10302021 Romans 8:28

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of our Savior. I trust that God has shown you His favor and blessing this week as you have labored for Him.

This morning I wanted to share some thoughts on that wonderful verse, Romans 8:28. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” In my recent pondering on God’s sovereignty, I have considered those words: “all things work together for good.”

Interestingly, not all Greek manuscripts read the same way. Some are worded so that God is the subject, while other manuscripts don’t mention God in that part of the verse. Probably only God knows the actual original wording; some suggest the word “God” was added to some manuscripts for clarity, while others suggest that “God” was omitted from other manuscripts due to redundancy. The bottom line is that whether God is specifically identified or not, He is the one who works all things. Whether explicit (like in Jonah’s story – “God prepared”) or implicit (like in Esther’s story, where He is not mentioned), God is always the one who is working things.

The Greek word translated “work together” (or “cause to work together”) is interesting. It is used only five times in the New Testament. Looking at the other verses provided insight for me. I guess my normal thinking about this verse has focused on work together FOR GOOD, so that I am focused on the outcome. Or I think about work TOGETHER so that I am focused on the orchestration. Both of those are true, but the flavor of the word is really on the universality of ALL things with the flavor of cooperation TOGETHER. The meaning is “to help in work or to partner in labor or to assist.”

That concept is illustrated in Mark 16:20, speaking of the apostles after Christ’s ascension. “And they went forth, and preaching every where, the Lord WORKING WITH THEM, and confirming the word with signs following.” The apostles and God were partners in spreading the gospel, with the apostles being helped by the hand of God.

I Corinthians 16:16 speaks regarding the apostolic team and early church leaders. “That ye submit yourselves unto such, and to every one that HELPETH WITH US, and laboureth.” These men were all partners, working to accomplish the same purpose within the churches.

II Corinthians 6:1 again speaks of Christian ministers as partners with God. “We then, as WORKERS TOGETHER WITH HIM, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.”

(The final verse is James 2:22. “Seest thou how faith WROUGHT WITH his works, and by works was faith made perfect?”)

I realize this discussion is a bit technical and not very personal, but to me the conclusion is extremely personal and practical. The realization is that EVERYTHING is a partner with God to accomplish His purposes. Everything is a helper of His agenda. Everything is on His team. Everything is an instrument in His hands.

When we were children, my brother had a book titled “All Things, Even Frisky,” about a boy and his dog and family dynamics. This title captures the meaning of Romans 8:28. We could substitute anything into that title and see that all things are partners with God in His good plan for our lives. All things, even health problems. All things, even persecution. All things, even family difficulties. All things, even uncooperative governments. All things, even national crises. Whatever it is for you, you can rest assured that it is partnering together with what God is working in your life.

This realization provides confidence and peace to walk forward each day, even in the face of the unknown or the undesired that is known. May you be filled with God’s peace this week.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

10232021 Goodness and Mercy

Dear Missionary Lady,

Does it sometimes seem like life is just falling apart? That everywhere around things are disintegrating? Like the world in general no longer has any idea how to handle life?

If we allow our minds to follow those tracks, there is plenty of fuel to carry them. The challenge then is to deliberately put our minds on different tracks, and I find myself having to do that frequently. This world is filled with sorrow, despair, and all that is negative and disheartening, but God … but God!

God, on the other hand, is hope and life. He is light and peace, grace and mercy. He is not overwhelmed, nor is He stymied or restricted by the world’s chaos. God has all the answers.

One night this week I directed my thoughts specifically to Psalm 23:6. “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.”

“What does that mean?” I asked myself, that “surely goodness and mercy shall follow me.” It’s such a familiar phrase that it’s easy to read (or quote) over it without assigning meaning. The psalm is full of concrete pictures about sheep and their care, about walking on paths, about tables of provision. I’ve heard people try to put this verse 6a into the imagery by calling “goodness” and “mercy” two of the other sheep in the flock.

But I want this to mean something to me. What does it mean? My meditation took me to the idea of the guiding and the paths that are so dominant throughout the psalm. The psalm is about walking where the Shepherd guides. It is about the Shepherd’s provision when we walk at His direction.

So I think this verse is about what I will find on that path – the Shepherd’s path – and in the Shepherd’s presence. God cannot be separated from His goodness and mercy, so if I am walking with Him, these characteristics/blessings will also be trailing along on that same path. There is nowhere that I can walk with my Shepherd, even in the valley of the shadow of death, even in a world that is falling apart, that I will not be accompanied by His goodness and mercy. If I am at His side, if He is there, then these are also there.

All the days of my life. Every day. I just need to keep walking with Him and depending on Him and looking to Him for guidance, and I will have His goodness and mercy for as long as this life lasts. Now, I’m looking forward to 6b, dwelling in His house forever! That day will come, praise God! But until then, He is carefully and lovingly caring for me for however many days remain.

I pray that God will encourage you daily as you seek to focus on His truth. It is His truth that will uphold our spirits, protect our minds, give us guidance, and carry us through. Thank God for His truth!

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA 

10162021 God With Me

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of the ever-present God. Do you realize how many people God has reassured with specific statements of His presence?

Isaac – “And the LORD appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham's sake” (Genesis 26:24).

Jacob – “I will go down with thee into Egypt; and I will also surely bring thee up again: and Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes” (Genesis 46:4).

Moses – “And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest” (Exodus 33:14).

Israel (in Moses’ day) – “When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the LORD thy God is with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt” (Deuteronomy 20:1).

Joshua – “There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee” (Joshua 1:5).

Gideon – “And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour” (Judges 6:12).

David – “And I was with thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies out of thy sight, and have made thee a great name, like unto the name of the great men that are in the earth” (2 Samuel 7:9).

Asa – “And he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The LORD is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you” (2 Chronicles 15:2).

Jehoshaphat – “Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you” (2 Chronicles 20:17).

Asaph – “Nevertheless I am continually with thee: thou hast holden me by my right hand” (Psalm 73:23).

Israel (under the prophets) – “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness” (Isaiah 41:10). “When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee” (Isaiah 43:2).

Jeremiah – “Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD” (Jeremiah 1:8).

Zerubbabel and Joshua – “Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the LORD; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the LORD, and work: for I am with you, saith the LORD of hosts” (Haggai 2:4).

Mary – “And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women” (Luke 1:28).

Paul – “For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city” (Acts 18:10).

The ramifications of God’s presence were many – freedom from fear, sustaining in threatening places, success, protection against great enemies, strength for leadership, courage for challenging tasks, comfort in affliction, protection from opposition, encouragement for the work, and bestowing of blessing. What a blessing for these people of the past to be reminded so reassuringly of God’s presence! Don’t you wish we could hear God’s voice give us this same reassurance?

“Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen” (Matthew 28:20).

“And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever” (John 14:16).

“Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5).

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1).

How I long to grasp the impact of this wonderful truth! I trust that it will encourage your heart as it has begun to encourage mine. “Yes,” God says to us, “I am with you, too – always.”

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

10092021 By Design

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of our sovereign God, the one who masterfully uses everything for His purposes.

I won’t do justice to this truth, and I’m positive I don’t fully understand it, but I wanted to share with you some of the blessing of the wording of Genesis 50:20. “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.”

The story is familiar. Joseph’s brothers had sold Joseph as a slave, but Joseph recognized the hand of God in it all, accomplishing His great purpose which far exceeded the intent of his brothers. The word translated “thought” about the brothers is the same word translated “meant” about God. So there is a parallel here. Just as the brothers had a malicious plan or goal in their actions, God had a positive plan or goal through those same actions.

The definition of that word is “to think, plan, esteem, calculate, invent, make a judgment, imagine, count.” It is about devising and considering something. It is proactive, not passive or reactive. The word is used 124 times in the Old Testament. It is translated in different ways, and the variety of translations reveals the strong sense of purpose behind this word. Devise (23 times), plan (14 times), calculate (5 times), purpose (3 times), make (2 times), intend (2 times), scheme (2 times), design (1 time), and plot (1 time).

And I love this one – skillful (10 times). This translation, along with a few of the others above, is used to speak of the cunning workmen who crafted the beautiful elements of the tabernacle: the curtains, the veil, the ephod, the priest’s breastplate, the work with precious metals, the engravings. This speaks of deliberate intent and conscious forethought to make something of great value and with great attention to detail and purpose and beauty.

Do you see what I’m seeing? This (including in Joseph’s case) is not a reaction or response, attempting to salvage something that has gone wrong or to rescue a disastrous situation. This isn’t about recovering or even manipulating and adapting something that started out badly. This isn’t an afterthought or a casual, half-hearted noticing of something. God had a plan – an intent, plot, scheme, purpose, design, calculation – from the very beginning. God knew exactly what He was doing. He was deliberately putting Joseph in a place where Joseph would be positioned to rescue the nation of Israel. God was deliberately setting up the incubation period of that nation that would allow it to flourish into a mighty people. God’s plan worked beautifully for that – getting Joseph to the right location and working through a series of events (mostly bad) to thrust Joseph prominently into the right position at the right time.

There is the side that we can’t fully comprehend. Of course, God doesn’t condone hatred or lying, which were among the human actions taken against Joseph. But somehow God uses and arranges the actions of evil men within His plan. Like the crucifixion of Jesus, which through the actions of evil men, God caused to happen at precisely His timing, a timing that the evil men definitely did not want. In response to this puzzling aspect, I would say two things. First, God Himself teaches that He has this level of ability and control. Second, only God is capable of such masterful providence.

So in the hard things of life, even when evil is done to us, is it not possible that God is deliberately and purposefully orchestrating His great purposes? We may not see that now, and maybe not for quite some time, but certainly God has that ability. Wicked men might be unwittingly playing right into the very plan of God.

May God strengthen you this week and give you grace and comfort, even as you go through difficult things that you may not understand. God bless.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

10022021 Expansive Providence

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of our sovereign God. God’s sovereignty is expressed through His providence in our lives and in our world. I have recently been reading an excellent book on God’s providence, Not By Chance, by Layton Talbert. In combination with my Bible reading, this has caused me to do some thinking on the subject.

My first thought is on the expansiveness of God’s providence. It requires an incredibly wise and powerful God to utilize specific situations of providence as widely as He does. As an example, I was thinking about how I came here to Lebanon, PA, ten years ago. I came to teach in our Christian school, but that lasted only one year. Out of financial necessity, the school incorporated an online component in order to cut payroll. As it turned out, that resource ended up not being suitable, and arrangements were quickly made to place trusted teachers back in the classroom instead. By this time, I already had another job, and the renewed position was only part-time. This put me out of teaching, probably permanently.

A lot of factors went into that situation. There was a changing global economy that had impact on multiple families in our school who were no longer able or willing to commit to Christian education. There was the cumulative effect of several years of similar issues. There were families who moved away. There were discussions and decisions by school board members, congregational input, and eventually a decision. There were the misrepresentations of the online company that created a situation of unwarranted confidence. Even in the immediate local context, there were many dozens of people involved in the process that resulted in my termination.

Here’s where my thinking takes me. I was actually a relatively minor player in all of that. The ramifications of finances were far more strongly related to the individual families that no longer continued in Christian education. The decisions regarding structure were far more strongly related to the school itself. God didn’t upset the global economy, nor did He oversee the exploration of online learning just so that He could put me out of my job/ministry. He was doing much more in relation to other people.

Nevertheless, God did intend those things to have specifically guided impact on my life. God can carefully organize and orchestrate events so that He has intended consequences and lessons even for the minor players in a situation. I wasn’t an afterthought or unintended consequence. I wasn’t a loose end that wasn’t considered. Through all of the bigger picture, God was also thinking of my small picture. He had ways to lead me and provide for me. He had lessons for me to learn and adaptations for my heart to make. He still was very concerned with how my heart would respond to Him and how I would accept and adjust and grow. This was true to such an extent that I could even be tempted to say that the situation was all about me – all intended for my growth. But what God did in my life through that situation was mirrored or expanded upon in the lives of many others.

How can God do that? How can He utilize a single event effectively and purposefully in the lives of multiple people and organizations all at the same time? Clearly, the answer is that God is amazing. The same concept would apply in this global pandemic. Is God’s intended work and impact global, national, local, or individual? The answer is “all of the above.” It boggles my mind to think that God is wise and powerful enough to do that – that He is so completely in control that He can work His purposes in untold large and small contexts throughout our world.

Globally, I believe He is endeavoring to get people’s attention, to call people to Himself. There are almost certainly components that are leading our world closer to the rapture and tribulation. God is working on national levels, as each country follows its own course and suffers its unique ramifications. Individual churches and ministries are affected by restrictions, by losses through death, by impact of illnesses, by differences of opinions that require grace. Families and individuals are impacted by many of the same components on a small scale.

God is masterfully working on all of these levels at the same time. Much of that is beyond the scope of my arena, but there is plenty for me to consider within my personal arena. Can I gracefully interact with friends, family members, and church members of diverse opinions? Will I be faithful to my church ministry? Will I absorb the increased pressures of life and work in a way that allows me to reflect a Christ-like spirit to those around me? Will I trust God for my personal health? Will I make decisions that are God-honoring, Bible-supported, and wisdom-influenced? If and when I face losses, will I have a Biblical mindset? As I endure the extended challenge, will I seek God as my refuge and strength? In short, will I emerge from this pandemic the same way I went in, will I be further removed from submission and godliness, or will I have learned and grown in the ways that God desires for me to learn and grow?

Yes, the pandemic is much bigger than just me. God is doing things on a scope that I cannot comprehend and where I have no influence. But at the same time, He is also orchestrating everything that impacts me personally. He desires to accomplish something in me through it all. His work is so precise that He knows exactly what is happening to me and what He desires to accomplish through it.

May God help each of us this week to accept and submit to His providential intervention in our lives. May we respond and grow according to His plan. In every area of life, may we have confidence that a sovereign God is carefully arranging every detail for His purposes and for our ultimate good.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA