Hello! Happy December to you, dear ones. My boys and I have just begun our Winter Break from school (hooray!) which means Christmas is almost here! Whether your season so far has felt like a typical December or not, I hope that these recordings might encourage you this week.
I took a break this month from creating new studies and instead I'm re-sharing a couple of the very first Sister Studies videos I recorded back in 2018.
Christmas Sisters (20~ minutes long)
Reflecting on Mary & Elizabeth and their interaction during their pregnancies, I'm encouraged by how God blessed them through each other. They both received companionship, confirmation, and courage as they spent time together because they took the risk of being together, they were filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke truth to each other. These are all ways we can bless each other today!
Reflecting on Romans 5:1-5, I see all of the Advent themes: Peace, Hope, Joy, Love, and Jesus. I also see that afflictions are part of what God uses to shine glory through our lives the same way that fire makes candles shine brightly.
I finish with remembering that the Christmas Mary and Joseph experienced was nothing like the polished, clean, "perfect" Christmas many people dream of today. Perhaps our Christmases don't need to be Pinterest-perfect to be perfect after all.
May God bless you as you walk by faith and celebrate Christ's birth this coming week. (And remember if you don't feel "ready for Christmas" you're in good company. Mary and Joseph weren't ready for Christmas either!)
Are you searching for peace? What is peace, anyway? Who is our God of Peace and what will He do? How do we respond?
In this Sister Studies video, I share my reflections after spending a few weeks listening to and studying these verses seeking to know God more deeply as our God of Peace.
Here are a couple of the lessons God has been teaching me:
Having a mindset of the Holy Spirit that leads to life and peace is less about WHAT I'm thinking about and more about the PERSPECTIVE I'm looking at things from.
When I need peace and God hasn't yet calmed the storms in or around me, I can find peace in His nearness instead of being frustrated that He's not doing what I want.
The Bible gives us some specific steps to take to help us find and hold onto peace:
Want audio only? Listen to this reflection here or on your favorite podcast app by searching for Sister Studies. This recording is episode 07 - Knowing Our God of Peace.
Hey, friends. In a few days I'll be sharing a reflection recording based on what I've been learning or remembering about knowing our God of Peace. In the meantime, I would love to encourage you to spend some time listening to or reading this collection of verses about our God of Peace. Listen to the audio in a podcast app (or right here). Watch the video. Print out the verses and read them slowly and meditatively. You can read them all or just pick one at a time to focus on. Listen to how the Holy Spirit speaks to you. God wants us to know Him and His peace.
I'm so thankful God led me to search for and know Him more as our God of Hope this month. We need hope now more than ever, don't we? The reflection I'm sharing here is based on my observations after taking time to read and listen to the verses shared here about knowing our God of Hope.
I talk about the surprising number of times we find faith, hope, and love mentioned together in the Bible, and I also talk about Diet Coke and Mentos. Curious? Click play below and listen in...
This recording contains scripture focusing on knowing God as our God of Hope.
You can read along as you listen here.
You can also listen to the recording (without video) here or on a podcast app like Apple podcasts. You can listen to the verses WITH or WITHOUT the piano background music.
Hello, everyone! I don't know about the rest of you, but it always takes me MUCH longer to settle into new routines than I want it to and this year has been no exception. Getting into the flow of new school routines isn't easy for me -- especially after over a year of distance learning! Well, it turns out that getting back into the flow of creating and sharing these studies is also taking a bit more time than I wanted it to. Oh well! I'll just keep going, trusting in God's grace upon grace and your understanding and patience as we get into the swing of things for this fall. We'll get up to speed eventually!
We have already kicked off our first two Sister Circles meetings where we discussed the video and notes below. Like I mentioned in the last email, you can now also LISTEN to this reflection on being transformed by knowing God on the Sister Studies Podcast if you prefer the audio only. Look for Episode 05 ~ Transformed by Knowing God (Fall 2021 Intro).
Why are we still studying what it means to know God?
1. Our growth brings glory to God.2 Peter 3:18 (NLT) "Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. All glory to him, both now and forever! Amen." When we grow in the knowledge of Jesus, our growth and lives will bring more glory to God and we will know His glory! Growth might come more slowly than we want it to, but it will come!
2. We want to be more like Jesus. Colossians 3:10 (NLT) "Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him." Being like Jesus is something we grow into as we know God, not as we force ourselves to be better or different.
3. As we know God more, we will trust Him more.Proverbs 3:5-6 (CSB) "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; in all your ways know him, and he will make your paths straight." As we know God more, we'll experience His faithfulness and know more peace because we'll know He is trustworthy. We will make better and wiser choices in every area of life as we trust and listen to God.
