Canadians are known across the world for maple syrup, ice hockey, and (my favourite) butter tarts. We eat KD, toboggan, and bring a box of Timbits to the office. We are well known as an overly polite group of people. We apologize even when we’ve done nothing wrong and seek harmony. With all this in mind, it seems fitting that during a year when the Coronavirus hogs every headline and when politics have stirred up a hornets’ nest, to choose thankfulness. I’ve started a list. I remember all the Lord has done for us, and what better time is there to be thankful than Thanksgiving?
I am very thankful to live in such a wonderful community filled with kind neighbours.
I am thankful that we have a home to live in, clothes to wear, and food in the cupboards.
I am thankful that God has made a way for us to know Him through Jesus Christ.
I am thankful that God calls us to repentance and gives us the faith to believe in Jesus.
I am thankful that Jesus covers us with His purity when we repent and believe.
I am thankful that God holds us in the palm of His hand and nothing can separate His children from his love.
To my Canadian friends, what are you thankful for this Thanksgiving? To my American ones, you have another month to make your list! I’d love to read it when you are finished. To the rest of the world, you don’t need to wait for a holiday. Every day is a good day to practise thankfulness.
I’ve spent some time this past spring and summer guest-posting on various websites. Some posts are refreshed favourites and others are new. I hope you are blessed as you read them.
Press On, Sweet Sister
July 16, 2020
When my husband and I first entered full-time ministry, I was confident I knew how life would play out. But after five short years, we had packed our bags to leave, convinced we were unfit for the calling. Ministry has a funny way of turning our certainties on their heads.
We might both be involved in ministry, but your journey will be distinctive to you. You have brought your own set of expectations and certainties to this adventure. Your relationship with the Lord is uniquely yours, shaped by his sovereign hand to craft you into the image of himself. The edges he sands off of you might be vastly different from my sharp edges. The stretching you endure will be intimately tied to your needs and his will for your life. The only certainty I can claim that we share with 100% confidence is our need to remain before the cross in humble dependence upon God’s mercy, admitting our constant need for him.
Queen Esther’s character emerged when she, along with many other young women, were swept into a human-trafficking ring of sorts. Their custodial pimp, Hegai, spent 12 months beautifying them in a preparational harem, and then they competed for a prize that would make them little more than a sex slave with the title.
One by one, Hegai sent them to the King.
In the evening, she would go in and in the morning she would return to the second harem, to the custody of Shaashgaz, the King’s eunuch who was in charge of the concubines.”
Esther 2:14
These girls didn’t parade before the King twirling batons or displaying vocal talents; their audition was an overnight visit. Esther wins this twisted Old Testament beauty pageant and joins the King’s concubines.
“As they go through the Valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools. They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion.” (Psalm 84:6-7, ESV)
I love to run. Well, maybe it’s more accurate to say that I love how I feel when I run. I love how running clears my mind and quiets my soul. I love how strong my body becomes after running regularly. I register for races because I need the motivation of a goal, but after I register, I question my sanity. Why do I keep doing this to myself? Why did I commit to another grueling workout schedule? And most importantly, why did I join with a friend? Now, I can’t back out. I have to continually remind myself that the discomfort of training is worth the glory of finishing with a strong body and mind.
Race day dawns with excitement. The crowd cheers, the gun explodes, and thousands of feet hit the pavement, but soon that excitement fades. The crowd thins. I’m left in the race, just putting one foot in front of the other, looking for the finish line. I am tempted to quit, but my friend encourages me. She wants to stop, so I support her. And as we pass mile marker after mile marker, the strangest thing happens. Our strength and determination increase instead of decreasing. Every stride brings us closer to the finish. We are encouraged as we help one another overcome difficulty and exhaustion. We pump worship tunes through headphones, and the remaining distance to the finish line shrinks. Mental fatigue lessens. Soon, people are lining the streets again, cheering because we are close to the finish. We become invigorated. The prize is in sight.
… It’s in the difficult moments of uncertainty that the testing of my faith produces steadfastness, and I must let steadfastness complete its work in me because the trial ultimately leads me to hope (James 1:3-4). Romans 5:3-4 is clear, if I want hope, I must understand it comes from character. Character is produced by perseverance, and perseverance is birthed from suffering. Every leader must decide if it is worth fighting through suffering to find their hope and joy in the Lord.
Unshaken: How to Face Chaos and Danger Without Fear
March 23, 2020
There was a morning quite a few years ago when my children were small that the wind picked up. Three nearby trees went down and every boom and crack sent the neighborhood running into their backyards to investigate.
I watched out my window as our giant maple swayed like a hula dancer at the mercy of the wind. I felt a bit like the third little pig waiting to see if the huffing and puffing would blow our tree down onto our house of bricks.
Our children were at school 1KM down the street, so after a few more booms and the power failing, I walked out front and looked toward the school. In the distance, I could see the flashing lights of emergency vehicles.
My husband has also visited the Fear Warrior blog, and he is giving away his book, Anxiety Attack. Visit the post below for information.
How Your Response to Problems can Conquer Anxiety
by Kevin Weeks
June 1, 2020
The date was April 1, 2018: Easter Sunday morning. I was only minutes away from preaching the first of two services, and I had major knots in my stomach. More than normal. Far more.
I couldn’t think straight. My brain slogged through a dense fog.
My emotions were all over the place. They had been for some time.
I wasn’t sure if I had the physical strength, the emotional strength, or the spiritual strength to stand up and preach again.
As this storm raged in me, I sank into a chair at the back of our Worship Centre. I cradled my head in my hands, occasionally looking up.People were walking past me, finding their seats, ready for the worship gathering to begin. I was trying to smile and say hi to people, but the smiles felt fake. I could barely maintain eye contact.
There I sat, alone in a room full of people, wondering what in the world was happening to me. Raw emotion smouldered, ready to burst through the surface in a blistering mess, and all I could manage to do was quietly quiver in my plastic chair and wonder to God why I was suddenly overcome by a fear that I couldn’t explain.
How long will we fight these same battles? How long will chaos and turmoil abound in the streets? How long will a tiny virus wreak havoc in the world? News report after news report lands heavily on my heart. Has God forgotten us? Has He turned away from us? Sorrow lingers all day. How long until God intervenes? How long until relief?
It is easy to get stuck in the lingering sorrow, anguish, and despair, but this is not a safe place to remain. Some fights will continue until the Lord returns or takes us home. We fight for the truth. We fight for sanity. We fight for justice. It’s equally vital that we fight against the falling curtain of despair or encroaching fears. Join me in Psalm 13 and acknowledge your woes, declare your dependence on the Lord, and resolve to take the only action that can change your heart. Work through Psalm 13 and feel every emotion the psalmist expresses in those early verses, and then determine to follow his example in the end.
Psalm 13 asks a question we are all thinking: How long? Fight against the falling curtain of despair and encroaching fears by studying #Psalm13. Acknowledge your woes. Declare your dependence on the Lord. Take action.
Read Psalm 13 and answer the following questions. (A printable version of the short study is available on the free short study page.)
When have you felt forgotten, unseen, or not important enough? Create a list of words that describe how you felt at that moment.
Many of the words on your list could likely be used to describe the psalmist’s emotional state in verses 1-2. The psalmist asks the Lord four questions in his grief (1-2). When we are overwhelmed, it is common to ask questions. What questions do you have for the Lord pertaining to your current needs and concerns?
It’s doubtful the psalmist expected answers from God. Asking his questions was more likely a way of communicating his anguish on feeling forgotten. Read Isaiah 44:21 and 49:15. What do these verses indicate about God’s memory?
Based on what you’ve learned from Isaiah 44:21 and 49:15, it’s clear that the psalmist’s feelings of being forgotten are not a reliable source of truth. How do your feelings in emotionally charged moments threaten to lead you astray? Find at least one truth from Scripture that can speak into those lies.
Psalm 13 shifts in verses 3 and 4. The psalmist stops expressing his sorrow and begins asking the Lord to intervene. What are the possible results of the Lord failing to intervene in the psalmist’s life (4)?
How do you need the Lord to intervene in your life? What do you fear might happen if the Lord does not intervene?
Another shift occurs in verse 5 indicated by the word “but,” which contrasts all the earlier despair with decisions the psalmist has made. What three things does the psalmist resolve to do (5-6a)?
What do you learn about God’s character from verse 5-6a?
Why does the psalmist decide to do these things (6b)?
The NASB, ESV, NKJV and the KJV all use the word “bountifully” in verse 6. What images does the word bountiful bring to your mind? Make a list of synonyms for the word bountiful.
Where else in Scripture do we see God dealing with his people and expressing his love for his people in lavish and bountiful ways?
How has the Lord “dealt bountifully” with you?
Jesus understands what it is like to feel far from God. What does he say in Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34 that conveys the agony of his soul? Also, see Hebrews 5:7. What does Christ’s suffering as a punishment for our sins reveal about God’s love for us? What sort of response does that stir in you?
Application
a) Go back to question eight and praise the Lord for His character qualities that never change.
b) Rejoice in your salvation (5a).
c) Praise the Lord in song (6a). Either sing, listen to, or sing along with a worship song that expresses your trust in the Lord.
d) Confess the fears you have listed in question six and express your trust in the Lord to work in those circumstances (5).
e) Thank the Lord for His kindness and mercy toward you that you discovered answering questions ten through thirteen.
If you enjoyed this study, check out my other free short studies. If you’d like to try something deeper, check out Glorious Surrender, a short book that will help you discover the freedom of living for God. Or, if you’d like something even more in-depth, try Chasing Holiness and learn how to train for the race you are already running.
Winner of the Women’s Journey of Faith contest 2016. Available for purchase.
Today is a day of high stress for the people of God. Normal has evaporated, and there is no telling when it will return or even if it will ever return. The entire world might be gearing up for a new normal that looks radically different from the past.
The children of God have a choice to make. We can press into God and his Word and fight against fear with the truth that never changes, or we can succumb to dread and anxiety. I am choosing to fill my mind with the Word of God.
The children of #God have a choice to make. We can press into God and his #Word and fight against #fear with the #truth that never changes, or we can succumb to dread and anxiety. ##Free short #study on Ps 77. #Faith
If you join me in Psalm 77, you’ll find some striking similarities between the psalmist and us. The people of God are in distress, and the psalmist cries out to God. He is in a moment like ours, and he decides to turn his attention and energy into prayer and meditation. If you follow along with the psalmist, you’ll find that God leads his people through by the hand. I don’t know about you, but I can’t think of a better place to be right now than hand-in-hand with God.
In verses 3, 6, and 11-12, the psalmist repeats his decision to do two things. What has the psalmist decided to do?
Consider the progression of his decision preceded by the words when (v3), let me (v6), and I will (v11-12). What do these words convey about biblical thinking?
In verses 1-9, the focus in on the psalmist. If you mark every reference to the psalmist and then every reference to the Lord, you will notice a 20:12 ratio. The psalmist is very focused on himself. In verses 10-15, this begins to shift—the ratio changes to 7:15 in favour of the Lord. Finally, in verses 16-20, the entire focus is the Lord. Ten times the Lord is referenced, ending with a declaration in verse 19-20. What does the psalmist declare?
In verse 19, the word through shows the relationship between “way” and “sea,” and the same word through shows the relationship between “path” and “water.” What is the significance of the word through? How might this apply to the COVID-19 pandemic?
It is frightening to consider what going through COVID-19 might mean for us. What comfort can you find in the last half of verse 19? What is the significance of the word unseen, and how does it comfort you today?
In what two ways does God lead his people in verse 20? Explain what those phrases meant for the psalmist and what they mean for you today.
If you’d like to hear more from this passage, check out this short video devotional my husband has put together for our church. It is social-distancing friendly, and it is a great way to address the question: Where is God when I need Him?
Looking for something even deeper? Check out what people are saying about Chasing Holiness. Now is the time to fix your mind and heart on Christ. Each chapter concludes with an in-depth study on a passage of Scripture or theme from Scripture. The e-book is only $4 and is social-distancing friendly! ($2.85 in the USA.) I’ve just learned that my publisher is lowering the price on all their e-books to make them more accessible, so check those prices for steep discounts.
Wisdom compels us to stay up-to-date with the news and the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Wisdom tells us to wash our hands. Wisdom dictates that we isolate if we show worrisome symptoms. Wisdom also tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge of the Holy One is insight (Proverbs 9:10). The antidote to your anxiety and fear is not bravery, denial, or stocking your basement with hundreds and hundreds of bottles of hand sanitizers. The antidote to your anxiety and fear is wisdom, the wisdom of the Lord.
The antidote to your anxiety and #fear is not bravery, denial, or stocking your basement with hundreds of hand sanitizers. The antidote to your #anxiety and fear is #wisdom, the wisdom of the #Lord.
Psalm 91 speaks of God’s presence and His protection. This theme repeats throughout the Psalm with words and phrases like shelter, refuge, fortress, in whom I trust (v1-2). As I meditate on these truths, a calm overcomes my soul. I will not fear the terror of night, the attacks in the day, or the fears that come in the dark because God is my refuge and dwelling place (v5-6, 9).
