Walking in the Word with Breast Cancer

To you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens!  - Psalm 123:1 God wants us to cry out to Him when we’ve had enough, but He also wants you to acknowledge who He is. Far too many of us cry out to God, asking Him to rescue us, but we still expect it to happen on our terms or according to our plan. We want what we want and we want when we want it and how we want it - and we bring those requests to God, expecting Him to fulfill our requests.  When He doesn’t, we end up even more exhausted. When we lay our struggles at His feet, it means we are accepting our current circumstances exactly as they are, and trusting He will rescue us in a manner that is for the greater good of all those involved.  I have been so guilty of this in my life - even recently. As I watch my son continue to struggle, my prayers have been growing increasingly fervent for his peace, his comfort, and his salvation. But every day that passes, life just seems to get harder for him. And I jus

To you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens!  - Psalm 123:1 In our next Psalm of Ascent, it seems the psalmist is back in trouble again. There seems to be pattern in these Psalms. In Psalm 120, the author is in trouble, surrounded by the enemy. In Psalm 121, the author is trusting God in His sovereignty and power. Psalm 122 is a celebratory psalm as they arrived in Jerusalem.  In Psalm 123, you can feel the cry of a heart in pain. The author is struggling as he begs for mercy, claiming he is surrounded by contempt and scorn. He is frustrated and exhausted at the constant battle of living in this world.  3 Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us, for we have had more than enough of contempt.  4 Our soul has had more than enough of the scorn of those who are at ease, of the contempt of the proud.  - Psalm 123:3-4 There are days I feel like this, like I just want to cry out, “Enough!” When trials upon trials seem to come at me, and everything

I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the LORD!"  - Psalm 122:1 As I shared yesterday, there are so many reasons to rejoice as we enter the house of the Lord every week, but if we’re being honest, it’s hard to walk into a church when there are problems. When a conflict arises between you and another member of the congregation, or when you discover the church is poorly organized and managed, or when you discover deceit and betrayal, it’s easier to just stay home. It’s hard to rejoice when pieces of the world creep into the sanctuary and wreak havoc on what was once a respite.  The sad reality is that churches are run by people, and people are broken ~ or all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, - Romans 3:23. Unfortunately, leadership and the believers in a church don’t get an exemption from that truth. In every church, there will be times when poor decisions will negatively impact the people.  I know intimately the pain caused by

I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the LORD!"  - Psalm 122:1 This psalm begins with a joyful call to the house of the Lord, and it should cause us pause to evaluate our hearts as we approach the Lord’s house. Do we rejoice as we go to church? Many question the need for church in our lives - I used to be one of those people. I believed in God, but I didn’t prioritize my time in church on Sunday - I used to argue God knows my heart, I didn’t need to be in a specific building to prove that to Him. I would attend, but if something more pressing came up, I would choose the alternative every single time. I shudder when I think back to the arrogance of all the things I placed in importance over Him. My schedule and my commitments ranked over Him - I worshipped God when it was convenient. There was no sacrifice.  So why do we need to go to church?  First and foremost to worship God as King of our lives. We are to have no idols before Him - He is

I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the LORD!"  - Psalm 122:1 Psalm 122 is the 3rd psalm in the Psalm of Ascents, and it appears to have been written as the arrived in Jerusalem. Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem!  - Psalm 122:2 As I began my study of this psalm, I noticed it was different than other Psalms. The focus isn’t on the emotions or the trials the psalmist was experiencing, but it was on the city of Jerusalem itself. It begins with an excitement to go to worship in the house of the Lord, I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the LORD!"  - Psalm 122:1. Many of the Psalms begin in despair or fear, but this psalm begins with gladness and rejoicing. Then the psalm becomes a prayer for the peace and prosperity of Jerusalem, with the psalmist intentionally seeking the good of the city and not himself.  We have a tendency to turn to the Psalms because they have a unique ability to

1 I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?  2 My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.  3 He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.  - Psalm 121:1-3 Whatever you may be facing today, no matter how impossible the situation in front of you may seem, know that it’s not impossible for God. The same God who made the heavens and the earth is powerful enough to resolve whatever you are going through. It may be incredibly frustrating to you, it may be scary or heart-breaking, and you may think there is no solution, but it’s not impossible to God. He’s already got a plan for your good that includes whatever you’re facing. All we need to do is lift our eyes to the One who made the heavens and the earth.  When we seek Him, He promises to protect us from harm. He promises to keep our foot from slipping, to walk beside us through our struggles, and to keep us under His protective shade. Nothing can stand against us if we