4. We experience God's grace, peace, power, provision AND MORE as we KNOW HIM. 2 Peter 1:2-3 (CSB) "May grace and peace be multiplied to you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness." God has provided so much and blessed us in so many ways, but if we don't know God, we won't experience all He has for us.
The more we SEEK GOD, the more we will KNOW God.
Let's ask God to help us know Him and His...
Presence, Pleasure, Purity,
Promises, Peace, Perfection,
Perspective, Plan, Purpose,
Power, Provision, Protection,
Perseverance, and Patience.
I truly believe God longs to comfort and guide us when we are hurting or lost. When we PAUSE and PRAY, asking God to help us know Him exactly where we are, the Holy Spirit will remind us of God's PRESENCE with us always, His PLEASURE because we are calling on Him and seeking Him, and the PURITY of His love for us. God will remind us of His PROMISES, fill us with His PEACE, and lead us into His PERFECTION (rather than a perfection of our own imagination). Jesus will open our eyes to see His PERSPECTIVE of us, others, and our circumstances, remind us of His PLAN to work everything for our good and His glory, and help us see an eternal PURPOSE beyond what we can imagine. The Holy Spirit will fill us with POWER as we believe, PROVIDE for our every real need, and PROTECT us from attacks and harm from the enemy. God will teach us to PERSEVERE and be PATIENT as we walk by faith. And we will PRAISE God for His goodness to us.
I'm not saying that every time we stop to pray we will be conscious of experiencing God in all of these ways. I do believe, however, that in time, if we take the time to seek God, we will experience more and more of God in this way. So no matter what kind of Problems, Pain, or Persecution we might be facing, let's remember OFTEN to PAUSE, PRAY, and PRAISE.
Let's also remember that one of the best ways to know and experience God is by spending time with the Body of Christ. You are still invited to join one of our Sister Circles! They will be meeting again later this month. We have one group meeting once a month on a Wednesday morning and another group meeting once a month on a Sunday morning, and we'd love to have you join us. (Other groups may be added if schedules allow and enough others are interested, so let us know!)
May God bless you as you continue to grow in Him. He loves you so very much.
Hello, everyone! (No, in case you're wondering, I haven't sent anything out for the last few weeks.)
We're getting ready to conclude this first part of our DIVINE: Transformed by Knowing God series. My hope is to pick up the study again in the fall with more lessons that will continue to help us know God more deeply. Like I shared in the first study, there will never be an end to our journey of knowing God. We will never know everything or experience every aspect of God. There will always be more to know and there will always be more ways for us to grow. In this last email, I'm taking some time to reflect on this journey so far of growing in the knowledge of God.
Reflection on Knowing God - Why this study?
1. We want to grow. 2 Peter 3:18 (NLT) says, "Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. All glory to him, both now and forever! Amen." Sometimes we grow quickly, but most of the time lasting growth is slow. Do you feel like you're growing slowly or quickly these days? Do you feel encouraged or discouraged by how you're growing?
2. We will grow to be more like Jesus as we know Him more, not just as we try harder. Colossians 3:10 (NLT) "Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him." Are you trying to be more like Christ or more like other people you admire or the "perfect you" that lives in your imagination?
3. We experience God's grace, peace, power, and provision as we KNOW HIM. 2 Peter 1:2-3 (CSB) "May grace and peace be multiplied to you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness." Why do you think knowing God is supposed to make such a big difference in our lives?
4. We know God more as we depend on Him. Proverbs 3:5-6 (CSB) "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; in all your ways know him, and he will make your paths straight." Our job is to TRUST and seek to KNOW GOD, God's job is to straighten out our paths. Where do you have the hardest time trusting the Lord instead of relying on your own thoughts and ability to figure things out?
Knowing God will help us experience God's Presence, Pleasure, Promises, Plan, Perspective, Provision, Purpose, Peace, Protection, Power, Perfection, and Purity. And Patience.
Lord, God Almighty, please help us know You more. Help us know your presence, peace, and provision as our faithful, loving Shepherd. Let us know your pleasure as our Creator who made us with a plan and a purpose that we would know You and help others know You. God, our Deliverer, as we wait for you to answer our prayers, help us cling to your promises as we trust in your power, your protection and your perspective. Creator God, transform us more and more into the image of your purity and perfection as we KNOW YOU and YOUR LOVE and GOODNESS. And give us patience as we wait for the growth to come. In Jesus' name, amen.
