12312021 Light From Darkness

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of the God of light. There is more than one way to consider that aspect, but one is that God is able to transform darkness into light, to shine forth even in what seems hopelessly black. “Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous” (Psalm 112:4). As I considered this verse one night this week, I was inspired to poetic pursuit, something I haven’t done much in recent years, but this concept seemed worthy.

Light From Darkness

(or Hope for 2022)

 

When life is filled with darkness, and

When hope has disappeared,

When everything that happens turns

Out worse than one had feared,

 

Our God steps in to rescue and

To save the upright hearts.

God turns on every light bulb, and

The darkness quickly parts.

 

The dark of night can oft oppress,

But dawn makes all things right;

Light rises out of darkness, and

Gloom ends in glorious light.

 

Oh, when the rain does finally end -

The rainbow’s splendid ray!

Light springs out of the darkness, and

Despair to hope gives way.

 

This fallen earth will always hold

A vestige of the night,

But in that land that waits on high

Each moment will be bright.

 

How blessed is the man who fears

The great and mighty God;

For him each night will end in day

While praises ring abroad.

As I pondered this concept, I was also reminded of William Cowper’s hymn, originally titled “Joy and peace in believing.” He seems to capture the same concept of arising light, perhaps unanticipated, that God ministers to His suffering servants after a time of difficulty.

Sometimes a light surprises

The Christian while he sings;

It is the LORD who rises

With healing in his wings.

When comforts are declining,

He grants the soul again

A season of clear shining

To cheer it after rain.

Life is often difficult, and it seems that these past years have been excessively so. As we enter a third year of the pandemic, and the weariness of its ramifications, along with the onset of winter (in my hemisphere), my boss’s words seem rather descriptive. She says, “It’s like the winter doldrums times one hundred.” In the midst of whatever challenges your life currently holds, may you richly experience God’s illuminating light bulbs, dazzling daybreaks, and resplendent rainbows. May He truly be your light.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

12232021 Emmanuel

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of Emmanuel. Have you ever had a hymn that you appreciated for just a few of its words? Every Christmas our church has a special music number that has become that type of hymn for me. I don't know all the words, and I don't even know the title. The words that I love, however, are “Emmanuel. Now all is well. God dwells with us.” All week long I have been thinking about these few words.

Emmanuel - God with us. This thought fills me with wonder and a bit of awe. It seems almost too good to be true, almost impossible to imagine. Who would think that God would do such a thing? I am not aware of any teachings regarding false gods that would suggest the possibility of such an intimate interaction, that people’s gods would dwell with them. Instead, the gods of false religions tend to be unapproachable, aloof, and even disinterested. They dwell in their own worlds far superior to and removed from mortals.

The true God is also superior and removed, but that does not stop Him from interacting with the lowliest of men. “Who is like unto the LORD our God, who dwelleth on high, who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth! He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill” (Psalm 113:4-6). God hears and answers prayers. He delivers from difficulty. He comforts in affliction.

When the time was right, God came humbly to this world. “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). I think of the people for whom this was true in the initial sense. The angel declared to Joseph, “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us” (Matthew 1:23). What must it have been like for Mary and Joseph to realize every day that God was dwelling with them? What must it have been like for the disciples to discover that their Messiah, God in the flesh, had come? What was it like for them to follow Him and listen to Him for those years?

Emmanuel – God with us. What amazing words! This is what the world had awaited for four thousand years. This was the long-anticipated promise in particular for the people of Israel, as they waited for the Messiah. God had always interacted with mankind. There were many instances of special interaction and temporary appearances of God on the earth, but never had it been true that God was with mankind in visible form for an extended period. That is what happened when Jesus came.

For thirty-three years God walked the earth. He grew up in the home of Mary and Joseph. He gathered a group of disciples to Himself and spent three-and-a-half intensive years with them. He compassionately ministered to people through healing and other miracles. He declared truth and offered hope. For that space of time, there was the wonder of God dwelling with men. The whole purpose of this interaction was so that He could die for them to provide salvation.

