Redeemer Women

The funny thing about moving to Tomball is I’m a novelty at Chinese restaurants since I’m Chinese and can speak it too. And since I have a baby, it translates to free childcare as I chow down. A waitress at Jade Garden was showing Casper off to the cooks, when I noticed a red string with a jade bead around Casper’s little wrist. I asked what it was, and the waitress’ teenage son explained it was there to “protect his purity or innocence.” I thought of asking how that works chemically, but thought it was better not to.

Wouldn’t that be nice? If we could slip a magical bracelet on our children, or ourselves, and we’d be set? But oh yes, the loss of innocence, a common theme in literature, art, and religion. They all sense something is wrong, and they just don’t know how to get it back. So they resort to bracelets.

Brad Pitt and Sean Penn star in a French film called “The Tree of Life,” where you witness a delightful little baby bring joy to his family and then slowly “lose” his innocence as he chooses rebellion. No movie has made me think more about how we break God’s heart, as He has to watch every single person choose sin, and in that, choose death. I do believe we are all born with a sinful nature, but I don’t believe that means God thinks babies are gross, vile creatures. I think he enjoys them as much, or even more, than we do. And I think watching them slowly choose to sin grieves His big, loving heart.

And not only does His heart break when He sees these children sin, but His heart also breaks double when he watches little children sinned against.

In the US, more than 5 children die every day as a result of child abuse. About 80% of those children are under the age of 4. What that means is that God sees all of that. He sees every act of abuse behind closed doors…and it makes Him furious.

So, all this drives out 2 big challenges I have for God.

1. That God doesn’t care about pain, evil, and suffering; and
2. That God’s wrath is too unfair and too harsh

I believe God answers these challenges in the Bible in Job by saying, “Hey, you don’t see what I see. Do you not think I see all the pain and evil that goes on in the world? How much do you think I see compared to you? I do care…and to NOT punish this sin would be cruel.” And how offensive it is that I would even question God. That shuts me up pretty good.

Here are His real words:

“Who is it that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge?

Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me.

Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand…while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?”

-Job 38:2,3, 7

“The Tree of Life” opens with these very lines. It’s great, you should see it… (But if you’re there for Sean Penn, he probably plays the most miniscule role in his career…just warning you.)

And Dale destroyed that jade bracelet to bits with a hammer. Who needs a bracelet, when you have the blood of Jesus to give us His innocence? How awesome is it that we can just place our faith in His righteousness…and that would be all? Do you believe it?

by Ashley Binford

To start, I am so blessed to have been raised by such an amazing and strong woman, who taught me what real self-sacrifice means.  From the time I was born, my mother has sacrificed for me.  My mother had me at the age of 20.  She was alone, scared, and had to figure out how to support our family of two on her own.  My sweet mom did not have a college degree and she worked as hard as she could to provide for us, and at times during my childhood she even worked two jobs to support us.  Thankfully, my wonderful grandparents lived in the same town and would help watch me while my mom was working.  I always felt so loved and adored at home. 

Though my family loved me with all they had, that didn’t mean times were easy for us.  My mother really struggled financially.  There would be times that our electricity, or TV, or water would be shut off when we got home.  We constantly were getting calls from bill collectors and it was stressful to say the least.  Despite the financial situation, I never personally went without.  My mother would go without so that I did not have to.  It was easy for me to see the burden my mother had to bear and her burden was not light. 

In my mind, more money meant more peace and security.  I went to Texas A&M and graduated with both an undergraduate and masters degrees in five years.  I worked through college and was fortunate to receive scholarships and grant money which paid for most of my schooling and the rest was paid for using loan money. 

One week after graduation, I was blessed to marry my best friend and the love of my life.  Fortunately, my husband and I both got jobs out of college.  The job I landed was a dream job of sorts.  The pay was so much higher than I could have ever imagined and I was ecstatic.  I thought of all the money we would have and all we could do with it! 

Then life happened.  Two months after moving to Houston our car was stolen, my car preceded to break down twice while we did not have Trey’s car, we ended up moving, had to buy a washer and dryer, paid to fix up our new residence, The Binford Barn (yes, we live in a red metal barn!), and to top it all off I was miserable at my job.  For almost a year, I was stressed out and unhappy at my job, but I could not leave because the pay was just too good and we “needed” to save for a future home and family. 

Then one morning two months ago, I snapped.  After being less than loving to my sweet husband because I felt like he was going to make me late for work, I drove angrily to the place I didn’t even want to go that was not to mention an hour drive each way. (P.S. I really really really dislike driving in traffic)  Trey called me during my drive and told me he truly felt that I needed to put in my two weeks notice that day because of how upset the job was making me and how it was not worth it.  I told him I could not give up my job, what would people think of me and how would we ever have all the things I dreamed of having.  We decided to pray for one week and to make a final decision then.  I sought wise counsel and realized that not only had my seemingly good desire to “save” money become a full-blown idol in my life, but that my thought life was also out of control.  The “what-if” game I played in my mind was exhausting and never ending.  I was not allowing the peace of Christ to pour out of me, because I was a worried mess.  I was challenged to let my husband make the final decision as the leader of our family and in the meantime to live out 2 Corinthians 10:5, “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every though to make it obedient to Christ.”  I realized that my worries and “what-ifs” were not from the Lord and at this moment my job was the trigger, but undoubtedly I would face other triggers throughout my life.  For me to be a woman that cultivated a home with peace and love I would have to learn to push the “what if” thoughts out of my mind and to instead to think of what was good and true, the promises of our Savior. 

After the week of seeking the Lord, we felt as if I needed to put in my two weeks notice a month later.  This gave me time to truly work on living out 2 Corinthians in a situation where I had not been doing so.  Knowing that I would be leaving my job was a great relief. During that week, God had really worked on my heart.  He whispered truths and reminded me of all the times He had taken care of me and given me all I needed.  I felt God calling me to trust that my husband was a gift from Him and that God was blessing us by giving my husband a job where he could be our provider.  For the first time, I realized that money could not be a source of security for me.  Christ alone is my security.  He alone will provide and take care of me and the best part is He wants to!  Making such a huge decision may seem crazy to others, but this leap of faith was my way of crushing an idol.

“We must not worship something that is not even worth it

Clear the stage; make some space for the one who deserves it.

 

Anything I put before my God is an idol.
Anything I want with all my heart is an idol.
Anything I can’t stop thinking of is an idol.
Anything that I give all my love is an idol.”

 

- Lyrics from Clear the Stage

 

What idols are you holding onto in your life?    

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Ashley Binford is married to the man of her dreams, sweet Trey!  She loves cooking and baking, as it is brings out a creative side in her!  Ashley delights in having people over and is enjoying living in The Binford Barn!   

by Kitty White

Inheritance – what comes to your mind?  Land, home, money, “getting out of debt”, wisdom, relationship – all these words can actually apply to it.  I liked this definition from Grolier New Webster’s Dictionary:  “inherit – to receive (something) previously in another’s possession as if by legacy”. 

These past months, Ed & I have had the pleasure of getting to travel & be with all our kids & grandkids.  And while in Portland, OR visiting our daughter & son (by marriage), Abbe & Casey, I had the privilege of sitting down & talking with the women’s pastor of their church, Heather Thomas.  She used words that took me down a “thought trail” – RICH HERITAGE.   As I continued to enjoy her company, of great wisdom & discernment into ladies, I realized RICH HERITAGE was sitting before me.  Miss Thomas is in her mid 30’s, single, & Pastor over Women’ Ministry at Imago Dei Community.   Her Grandfather, W I Thomas (founder of Capernwray Bible School, in the UK), and Mark Thomas, (her father), is the managing director of Capernwray Hall, where the students reside when attending the Bible School.  Heather has RICH HERITAGE she has gained through her family & choices of deepening her walk with Christ.  Then coming home I began to ponder my RICH HERITAGE and it doesn’t look like hers.  Growing up, I had only 7 family members, a dad, mother, grandfather, grandmother, uncle, aunt & me. And because of my parent’s denominational church differences, I did not “grow up” in church.   And women were “women of few words” back then.  (I won’t be accused of that!) Since my conversation with Miss Thomas, I began to think about those women in my life & I realized I had an ‘evangelist’ in the appearance of a 5’10”, 180 lbs elegant woman I called ‘Nannie’.  Now remember she, Effie Mae Smith, (in case you want to use it for any of your children’s names) is a woman of few words.  So when she spoke I would listen up.  She had a small New Testament & Psalms Bible, & I asked her if I could have it.  She said, “Yes you can if you memorize John 3:16!”  It took me weeks but I finally did & she gave me the NT.  Then Nannie began to check books out from the church library of stories of faith & say, “I read this & it sure blessed my heart.  I think you might like it to.”  And when she saw me reading the book she would turn around & go back into the kitchen.  You might ask ‘how do you remember all of this’?  Because they were ‘SEEDS OF FAITH SOWN INTO A CHILD’S HEART’.

My Mother, Wilma Lucille Schoenwiesner, was one of a kind!  Maybe 5’4”, but was I Corinthians 13 in the flesh.  She to a woman of few words, just lived that passage of scripture before me, teaching me by example how to treat & love family & friends.  I remember back in the 80’s when I was given I Corn.13 in a heart shaped picture; I realized it was describing my Mother.

With Mother’s Day coming, I thought it to be appropriate for all of us women to stop & think about the women in our lives.  Their strengths, their weaknesses, their uniqueness that helped shape us into the women we are today.  When I think of my Mother & Grandmother, they were simple, ordinary ladies that God used in my life to help tenderize my heart to receive the gospel later in my life.  And just think we can be sewers of seeds of faith with those God has put in our lives. 

In Ps. 16: 5-8 David talks about his inheritance.  Because David had an ancestral inheritance in the land along with his royal holdings as King of Israel, he realized that no ‘earthly’ inheritance was greater than his relationship with God.

(v. 5) “The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.  (v. 6) The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.”

We have a Rich Heritage; WE HAVE A BEAUTIFUL INHERITANCE IN JESUS CHRIST BY FAITH. Let’s grow our faith and sow it into lives that God has put in our path for eternity sake.  One of the privileges we have as women.  HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!!!

by Debbie Pirkle

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. Psalm 56:3

It’s never easy to watch your children suffer. Whether it’s the diapered fall of a toddler, the skinned knee of a school child, or the broken heart of a teen, every fiber of the God-given maternal instinct in us bristles when our babies cry out in pain. I’ve been blessed that my children have not had to suffer much physical pain. We’ve had our share of stitches and bruises, but none of the grueling hours of debilitating illness that some of my friends have walked through with their children. Emotional pain and isolation, however, have been another story.

Recently I watched from a nearby room as my teenage daughter became the target of another teen’s unkind remarks. Seated at a large table with a group of friends, my daughter sat in stunned silence while an acquaintance publicly belittled her to the group. It was obvious she was completely embarrassed. Only later when she and I discussed what had happened did I realize the depth of suffering she had experienced. Though the remarks were condescending, her real humiliation had been that no one rose to her defense. With tears streaming down her face my daughter recounted how absolutely alone she felt in that moment when not a single “friend” came to her rescue. My heart broke as I saw firsthand how truly lonely she felt, and even now the memory of it brings me to tears.

Each time it comes to mind I am faced with just one thought – trusting God. And not so much my daughter’s need to learn to trust Him, but my own. It’s easy to trust Him for my own needs and hurts; after all, if He doesn’t answer the way I thought He would, I’m the only one who’s disappointed. But watching my children struggle to learn His ways and trust Him in those times when He seems to be distant is something altogether different. Suffering is hard enough to accept as an adult; how on earth He can expect my children to learn from it is beyond me. Relinquishing their hearts to Him is a tug-of-war I’ve been battling for some time now. I’ve offered excuse after excuse for my fear and for my need to try to control the circumstances of their lives. At the root of it all, though, I know it comes down to one simple question: do I really trust God to be the sovereign, loving Father I claim to believe Him to be?

As my children grow I know I’ll have to relinquish even more to the care of their Heavenly Father. If He really is who I say I believe He is, then I can be confident that He will complete the work He began in them (Phil. 1:6). He may not do it the way I would choose, and there will probably be some heartache along the way. In fact, if they are anything like me, there will probably be a lot of heartache along the way. And as much as that makes me hurt for them, I am reminded that some of the sweetest moments of fellowship with Christ in my life have been the fruit of some of the most difficult moments of my life. If He can shelter me through life’s storms, I have to believe He’ll do the same for my children. If I can’t trust Him with them, then why trust Him with anything at all?

I titled this blog Utter Trust. The dictionary defines trust as “carried to the utmost point or highest degree: absolute, total.” As my children inch closer to adulthood I know some day I’ll have to completely let go of my most precious charge – their care. I can do it with fear and trepidation or with utter trust in God’s care for them. I’m not sure I’ve completely let go of that tug-of-war rope, though it’s a war I can’t win. May God give us the wisdom to encourage our children when we can, and to step out of His way when we cannot.

by Laurie Godbold

Jon, my husband, calls us the sandwich generation.  We are honored to have our grown children and young grandchildren on one side and our elderly parents on the other side.  We are in the middle. I guess we are the bologna.   One of the many joys of having a new grandchild born is to wonder who they are going to look like.  Our newest grandbaby, Liam, was born in February, and if I can brag a little, I can tell you he is beautiful.  He looks like he has his mother’s perfect complexion and he definitely resembles his father (our son).  I have heard some say he looks like his Uncle Ricky and his Grandfather on his mother’s side. But I know that he was knitted together perfectly in his mother’s womb. 

Psalm 139: 13,14  For you created my inmost being: you knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

A few of the women from Redeemer had the pleasure of going to a retirement home here in Tomball to teach some of the residents how to knit.  By the way, I was not the teacher; instead I was also a student, learning the art of knitting.  We had a table of about eight women attempting to learn.  Kelly was a great teacher. She was well prepared; with the yarn already casted on our needles and she had a copy of detailed instructions printed out for each of us.  We were told to place our knitting needle precisely in the right spot and wrap the yarn around and pull the stitch off the needle. Carefully we had to pull the yarn with just the right amount of tension and place our hands in just the right spots.  It took precision.  Kelly gave us a very simple design to learn and yet I know there are some beautiful intricate designs that seasoned knitters create.

I think about how God knitted us together in our mother’s womb; how he carefully and tenderly created us, stitch by stitch. He could have just snapped his fingers and we could have appeared, but he chose a more delicate process.   He was intimately involved in our creation.  He chose everything about us, our looks, our personalities, our DNA.  We are wonderfully made and made in his image.  And we are made just the way he wanted us to be.  And we are made to glorify Him.

Children are a gift from God. They are His reward.  Psalm 127:3

What a gift it is to see a little something of a loved one who has already gone to heaven in one of our new grandchildren.  Our God is a great God, and He loves us so! 

 

I have my suspicions there are infinite surprises parenthood brings. Like how the slightest diaper misfold becomes the wettest mistake of your life, or how satisfying squeezing farts out of a gassy, screaming baby can be. Or, how seeing your baby laugh can make your heart burst, or how movies you’ve seen your whole life can suddenly make you bawl. (A couple weeks after I had Casper, I cried about 20 minutes into Home Alone, when Kevin wakes up and finds himself, well, home alone.)

Dale and I never expected to be so proud of Casper as he’s learning to do the most basic of functions. When he started looking at us in the eye, we thought it was remarkable. And when he starting grabbing things with his hands, we were the proudest parents in the world (see picture). Don’t even get me started on when he started to smile. And when he rolled over, we just about lost it.

Sometimes, we’ll mimic Casper and one of us will grab an object or roll over and look at the other, searching for affirmation. “Not the same,” Dale usually says.

I get so down on myself for falling so short of being the World’s Best Christian. I think of how little I pray, how long it’s been since I’ve shared the gospel, and how I can be a real jerk in my heart. And I imagine a God disappointed at my shortcomings, who regrets adopting a child who He didn’t think would sin that much.

But then I forget that because of the wonderful, marvelous grace of God, He sees me as the child He delights in. He loves me no less than He loves His perfect, beautiful Son Jesus. And He rejoices when I finally respond to the Spirit inside me, just as I rejoice when Casper has fun with the little toys I buy him. And He loves when, by the grace of God, I am sanctified a step further.

So in that, I like to imagine Him cheering when I finally concentrate enough to get a full chapter of the Bible in without thinking about the dishes. Or Him throwing His fist in the air in victory, maybe sending up a lighting bolt on accident and spooking the many-eyed beasts, when He sees me finally pray for the missionaries I had “pledged” to pray for.

If you don’t believe me, Paul prays that the Colossians would “please Him in every way” (3:10), implying that God is One that is able to be pleased. But to clarify, He isn’t pleased with works we do out of our own flesh, but He rejoices at our response to the work the Spirit does in us, imparted by the grace found in JESUS. Our God is not a grumpy God. And if God isn’t grumpy towards Jesus, He sure isn’t grumpy towards us.

“The Lord your God…will take great delight in you,

He will quiet you with His love,

He will rejoice over you with singing.”

Zephaniah 3:17

by Shana Googer

16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (2 Cor 5:16-17)

We’ve got glamorous magazines to tell us that we’ll never quite reach perfection but we should certainly spend the money to die (or in my case, dye) trying. We’ve got past and present hurts that may tell us lies about how we’ll never be good enough and never fit in. We’ve got self-help books teaching us to think faster or better, embrace our sin, feel good, lose weight, be a better wife-mom-daughter-sister-single-employee, and bake bread while tap dancing… well, you get the idea.

In my current day to day, besides my church activities, I manage a gym, which involves many things some of which include teaching classes, personal training, and meeting with new and old members to discuss everything from health to financial concerns. As well, 5 nights a week, I am in rehearsals for a musical. With the 30 minutes I have left of free time, I can be found sitting and staring blankly at the wall, recharging my batteries. I still have dirty dishes in the sink that I’m going to get to one of these days.

In a way, I’m “acting” everyday, whether or not I’m in rehearsal. Some days, I’m sad, tired or hungry and I don’t want to teach that high intensity aerobics class or work a 12 hour shift but the show must go on, so to speak. In rehearsals, I’m playing a character that I normally wouldn’t be in real life, while struggling with feelings of inadequacy about my performance. And if I’m speaking with full honesty, I can do it at church too. I am “ok” with being a 30-something single with no children in the Bible belt where sermons and communal prayers about being a wife and mother are more prevalent than sermons about, well… me. I’ve gotten really good at pretending to be ok. It’s a lot of pressure to put on oneself, isn’t it? How easy it is to become so wrapped up in what I’m not, than in who I AM! My stinkin’ thinkin’ has lead me to an identity crisis! God didn’t promise we would all be alike in our struggles, nor did He say life would be easier when we invited Christ in, but He did teach us to say, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” (Gal 2:20)

We are new creations! Do you believe that? It is the very God who created the air you’re breathing at this moment and the tears that fall when your heart is breaking. We are heirs to a throne of such great magnitude that it causes the demons to tremble. I forget this daily, sometimes hourly and I must constantly remind myself of my true identity, not as a broken woman attempting to perfect a forever-flawed image, but as someone who is a new creation in Christ, a child of light. And who better to define the character of that living God than the Bible itself!

He’s our: ADVOCATE I John 2:1, ALMIGHTY Genesis 17:1, ARM OF THE LORD Isaiah 53:1, AUTHOR OF (our) LIFE Acts 3:15, BLESSED & HOLY RULER 1 Timothy 6:15, BRIDEGROOM Isaiah 62:56, BRIGHT MORNING STAR Revelation 22:16, COMFORTER John 14:26, COUNSELOR Isaiah 9:6, DELIVERER Romans 11:26, ETERNAL GOD Deut. 33:27, FAITHFUL & TRUE Revelation 19:11, FATHER Matthew 6:9, FOUNDATION 1 Cor. 3:11, GENTLE WHISPER 1 Kings 19:12, GOD WHO SEES ME Genesis 16:13, GOOD SHEPHERD John 10:11, HOPE Titus 2:13, KING OF KINGS 1 Timothy 6:15, LIFE John 14:6, LIGHT OF THE WORLD John 8:12, LION OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH Revelation 5:5, LORD OF LORDS 1 Tim. 6:15, LOVE 1 John 4:8, MERCIFUL GOD Jeremiah 3:12, MIGHTY ONE Isaiah 60:16, OUR PEACE Ephesians 2:14, PURIFIER Malachi 3:3, RADIANCE OF GOD’S GLORY Heb.1:3, ROCK 1 Cor.10:4, RULER OVER KINGS OF EARTH Rev 1:5, SAVIOR Luke 2:11, SERVANT Isaiah 42:1, SHEPHERD OF OUR SOULS 1Peter 2:25, SHIELD Genesis 15:1, SOURCE Hebrews 5:9, TEACHER John 13:13, TRUE LIGHT John 1:9, TRUTH John 14:6, WONDERFUL Isaiah 9:6

The next time I am faced with the temptation to fall back to an identity that I will never truly live up to, all I ever need to do is look to the bible as my “spiritual mirror” to see who I really am.

I am my Beloved’s and he is mine.

by Debbie Pirkle

I was saved at the end of my sophomore year of college, just two weeks before my 20^th birthday. That summer at home I picked up my Bible and began what would unknowingly become a lifetime discipline – seeking to know God through the pages of scripture. After flipping through the book of Psalms, I arbitrarily decided to begin with Psalm 25. In those days I did not have Bible study tools, just a King James Bible (still my favorite!) that had a good concordance. I cross-referenced every important word I could find and tried to commit the Psalm to memory as well. And to the best of my understanding in my newly begun life, I sought to apply the truths of the Psalm to the circumstances of my life.

Ironically, I find myself all these years later once again spending a summer entrenched in the words of Psalm 25. Initially I berated myself, thinking here I am 30+ years later and I still don’t get it! I’ve come to realize, though, that I am back where I began, not because I don’t get it, but precisely because I do! Psalm 25 is a plea for help … it is David’s cry for God to teach him not only His ways, but also specifically the way he (David) should walk day by day. It is a prayer for deliverance and wisdom that is rooted in God’s character, not David’s worth. It is David’s acknowledgment that his hope is in his God alone.

We are all familiar with the difficulties David faced throughout his life. This particular Psalm was written at a time of great trouble, when his trials had been “enlarged” and he was desperately waiting on God for deliverance. When I first read this Psalm in the late 1970’s, there was a wave of teaching on “victorious Christian living” washing through the Church. At the time, I believed that there was some finish line I could reach in my Christian walk where I would arrive at a place of victory and no longer struggle to believe God. Over the years, though, I’ve learned better. This life is full of difficulty – sometimes minor irritations and other times major stress and heartache. Victory is not the absence of those difficulties or even the end to them; it is experiencing God’s grace and expressing His character through them.  And sometimes we really have to struggle to do that.

As I look at Psalm 25 today I find fresh comfort that I could not have understood in those early days of faith. I truly understand now that God’s deliverance is rooted in His goodness – I’ve had more than 30 years to realize what I understood the day I got saved: I’m not capable of being good enough to deserve His favor! He is merciful, He is upright, and in His lovingkindness He redeems His people.

But I am also gaining a much deeper understanding of what it means to be “meek” – the kind of person God promises to guide and teach.  Meek literally means oppressed, afflicted, wretched; always conveying an idea of humility. An interesting commentary, though, adds the idea of “those who willingly endure with submission what they might escape from.” What a difference that makes! There are a lot of ways to “escape” trouble. In fact, escape is this world’s goal. When marriage gets hard, divorce is easy. When money is tight, credit cards abound. When people are careless and unkind, sarcasm is a tool we’ve perfected. There’s always a better idea to pursue, and we’ve been told for years now to “just do it.”

It’s more than easy to escape trouble. What’s hard is to wait for deliverance…for God to bring His answer in His way and at His time. The difference between escape and deliverance is the motive of our heart. Are we just seeking relief from pressure, or are we submitting ourselves to the sovereign hand of a loving Father for His purposes? David didn’t leave himself any options. He lifted up his soul to the Lord and put all his trust in God. He didn’t pick and choose which problems to hand over, either – He asked God to redeem Israel out of all of their troubles. He put all his eggs in one basket, so to speak, and trusted he would not be ashamed for doing so. And that’s where I find myself this summer: facing just one question even though it feels like my troubles are enlarged and many. Ultimately, I have just one decision to make. Will I seek escape through any means possible, or will I wait with integrity for God’s deliverance and trust Him to work for my good and His glory as I wait?

This Psalm is all-inclusive: God’s forgiveness covers all sin, and His deliverance is from all trouble. There’s nothing in life that is out of the realm of His control. As fearful as some of my circumstances seem, God is to be feared even more. Often the thing I am trying to escape is the very thing He has designed for me to make me like Him. May we learn to trust His love, whether seen or unseen, so that we can cry out like David in Psalm 25,

“To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, I trust in You; Let me not be ashamed; Let not my enemies triumph over me…Show me Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day.”