SISTER CIRCLES THIS MONTH:
Want to join a group of sisters to talk about what we're learning and grow together? Join us...
TOMORROW Sunday 6/13, 9:30am at church
Wednesday 6/23, 10:00am at church
We'll be taking a break from the weekly studies for the summer. Stay tuned for further announcements about gatherings and other ways to connect with each other!
In His Love,
Melissa
If you've missed any posts from the DIVINE: Transformed by Knowing God series, you can find them all here.
"The Lord is my Shepherd." Psalm 23 is probably one of the most famous and loved passages in the Bible. Knowing God as our Shepherd is truly a comfort to our human hearts. As I have reflected on the verses that show how God shepherds us, I have been challenged over and over again to trust God more. (Click here for aPDF printable of all of the God our Shepherd versesClickhere for the videoand click here for the audio to hear them read to you.) In the video reflection on Knowing God as Our Shepherd I recorded this past weekend, I share the ways God promises to care for us as our Shepherd.
DIVINE: Transformed by Knowing God as our Shepherd VIDEO NOTES
What is God saying about who he is and who we are when he calls himself our Shepherd?
1. God is always present, watching over, and protecting us. (Psalm 121)
2. God provides: rest, strength, guidance, comfort, abundance, honor, blessings, goodness, and unfailing love. (Psalm 23)
3. God is our shelter, refuge, and place of safety. His promises protect us. (Psalm 91:1-4) 4. God is leading us and helping us lead others. (Isaiah 40:11; Proverbs 3:5-6; Psalm 116:7) 5. God rescues us when we stray. (1 Peter 2:25; Isaiah 53:6) 6. God speaks to us. God knows us and helps us know him. (John 14:6-7; John 10) 7. God wants our worries and trust. (Matt 6: 25-34; 1 Peter 5:6-7)
8. God will never leave, abandon, forsake, forget about, or give up on us. (Matt 28:20; Hebrews 13:5-6)
9. God will help us do his will. (Hebrews 13:20-21) 10. Trusting God blesses our hearts. (Psalm 28:7-9; Numbers 6:24-26)
For Reflection or Discussion:
1. How often do you remember the promises listed here? Which of the 10 points listed above is the most encouraging to you in this season? Which do you want to hold on to and how can you remind yourself to do that this week?
2. God wants our worries and trust.
In 1 Peter 5:6-7, we are told to humble ourselves before the Lord by casting our cares on Him because He cares for us. I studied that verse this weekend and the word for "CAST" doesn't imply gently setting something down. It implies throwing something, kind of like what I would do if I picked up a box and there was a big spider on it. I wouldn't likely set it down gently. My reflex reaction would be to get it as far away from me as possible as quickly as possible! I think that is how God wants us to treat our worries. As quickly as possible, God wants us to toss them to Him and let Him carry the weight of them. It's like a life changing game of catch or hot potato, and GOD WILL NEVER DROP THE BALL, even if He doesn't always answer in the way we want. We cast our worries on Him and He will carry them and us. We stay close to Him and obey Him, and He will lead, provide, and watch over us and those we love.
This CAST/CARE prayer helps me remember that I CAST and He CARES. Fill in the blanks with whatever or whoever is weighing on your heart or mind. Trust those things and loved ones to God your Shepherd's loving hands. I'm NOT saying this is easy. I come back to God with my cares and concerns over and over. But with practice it does get easier, and it's so much better than carrying them on my own.
God, You Care About ____________. I Surrender ___________ to You. God, I Trust You to ...
Carry _____________, Abide (stay) with me, Respond to my prayer, and Equip me to do Your will. (Heb. 13:20-21)
3. Since we started this study, I have said knowing God will help us experience God's Presence, Pleasure, Promises, Plan, Perspective, Provision, Purpose, Peace, Protection, Power, Perfection, and Purity.
For you, which of these are most connected to knowing God as your Shepherd?
Lord God, our faithful Shepherd, as it says in Psalm 28, You are our strength and our shield. Our hearts can trust You and we can celebrate and give you our thanks. Strengthen us, save us, bless us, shepherd us, and carry us this week and forever. Thank You for helping us to know You more. May we be transformed into people who walk by faith more and more. In Your name Jesus, amen.
COMING UP NEXT:
Two Sister Circles are meeting this week. One meets Wednesday (tomorrow) 5/19 at church and the other will meet on Sunday 5/23. (Contact me for more details.) For the next few weeks, I'll just be sharing a few more thoughts on being transformed by knowing God. I'll be reflecting on what we've learned so far but not introducing a new characteristic of God. Sister Circles will meet again the 3rd week of June and then in July we'll be taking a break from the regular weekly posts. Before starting again in August or September, I'll want to get some feedback from everyone to see what you have liked most or least about these studies, so watch for a survey next month.
May you be blessed by our faithful, always present Shepherd this week.
Trusting our Shepherd,
Melissa
If you've missed any posts from the DIVINE: Transformed by Knowing God series, you can find them all here.
Hello, friends. I'm sharing the second set of the Shepherd scripture verses below. (You can find the first set here.)
I also wanted to share something I read earlier. Ann Voskamp shared
an encouragement for mothers
on her blog today that ties in so beautifully with what it means to know God as our Shepherd. She writes:
"Parent or child, we are no different, we are all wandering sheep, easily lured, who all need the rescue of the Shepherd from the lostness of lesser loves into the embrace of the greatest Love, Love Himself.
When a mother stops seeing herself as the shepherd who needs to be good enough to get her child safely Home, but instead sees her and her child both in need of a Good Shepherd, this is how she always stays safe in the home of God."
Whether you are experiencing Mother's Day this weekend as a mom or as a grandmother, or simply as a daughter, we can trust that we and all those we love are all in the care of our Shepherd. God protects us and guides us. He cares for us and carries us. He knows us and loves us and seeks us when we go astray and helps us shepherd and care for those around us. God our Shepherd is so, so good. I'll be sharing more of what I have been noticing as I've been paying attention to God as my Shepherd in the video reflection next weekend. I hope you'll watch and reflect with me.
Psalm 116:7 CSB 7 Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.
1 Peter 2:25 NET 25 For you were going astray like sheep but now you have turned back to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.
Isaiah 53:6 NLT All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all.
John 14:6-7 NIV 6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you know me, you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
John 10:7, 11, 14-15, 27 CSB 7 Jesus said again, “Truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 14 “I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. I lay down my life for the sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me.
Matt 6: 25-34 NET 25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t there more to life than food and more to the body than clothing? 26 Look at the birds in the sky: They do not sow, or reap, or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you more valuable than they are? 27 And which of you by worrying can add even one hour to his life? 28 Why do you worry about clothing? Think about how the flowers of the field grow; they do not work or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his glory was clothed like one of these! 30 And if this is how God clothes the wild grass, which is here today and tomorrow is tossed into the fire to heat the oven, won’t he clothe you even more, you people of little faith? 31 So then, don’t worry saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 32 For the unconverted pursue these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But above all pursue his kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 So then, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own.
Matt 28:20b NLT 20 ... And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Hebrews 13:5b-6a, 20-21 NET 5 … “I will never leave you and I will never abandon you.” 6 So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, and I will not be afraid…" 20 Now may the God of peace who by the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep, our Lord Jesus, 21 equip you with every good thing to do his will, working in us what is pleasing before him through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever. Amen.
Psalm 28:7-9 CSB 7 The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. Therefore my heart celebrates, and I give thanks to him with my song. 8 The Lord is the strength of his people; he is a stronghold of salvation for his anointed. 9 Save your people, bless your possession, shepherd them, and carry them forever.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This week, may you know the presence, blessing, and strength of God, your good Shepherd. He loves you so very much.
And Happy Mother's Day!
Peace to you,
Melissa
If you've missed any posts from the DIVINE: Transformed by Knowing God series, you can find them all here.
Hello, dear ones. It's so good to be sharing with you again. The more I am spending time reminding myself of who God is, the more I am convinced that who I believe God is makes a huge difference in my perspective on my life and the lives of those around me. In particular, I'm finding my TRUST increasing. If I remember God is our Creator, I trust Him more with our weaknesses. If I remember He is our Deliverer, I pray more, trusting He is listening and always at work. If I remember He is my Shepherd, I look to Him more often and trust He will guide and provide for me and those I love.
This week's scripture study focuses on knowing God as our Shepherd and I for one am so grateful we are not left to figure out this life alone. I'm thankful for a good Shepherd who KNOWS ME and loves me and desires for me to KNOW HIM and love Him and trust Him and follow Him.
Instead of sharing one long recording of all the Shepherd verses, this time I split the list of verses into two sets. (You're welcome! Haha!) I'll share the recording and video for the second set of Shepherd verses next weekend.
Maybe you're wondering what to do with all of these verses. Personally, I enjoy listening to them when I'm doing the dishes or driving in my car or going for a walk - or even when I'm falling asleep at night! I let the living, holy word of God just wash over my mind and soak into my heart. You can also take one or two passages and after reading them and maybe copying them into a journal, think and pray about questions like these:
What does this verse/passage say about God?
Is this a new idea for me? Or one I remember often?
How could remembering this affect my life today?
How does this change how I interact with God? how I think about myself? how I interact with others?
You can also take the verses and turn them into a prayer. ("Trust in the Lord with all your heart" can become a prayer saying, "Lord, please help me to trust you with all of my heart.")
25 The Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you;
26 The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.”
Psalm 121 CSB 1 I lift my eyes toward the mountains. Where will my help come from? 2 My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. 3 He will not allow your foot to slip; your Protector will not slumber. 4 Indeed, the Protector of Israel does not slumber or sleep. 5 The Lord protects you; the Lord is a shelter right by your side. 6 The sun will not strike you by day or the moon by night. 7 The Lord will protect you from all harm; he will protect your life. 8 The Lord will protect your coming and going both now and forever.
Psalm 23 NLT A psalm of David. 1 The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. 2 He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. 3 He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. 4 Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. 5 You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings. 6 Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.
Psalm 91:1-4 NLT 1 Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him. 3 For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease. 4 He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection.
Isaiah 40:11 NIV 11 He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.
Proverbs 3:5-6 CSB 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways know him, and he will make your paths straight.
Psalm 116:7 CSB 7 Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This week, may your soul find rest in God, your good Shepherd. He loves you so very much.
Peace to you,
Melissa
If you've missed any posts from the DIVINE: Transformed by Knowing God series, you can find them all here.
Over two months have passed since we started this journey toward seeking to know God more deeply. Have you noticed any transformation happening in your heart? If not, don't be discouraged. Just because we can't always see the growth, doesn't mean it isn't there.
Throughout this series so far, I have been especially blessed by the time I have spent listening to and soaking in God's word.
-is our strength and our song and gives us victory.
-is trustworthy and delivers us from shame.
-watches us and is attentive to us.
-is our refuge and our fortress.
-is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
-prepares us to stand firm against the enemy.
-IS WITH US when we walk through every hard thing.
What a wonderful God we serve! He created us in love and delivers us from and carries us through every kind of trouble. Our God is our Creator and our Deliverer, and we will see in the next few weeks that he is also our good and faithful Shepherd. Whether we are waiting desperately for deliverance of some kind or simply living our day to day lives in this complicated world, we are not left alone to figure things out and simply hope for the best. We have a God who is close to us, who knows us, and who helps us know him and follow him. He IS the way. We are not lost sheep, because we have a good Shepherd. Watch your email next week for the collection of verses to help us know and trust God our Shepherd more deeply.
It takes time to seek God, friends, but knowing God is SO WORTH the time it takes. I hope you are encouraged by how God is revealing himself to you. As we continue in this study, this is my prayer for you, friends:
Ephesians 1:16-18 NLT "16 I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, 17 asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. 18 I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance."
I am praying that God will give each one of us spiritual wisdom and insight SO WE WILL GROW as we KNOW HIM MORE.
I am praying that God will flood our hearts with his LIGHT so we will know the CONFIDENT HOPE he has given each of us.
I love the line in this song Hymn of the Holy Spirit that says, "You're the light. You're my path. You're the Shepherd of my soul." May you know the love and faithful guidance and provision of the Shepherd of your soul this week.
Following Jesus with You,
Melissa
If you haven't taken or found time yet to watch the video Reflection on knowing God as our Deliverer from last weekend, you can find it here.
If you've missed any posts from the DIVINE: Transformed by Knowing God series, you can find them all here.
For the last three weeks, we've been seeking to know God more as our Deliverer. In the video this week, I'm sharing with you what God has been showing me and what promises and truth I have been holding onto.Watch the Video Reflection on Knowing God as Our Deliverer here or click below. In the notes below, you'll find the main points and some questions to consider. (Click here for a printable copy.)
VIDEO NOTES & DISCUSSION/REFLECTION QUESTIONS
1. God our Creator is also God our Deliverer.
How can knowing God as our Creator help us have confidence in Him as our Deliverer?
2. God is always paying attention, watching over and listening to us, but He doesn't keep us from experiencing trouble and difficulty.
Why doesn't God keep us from experiencing pain and difficulty and trials?
3. God is teaching us to persevere and wait and He is training us for future battles. This kind of character building work TAKES TIME.
When have you had to wait for God to answer your prayers? What have you learned by going through difficult times?
4. Waiting can make us feel weak and weary and the devil will try to take advantage of that.
Do you usually remember to stand firm with God's armor so you can resist the enemy? What does "standing firm" look like?
5. God our Deliverer is WITH US in every difficult trial we face and He will always make a way even when we can't imagine how it's possible.
Have you experienced God making a way where it seemed impossible? Are you waiting for that kind of deliverance now?
In the first video in this series, I shared this belief:
The more we know God, the more we will experience God's Presence, Pleasure, Promises, Plan, Perspective, Provision, Purpose, Peace, Protection, Power, Perfection, and Purity.
6. Remembering God is my Deliverer helps me find rest for my soul. When I trust Him and pour out my heart to Him I find refuge and peace.
As you continue to know God as your Deliverer, how do you hope to experience more of God?
If you are able to join a Sister Circle this week, you can share your answers to any and all of these questions there or you can always leave a comment or send me a message and let me know what is connecting with you. I'd love to hear from you!
Next week we'll be shifting our focus to seeking to know God as our Shepherd. I know it's going to be so good and I can't wait to learn along with you.
May God our Deliverer give you strength and hope as you trust in Him and wait for Him this week.
Much Love, Melissa
If you've missed any posts from the DIVINE: Transformed by Knowing God series, you can find all of them here.
Last week I shared a collection of verses to help us know God as our Deliverer. I don't know about you, but as I have listened to the verses daily, God has been reminding me to trust Him. He is reminding me of His presence and faithfulness and I am experiencing more peace and hope. I want that for you, too! In this email, below you'll find the second half of the verses from the video/audio recording. I want to encourage you to sit with these verses. Let your heart and mind soak in whichever truth you need to remember and claim. Let God's truth transform you and set you free as you grow in the grace and knowledge of God, your Deliverer.
Next weekend, I'll share a video review of what I've been learning through these weeks of seeking to know God as our Deliverer. We'll also be meeting in our Sister Circles! The schedule may be changing a little bit now that services are open again on Sunday mornings, but we'll keep you posted about that! And please know that you are welcome to join one of the Sister Circles whether you've come before or not and even if you haven't been reading all of the Sister Studies. You are still very welcome to join us and spend some time talking about knowing God with your sisters from church.
Here again are the options so you can listen to the verses or print them.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS: As you read or listen to the verses, here are some questions you can consider. (Remember you don't have to read or think about all of the verses at once.)
Is this verse telling me something about God, asking God for something, or is God speaking?
What is God saying to me or what does God want me to remember about who He is?
Is this a prayer I could pray today or something I can remember today?
How might praying this way or remembering this affect me today?
God our Deliverer verses (part 2)
Psalm 34 NIV 3 Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together. 4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. 5 Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. 7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. 8 Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. 15 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry; 17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. 18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. 19 The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all;
Psalm 40:1-3 NIV 1 I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. 2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. 3 He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him.
Psalm 144:1-2a CSB 1 Blessed be the Lord, my rock who trains my hands for battle and my fingers for warfare. 2 He is my faithful love and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer. He is my shield, and I take refuge in him;
Ephesians 6:10-13 NLT 10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.
12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.
Isaiah 43:1-21 NET 1 Now, this is what the Lord says, the one who created you, O Jacob, and formed you, O Israel: “Don’t be afraid, for I will protect you. I call you by name, you are mine. 2 When you pass through the waters, I am with you; when you pass through the streams, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not harm you. 3 For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your deliverer. 16 This is what the Lord says, the one who made a road through the sea, a pathway through the surging waters, 18 “Don’t remember these earlier events; don’t recall these former events. 19 Look, I am about to do something new. Now it begins to happen! Do you not recognize it? Yes, I will make a road in the wilderness and paths in the wastelands.
Isaiah 46:4 NIV 4 Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.
Psalm 62:5-8 CSB 5 Rest in God alone, my soul, for my hope comes from him. 6 He alone is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I will not be shaken. 7 My salvation and glory depend on God, my strong rock. My refuge is in God. 8 Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts before him. God is our refuge. Selah
If you've missed any posts from the DIVINE: Transformed by Knowing God series, you can find them all here. Visit butlerchurch.org/sister-circles to sign up for a Sister Circles small group.
Last week I shared some introductory thoughts about seeking to know God as our Deliverer. As I've been preparing for this week, it has felt very fitting for me to spend extra time thinking about Jesus coming to deliver us... to deliver me. He died and rose so that we could know true, abundant life and freedom through him. That new life includes freedom and deliverance from sin, fear, doubt, shame, unforgiveness, addiction, selfishness, hatred, racism, pride, discouragement, depression, anxiety... anything and everything that separates us from each other or hinders our walk with God.
Have you noticed like I have, though, that God doesn't free us from everything all at once as soon as we are saved? If we have accepted Christ's sacrifice and gift of salvation, we are God's children and we are made righteous in his eyes by grace through faith, BUT growing in holiness takes time. We are made new and we are being made new and the growing and deliverance won't be finally complete until we reach heaven. So we keep praying. We keep seeking God. We keep trusting the Holy Spirit to keep working in us. The verses we're reading, listening to, and meditating on this week will remind us of that.
Here are some options for you so you can listen to all of the verses or print them. Click below for...
Below, I'm just including just the first set of verses. I'll post the second set of verses next weekend.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS: As you read or listen to the verses below, here are some questions you can consider. (Remember you don't have to read or think about all of the verses at once.)
Is this verse telling me something about God, asking God for something, or is God speaking?
Is this a prayer I could pray today or something I can remember today?
How might praying this way or remembering this affect me today?
God our Deliverer verses (part 1)
Psalm 124:8 NET
8 Our deliverer is the Lord, the Creator of heaven and earth.
Jeremiah 32:17 NLT 17 “O Sovereign Lord! You made the heavens and earth by your strong hand and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for you!
Isaiah 59:1 CSB 1 Indeed, the Lord’s arm is not too weak to save, and his ear is not too deaf to hear.
Psalm 109:21-22 NIV 21 But you, Sovereign Lord, help me for your name’s sake; out of the goodness of your love, deliver me. 22 For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me.
Psalm 140:6-8 NIV 6 I say to the Lord, “You are my God.” Hear, Lord, my cry for mercy. 7 Sovereign Lord, my strong deliverer, you shield my head in the day of battle. 8 Do not grant the wicked their desires, Lord; do not let their plans succeed.
Matthew 6:13 NET 13 And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
Psalm 79:8-9 NIV 8 Do not hold against us the sins of past generations; may your mercy come quickly to meet us, for we are in desperate need. 9 Help us, God our Savior, for the glory of your name; deliver us and forgive our sins for your name’s sake.
Psalm 115:11 NLT 11 All you who fear the Lord, trust the Lord! He is your helper and your shield.
Psalm 118 NLT 1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. 4 Let all who fear the Lord repeat: “His faithful love endures forever.” 5 In my distress I prayed to the Lord, and the Lord answered me and set me free. 14 The Lord is my strength and my song; he has given me victory.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
May you be blessed this week by God, our Deliverer and helper. He loves you so very much.
Much Love,
Melissa
P.S. If you've missed any Sister Studies posts from the DIVINE: Transformed by Knowing God series, you can find them all here.
For the first four weeks of our DIVINE study, we focused on knowing God as our Creator. (If you missed it, you can read or watch the summary of those weeks here.) In the coming weeks, we are going to seek to know God more as our Deliverer. This is also Holy Week, and I encourage you to take some time remembering what Jesus did during the days leading up to his crucifixion and resurrection! So, instead of giving you a lengthy list of verses to study this week, I'm just going to offer a couple of thoughts and questions for your reflection.
Essential to the idea of knowing God as our Deliverer is recognizing that we each need to be delivered. Each of us needs to be rescued from our sins and brought into the Kingdom of God as His children. But even once we are part of God's family, we can (and almost certainly will) find ourselves in situations where we need God to rescue us or someone we love. We can be trapped by all sorts of things - from addiction and sin, to physical or mental health troubles, to relationship struggles or financial difficulties. Haven't we all experienced times when we couldn't see a way out of some kind of trouble?
When the Israelite people were enslaved in Egypt, they cried out to God to deliver them and when the time was finally right, God sent his servant Moses to deliver the people from Pharoah. God sent the plagues and finally Pharaoh told Moses to take the people and go. But soon the people of Israel found themselves again in an impossible situation. The Red Sea was in front of them and Pharaoh's army was approaching from behind and they had nowhere to run. They were trapped.
We'll look more at this story in the weeks to come, but let's pause here for now. I want you to consider... What kind of deliverance or rescue are YOU waiting for? Where are you waiting for God to rescue you or someone you love from what seems like unavoidable trouble or pain? How long have you been praying and waiting for God to be your Deliverer in this or other situations?
In my simple human perspective, I often wish God wouldn't wait so long to answer our cries. When we or those we love are hurting, don't we want God to deliver us from the pain NOW? We don't naturally appreciate suffering. But we can learn to see suffering from God's perspective and even find reasons to be thankful for the difficulties we face as we experience God's presence and strength with us - not only as He delivers us from hard things, but as He walks WITH US THROUGH THEM.