When Jesus returned to heaven, this presence changed, but God’s interaction did not end. Jesus said, “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever” (John 14:16). The Holy Spirit dwells constantly with every believer, so God is still with us in a very personal way. Since believers are in Christ, there is an unbreakable union with Him. And God declares, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5). While not face-to-face like Jesus was with the disciples, these current interactions will one day be replaced with a face-to-face interaction that will last for all eternity. “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (I Thessalonians 4:17). Everlasting communion awaits us.

“Emmanuel. Now all is well. God dwells with us.” Yes, since Emmanuel came, all is well. He came to provide for our greatest need. He came to give us ultimate peace. He came to fulfill the plan that eventually will make right every wrong. How wonderful that God came to dwell with us! His coming changed everything!

May you rejoice in Emmanuel as you remember His coming. May your fellowship with family and friends be sweet in these days. Merry Christmas!

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

12192021 Psalm 139

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of the God who knows us better than anyone else does and who cares for us more than anyone else can. Thank God that He ministers to us very personally and purposefully based on our needs. Lately I’ve been reading extensively in the Psalms, and last night (after a frustrating day that contained more jobs than energy) I opened to the next psalm - #139, and God ministered it to my heart.

I was encouraged by so many truths that I wanted to share this psalm with you. Since it is so familiar, and for sake of space, I haven’t written out all the verses, but just a few prompting words along with my thoughts. You might be profited to refer to your Bible to see the full verses.

v. 1 – searched me and known me. This is the deepest knowledge possible. God knows me in every detail and in every moment, as the following verses will note.

v. 2a – downsitting and uprising. Most of the time we barely even consider something so trivial, but there are days in life when sitting down is especially welcomed and getting up is a burden and more than we want to do. On those days, God knows every inconvenience and every overdraft on our energy.

v. 2b – thought afar off. On those kinds of days, our thoughts can be troubled, weary, anxious, frustrated. God understands those thoughts.

v. 3 – my path and my lying down. He thoroughly knows everywhere we go (the verb is like winnowing grain to separate out what is worthy from the junk). He knows every detail of every aspect of life. He knows when we lie down – in the middle of the day, far earlier than normal, or even if we are prevented from lying down until long after the normal time.

v. 4 – a word in my tongue. Before I say it, before I think it, He knows what is on my mind and in my heart. In fact, whether or not I actually end up expressing it, He knows it. This includes both the good, like the aspirations of my heart, and the bad, like the dark or frustrated thoughts prompted by difficulty.

v. 5 – behind and before. He has me covered. He has my back and my front. Beyond that, He places His hand on me. That loving and reassuring hand, reminding me of His presence and His care.

v. 6 – too wonderful for me. I’m glad God knows me this well. Such deep and detailed knowledge of my frailty stirs His compassion. (Psalm 103:13-14; Hebrews 2:18 and 4:15-16). And it means He now has the opportunity to help me effectively, since He knows my need and my weakness.

v. 7 – whither shall I go. He is with me everywhere.

v. 8 – heaven, hell. If it were possible for me to leave this world, He would still be with me. In fact, when I do leave this world, He will be with me.

v. 9 – uttermost parts of the sea. If I stay in this world, even going to the remotest and most isolated spot I can imagine, He is there with me.

v. 10 – lead me, hold me. It isn’t just that He is there with me even in that remote place, although He is. Additionally, He is guiding me even there. He is working and leading even there. There is direction and purpose.

v. 11-12 – darkness and light. Darkness and nighttime can be awful. When our thoughts go wild. When we are cut off from distractions or activities or people or support. This can be the most alone that we ever are, and the darkness can be oppressive. But those limitations don’t hinder God. Darkness is nothing to Him, and He sees us just as well then as on the brightest day.

v. 13-15 – fearfully and wonderfully made. God made me, deliberately and carefully. He made my body exactly as He wants it to be, even with its defects and imperfections. He knew when He made me about how those factors would impact my life. Yet even with the imperfections, He has made an amazing body. For the most part, those body systems work like they are supposed to work. The immune system fights. The brain controls. The heart keeps pumping life.

v. 16 – all were written. He knew every one of my days before I lived any of them. They are written in His book. This is more than just foreknowledge. This includes also planning and purpose. Planning and purpose that He knew and wrote down before I even existed.

v. 17-18 – His thoughts. He thinks about me all the time. Other people might forget and certainly are limited in how often and how long they can focus on us, but with God, it is constant.

v. 18b – when I awake. Still with Him. Or rather, He is still with me. Meaning that He did not go anywhere during the night. He stayed with me even while I was sleeping and unconscious of life. He kept overseeing and protecting when I was completely powerless and oblivious.

v. 23-24 – search me, know me, lead me. Those who give the best solutions are those who most thoroughly understand the challenges. I’m not always in the best spot in my heart and in my thoughts, but because God knows all of it, He knows exactly how to best guide me.

I pray that these thoughts about this wonderful psalm will encourage your hearts as well, and that the ever-present and all-knowing God will graciously guide you and uphold you with His loving care.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

12112021 Inexhaustible Resources

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of the Great Provider. God has such tremendous resources and such great power that He is able to meet all our needs.

Think about the children of Israel as they left Egypt and commenced their journey through the wilderness. They very quickly ran out of food, and God began supplying manna one month after their exit from Egypt. It was about 14 months later (by my calculation) when the Israelites reached the land of Canaan. For those 14 months, God provided manna for every Israelite. Based on the result of the census, and accounting for women and children, there were probably over 2,000,000 Israelites. This was an incredible amount of food for God to provide, but He was able to do it.

At this point Israel should have entered Canaan and begun eating the fruit of the land. Because of their rebellion, however, they spent 40 years wandering in the desert. God supplied manna for every day of those 40 years, which was far longer than the original plan.

God had no more trouble supplying manna for 40 years than He did in supplying it for 14 months. The final day of the 40th year was no more difficult than the first day of the 14 months. God was not left scraping the bottom of the barrel or harvesting the last of His resources. God did not barely manage to supply during those additional decades. The length of time that God had to provide did not in any way threaten His ability to provide.

Elijah is another example of this concept. At the beginning of the time of famine, God sent Elijah to the brook Cherith, where ravens brought him his daily food. But “after a while” the brook dried up, and God needed to provide a new means of nourishment. He sent Elijah to a widow. For “many days” this widow prepared the last handful of meal into food for Elijah and herself and her son, and each day there was another handful of meal. God's provision lasted three years until the rains came again.

For the Israelites, it was the same consistent, routine provision day after day for 40 years. In Elijah’s case, the provision changed. It was one type of provision for several months, and then God chose an entirely different means of provision. We don't know how long each of those lasted. Perhaps Elijah stayed by the brook for three months and then with the widow for the rest of the three years. But it was no harder for God to provide for the two-and-three-quarter years than it was for the three months, if those were the time frames. It was no harder for God to provide through a widow’s meal barrel and oil cruse than it was through a brook and ravens. If God had chosen to allow the meal and oil to run out, He could easily have provided for Elijah through another means. There was no more risk on the final day of the third year than there was on the first day of the first month.

These are not just interesting stories, nor is this an unnecessary focus on numbers. This is extremely practical truth, because we face trials and needs in life that stretch on far longer than anything we had ever imagined. A physical trial or a financial hardship or a ministry challenge might start out seeming to be for a time frame of a few months. We might think ourselves incapable of supporting the trial for those few months, but we have experienced God's provision in them. Have we not, however, sometimes set timelines or created mental milestones? How many times have we said, “I can't do this for one more day?” Or we have made the observation, “If that trial had lasted any longer, I never would have made it.”

How wrong we are when we make such statements! Yes, humanly speaking those trials seem to last for longer than we can endure. But they do not last longer than the scope of God's resources. They never last longer than He is able to provide for us. “Just around the corner” is not always as close as we would like it to be. Reality is that sometimes we think the trial is over after three months, but there are still three years to go. Is God incapable of meeting our needs for the remaining 33 months? Even if we find ourselves in the situation of the Israelites, where a seemingly interminable situation has lasted 14 months, and then it stretches for an agonizing 38 more years, God is still able to meet our every need.

How long has your current trial lasted? Three months, three years, three decades? Is God any less able to provide for you today than He was on the first day? The answer, supported by these Bible stories, is a resounding “NO!” God's resources are abundant. His hand is still strong. He will never run out of anything that we need, no matter how long the trial lasts. God’s provision may not always look the same, but it will always be there.

“But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). The verse doesn't say so, but “all your need” includes the concept of for as long as those needs endure. You may be at the end of your resources, but God never is. It is no harder for Him today than it was on the first day, and it will be no harder for Him in twenty years (if the trial lasts that long) than it was on the first day. His resources are inexhaustible. May He reassure you today of His ability to meet your every need, even when it seems that the challenge will never end.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

12042021 It Is Well

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of our Redeemer. Thank God that Jesus has paid for our sins so that we can be at peace with Him.

One night this week, I was singing “It Is Well” while I soaked in the tub, and I realized something that I don’t think I ever noticed before. The first stanza says, “When peace like a river attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot Thou hast taught me to say, ‘It is well, it is well with my soul!’”

Most of us know the background of the hymn and that Horatio Spafford wrote it after the loss of his daughters in a shipwreck. Based on that story, and based on the first stanza, I have always interpreted the meaning to be that he was at peace in his soul regarding his present circumstance and current trial. That he was saying, “Ok, God, I will accept whatever you send.”

I think that was probably true of Spafford, but I don’t think that’s what he was driving toward in this hymn. He was looking at a deeper soul wellness than just his state of submission and temporal peace. In stanza two, he speaks of the trials and attacks of Satan and refers to “this blest assurance … that Christ hath regarded my helpless estate, and hath shed His own blood for my soul.” Stanza three is about how his “sin, not in part, but the whole, is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more.” In stanza 4, he longs for the day when his “faith shall be sight,” when “the trump shall resound and the Lord will descend.”

Throughout this hymn, Spafford fixed his gaze and his confidence on his eternal security, his eternal peace. No matter what happened in this life, it was eternally well with his soul on a deeper and more important level because of his salvation through Christ. He realized that every trial of this life is temporary, but that his soul was eternally safe. This life does have sorrow, but every trial of this life will end, and in the long term, in the eternal scheme of things, it is well with my soul, in spite of what is happening now.

My sister is currently struggling with Lyme disease, and I have had health struggles for many years. In a recent conversation, we were discussing how to answer the question, “How are you?” If we were to answer candidly based only on our physical state, people would stop asking, because they wouldn’t want to keep hearing it, and some of them would insensitively remonstrate us for being negative. As I battled through this dilemma, I realized that candid answers should be reserved for people who seem to really have a concerned interest, and that others should receive a broader answer. I would often answer, “I’m fine” or “I’m okay,” meaning that at a deeper level, I am okay. I am secure in God and trusting His plan for me. I think Spafford went even deeper in his hymn, meaning that he was okay because his eternity was secure. If eternity is settled, nothing else is really that disastrous.

This is what Paul was saying in II Corinthians 4:18. “While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” There are enough weights and burdens in this life, that if we focus on them, they will weigh us down. Although often it is impossible to completely ignore those realities, there is an extent to which we have to look past them and focus on something grander.

This is what Asaph did in Psalm 77. He was so troubled in his soul that he was tempted to think God had forgotten him or even had changed. Then he deliberately turned his thoughts to the past works of God, and he was greatly encouraged in realizing that there is no deficit in God’s power. What we see today out our front window might be really ugly, but if we will look beyond that to God and to eternity, there is a beauty and peace beyond comprehension.

May the reality of who God is and what He has done be your joy today.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA