Over the past year I’ve had stretches where I haven’t readily felt my faith. God hasn’t felt as near as He often does. I’ve endured a significant disappointment and wondered where God is; Is He still working when I can’t see or feel Him? But notice my emphasis on feeling, on my senses. If God is only faithful when we can feel Him, then we as humans have a problem. Thankfully, God’s goodness doesn’t rise or fall on how we feel about Him. His goodness is based on who He is. Here are three things that have helped me the past year.
Go Back to What Is True, Not What You Feel Is True
This past weekend I spoke at a church in California. I’m always grateful to teach God’s Word, but this weekend I needed it. I needed to be reminded of who God is. I was teaching on the power that pours forth from God’s holiness. When the Israelites passed through the Red Sea, they exclaimed, “Who among the gods is like you, Lord? Who is like you—majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?” (Exodus 15:11). God is unlike all others, and He never stops working, even when we don’t feel it. Go back to Scripture. Give your feelings and emotions to God, and ask Him to remind you of what is true about Him.
When Things Are Out of Your Control, They’re Not Out of God’s
One of the truths I’ve held onto this past year is God is in control. This doesn’t mean that heartbreak doesn’t happen, or hardship won’t come our way, but it does mean He is sovereign over all. Some really important things are currently out of my control, so what a balm to my soul Colossians 1:16-17 has been: “For everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and by him all things hold together.” All things are held together by Him. What are you afraid of? What is causing you anxiety? Take it to His loving care.
Choose Gratitude
Gratitude does not come easy to me but it’s a spiritual discipline I’ve been practicing this year. When we are experiencing various trials, and we don’t know what the future holds, we can look around at the many good things God has blessed us with. We can thank Him for these many blessings and turn our gratitude to worship. “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever” (Psalm 136:1).
These are a few of the things I’ve been going back to. I hope they help you in whatever season you find yourself in.
Please join me for this month’s video devotional on what to do when we can’t see or feel God. If you’re in that place, I hope it will be an encouragement to you that the Israelites were there too. Sometimes it’s a blessing to be reminded that we’re not the first ones to feel as though God’s activity has vanished from in front of us. But this doesn’t mean He’s not working or with you. Watch the video below to find out more.
This month I’m bringing you some encouragement on identity straight from a village in the Amazon. When God called Moses to lead the Israelites out of the bondage of Egypt, Moses responded like many of us would, “Who Am I?” he said asked. In other words, I’m a shepherd and Egyptians hate shepherds, I was driven out of Egypt, I don’t speak well, etc. Do you want to know how God responded to Moses? His answer was life-changing though not what we might expect. Check out the video to find out.
It’s been a busy few months for me, and I’m sure it’s been the same for you. May is packed with Mother’s Day, graduations, end-of-year school activities, and of course spring cleaning and outside chores. I hope I’m not stressing anyone out.
To add to the busyness, last week I had the joy of graduating from Denver Seminary after five-plus years working on my MA in Biblical and Theological Studies. This endeavor has been one of the most meaningful of my life. My prayer is that all I’ve learned about God and His Word will flow through my Bible studies and speaking in ways that will help us all know Jesus more deeply.
In addition, for anyone walking through a difficult season, I wanted to share some brief thoughts on suffering. How to suffer well, and how to experience Christ in the middle of it. I hope the following words will be a blessing to you.
With Easter being particularly late this year, I’m more aware of its ties to Spring. New life is budding, colors are bursting, the unique color of spring-green is sprouting all around us. But what is going on in our hearts? What kind of creative actdoes God want to do within us?
I’ve recorded a short devotional on John 9:6, a rather peculiar verse. When we dig beneath the dirt (pun intended), we see in this text Jesus’s allusion to a BRAND NEW WORK. Because sometimes we don’t need a redo, a refresh, or a restoration — we need Christ to work something new in us. Easter, here we come!