I love how Jeremiah 32:17 reminds us that the same Sovereign Lord who created us is the Sovereign Lord we pray to and nothing is too hard for Him. If you are like me and you are right now waiting and praying for some kind of deliverance, I encourage you to memorize this verse and include it in your prayers. Write it down and keep it somewhere you will see and remember it often. Let's remind ourselves and confess to God that nothing is too hard for our Creator.
Jeremiah 32:17 (NLT)
17 O Sovereign Lord! You made the heavens and earth by your strong hand and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for you!
O Sovereign Lord, You did indeed make the heavens and the earth by your strong hand and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for you! No matter what we are facing right now, it is not too hard for You. You will either deliver us from what we are facing or You will walk with us through it. Either way, we ask God that You would let us experience more of your grace and power and presence. May we know You deeper as our Deliverer in the weeks ahead. In Jesus' name, amen.
That's it for this week, dear ones. I've put together some worship songs that encourage me to remember God's faithfulness. You can check them out here at my Divine Worship Playlist.
This week, may you be blessed by the Lord, the Creator of Heaven and earth, our Deliverer and Savior.
Hello, sisters! Some of us have just spent three weeks reading or listening to verses and thinking about who God is as our Creator, as well as who we are as His creation. (Read the verses here. Listen to me read them here.)
Last week I suggested you reflect on these questions.
After these weeks of focusing on God as my Creator...
What stood out to me? What surprised me? What did I notice about God? About myself? About others? What do I want to remember? What did I see or do I hear God saying to me now?
In the video this week, I take some time to share some of my answers to those questions. Here are some things I have been noticing about God, our Creator.
VIDEO NOTES & DISCUSSION/REFLECTION QUESTIONS
1. God is SO CREATIVE! The world around us is filled with so many different kinds of plants, animals, and people! It's really incredible when we stop to think about it. God was also so creative in how He made us. Each of us is made in God's image and we are creative in different ways! (Yes, you!)
What's your favorite kind of creativity? Art? Music? Cooking? Hospitality? Leadership? Problem Solving? Caregiving? Gift giving? Something else?
2. God made us to notice beauty and glory. He made us to worship. Being in nature inspires me to worship and helps me feel connected to God. What about you?
Where and when do you feel most connected to God?
3. The created world reflects the spiritual world. Not only do we see God's glory in the beauty of nature, we can also learn from the lessons nature has to teach us about who God is and other spiritual truths. (Like how God always brings light out of darkness, or how the vastness of the ocean reflects the vastness of God.)
What other "object lessons" or parables or references to nature reflecting spiritual truth can you remember or think of?
4. If I'm honest with you, I'll admit that I don't like all of God's choices - especially about how He made me. (Did you read my Mama Bird Sings story? It was inspired by my own life. I share more about my struggles regarding how God made me in the video.) It can also be hard to accept He knows about all of the hard things and allows them anyway. (Psalm 139:16)
Do you struggle with how God made you? Or with what He has allowed to happen to you or others?
5. God made us so we would need Him and others. Nobody is made to thrive alone - not without God and not without other humans.
How do your weaknesses make you depend on God or others? Can you see how that is a good thing?
6. Meditating on Creation leads us to our shortcomings and failures and The Fall, where we see clearly that we need a Savior - a Deliverer. God our Deliverer is what we'll be studying next month!
In the first video in this series, I shared this belief:
The more we know God, the more we will experience God's Presence, Pleasure, Promises, Plan, Perspective, Provision, Purpose, Peace, Protection, Power, Perfection, and Purity.
Every month, I want us to come back to this question.
As you have spent time thinking about God as your Creator, how have you experienced more of God?
If you are able to join a Sister Circle this week, you can share your answers to any and all of these questions there and you can always reply to these emails and let me know what is connecting with you. I'd love to hear from you!
REMINDER! Sister Circles are meeting THIS WEEK!!!
Sister Circles will be gathering THIS week. Visit butlerchurch.org/sister-circles to sign up for a Sister Circles small group. We'd love to have you join us!
Sunday, March 21 at 9:00 on Zoom
Wednesday, March 24 @ 10am (in person with Helen)
Friday, March 26 @ 7pm (online or in person)
I'll be sharing some new study verses next weekend as we begin seeking to know God as our Deliverer. I can't wait.
Blessings to you. May you know the love and care of your Creator this week.
