I Love Devotionals by Wendy van Eyck

A prayer for when you're going through a storm

2017-06-08T09:29:00.000+02:00

Lord, it feels silly to pray at a time like this!

It feels like at a time like this prayer should take the form of action, not mere words.

Prayer is opening the doors of my home, making sandwiches for the hungry, holding down the roof on a house so the dust and rain can’t get in.

Right now, all I have is words, so let that be enough, but keep my heart soft and open to any actions I need to live.

Thank you for your promises that when we face stormy seas you will be there with us with endurance and calm; we will not be engulfed in raging rivers.

If it seems like we’re walking through fire with flames licking at our limbs, we can keep going; Because You, the Eternal One, are our God. You are the Holy One of Israel, and You will save us.

I sometimes read your promises (like the one above) and I think, ‘Really God? Tell that to the people who just lost a loved one or whose house just burnt down.’ Help me in my unbelief. Show me your hand in this storm even when all I can see is destruction and suffering.

There are men, women and children affected by the fires and storms raging right now. Lord, I ask that they would know your presence that they can hold on to you while everything else they have is being ripped away.

You know I don’t understand why bad things happen. You know it makes me angry and sad.

I’m reminded at times like this that you are much bigger than me, much greater than my understanding. You are likened to a consuming fire, a whirlwind. And I need to trust that your ways are not mine and that you can bring beauty out of ashes.

Jesus, we ask that the wind would calm. I think of you standing on a boat in the middle of raging storm and rebuking the wind. Your voice calmed the wind.

Could you speak to the wind now? Will you calm the storm?

Speak, Lord Jesus, speak.

Open the skies and let the rain fall.
Come, Lord Jesus, come.

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I wrote this prayer this morning specifically with the people of Knysna, South Africa in mind. If you want to follow the story here are some live updates. However, I know that there are storms and fires (real and figurative) that people across the world deal with every day. If you're going through one now I hope that this prayer will help you.

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3 bible verses to hold onto when life gives you lemons

2016-09-12T13:21:00.002+02:00

I love how the internet connects people. Today, I'm sharing a guest post from Trisha Carter, a young woman from the island of Barbados. It's so great to share some of her "well" journey here as well as 3 bible verses you can hold onto when life is more sour than sweet.

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Life has become a journey of ups and downs. A journey of good and bad, easy and difficult that we probably will never get used to. We become familiar with everything going well, that when the bad time comes, our faith is shaken. We forget how God brought us out of our previous difficult time into our good. This is expected.

Many times, I ask myself, "Is everything really working for my good?" "Is God really working it out in the background?" Where is the well in my life? We sing the song, "It Is Well" but is it really? I know these are quite a number of questions but it is the reality that we go through everyday when we are faced with trials and tribulations.

And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”

Luke 22:31-32 (NKJV)

My prayer is always that my faith would not fail. It's so easy in the bad times, to have doubt and unbelief. It's easy to think that God has probably forgotten about us or that what He promised, He is no longer going to fulfill. However, these thoughts must not overcome us. Every thought should be cast down and brought into captivity.

Where is my well? Where is your well?

Our well is found in the One who says that His strength is made perfect in our weakness. Our well is in God. I remember the many times when I felt life was turning upside down.

I remember the many times that life threw lemons in my direction. However in those times, I reflected on the words spoken such as:

Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

Isaiah 41:10 (NKJV)

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy o be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Romans 8:18 (NKJV)

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Romans 8:28 (NKJV)

When life threw lemons, I made lemonade. I turned my situation around by reminding myself of the promises of God.

This is not to say that it would be easy and after saying these verses, everything is going to change instantly. God works in mysterious ways and He is using our present situation to form us into what He has called us to be and into the image of His Son. We're in the pruning process.

It's ok! I admit the pruning process is not easy but it is worth it. You may not see the light at the end of your tunnel right now but be assured that it is there. Be assured that even though it does not seem well, it will be well because God is working on our behalf and He is for us.

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About the author of this guest post

Trisha Carter is a young woman from the island of Barbados and is the founder of The ChristianLife Blog. She is a lover of God and seeks to use her gift of writing to encourage, empower and transform those who read for the glory of God. "It's not enough to write for the mundane but to write for purpose". Find her on Facebook and Twitter here.

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7 bible verses for tough times

2016-05-12T05:30:00.000+02:00

In the Bible I keep next to my bed there are 7 pink post-it's that stick out between the pages.

I remember placing each of them there in the days after Xylon's first cancer diagnosis. In my fear and dread of the future I put these little reminders in my bible so I could easily find reminders of God being for me on the days when I couldn't feel him near me.

I love The Message bible. There is something about the way Eugene Peterson writes that opens up the word of God for me so I'm sharing this version here but I know that no matter what bible version you enjoy God can still speak to you through these verse in tough times.

1. Psalm 23:6
Your beauty and love chase after me
every day of my life.I’m back home in the house of God
for the rest of my life.
Read my devotional on this verse here

2. Isaiah 30:18
But God’s not finished. He’s waiting around to be gracious to you.
    He’s gathering strength to show mercy to you.
God takes the time to do everything right—everything.
    Those who wait around for him are the lucky ones.
Read my devotional on this verse here

3. Lamentations 3:22-27
God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out,
    his merciful love couldn’t have dried up.
They’re created new every morning.
    How great your faithfulness!
I’m sticking with God (I say it over and over).
    He’s all I’ve got left.
God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits
to the woman who diligently seeks.
It’s a good thing to quietly hope
quietly hope for help from God.
It’s a good thing when you’re young
to stick it out through the hard times.
Read my devotional on verse 25 here

4. Zephaniah 3:16-17
Jerusalem will be told:
    “Don’t be afraid.
Dear Zion,
    don’t despair.
Your God is present among you,
    a strong Warrior there to save you.
Happy to have you back, he’ll calm you with his love
    and delight you with his songs.
Read a devotional on this verse here

5. Romans 8:31-39

So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn’t hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn’t gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God’s chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ’s love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture:
They kill us in cold blood because they hate you.
We’re sitting ducks; they pick us off one by one.
None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.
Read my devotional on this verse here

6. Ephesians 3:20
God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.
Read my devotional on this verse here

7. 1 John 3:18-20
My dear children, let’s not just talk about love; let’s practice real love. This is the only way we’ll know we’re living truly, living in God’s reality. It’s also the way to shut down debilitating self-criticism, even when there is something to it. For God is greater than our worried hearts and knows more about us than we do ourselves.
Read my devotional on this verse here

What are the Bible verses that get you through tough times?

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When you long for beauty, remember this

2016-05-09T05:30:00.000+02:00

Your beauty and love chase after me
every day of my life.
Psalm 23:6 (MSG)

The evenings have been far from perfect lately.

Winter has been beating back summer with wind and rain and temperatures that leave me watching my breath hover in the air as I exhale. The trees have left their leaves on the ground like discarded clothes from a grand party.

The last few evenings I’ve been pulling on a jacket and taking our dog for walks in the field below our house. He runs around like he has never had a walk before.

On each walk, I pause on a mound that allows the farmland in the distance to come into view. If I time it right I can see the sun falling behind the rolling hills. The sky streaked with oranges, pinks, purples, blues.

I’ve stood and watched this beauty each evening, the sunset God is painting for me, the sunset he puts there just to remind me that his beauty and love will never stop chasing after me.

I’ve a cousin who teaches her kids to remember every time they see a sunset that God’s love for them will never change.

I remember passing many evenings with Xylon in hospital. The rooms he was put in almost always afforded me a view of the sunsetting, and gave me a moment of beauty each evening to remember God loves me. God’s love and beauty found me in one of the ugliest places.

Life can have so many ugly, hard moments, but I’ve found God’s beauty and love pursue me in all of them.

Many days I need this reminder:
God's beauty and love chase after me every day of my life. (<- tweet this)

Some times God’s love and beauty look like a sunset, sometimes gift from a friend, or time with a loved one. But they are there, chasing you every day of your life.

How have you seen God’s beauty and love chasing you?

P.S. I don't often use my own photos on the blog but this time I thought I'd share a few photos from the spot were I stop to stand and stare and God's beauty and love chasing me. That is our dog, Oliver, looking back at you in the top pic.

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When you need God to do SOMETHING already, remember this

2016-04-28T05:30:00.000+02:00

"Is it possible to get a cup of coffee?" my husband, Xylon, asks the waiter going past our table at the hotel.

The waiter pauses and then replies with a smile, "Anything is possible."

This has stuck with me all week. It's reminded me that often the limitations I see are limitations I create in my mind.

I know it's not always that way. I'm praying for miracles for two people right now. I'm praying the kind of prayers for them that reach outside of what doctors and our medicine can heal.

This conversation with a waiter has buoyed my faith. It's reminded me that I serve a God who isn't limited by what I think is possible. And it made me think of the story in the bible of an old man and his wife. Both were well past the age of having children, in fact they were in their nineties, but God promised them there children would be as many as the sands on the seashore.

The old woman actually laughed when she heard this. Wouldn’t you?

If God told you he wouldn’t only do the impossible but fulfill all your wildest dreams, wouldn’t you laugh? It was impossible, but God did it. He gave this old couple a child when there is no way they should have been able to give birth naturally.

In Romans 4:19 you can find this written about what happened, "And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb."

I sometimes wonder if Abraham never had a child at 100 what would have happened. What the bible would have recorded in Hebrews?

I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately and I think that even if Abraham didn’t have a child in his old age it would still have read and Abraham’s faith did not weaken.

Even if Abraham had died childless I believe his faith would never have wavered that God could still fulfil his promise to him.

Abraham might not have known how God would have done it but he would have believed that God could. Would have put his hope in the fact that God was in control.

Faith isn’t dependent on me it relies on God. (<-- Tweet this)

Faith believes that impossible is just an opportunity for God to do something outrageous and beautiful and breathtaking.

Is there something in your life right now that seems impossible?

Not just something that is hard or difficult but something that is impossible, something like having a baby when you are a hundred years old?

For God, ANYTHING is possible. (<-- Tweet this)

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How to be a good friend during the holidays

2015-12-10T11:53:00.000+02:00

A guest post by Betsy St. Amant

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. John 16:33 (NIV)

The holidays can sure be an exhausting mix of joy and despair, can’t they?

It seems like for every strand of twinkling lights, there’s a tear dripping down a cheek. For every plate of gingerbread cookies, there’s a bill on the table that can’t be paid. And for every Christmas carol sung with gusto, there’s a whispered lie of hopelessness.

Hard times, heartache, and grief are not prejudice and pay no attention to the calendar month. Pain hits who it will, regardless of it being a bright summer afternoon or a winter Christmas morn.

Jesus even told us “In this world, you will have trouble.”

Think about the people in your life—so many struggling with:

Infertility.

Death.

Grief.

Divorce.

Broken relationships.

Financial hardship.

Wayward children.

People searching for jobs, for freedom from addictions, for significance. People waiting for clear medical reports, for positive pregnancy tests, for their spouse to come home.

There’s trouble everywhere we look. In our backyards, in our bank accounts, in our relationships.

I’m so glad Jesus didn’t stop there when He talked about trouble. I love the rest of that verse. “But take heart…I have overcome the world.”

And that’s what our main goal should be when ministering to friends hurting this holiday season—ushering them to the Overcomer.

When someone we care about is in pain, we understandably want to fix it. But too often, in the heat of the moment, this attempt at fixing comes across as displeasure, frustration, or impatience toward our loved one. It can also express itself as judgment and actually serves as salt on the wound, rather than the intended Band-aid.

When I was going through my divorce almost three years ago, I had so many well-meaning people tell me things like “I know it’s hard, but just focus on you and your daughter right now.”

I know they were trying to comfort and point out the good I still had in my life, but it made me feel worse. Because not only did it not fix the fact that I was suddenly single after nine years of marriage, it made me feel like I was a bad Mom for not feeling like my daughter was enough. I felt like I was a failure because I missed my marriage.

I finally, years later, figured out that a wound doesn’t render a blessing null and avoid—and vice versa. (<— Tweet this)

I could love, appreciate, and be grateful for my daughter with every ounce of my heart. But that didn’t change the fact that I was at that time grieving the loss of my marriage and fighting a loneliness gap that I was used to having a spouse fill.

My daughter wasn’t meant to fill the void of a spouse. Just like being married doesn’t fill the void of infertility. It’s a separate longing.

Jesus alone fills those needs, in His ways, in His timing, and you know what? The process and the specifics look different for everyone.

That’s why we have to be careful when we try to fix our friends’ pain. Those people who spoke those things to me didn’t mean to heap guilt and shame on my head. Of course they didn’t. Just like we don’t meant to hurt when we say trite answers such as “It could always be worse” or “God has a plan” or “Just be grateful for what you have”.

Trite answers certainly hold a merit of truth. But in the whirlwind of pain, they tend to serve as splinters instead—nagging, irritating annoyances that do more harm than good.

The good news is, we don’t need to have all the answers. All we have to do to be the best friend possible is simply point our friend toward the One Who does have the answers.

Jesus.

This holiday season, if you have a friend who is grieving, look for tangible ways to direct them to Jesus.

Invite them to church.
Supply them with a new journal and their favorite color pen to vent their emotions.
Bake their favorite dessert.
Write Scriptures on cards and mail them.
Offer to go for a drive and promise to only listen and not say a word.
Surprise them with a giftcard for their favorite hot drink.
Pray for them.
Offer free babysitting.

In summary, be the Gospel. Be the hands and feet of Jesus. Be available.

And be quiet, so He can do the talking.

Ponder: Who do you know that is grieving this holiday season? How can you be the hands and feet of Jesus to them?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for being the overcomer of our troubles in this world. Help me to keep my mouth shut when I want to give trite answers in response to peoples pain and instead help me to reach out to them and be your hands and feet. Amen.

About the author of this devotional

Betsy St. Amant has a heart for three things – chocolate, new shoes and sharing the amazing news of God’s grace through her novels. She lives in Louisiana with her adorable story-telling young daughter, a collection of Austen novels, and an impressive stash of Pickle Pringles. A freelance journalist and fiction author, Betsy is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and is multi-published in Contemporary Romance via Love Inspired and Harper Collins (Zondervan). When she’s not reading, writing, or singing along to a Disney soundtrack with her daughter, Betsy enjoys inspirational speaking and teaching on the craft of writing. Find out more about her at betsystamant.com or say hi on Facebook and twitter.

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How to pray when you’re going through hard times

2015-11-30T16:02:00.000+02:00

“Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!” John 12:27-28 (NIV)

A friend of ours has fought cancer twice. Recently he got a cold and went to the doctor. To cut a long story short they sent him for chest x-ray’s. Those x-rays have shown up a white spot.

Now for anyone who has had cancer or been a caretaker for someone with cancer you know that phrase strikes pure fear into the heart.

I was away when Xylon heard from his friend and so he texted me to let me know. Ending the message with, “please pray!”

But what do you pray at a time like that?

How do you pray when your heart is breaking? (<-- Tweet this)

Everything inside of me just wants to pray, “God heal him! Let there be no cancer.” (And I have prayed that every time my friend enters my thoughts.)

This news reminds me of how much I hate death, of how even though I know that in Jesus death is not the end; it is still something that hurts. Death is still something I wish everyone could avoid.

Death is still something I haven’t discovered how to rejoice in.

So I stuttered out a prayer and trusted that God would meet my inadequate words with his more than adequate love for our friend.

I prayed and I believed that God would do his best for them whether that came through healing or through loss.

I wondered how Jesus would pray when his soul was distressed?

What would Jesus say if he had to pray about something that broke his heart? (<-- Tweet this)

I searched the bible and found this simple prayer that Jesus probably stuttered through in John 12: “Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!”

In these few lines Jesus tells us he was heart-sore about the choice between life and death.

Jesus’ heart was breaking with the choice he had to make, but instead of praying for rescue, he prayed that God would be glorified.

At times like this I am so grateful that God came to earth as man, that he let his holiness beat through a heart like mine.

I love that Jesus let’s us see it’s okay to lift our broken hearts to God - to tell him what we really want is a way out - and then to somehow find the strength to sigh, “God, do your Best!”

If you're anything like me, this prayer probably won't make your heart ache less, and it doesn’t make the outcome easier, but it just may free your heart from fear. And allow you trust that no matter what happens God is doing his best.

Ponder: Do you believe that God will always do the best for you?

Pray: My heart is breaking, I don’t know how to pray. I want to say, God give me a way out. But instead God I’m choosing to trust you. Father, do your best. Amen.

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I’d also love for you to connect with me on my Facebook, pinterest and twitter pages or if you're viewing this via email you can leave a comment by clicking here.

{You might also like these posts}

If you’re falling apart, read this

What you need to know when you're having one tough week

Why I know God fulfills his promises

Hope for the times when you feel like you're falling to pieces

{Get my book - for free!}

In my free e-book Life, Life and More Life I share thoughts on how to make every moment count gleaned from my experiences of loving my husband through 18 sessions of chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant. If you would like a free copy please subscribe below to receive my devotionals every Monday and Thursday.

Photo Credits (Creative Commons): Unsplash.com | Design: Wendy van Eyck

One thing to remember when you are hurting

2015-11-05T08:44:00.000+02:00

As a result of this encounter, Hagar decided to give the Eternal One who had spoken to her a special name because He had seen her in her misery.

Hagar: I’m going to call You the God of Seeing because in this place I have seen the One who watches over me. Genesis 16:13 (VOICE)

According to people who know me I'm dramatic when sick or hurt.

I would disagree, but really, what do I know when I'm arguing with someone (Xylon) who has had a bone marrow transplant and someone else (my mom) who has had their heart shocked back to rhythm multiple times?

On Sunday, I stepped on a piece of glass while walking on the beach.

The cut was clean, but pretty deep, and about 3cm long.

There was blood. I want to say there was a lot of blood but fear the aforesaid people might think I'm dramatic.

All I had was a tissue. And about 1km to walk across the beach to the car.

I asked Xylon for the drawstring on his pants, and tied it round the tissue and my foot as a makeshift MacGyver shoe, and then we walked home as fast as I could.

That’s it. Not dramatic at all.

Well, there was one slightly dramatic pause when I burst into tears and cried, "How will we ever make it to the car?"

But I'm blaming that one on shock.

To be honest, I know I can be dramatic when I’m sick or hurt.

But if it helps at all, I also know why I’m dramatic. I want someone to notice me. I want people to react in a way that signals that I matter, in a way that tells me, “I’ve seen your hurt.”

There’s a story in the bible that I strongly identify with.

It’s about a woman who was hurt in ways I can’t even imagine. Hagar, a slave, she was used by her mistress, made to sleep with her owners wife, and then when she became pregnant with his child was treated badly by her mistress.

Hagar finds herself out in the desert discarded, thirsty and pregnant. Genesis 16 tells us that the Special Messenger of the Eternal One found Hagar alone by a spring of water out in the desert.

The Special Messenger gives her all kinds of promises from God and at the end of it the Bible says,

“Hagar decided to give the Eternal One who had spoken to her a special name because He had seen her in her misery.

Hagar: I’m going to call You the God of Seeing because in this place I have seen the One who watches over me.” (tweet this)

I don’t identify with this story because of what Hagar went through. Her misery is way worse than any I have experienced. Cutting my foot on the beach is a really bad comparison.

I identify with this story because, every time I read it, I remember God is the One who watches over me, who sees my misery.

It reminds me that God not only sees me but he responds to me:

God doesn’t leave me broken. He brings to completion the work he starts (Phil 1:6).

God is my help in trouble. He is safe place to share my misery (Psalm 46:1).

God makes all things new. All. Things. (Revelation 21:5).

I think these things are true whether I’m speaking about physical pain (like my foot) or emotional pain (like Hagar).

These days as I’m (dramatically) limping towards wholeness I’m reminding myself that:

God sees me.

God responds to my pain.

God is present in my misery. (tweet this)

Ponder: What are you dramatic about in your life in the hope that someone will you see the misery you are hiding?

Prayer: Eternal One, thank you that you know you my name and see me in my misery. Help me to remember that are the God of Seeing and you watch over me. I can’t wait to see how you make all things new. Amen.

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You can share this devotional on twitter by clicking here.

I’d also love for you to connect with me on my Facebook, pinterest and twitter pages or if you're viewing this via email you can leave a comment by clicking here.

{You might also like these posts}

How to pray when someone hurts you

When God makes something out of pain

Why I know Jesus would do anything to take your pain away

How to pray when your heart is breaking

{Get my book - for free!}

In my free e-book Life, Life and More Life I share thoughts on how to make every moment count gleaned from my experiences of loving my husband through 18 sessions of chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant. If you would like a free copy please subscribe below to receive my devotionals every Monday and Thursday.

Photo Credits (Creative Commons): Unsplash.com | Design: Wendy van Eyck

When your season of healing is longer and more painful then you ever imagined, read this

2015-09-30T05:30:00.000+02:00

I won’t be posting a devotional every Monday and Thursday while we’re travelling but from time-to-time (if you’re a subscriber) you will find a post like this one with a few posts that I’ve loved reading and sharing on twitter over the last few months. I'm expecting to be back to sharing new devotionals from 19 October.

I thought this blogging break would be a good opportunity to share some of the posts I’ve been loving over the last few months and maybe introduce you to a few new writers and bloggers at the same time. Until I get back I won't be posting with my regular Monday and Thursday rhythm but you can expect a mail with a few links to things I've been enjoying reading every now and again.

Here are a few good reads about healing, wholeness and finding hope in suffering because sometimes healing takes longer and is more painful then we ever imagined. So here is some hope for the times when you feel like you’re falling to pieces:

Why the season you’re in is so complicated by Margaret Feinberg // Because Margaret has been there. She’s had cancer, and fought back with joy, so when she speaks about healing, it’s worth taking notice.

A dirt path and the beginning of hope by Bethany Suckrow // Because a season of healing doesn’t rarely means keeping up appearances.

All Our Crooked, Half-Healed Places by Addie Zierman // Because we can do some healing alone, but not all of it.

Jeremiah 29:11 Doesn’t Mean What You Think by Mary DeMuth // Because God does have good plans for you and sometimes it’s hard to remember that thriving in difficulties is part of that.

When you have hidden hollow places by Amber Haines // Because Amber writes beautiful truth for all of us who have hidden hollow places (isn't that all of us?)
Trigger warning: This post deals with abortion.

The truth that could make all the difference for you today by Jennifer Dukes Lee // Because Jesus wept. He didn’t just cry. He wept.

The God of Lost Things by Alia Joy // Because Hope is hard.

One more push by Alise Chaffins // Because one day we will all be held by the one who made us.
Trigger warning: This post deals with baby loss.

The Value Of Suffering (Part 2, 3, And 4) by Erika Morrison // Because even though I don’t understand it, pain is part of the point and plan by which we are healed, saved and continuously made right. And Erika helps me understand that.

If you’ve read anything that you’ve loved (or written something) you think I or my reader would enjoy please share a link in the comments and I'll take a look when I get back.

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{You might also like these posts}

Do you need faith for God to heal? (or the story of a woman who gambled for healing)

When you're confused about why and who God heals, do this instead
Hope for the times when you feel like you're falling to pieces

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In my free e-book Life, Life and More Life I share thoughts on how to make every moment count gleaned from my experiences of loving my husband through 18 sessions of chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant. If you would like a free copy please subscribe below to receive my devotionals every Monday and Thursday.

Photo Credits (Creative Commons): Unsplash.com | Design: Wendy van Eyck

3 words of encouragement for anyone going through a storm

2015-09-22T05:30:00.000+02:00

I’m taking a bit of hiatus from posting devotionals for the next month or so while I travel a bit for work and fun. I'm expecting to be back to sharing new devotionals from 19 October.

Here are a few good reads about making it through the storms of life.

Silver linings: meeting God in the pain by Catherine Gale // Because Cat reminded me that Jesus meets us in our storm in a way he cannot when seas are smooth.

When You’re Going Through a Storm by Jennifer Dukes Lee // Because, well, it’s Jennifer Dukes Lee. And because her words tell me that storms do not have to destroy us. And I think that is worth sharing.

When you’re unexpecting by Sandra Heska King // Because God specializes in the unexpected.

If you’ve read anything that you’ve loved (or written something) about God taking you through a painful time please share a link in the comments.

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{You might also like these posts}

When you need a safe place to shelter
A story of a broken heart (or discovering God is a safe harbour)

{Get my book - for free!}

In my free e-book Life, Life and More Life I share thoughts on how to make every moment count gleaned from my experiences of loving my husband through 18 sessions of chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant. If you would like a free copy please subscribe below to receive my devotionals every Monday and Thursday.

Photo Credits (Creative Commons): Unsplash.com | Design: Wendy van Eyck

When you feel unloved by God, try this

2015-07-13T01:54:00.000+02:00

I am my beloved’s,

And his desire is for me.

Song of Solomon 7:10 (NASB)

It's been a long time since I've read a book that wasn't a memoir or a novel.

Most non-fiction Christian books I read are full of lists of things to do or change about myself.

I became tired of finishing a book and feeling like I need to pray more, read the bible a certain way, go to church or tell one stranger about Jesus every day. So I stopped reading them.

This weekend I read a book by Brennan Manning called “The Furious Longing of God”. I only read the book because, well, it’s Brennan Manning, and since reading Ragamuffin Gospel in my teens I’ll read anything by him.

It’s the first book I've read in a long time that made me feel loved by God.

As I read it felt like God loved me.
No, like God actually liked me.
Exactly the way I am.
No need for extra prayer, or church attendance, or reading the bible.

In the book, Basil Hume of London England is quoted as saying: Christians find it easier to believe that God exists than that God loves them. {Tweet this}

It is so easy to forget that God loves us, isn’t it? It shouldn’t be, but it is.

Almost daily, bad things happen, people we love ache and dreams collapse. And most times even squinting doesn’t bring God into focus, yet alone help us to see or feel how much he loves us.

Brennan Manning tells a story of 78 year-old nun who was sexually abused by her father from the age of 5. This nun comes to Manning one night at tells him of all the hatred she has felt in her heart for a long, long time. She spoke about going through the motions of religion to keep up appearances. But her heart was so very, very broken.

After listening to her story, and praying for healing, Manning asked her to find a quiet place and pray this prayer every day for the next 30 days:

Abba, I belong to You. {Tweet this}

He explained that this prayer is exactly 7 syllables and corresponds to the rhythm of breathing.

Inhale-Abba. As you exhale-I belong to you.

And she did it.

Manning says her follow-up letter told of how her heart was being healed, how she had forgiven her father and how she knew inner-peace for the first time in her life.

As I fell asleep on Saturday night my breathing reminded me to pray.

Inhale – Abba

Exhale – I belong to you

It was a childlike, simple prayer, but I felt as I prayed that was trusting God with my life again.

As I prayed it felt like I was letting go of all the hurts, disappoints and fears, and telling my father God – my Abba – that I believe that he is for me, and his plans for my life will give me a hope and a future.

Ponder: I’m going to quote Brennan Manning from the "Consider This" section of The Furious Longing of God: “Prayerfully consider taking a few moments every day for the next month, closing your eyes, upturning your palms, and praying, “Abba, I belong to You.” Don’t make it anything more than that; trust me, it’s enough.”

Prayer: Inhale – Abba, Exhale – I belong to you.

** Affiliate links used. 

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{You might also like these posts}
If you feel unloved, unwanted or insecure
Does God no longer love me if I have troubles?

{Get my book - for free!}

In my free e-book Life, Life and More Life I share thoughts on how to make every moment count gleaned from my experiences of loving my husband through 18 sessions of chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant. If you would like a free copy please subscribe below to receive my devotionals every Monday and Thursday.

Photo Credits (Creative Commons): Unsplash.com | Design: Wendy van Eyck

How to pray when you can't change your circumstances

2015-05-14T08:07:00.000+02:00

Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not “mine,” but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I am not going to go back on that. Galations 2:20b (MSG)

Xylon's scan is coming up again. It's always hard.

It's the one thing no one told me about cancer that it never goes away. After 18 chemo sessions, a stem cell transplant, radiation, three relapses and now two clear scans I imagined it would be over. But it isn't.

Next Tuesday Xylon has his scan. A day or two after that the doctor will call with his results.

It is nerve wrecking.

I find myself praying constantly, "Lord, let it be clear." Part of me thinks I should be praying, “Lord, take me to the place of your greatest blessing” but I can’t find it in me to do that. So instead I’m just praying my heart out and trusting that will be enough.

Yesterday I was thinking about the scan when I read a quote by a writer and missionary I greatly respect, Elisabeth Elliot,

"The secret is Christ in me, not me in a different set of circumstances.”

‘Okay, Jesus, I’m hearing you,’ I thought.