Look at all the Lord does for his children. He shelters us in his shadow and delivers, covers, and shields his people. He commands the angels to guard and uphold those depending on the protection of the Lord. God sets his people securely on high, remains with them, rescues, honors, and satisfies them. He lets them see salvation (v3-4, 11-12, 14-16). The Lord is active in our troubles, but the psalmist is active too.
Like the psalmist, we act by dwelling in the shelter of the Most High. That means we find our shelter and comfort in His presence. We abide in the shadow of the Almighty, and for his shadow to cover us, we must be close to him. We declare God is our safe place and fortress. We declare our trust in Him. We seek refuge with Him. We will not fear because we dwell with Him. We love Him. We know Him. We call upon God (v1-2, 4, 9, 14-15).
We decide to fill our minds with God and His Word, not fear and unknowns.
It’s time to replace thoughts of fear about the unknown with thoughts of God and His Word. #Trust #Faith #God #Christian
None of this means that believers are protected from physical harm. The promise in Psalm 91 is not supernatural protection from the virus sweeping across the world; it’s a promise that God is present and at work. It is a reminder that if God is for us, who can be against us (Rom 8:31)? The Family Worship Bible Guide explains that “God’s ordinary way is to answer the prayers of Christians by sustaining them in the trouble, then rescuing them from the trouble, and ultimately giving them eternal life (Ps. 91:15-16)” (409).
What does this mean for my family and yours? It means that we walk by faith, trusting the Lord is at work. We stay up-to-date with the news and the spread of the COVID-19 virus. We wash our hands. We isolate if we show worrisome symptoms. We apply wisdom and refuse to succumb to fear. We dwell in the shelter of the Most High and abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
Works cited:
Beeke Joel R. et al., editors. Family Worship Bible Guide. Grand Rapids, MI: Reformation Heritage Books, 2016.
The familiar words of Psalm 73 washed over me anew. I had read these words before, but this time, for some reason unknown, they came alive. The preacher read Psalm 73, and the Spirit of the Lord opened the eyes of my heart.
The psalmist begins in the right place. He begins proclaiming the goodness of God to those pure of heart. But he quickly shifts his attention from the Lord to the people around him. He confesses he is envious of the wicked (v3a), envious of their prosperity (v3b), envious of their plenty (v4b, 7), and envious of their apparent ease of life (v5). The psalmist is envious even as the wicked mock the Lord (v11).
I see myself in these verses. I begin right. I believe God is good to me, but then I shift my eyes to those around me who appear to have it easier or appear to have so much more. I am tempted to respond like the psalmist, who questions the worthwhileness of following God (v13).
Until.
What a transition word. The psalmist’s eyes are on himself and on his dissatisfaction UNTIL he enters the sanctuary of the Lord (v17). The antidote to my self-centeredness is not a change in circumstances or reward from heaven. The remedy to my self-centeredness is a focus on God, entering into His presence. Only then will I see that God is sovereignly working out His plan.
“Until” is an amazing transition word. The Psalmist’s eyes are on himself and his dissatisfaction UNTIL he enters the sanctuary of the Lord. Psalm 73 #biblestudy #bibleverse #bible
As I enter the Lord’s presence, I see that God will justly deal with evil (v18-20), but I also see that I am no better than the wicked (v21-22). I am senseless and ignorant. I am like a beast before the Lord. I deserve what the wicked receive, yet that is not what the Lord offers me.
The psalmist celebrates because he is continually with the Lord, and I, too, can celebrate because my faith in Christ for the forgiveness of my sins allows me to enter into the presence of the Lord Most High. God sees me through the filter of Christ, and He takes my hand and leads me with wise counsel. He welcomes me into His glory.
The wicked were still prosperous, had plenty, and lived a life of ease, but it no longer mattered because the Psalmist had God. When you have God, you have everything. #bible #biblestudy #bibleverse
All this happens when we lift our eyes to the Lord. Notice that the circumstances of the psalmist’s life did not change. The wicked were still prosperous, had plenty, and lived a life of ease, but it no longer mattered because the psalmist had God (v25). When you have God, you have everything. When your heart and flesh fail, God is your strength and your portion forever (v26). There is no need to envy the wicked, for they will perish apart from God. But you? You are near the Lord, and it is good. He is your refuge. Go and tell of His wondrous work. Chase holiness.
If you need help lifting your eyes to the Lord, or if you don’t know where to start, consider checking out Chasing Holiness. It will encourage you in your pursuit of holy living, and it releases MARCH 4th!
If you missed the first few segments of the FREE bible study on Jeremiah 17:5-10, you can catch up here. Once you are caught up, there is a sign-up link that will direct all future segments into your inbox.
