiah 46:9-10). And whatever does come to pass is God's plan. This means that while our future is unknown to us, it is not unknown to God. When a difficult circumstance enters my life, I often repeat to myself, "God is not surprised by this." It's a refrain that reminds me that while I may be taken off guard, he is not. And because he is not surprised, it means everything is happening just as he planned it.

From the WCF Chapter V:

"God the great Creator of all things does uphold, direct, dispose, and govern all creatures, actions, and things, from the greatest even to the least, by His most wise and holy providence, according to His infallible foreknowledge, and the free and immutable counsel of His own will, to the praise of the glory of His wisdom, power, justice, goodness, and mercy."

God is Good

God is good. "The LORD is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works" (Psalm 145:7). He cannot do anything that is not good. "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change" (James 1:17). He never changes; there is no "shadow due to change." He is the Father of lights. In spiritual terms, darkness implies evil; there is no darkness in God. He is always good. As fallen creatures, it is hard for us to fathom what that means. Even our good deeds are often tainted by wrong motives. But God always does what is right. He is the source of all that is good and everything he gives us is good. 

You Can Trust Your Future to God

Because the future is in God's hands and no one else's and because he is good and only does what is good, we can trust our future to him. We can rest in his sovereign care for us. The trials and circumstances we fear, while not good in and of themselves, are always used by God for our ultimate good (Romans 8:28-29). He is at work in us, making us into the image of his Son. The work involved in that process can be difficult and sometimes even painful work, but it is good work. And the end result will be glorious when his work is complete. We can look to the greatest suffering—our Savior's death on the cross—and see how it was used for good, to set us free from sin and bring us into right relationship with God. 

Yes, the future can be frightening. But God rules and reigns over it. While we don't know what will happen, he does. And because he is a good God, we can trust our future to him. We can know that whatever happens is not outside his providence and control.  No matter how challenging or difficult or hard the future might be, God will use it for our good. He will make us like Christ. 

God's Grace in Our Fears

A  new year is always a time of reflection and thinking back about what took place in the prior year. We often think about what we learned and hopefully how we want to grow and change as a result. For me, last year held a season of fear. You may remember I dealt with a health problem. I had a growth on my thyroid that the doctor's thought might be cancerous but were not able to determine from the biopsy. At the end of July, I had thyroid surgery to remove the growth (and half my thyroid).

The entire situation was disconcerting, worrisome, and at times, frightening. Certainly, all the medical procedures were no fun. But also the thought of cancer was frightening. It was a fresh reminder of my age, stage of life, and of the way time continues to sift through my hands. 

There is much to fear in this fallen world. Sickness, natural disasters, violence, job loss, relational conflict, just to name a few. The unknown future can be frightening. Such fear paralyzes. It's like a heavy cloud that envelopes us, suffocating, and blinding us to everything else.

Tracing Grace

Situations like mine, and perhaps like the one you are in right now, require extra grace. Grace to know that God is with us and will not leave us. Grace to believe and trust in his goodness. Grace to rest in God's sovereign care.

So that was my prayer last year: for God to give me grace. I needed him to guide me in the unknown. I prayed that I would see his hand at work—that I would trace his grace, gathering it together like a strand of lights to light the way in the darkness. 

God was faithful. 

I found friends and family who prayed for me and told me so.

I discovered kind doctors and nurses who spoke with confidence and reassurance.

I felt peace when I least expected it.

God provided even the smallest details like friends to watch my kids while we were at the hospital.

Not only did I see his grace in my circumstances, I also remembered his love and faithfulness to me in the past. I've experienced many fearful events and unknowns in my life and God has never failed me. He has been a rock and fortress time and time again. In all the little challenges and the big trials of life, God has repeatedly proven himself faithful. And in my greatest need of all, forgiveness of sin, he gave me his own son.

Because he gave me Jesus, how could I think he would fail to be faithful in anything else? 

Psalm 46 and Fear

As you know, I love the Psalms. One psalm I've always paused at in reading is Psalm 46. "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling."

For someone who is often weakened by fear, it's hard to imagine not having any fear in the face of something terrible. The important thing to notice is that the psalmist doesn't say, "even when the very worst happens, if you have strong faith and believe really hard, you won't have any fear." Rather, the psalmist says that because God is our refuge and strength and help in trouble, we will not fear.

The psalmist also remembered who God is in his power and holiness: "There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress." God's presence keeps his church safe. This passage reminds me of Paul's assuring words that nothing can separate us from the love of God for us in Christ (Romans 8:38-39).

The psalmist then remembered what God has done in the past: "Come, behold the works of the LORD, how he has brought desolations on the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire." 

Because God is faithful and gracious, because he is our Rock and Refuge, because of who he is and what he has done, the psalm concludes: "Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of  Jacob is our fortress. Selah."

Soon after my surgery, I learned that I did not have cancer. (In case you were wondering). But I know that life in this fallen world will include more unknowns and more fears. The psalmist reminds me that God is with his people. He is our help. He is our refuge. Even when the world seems flipped upside down and even when the worst happens, God rules and reigns. He is faithful. The God of Jacob is a covenant keeping God; we belong to him.

God's grace is always present in our fears.