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Sign Up to Memorize Psalm 91 to Fight Fear of COVID-19

March 23, 2020 by Lisa Burgess 4 Comments

Fight the Enemy

Are you uncomfortable? A little anxious? Somewhat fearful?

It’s natural for us to feel distressed. With the coronavirus swirling about, we feel uncertain, not knowing where it will land next. Or on who.

But we can know this: We don’t have to live in fear.

We don’t have to “fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday” (Psalm 91:5-6).

16 Verses, 8 Weeks

For eight weeks, we are going to memorize the words of Psalm 91. Through these words, God will remind us that no matter what happens, when we call on Him . . .

He will answer.
He will be with us in trouble.
He will rescue us (Psalm 91:15).

Read all of Psalm 91 here.

Learning two verses a week, we will meditate on truths about God’s faithfulness, power, and strength to stand against whatever large or microscopic enemy comes against us.

Even when that enemy is our own fear.

What You Get When You Sign Up to Memorize Psalm 91

1 – Resources
You’ll receive an email with links to resources to download and print this week to help you memorize each verse.

2 – Weekly Email Reminder
Beginning April 6 and each Monday for 8 weeks throughout the challenge, you’ll get a short email in your inbox reminding you of the week’s verses.

3 – A Shelter in the Storm
God doesn’t promise that you won’t get physically sick and die. But He does offer you spiritual protection, deliverance, and salvation. You and He can work out the meanings of these verses in Psalm 91 in your own life.

Trade Social Distancing for Spiritual Community

We can’t meet in each other’s homes or in person. But we CAN meet in each other’s hearts through the tools of phones and computers.

Get an online spiritual community in this time of social distancing.

Along with a weekly devotional here at the blog, we will gather with our private Facebook group, Hide His Word. Here we’ll discuss insights, memorization tips, prayers, etc. We strongly encourage you to join us there.

The battle for our peace is warring around us. But God is bigger, stronger, and victorious every time.

God is never afraid.

Click here to see the full schedule.

Click here to download this button for your blog or social media.

Join Us!

Make the Lord your dwelling place.

Digital Pathway to the Gospel

March 19, 2020 by Cheli Sigler 2 Comments

Throughout March our theme is Missions: Participating in the Great Commission Right Where We Are. If you’ve joined us, I hope you’ve thought a new thought or considered how you participate in the Great Commission. Given worldwide pandemic precautions, “sheltering in place” and “social distancing” have become part of our corporate lexicon. Meanwhile, digital platforms are being used to create pathways to the Gospel.

With this in mind, I am grateful (along with other Do Not Depart contributors) to be part of Hello Mornings, an international online Christian community where women encourage each other in three key disciplines: spending time in God’s Word, keeping healthy habits, and planning each day with priorities in mind. What a joy it has been to hear stories from fellow group members and group leaders about how God is using the ministry of Hello Mornings to draw women to Him.

My Hello Mornings Story

With a large project looming amidst a busy schedule, I asked myself, “Where am I going to find the time to get it done?” Not just a question of time, I knew my prayer life and spiritual discipline were not equal to the task. I needed more Jesus and less me. Renewed spiritual discipline was key. In Spring 2013, I found Hello Mornings. The Hello Mornings community was a lifeline to my busy life. Creating the habits of “God. Plan. Move.” created more time for the project and brought me closer to Jesus.

For the first time in my life I was involved in an online group. I was nervous, but I kept at it and found it to be a life-giving resource for my spiritual life. Transformation began. I found myself with more time in my day, a regular prayer and devotional life that yielded answered prayers, and an intimacy with Jesus that had been long desired. I was a new woman; the Holy Spirit did the work.

Psalm 143:8 is the key verse for Hello Mornings.

Digital Pathway to the Gospel

As a Hello Mornings’ Group Leader, I encountered women with little to no experience in God’s Word. Women who needed a safe place for their Bible questions, found it in the virtual small group setting. While I facilitated the group, God gave me a front row seat to watch women read His Word for the first time and watch Him work. One woman followed Christ’s obedience in baptism as a result of studying the Book of Acts. Her involvement in Hello Mornings made an impact on her family as well. This is just one story, but I am sure there are more just like it.

More About Hello Mornings

Do your habits need a refresh? You can start building good habits right now. Kat Lee, founder of Hello Mornings, has free, ready-to-use resources ready for you right here. If you would like to know more about Hello Mornings, let me know in the comments. If God is calling you to engage with others over His Word, consider joining Hello Mornings as a group leader. We offer “real life” group and virtual groups. Our Do Not Depart readers tend to be mature Christians who love God’s Word, and we would love to have you leading women at Hello Mornings. Feel free to ask questions in the comments below. Lastly, if Hello Mornings isn’t right for you, please participate in our Do Not Depart Community Facebook Page.

God gave me a front row seat to watch women read His Word for the first time and watch Him work.Click To Tweet

Memorizing in Faith in the Face of the Coronavirus

March 18, 2020 by Lisa Burgess 2 Comments

Memorize Psalm 91 with us. Let’s create a place for encouragement and fellowship in this time of social distancing from COVID-19.

Faith Instead of Fear of Coronavirus

If your faith community is similar to mine, you may have been hearing Psalm 91 more frequently in this season of the coronavirus.

There’s a reason for that.

Here is solid truth in times of fear. It is hopeful. It is beneficial. It is reassuring.

Because of this, we are announcing that Psalm 91 will be our new Bible Memory Chapter beginning in April.

If you need words of confident expectation to say over yourself and your loved ones in this time of the coronavirus uncertainty, we invite you to join us as we memorize in community.

God always joins us, too.

He shows up uniquely for each participant, depending on their need. Spending time with Him, memorizing and meditating on His truths, brings blessings in ways we can use now and in the future.

These verses don’t guarantee that we or those we love won’t get sick. But they do promise that God will be with us in every situation, giving us victory regardless of what happens, and providing us a place of refuge in Him.

Resources to Help You Memorize

We’ll have resources available here at Do Not Depart on Monday, March 23. We’ll also offer a signup for you to receive a Monday morning email for 7 weeks, reminding you of the verses we’ll be memorizing that week.

More information will follow concerning ways you can participate in our online community.

For now, here is the schedule we’ll be following as a group, but as with all our challenges, please adapt the pace to suit your personal spiritual timetable.

Please share this with others who you think would benefit from an online faith gathering during these times of social distancing, whether memorizing or not. Let’s create a place for conversation, encouragement, and fellowship through this Psalm.

Need hopeful words of faith in times of fear over the coronavirus? Get ready to memorize Psalm 91 with us! #hidehisword

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Praying for all our precious readers here. Please pray for our team here at Do Not Depart.

“When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him.”
Psalm 91:15

How are you keeping your faith strong in spite of the coronavirus pandemic? Please share thoughts and scriptures in the comments.

Challenge and Opportunity: Bibles For the Bibleless

March 17, 2020 by Cheli Sigler Leave a Comment

God’s Word has forever changed me. It teaches, encourages, convicts, and comforts me. It is deep. I can dig down deep into it and extract fresh insight, growing my understanding of God and His plan for me.

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)

Like me, you’re a reader of this blog because you know the transforming power of God’s Word. Our access to Bibles and Bible study tools is immense. It would not surprise me if you have more than one English translation of the Bible in your home and more than one Bible app on your smartphone.

In stark contrast, there are many who are Bibleless. These people do not have any Scripture in their mother tongue. Wycliffe Bible Translators exists to end Bible poverty.

Challenge

Just a five-minute car ride from my home is the USA Headquarters for Wycliffe Bible Translators. As a volunteer with WBT, the need for Bible translation and what it takes to accomplish it is staggering. Consider these stats:

There are 7,000 spoken and signed languages in use today.
650 of these languages have a complete Bible.
1,500 languages have either a New Testament or portion of Scripture.
Approximately 2,000 languages need a translation project to begin.

In this case, the word “language” refers to one’s mother tongue, or “heart language”— the language in which you dream, think and pray. Consider this,

“Understanding Scripture in a language other than the heart language in which we think and experience emotion is like trying to eat soup with a fork. You can get a little taste, but you cannot get nourished.” —William Cameron Townsend, Founder of Wycliffe Bible Translators

Wycliffe Bible Translators is just one of many like-minded Bible translation organizations determined to get God’s Word into all the heart languages of the world, so every tribe and tongue can know and experience who God is and His heart for them.

