The Goodness of God
“Nothing can pierce your armor when you have been dressed for battle by the Holy Spirit.” – Author Unknown
Hello Dear Friend,
I refill my coffee cup and peer out my window to catch a glimpse of a new day unfolding. I stop in awe of the colorful display cast off by the rising sun. Its beauty causes me to stand still, pausing to take it all in. It’s a new day with a new overflow of mercies and today, I’ve realized, is sacred. Today I need to get lost in the goodness of my God.
While I watch the sunrise I’m reminded of another winter’s day from a few years ago, it was during an ice storm and I was undergoing some trials much like I am now. As a recipient of my previous letters this might sound a tad familiar but it was on that winter’s day that I stepped outside to get some fresh air after drying my tear stained face. I can still remember the chill that hit my lungs as I closed my eyes and listened to my surroundings. I heard branches falling to the earth below, no longer able to bear the weight of the ice that gripped them. It was in that moment that the Holy Spirit came to offer me comfort and gently whispered soft spoken words that encouraged my soul; “I allow everything in My creation to break so that it can be made stronger.”
Much like that day, I’m dealing with some current events that have left parts of me feeling broken, attacked, and defenseless. Often times when I’m entering into a spiritual battle the Holy Spirit will use my body to warn me. Saturday morning I woke up with my neck and shoulders inflamed, the pain has yet to subside and in past experiences physical back/neck tension has been a tell. Until today, I didn’t realize that God was preparing my spirit all last week for what’s to come. For the past week my daily devotions has had me reading from Ephesians. More specifically, Ephesians 3:14-21 which just happens to be headlined ‘Prayer for Spiritual Strength’.
So as I suit up for this current battle that’s unfolding I’m reminded of this awesome truth; I’m a daughter of the King. He is my defender, my provider, my redeemer, my strength and my shield. It’s in Him alone that I put my trust because He is my faithful Lord.
“The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” – Exodus 14:14 (NIV)
No principalities of darkness can defeat His light. He is sovereign – Lord of everything. How great is it that I get to put my hope and trust in the One who created the heavens and the earth and all that dwells within them and yet He knows my name, He loves me more than anything, and He works on my behalf.
Faithful Lord
“But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold.” – Job 23:10, (ESV)
Job has been one of my favorite books in the Bible for several years now so it seems only fitting that this morning I would be reminded of his story. In case his story is new to you I’ll give you a spoiler alert, Satan was allowed to test Job and it was God that granted him the permission to do so. I know right? It’s hard to believe it but the Bible doesn’t lie.
I was reading a devotional on ‘Hope in God’ this morning and you guessed it, the scripture reading was out of Job. It was in my reading that I was hit with this question, “What if God has granted Satan’s request for permission to unleash a series of tests over my life?”
I know, it’s scary to think of but if one thing has proven evident over my life in 2024 so far it’s this…I am standing on the front lines facing the enemy, undergoing a spiritual battle that I didn’t even know I was in until I was brutally hit by it this weekend.
“Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him.” – Job 13:15, (NIV)
Even in my darkest hours, even in my weakness, God is never too far out of my reach. He is never too far off to offer help. I have confidence in God’s character. My hope is a conscious decision to trust God in the midst of everything going on around me because I know this truth, God is committed to my freedom and He will get His glory.
I’ve been through enough trials over time to know that the enemy tends to fight the hardest when I’m on the verge of a breakthrough. Although I’m not entirely sure what is coming, I know that the outcome will bring glory to God.
So no matter how hard the punch, I’m that girl that will wake up every morning, stand face to face with the enemy, smile and say, “God’s got this” even if there are tears in my eyes. Because sometimes, it’s through those tears that my soul is singing; “When I fight, I fight on my knees” or “It’s Your voice that calms my troubled seas” and “I will sing of the goodness of God”. It’s my confidence in Christ that give me the courage to say that everything is okay.
God understands my heartache and He gets the heaviness that’s brought on by living day to day in this world. He understands and these are the very moments He longs to hear our voice cry out. Because it's in those moments when tears are streaming, hands are raised and a voice of praise sings to worship Him that He comes rushing to our aid like a roaring lion, piercing the darkness with His glorious light.
Sometimes real worship happens in the undoing of ourselves when trusting Him is the only defense we have and the one sure thing that we can hold on to. It’s in our brokenness He shows up and shows off as the One true God and reveals His everlasting love for His child.
With love,
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