Jesus didn't promise rescue from hard things but his company through hard things. (tweet this)

As Tim Hughes wrote (and as I’ll now be singing till we hear the results) it has to be:

God in my hoping

There in my dreaming

God in my watching

God in my waiting

God in my laughing

There in my weeping

God in my hurting

God in my healing

Christ in me

Christ in me the hope of glory

You are everything

I know when it comes to this scan that there is nothing I can do to change the results, to manipulate the circumstances all I can do is allow,

Christ in me to be my hope in this set of circumstances,

Christ in me to be my hope in the midst of cancer results,

Christ in me the hope of Glory be my everything.

And when I can’t pray, Lord, let your will be done here, I’ll be using worship as act of war against the enemy of my soul, and singing

“Christ in me, Christ in me, Christ in me the hope of glory, you are everything.”

Ponder: Have you been hoping for a different set of circumstances rather than hoping in Christ in you?

Prayer: Christ in me the hope of Glory be my everything.

Other places I've been writing:

I'm sharing over at Brett "Fish" Anderson 's blog about my experience of being in an interracial relationship. Go have a read.

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One thing to remember when you feel like you won’t make it (and a free printable so you don’t forget it)

2015-01-15T05:30:00.001+02:00

So he became their Saviour.

In all their troubles, he was troubled, too.

He didn’t send someone else to help them.

He did it himself, in person.

Out of his own love and pity he redeemed them.

He rescued them and carried them along for a long, long time.

Isaiah 63:8-9 (MSG)

Do you ever feel like giving up? You know those days when everything just seems too heavy? The times when nothing is going your way?

Maybe you or a loved one just got a diagnosis of a dread disease. Or you’ve just pushed aside a pile of debts you don’t know how to pay to read the internet. Or maybe one more relationship has ended and your heart can hardly take it.

Recently, I’ve spent time with a number of people who are struggling to figure out how they will make it. And most of the time I don’t really know what to say them.

Then this morning I stumbled across these verses in Isaiah and I felt like God was saying, here is the one thing you need to remember when you feel like you won’t make it:

“You will make it because I carry you.”

Not because you were bought up to be tough, not because you have kind friends, not because you’ve figured out how to hide your pain but because the one who hung the stars in the sky will carry you.

I don’t know about you but that blew my mind.

In fact, I went back and read Isaiah 63:8-9 again and again letting it sink in, changing it, personalising it:

So God became my Savior.

In all my troubles, he was troubled, too.

He didn’t send someone else to help me.

He did it himself, in person.

Out of his own love
and pity he redeemed me.

God rescued me

and carried me along for a long, long time.

This verse reminds me that God cares about my troubles, he takes a personal interest in me, and he is strong enough to carry me and my burdens for as long as it takes.

Next time you feel like you won’t make it whisper to yourself:

I’ll make it because God carries me. (tweet this)

Ponder: What things are making you feel like you won’t make it at the moment? Do you think that God is strong enough to carry you and your burdens.

Prayer: Jesus, I’m in trouble. And I need you to carry me, maybe for a long, long time. Help me to feel your arms around me and your presence. Amen.

Print: I’ve made a three versions of this free printable for you to download and stick on your wall, mirror or desktop to remind you that God will carry you when you feel like you won't make it. Make sure to take a pic and tag me when you use them.
Click here to download the printables below (all three in one document).

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Photo Credits (Creative Commons): unsplash.com and gratisography | Design: Wendy van Eyck

When you need to fight back with joy

2015-01-08T05:30:00.000+02:00

My husband was in the thick of his second diagnosis with cancer when I read that author, Margaret Feinberg, was receiving treatment for breast cancer. Although, she didn’t post about much during her treatment I enjoyed her posts on how to help someone diagnosed with cancer and rejoiced when she received the all clear after treatment. When I was asked if I’d blog to promote her new book, Fight back with Joy, my answer was yes. I thought the best way to do that would be to let Margaret share some of her words from the book. I hope you enjoy them, if you'd like to read more you can buy her new book now from Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy. I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more. Isaiah 65:17-19 (NIV)

“This is Dr. Jones,” the voice said. “Is now a good time?”

No. No, no, no.

As the physician spoke, my head dropped into liquid amber. Time halted. The conversation blurred.

Carcinoma.

Positive.

Both masses.

Surgery.

I’m sure he said more, but after carcinoma everything grew fuzzy. After the call, I stared at a wretched souvenir of the conversation: a scrap of paper on which I’d scrawled two recommended surgeons’ names.

Dazed, I beelined to the field house, where Leif was busy preparing the PowerPoint slides.

“I have your microphone ready,” Leif said.

He glanced up. I couldn’t hide my apprehension.

“What’s wrong?”

I took his hand, led him outside where we could be alone, and looked into his sky-blue eyes. I never spoke a word. Leif just knew. He always knows. My eyes are his second language.

He cloaked me in his arms and we stood motionless, knowing we had crossed a threshold through which we could never return. In the warmth of his strong embrace, I wondered where God was in all of this.

“What if we fight back with joy?” I said to Leif.

From the day of the diagnosis, I felt compelled to choose a different type of weapon: joy. Such a selection might seem flippant and frivolous. One blunt friend called it “downright odd.” If I had to cry ten thousand tears, I wanted joy to be the companion that carried me through. Joy would not deny the hardship, but would choose to acknowledge and face it no matter what the outcome.

I define joy as a spectrum of emotions, actions, and responses that includes gladness, cheer, happiness, merriment, delighting, dancing, shouting, exulting, rejoicing, laughing, playing, brightening, blessing and being blessed, taking pleasure in and being well pleased.

The Bible insists that joy is more than a feeling; it’s an action. We don’t just sense joy; we embody it by how we respond to the circumstances before us.

What is the genesis of this joy? I believe that, at its core, joy emanates from the abiding sense of God’s fierce love for us.

The tigerish love of God from which joy comes is foundational to faith. God’s love guards us, protects us, grows us, strengthens us, and compels us to walk in greater trust and holiness. This is no passive affection, but a feisty, fiery pledge to grow us into the fullness of Christ. When we embrace this love and cultivate an awareness of it, our hearts are filled with joy.

Such awareness strengthens our resolve that no matter the fight, we face it confident that God is with us and for us. When we fight back with joy, we no longer size the character of God according to our circumstances, but we size our circumstances according to the character of God and his great affection for us.

Practicing defiant joy is the declaration that the darkness does not and will not win. (tweet this)

Perhaps no greater joy has been given to us than through the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus came to take away the sins of the world. Through his sacrifice, everything that stands between God and us is wiped away forever. We bring God and all of heaven great joy when we give ourselves wholly to Christ.

The Son of God crashed into our world with an angel broadcasting, “I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people.” Before leaving our world, Jesus endows the disciples with the promise, “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.”

Jesus arrives in joy, departs in joy, and calls us to great joy through fellowship with him. The proper response to being drenched in so much wondrous affection is to bring delight to God by offering our lives to him through obedience.

We are destined for joy. (tweet this)

Not only are we founded in joy and created for joy, but we are destined for joy. Consider the following promise at the heart of the book of Isaiah: “See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy. I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more.”

The joyous creating of God continues to unfold. He has drawn the blueprints for an existence with the defining characteristics of gladness, rejoicing, and delight. One of the greatest promises to a child of God is that this life is not the end of the story.

You are founded in joy, created for joy, and destined for joy. Joy is where you come from. Joy is what you are created to experience. Joy is where you are headed.

Ponder: What area of your life needs you to fight back with joy?

Prayer: Jesus, thank you that you arrive in joy and depart in joy. Help me to find joy in the hard times I’m living through right now. Amen.

Adapted from Fight Back with Joy by Margaret Feinberg. Used with permission. Emphasis mine.

More about the author of this devotional:

Margaret Feinberg teaches at churches and conferences including Catalyst, Thrive, and Women of Joy. She was recently named one of 50 women most shaping church and culture by Christianity Today. Her books and Bible studies, including The Organic God, The Sacred Echo, Scouting the Divine, and Wonderstruck, have sold nearly a million copies. She lives in Colorado, with her husband, Leif, and their superpup, Hershey. She believes some of the best days are spent in jammies, laughing and being silly.

Buy her book: Fight back with joy or the 6 session bible study kit.

*This post includes affiliate links*

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Photo Credits (Creative Commons): Balloon: Ruth and Dave Trumpet and Photos: gratisography.com | Design: Wendy van Eyck

When you realise that there is hope for your tired body and soul

2014-09-08T05:30:00.000+02:00

I’ll refresh tired bodies; I’ll restore tired souls. Jeremiah 31:25 (MSG)

Are you tired?

Are you weary?

Have you got that September feeling? The feeling that this year has been long enough already, and that it’s time for a holiday, and time for new things to begin.

The feeling that comes with a to-do list that keeps getting longer but never seems to get done.

I’ve got that feeling.

Even this year which has been a pretty easy year for my husband and I with no cancer treatments is beginning to feel long.

This morning when I read Jeremiah 31:25 my soul sighed, whoosh:

I’ll refresh tired bodies;

I’ll restore tired souls.

My soul let out a breath I didn’t even know I’d been holding because I realised that God can refresh my tired body and restore my weary soul.

I don’t need to add refresh body and soul to my to-do list I can leave that in God’s hands.

Whoosh.

Ponder: Do you need to leave refreshing your body and soul in God’s hands?

Pray: Lord, thank you that you’ve promised to refresh my body and soul. Come and revitalise my body and soul.

{Other places I’ve been writing}

I’m over at Blessing Mpofu’s site, I am Jonah today, writing about why I sometimes find it hard to speak to people who believe in Jesus. Read the full post here.

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How to pray when you don't know what to do

2014-08-14T05:30:00.000+02:00

For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you. 2 Chronicles 20:12b (NIV)

The oncologist called again this week.

She asked Xylon to come in and see her. We don’t know why.