1 I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?  2 My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.  3 He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.  - Psalm 121:1-3  God never sleeps. He never gets tired of watching over us, He never takes a break from looking out for us. If you’ve been a believer for very long, there’s no doubt you’ve been told this before, but we forget this truth often. We go about our busy days and we forget or get distracted. But God never gets distracted. He is constantly looking for ways to bless us. “The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him” ~ 2 Chronicles 16:9.  His eyes are just roaming the earth, looking for ways to protect those who love Him. God never promised us that our paths would be easy, but He did promise that He would be there with us through it all, He promised to protect us, and He promises to pro

I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber; (Psalm 121:1-3 NIV) Such comfort in these verses for me. They're a reminder that He wants us to lift up our eyes to Him. When we're feeling cast down, we are to lift our eyes to Him ~ not to earthly answers, but to Him.  As I’ve been driving around, looking up at His beautiful creation in the mountains that surround Sonoma Valley, I’m reminded of who He is - He is the maker of heaven and earth. He is the God who created everything ~ from the oceans to the mountains to the stars to you. How arrogant we are to think the maker of all creation wouldn't or couldn't handle our problems?  We can trust in the One who created this world with a perfect plan - He still has a plan and He doesn't make mistakes. He didn’t make a mistake when He creates those majestic mo

I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber; (Psalm 121:1-3 NIV) I’ve been fascinated learning about the 15 Psalms of Ascent. There is such wisdom in understanding the pilgrimage they were on and the many parallels to my life.  In psalm 120, the psalmists is beginning his journey toward Jerusalem. He is in Meshach, surrounded by deceit and prays the Lord saves him from the enemy. Psalm 121 is the 2nd psalm in the Psalms of Ascent, and we can see he is clearly on the journey, as he raises his eyes to the mountains.  When the psalmist faces trials on his journey, he looks up to the Lord’s creation and reminds himself of two great truths: one is that our God is the Creator of all things, and the other is that God never sleeps. He is the reason we are here, He is the Maker of all we see and know. Without Him, we wouldn’t be

In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me.  - Psalm 120:1 While we find psalmists cry out to the Lord in their distress for many different reasons, this specific author happened to be surrounded by liars and asks God to deliver him from the deceit.  The word “deceitful” in verse 2 refers to a deep and wounding lie. This isn’t one of those little white lies or the kind of gossip borne of boredom or an innocent mistake. “Deceit” is translated as “treacherous” and is associated with shooting arrows. It implies an intentional lie that is nasty or cutting, and causes damage to your reputation. These lies pierce like sharp arrows. They are meant to hurt.  If you’ve ever been on the receiving end of one of these destructive lies, then you know the pain they can cause. Sadly, I am all too familiar with the heartache caused by lies that intentionally hurt. I’ve been falsely accused of the kind of untruths that have the power to destroy my reputation, my career, my fam

In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me.  - Psalm 120:1 So, if this world is going to be full of trouble, we need an action plan for how to respond. Psalm 120 shows us how to respond when our hearts are broken by this world. When we are in distress, we are to call out to the Lord and we are to trust that He will answer us. Quite simply, we are to pray.  Prayer needs to be our first response, but far too often, it’s not. Many of us respond to our trials with worry, or with complaints, we bring it to a friend, or we go about trying to solve it ourselves. The reality is we all cry out in some way when we’re in distress - with our actions, our words, or our thoughts. The question is to whom do we cry out? Those of us who are believers know we should cry out to Him, but we still struggle to go to Him first. Why is that?  Because we often don’t trust that He hears us. We know He does, we’ve been told He hears us and we read it in Scripture, but when it comes righ

In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me.  - Psalm 120:1 This first of the Psalms of Ascent is about praying when we are struggling. I love the simplicity of it, “In my distress, I called to the LORD, and he answered me.”  When we are facing the challenges of this world, when the brokenness impacts our lives to the point of distress, we can call on Him and He will answer us.  God tells us in scripture that we will struggle. I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16 : 33 We may not like it, but the reality is we live in a broken world, marred by the effects of sin. We daily face all kinds of pain, trouble, suffering, weeping, loss and despair.  This verse is a hopeful reminder of the peace we can find in Him amidst such a broken world.  I read a great quote by Elisabeth Elliot in my devotion this morning:  “Refuse self-pity. Refuse it absolute

24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. - Hebrews 10:24-25 Faith grows in community - that's the way God designed us and that's the way it works. The enemy will fill our heads with a thousand reasons to stay home because even he knows this is the truth. He knows it's harder to challenge us where two or more are gathered in His name because he knows that God's manifest presence is there. We have to stand firm against the lies of the enemy that keep us from the very community that God designed for us - to grow us and challenge us, to love us and encourage us. We stand firm against his lies by preparing for them and recognizing them when they come.  I didn't always recognize them, and I've fallen victim many times. I've listened to the lie of busyness, believing I can't slack