Opportunity

Thirty years ago, a missionary kid (“MK”) from Colombia, South America (my first college roommate), introduced me to Wyclife Bible Translators. Now, through a unique chain of events, I am a teacher helping with missionary kid programming at WBT throughout the year. I am a teacher through and through; teaching is my God-given calling. He has gifted me to do it. God uses my gift of teaching to connect me with world missions— right around the corner from where I live.

Image may contain: 8 people, people smiling — Future MKs learning about the power of prayer in furthering Bible translation.

It is important to realize that when a family is called to become Wycliffe missionaries the whole family is called, not just mom and dad. So, while the parents go through introductory training at Wycliffe USA Headquarters, so do their children. On the surface, my job is to welcome the children, acquaint them with Wycliffe, and introduce them to Bible translation. What looks like fun and games, goes deeper. Our goals include discipling them in their faith, equipping them with tools to handle transition and change, and encouraging them in their calling as missionary kids. The goal is to send healthy, Christian families into the mission field prepared to handle the challenges and opportunities of missionary life.

I am thankful to God for giving me this unique opportunity to impact His kingdom using the unique gifts and talents He gives me. I stand in awe of how He weaves my story and small gift of service into His glorious story. Someday there will be no Bibleless people. I am glad to have a small role in ending Bible poverty.

God uses my gift of teaching to connect me with world missions— right around the corner from where I live. #MissionsClick To Tweet

Action Steps

Learn more about the importance of heart language translation here.

Pray for the Bibleless peoples of the world. Learn more here.

Where are you using your God-given gifts and talents today?

Not Gifted for That Ministry? Help the Helpers Who Are

March 12, 2020 by Lisa Burgess 4 Comments

When You Don’t Feel Qualified

It was Missions Fair Sunday at our church. I wanted to sign up for something but I didn’t feel qualified for anything.

My husband was excited about a relatively new ministry called PAR (Prepare and Respond). It is a faith-based, all-volunteer disaster response group that formed in our north Alabama region after devastating tornadoes ripped through here in 2011. A small group of dedicated believers had worked together cleaning up communities after the tornadoes, and wanted to stay together for future storms. PAR was born.

But I couldn’t use a chainsaw.

How could I be of any help to this group?

Sometimes we feel led to join a ministry, even though we don’t feel qualified to help. We see the obvious skills needed, ones we don’t have. We are afraid to join in because we don’t know what we can do.

Despite misgivings that day, I signed my name anyway for the PAR group.

When another set of tornadoes hit close to home not long afterward, I received an email from PAR to help.

What had I gotten myself into?

Help the Helpers

But I showed up anyway. If there was work I could do, I’d do it. If not, I’d go home.

And, wow, was there work. At the first assigned neighborhood, debris was everywhere. Our chainsaw cutters immediately got to work, cutting limbs that were blocking driveways and threatening roofs. As they cut, they needed people to pull the limbs to the road. I could do that!

So for hours that day, I helped the helpers.

I went back several more days as the crowd of volunteers shrunk but the need remained strong. One of the women in charge of a neighboring response team was overwhelmed with a stack of papers one afternoon. She happened to mention that she needed help inputing the volunteers’ paperwork into her database.

I wondered, could I do that? It was a totally different way of helping than I’d imagined. But it was a need I could meet.

It changed everything for me. I found my niche.

I became a computer person for our disaster response group, keeping up with the volunteer list, updating our website after storms hit, sending out emails and creating sign-ups for deployments to go help.

Help Where You Are

Our PAR group has continued to grow. We have volunteers from all denominations plus from local businesses and the community at large. We are able to serve not only those in Alabama, but also those outside of it.

When Hurricane Michael hit Panama City, FL, we loaded up volunteers and traveled with our trailers of chainsaws and roof tarps and mudout equipment to give free help. Likewise to Whiteville, North Carolina; Houston, Texas; Olive Branch, Mississippi; Moffett, OK; and many more.

Last weekend, we sent teams to Nashville, TN, after their tornadoes.

We often make our own arrangements of sleeping, feeding, and finding uninsured neighborhoods to help when we deploy. But we also partner with larger Christian response groups, like Samaritan’s Purse, Eight Days of Hope, and Hope Force International. Together we accomplish much to help those who are devastated after a storm but who lack resources.

Sometimes I’m able to go on the trips. I do my thing of pulling limbs that the chainsaw guys cut.

I often get to talk with homeowners, too (my favorite thing). I listen to their stories of where they were when the tornado hit, or pray with them about their future, or direct them to their local ministries who can offer help.

But when I can’t go? I know I can help, even from home, by helping the helpers. Thanks to the internet, I give our volunteers the information they need, connect them with our team leaders, and keep up with their online data.

Same Goal

When we expand our idea of how we can work in a ministry, God may surprise us with opportunities we didn’t see coming.

And if one of those ways is being a support person, helping those who are serving on the front line, then let’s do it.

Whether in front or behind the scenes, the outcome is the same: the good news is spread and the love of God is felt.

Helping the helpers is being a helper, too. No chainsaw skills necessary.

Not gifted for that ministry? Help the helpers who are. #missions

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What local or national ministry do you participate with? Is there a group you’d like to join but haven’t yet? Please share in the comments.

The Word That Returns

March 10, 2020 by Jaime Hilton Leave a Comment

Once upon a time, I too held romantic notions of setting out, traipsing through jungles, and crossing cultural boundaries to share the gospel in some remote corner of the world. Oh how small my understanding was!

I love how Ali shared in her post last week

“Service and missions don’t necessarily mean Amazonian jungles (although they may) or traveling to unknown lands (although they may).”

For while God was stirring the fire in my heart for His people and His church, He was developing in me a unique set of skills. As I grew in my faith and maturity, I saw Him cultivating a passion for storytelling through theatre. Though I wasn’t always aware of how He would use me and my enthusiasm for the arts, I realize now He was equipping me to be a part of sharing a Story the world is desperate to hear.

Piercing Word

The roads finally met for me when my actor husband moved us to Lancaster, Pennsylvania to take a job at Sight & Sound. That is a story for another time, but the point is, we found ourselves in a new part of the country, in a place rich with Biblically based, gospel-centered, missions-focused theatre!

Enter Piercing Word, a group of professional actors who seek to “ignite passion for the Word of God in the heart of the church through live Scripture performances.” I was immediately intrigued by the idea, but it still took a few years before I really got involved.

When I finally did attend a Piercing Word performance I was blown away. The script was word for word Scripture! The heart of the story came alive through all the theatrical elements I loved – costumes, set, and acting!

Ambassadors

Piercing Word started small, with an actor who knew Scripture reading didn’t have to be dry and uninspired. It has grown by leaps and bounds, reaching more than 30,000 people with the Word, taking it to churches, festivals, and schools. The ministry focuses on encouraging believers in all stages of faith while also presenting a clear gospel message. Stories and themes all connect back to Jesus Christ.

“Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” 2 Corinthians 5:20

Over the years I have been blessed to use and develop those skills God gifted to me through my involvement with Piercing Word. They have allowed me to direct, arrange Scripture performances, and teach classes and summer camps to ignite passion for the Word of God in the heart of the next generation. My daughter, a budding young actress who loves all things theatre, started performing with them when she was nine years old. Her work has allowed her to encounter the Scriptures with fresh eyes. In a particularly beautiful rendition of Ruth she learned, in a new way, what it means that Jesus is our Redeemer.

What the Word can Accomplish

This work often reminds me of Isaiah 55:10&11

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”

Rain falls indiscriminately upon the ground and from that all manner of things are nurtured and grown. Piercing Word uses Scripture performance to send God’s Word out into the world where it can accomplish His purpose and succeed in reconciling people to their Redeemer.

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Small Acts of Humble Service

March 5, 2020 by Ali Shaw 3 Comments

Today’s post about Small Acts of Humble Service is first in our series, Missions: Participating in the Great Commission Right Where We Are.

When I was young, missions work intrigued me! My Bible class teacher told me first hand stories of his work with people in the Amazonian jungle. The tales ignited a desire in me to go and serve. The idea of traveling to unknown lands and taking Christ’s love to people who lived an entirely different life than I did sounded like so much fun! In my limited understanding, I knew that it must be hard, but I still sugar coated it in my mind.

Fast forward… To this day, I’ve never had the honor of going overseas on a mission trip. But over the years, I have had the honor and privilege of serving God locally, right where I’ve lived. These experiences have taught me that yes, it’s amazing and exciting to share God’s love, but it often doesn’t look anything like I’d dreamed.

I love the story of Jesus’ washing His disciples feet. In this two-fold action, He shares with us lessons on forgiveness and humble service.

Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. (John 13:3-5)

I love this explanation in Cheli’s introduction to our series: “Some organizations… create pathways to the gospel through caring provision and relationship building.”

Her words perfectly describe a ministry to hurting girls that I was blessed to help.

I was excited at the prospect of being able to serve in any capacity.

So, I went. And all day long, I stood, measured, and cut shelf liner to line the cupboards. Why? Because that was the task they needed someone to do.

That’s it.

It really isn’t much of a story at all, is it? But that’s the point.

This “non-story” was such a beautiful experience that writing about it right now makes me want to cry.

I was humbled to be in God’s presence, serving His daughters. And I realized then that service might look like a dirty foot in the face.

Or, it might look like snipping some shelf liner.

Jesus taught us that service is for the humble, those willing to give what they can and do as He does. So that day, I did what I could to help young ladies get back on their feet. I provided a small, menial task so that others in the ministry would be free to focus intently on doing the work of healing, teaching, and ministering.

So… I cut shelf liner.

Service and missions don’t necessarily mean Amazonian jungles (although they may) or traveling to unknown lands (although they may).

Sometimes service is “small” and local. But truly, no offering is too small for God to use. God can and will use our efforts for His glory and to the benefit of His kingdom!

How is He calling you to serve today?

Ali

Sometimes service is “small” and local. But truly, no offering is too small for God to use. #Missions

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Missions: Participating in the Great Commission Right Where We Are

March 3, 2020 by Cheli Sigler 2 Comments

Fifty kids listening to a missionary in a darkened room with the hum of a slide projector (not the PowerPoint kind) in the background, was part of my church camp experience. Exotic and challenging, my memories of their missionary stories shaped my thoughts and feelings about fulfilling The Great Commission.

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)

Since my church camp days, God has expanded my understanding of missions and missionaries. You see, Jesus’ command is for all believers, not just the pious, adventurous and multi-lingual. So, what does it look like when we participate in The Great Commission right where we are?

This March is “Missions Month” at Do Not Depart. Each contributing writer will share about an organization she serves or supports from her corner of the world. Some of the organizations we will highlight directly share the gospel by proclamation and discipleship. Some organizations we will showcase create pathways to the gospel through caring provision and relationshipbuilding. You will read about large, global organizations and small, local ones. You will see the variety of ways our Do Not Depart contributors participate in and serve these organizations. It is my hope and prayer that you learn something new, think a fresh thought, and are inspired to join in the Great Commission right where you are.

So, what does it look like when we participate in The Great Commission right where we are? #Missions

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Benedictions: Series Wrap-Up

February 27, 2020 by Jennifer Hong Leave a Comment

This month we have been looking at Benedictions, God’s words of blessing for His people. Have you been drawn to commit to memory any of the Scriptures we’ve looked at? Let’s wrap up this series with a review of the verses of benediction we have read thus far before concluding with one of my favorites.

Benedictions of the Bible

We began the month with one of the first blessings of the Bible, given to the priesthood of Aaron to say over the Israelites. These beautiful words convey God’s desire to extend His goodness to His people.

May the Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you.
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace. (Numbers 6:24-26)

In a post about the God who equips, Ali reminded us that God gives us the ability to do His will and “will not ask anything of us that He will not help us do.” She wrote, “Until God supports me and directs me– until He equips me — I can’t do His will. On the other hand, with God’s help ‘through Jesus,’ I am able.

Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. (Hebrews 13:20-21)

Jaime explored musical harmony as the metaphor for life within the Church. I found it clarifying to read her words: “Living in harmony with anyone is deeply challenging because we are regularly confronted by and forced to choose between our own selfish desires and the needs or wants of another.” Harmony results from putting the needs of others around us ahead of our own desires.

May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 15:5-6)

Elaborating on how benedictions give us words to bless others when we don’t know what to say, Lisa shared that her Pastor’s closing each service with Philippians 1:9-11 has guided her in praying for others.

And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” (Philippians 1:9-11)

“God wants the overflow of everything He pours into us to spill out onto others,” Cheli wrote. “Essentially, we are filled up to spill out.” The benedictions exemplify this as we receive God’s blessings and use God’s own words to pronounce His goodness upon others.

“So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:17-19)

Last week in a post on the God of hope, I shared my experience with hope in the midst of physical pain. “When the roots of hope reach deeper down to living water from the God of hope, our hope is not vulnerable to circumstances. That hope flourishes regardless of circumstance.”