23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. - Hebrews 10:22-25 The last part of this verse caught my attention today - and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. I don't spend too much time thinking on the end times, trying to evaluate whether or not the end is actually drawing near. To be honest, it makes me uncomfortable to dwell on it too much. I prefer to hand those thoughts up to God and trust His timing.  But one cannot deny the signs around us that point to the end times - there is no doubt the Day is drawing near. The world is a chaotic, broken place that seems to be spinning out of control at times. As the evil and the hate rises in this world, God reminds us in these verses that it is all th

23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. - Hebrews 10:22-25 Not only are we instructed to hold each other accountable to love and good works, we are also supposed to encourage one another when we meet. Meeting with one another should be a time of refreshing and strengthening for our souls.  God designed us to be relational beings, we're not meant to walk through this broken world alone.  We were meant to be in community with other believers who support and encourage us, who will cry with us and love us through the difficult days, who will lift our chins and  point our eyes back to Him when we feel defeated. That’s why we feel so refreshed when we spend time in church, in small group, or in community with

23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. - Hebrews 10:23-25 When we meet as a small group, we have two purposes - one is to be stirring each other up. Stirring up is the accountability part of meeting with others. To be able to stir one another up, we have to know each other well. The people in our small groups should know our hearts and where we have a tendency to let our flesh win. They should know and understand our struggles better than anyone - I would argue in some cases better even than our spouses - because they are the ones who are called to hold us accountable. And that can't happen unless we are being transparent and honestly sharing our struggles in group. We cannot stir anyone up if we don't u

23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.  24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. - Hebrews 10:23-25 In a world that is constantly trying to draw us away from our faith, I love the simplicity and encouragement found in verse 23 - let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering. Hang on to your faith as you navigate this crazy world. There will be days the chaos will try to knock you down, but don’t let it. Cling to your faith without wavering and He will fulfill His promises to you.  But how?  How do we hang on to our faith when it is constantly being battered and attacked by the forces of this world?  The next two verses are foundational in answering that question. We meet with other believers for the purpose of stirring one anothe

23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. - Hebrews 10:23-25 The writer of Hebrews understood what we can easily forget—faith flourishes in community. While it is important to spend quiet time alone with Jesus, with Scripture open in front of you, we grow spiritually when we’re spending time with other believers. The condition of our faith is a result of the quality of our relationship with God and with other believers.  These verses includes two specific ways in which faith flourishes, and they both rely heavily on others. The writer points to stirring up one another and encouraging one another as key growth habits for followers of Jesus. And he made it clear that this process starts, not by expecting other

23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. - Hebrews 10:23-25 The world is great at coming up with reasons not to attend church or small group, and our hearts are prone to follow...because it's just easier some days to find excuses rather than working up the energy to go. It takes a steadfast commitment to continue to place God first when the world is dragging us away.  I know...I've been caught in the trap. There are so many "good" excuses not to go:  I don't feel well, my son has a thing, I have family coming over, it's been a hard week, I'm exhausted, my husband won't be coming, so I don't want to go, my work schedule, my church is a mess and I’m hurting. The list goes on. 

17 I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies,18 and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice." - Genesis 22:17-18 The enemy is working hard to disrupt my peace this morning - woke up with so many dissonant thoughts. Been sitting here surrendering them one by one, and as I let go of each of those things I wish I could control, I am so incredibly thankful I have a King who loves me, and is working all things for good. He's convicted me of several areas I need to be obedient just this week, and I want to honor Him with my thoughts and my actions.  With my head hung low, I'm confessing my selfish, sinful bent to hold on to my comforts and my control, and letting Him have it all. I'm so weary of standing in the way of the blessings that He promises will flow into my

17 I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, 18 and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice." - Genesis 22:17-18 Abraham was a man of faith.  Though there are examples of when he didn't live by faith, Abraham tried to follow God's leading, even when it didn't make sense. He moved when God told him to move, and he journeyed to sacrifice his son when God told him to.  Living by faith goes against everything we've been taught in this world. It is so natural for us to rely on what we see in front of us rather than live by faith in God's Word and His promises. Abraham had a choice in each of those situations...he could have doubted God's faithfulness, and come up with a dozen excuses for why he shouldn't follow through, but he didn't.  At t

17 I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies,18 and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice." - Genesis 22:17-18 True surrender only comes after true repentance. True repentance follows true confession. The first step to repentance is figuring out what you have been putting on the throne before Him. What are those things that have been consuming our thoughts, what are those things that we deeply desire. Nothing can get us to compromise our faith like our idols - look to what is causing you to compromise your time with Him or compromise your behavior, what is causing you to justify sin in your life.  We will choose unbelievers as partners because we don't want to be alone, we will choose work over small group or church because we don't want to disappoint our earth