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” (Romans 15:13)

He is Able

Our evening family prayer time has always been quite a circus, but with my youngest no longer a toddler, I am daring to add a little more structure and reverence. While my attempt to add candle light was short lived (we are still too wiggly for that, it seems), the benediction has stuck. My favorite part of the day may now be the last moments of our evening together as one of us reads words of encouragement over the family. I find the simplest way to memorize Scripture is simply to say or hear it every day, and so we use one passage until it is deeply in all of our hearts, before changing it out for another.

Tonight as we ended family prayers, my 7-year-old son read Ephesians 3:20-21:

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21)

It is my hope that these truths sink in deeply. After we have lifted our hearts and concerns to the Lord, what joy it is to be reminded: He is able. Able to do far more than all that we ask, or think! (I love those additional words. There is no limit to His power!) And that power? It is more than available to us. It is presently at work within us. What grace. It is my hope that as we lay down to rest each night, my family’s faith and hope will be nourished by those words of truth.

In a church service, the benediction is part of a liturgy — words and actions that are part of a meaningful routine which shapes our hearts and our faith. Is there a Scripture we have looked at this month that you want to make a part of your daily life? One you want to commit to heart and have on hand for when you don’t know what to say or how to pray? Which of these would most nourish your faith right now?

May the God of Hope Fill You

February 20, 2020 by Jennifer Hong 2 Comments

This month, we are studying Benedictions of the Bible. Today, we’ll look at Paul’s words of blessing to the Roman church: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope” (Romans 15:13).

A friend recently asked for suggestions for a lecture on chronic disease. My first thought was, “Hope. Tell them hope is a huge part of healing.” The 9 years since I developed frequent migraine headaches have been punctuated by seasons of hope and seasons of discouragement. Over the years, my source of hope has shifted.

The Unexpected Relationship Between Suffering and Hope

A few years into this journey, I read about Elisabeth Leseur, who spent her life in physical pain. I was captivated by the sanctifying effect of her suffering. I began frantically flipping through my Bible, finding my way to the fifth chapter of Romans.

“Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:3-5)

While I had long believed that this season of multiple migraines a week would be limited, my hope began to grow new, deeper roots. There was much goodness to be had in this season of awaiting full healing, and it would mine. “God, may I not escape this season of pain without abundant blessings of spiritual fruit that come through suffering.”

My soul was fed by the promise that “for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). My hope gathered more strength from the promise that my pain would be redeemed than by the anticipation of its cessation.

Deeply Rooted Hope

When the seven-year mark passed, I grieved that little had substantially changed with respect to my migraines. Spiritually, I found myself drawn to the compassion of Christ towards those who sought healing (Matthew 14:14), and I was awed by the promises Christ makes about prayer (John 14:13).

I never imagined I would still be dealing with this pain nine years later. But over nine years, I have seen hope grow, rather than wither. The roots of my hope, initially fed by “this will surely pass,” deepened into the richer soil of “your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). The focus of my hope grew from “I hope this pain stops soon,” to “I expect this will not last. Irrespective of how I feel today, I am confident that my path is in the hands of God, entirely sovereign and entirely good, full of compassion and grace. The difficulty of today is a part of something good.”

God of Hope

As Paul expresses in his letter to the Romans, our God is the God of hope, and hope flourishes by the power of the Holy Spirit.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Romans 15:13

Today, I have not had a migraine in seven weeks. That’s a dramatic change from three headaches a week. I’m reeling in wonder. To step into bright sunshine without the repercussion of pain is a joyful novelty. This new freedom also feels a bit vulnerable. “What if the relief does not last? What if the migraines return?”

In a dry spell last summer, I lost new plants I had added to our landscaping in the spring. Their roots were still superficial, dependent on frequent showers. They had not yet grown sufficiently deep to sustain them through drier periods. My hope is in part fed by superficial roots that feed upon favorable circumstances. Such roots are vulnerable to seasons of drought. However, when the roots of hope reach deeper down to living water from the God of Hope, our hope is not vulnerable to circumstances. That hope flourishes regardless of circumstance.

Irrespective of how I feel tomorrow, I am confident that my path is in the hands of God, entirely sovereign and entirely good, full of compassion and grace. Our God redeems pain.

Does your hope run dry? Receive the joy and peace that God has in store for you.