04262025 God Remembers

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of the God who sees. There is never a question that God sees us – what we are going through, our heart’s desire toward Him, and our service for Him.

“For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister” (Hebrews 6:10).

Just a short note today to remind you that what you do matters. It matters, of course, to the people under your ministry, but it also matters to God. He sees your labor and He remembers it.

May God richly bless you, bestow you with wisdom and strength, and assure you of His constant love.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

04192025 Faithful Sanctification

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of our faithful God. I’m so thankful that He keeps doing His sanctifying work in us. God doesn’t give up on us as quickly as we sometimes give up on ourselves.

“Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). Why does God keep doing His work in us? Because He wants to! “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13). He knows what He wants us to become, and He has dedicated Himself to achieving His end, even when we don’t always make it easy.

There are times in life that are harder than others. There are times in life when we stumble in our weakness. We disappoint ourselves with our responses or we fail to trust as much as we should. Where is God in those times?

Oh, wonderful answer! God is still with us. He is still faithfully working, faithfully forgiving, faithfully orchestrating. I don’t know exactly how to explain or present this truth, but I can say that God has recently confirmed it again to me. I recently talked with God about a lot of converging challenges that had driven me to a place that I was not happy to be and where I didn’t make the best decisions.

As I concluded my time with Him, I realized how focused I had been on the challenges. I realized that I must not forget the blessings that existed even within the hard times. So I went back through the challenges and reflected on the goodness and provision and blessing of God. Those things were there – and not just in one or two small answers. (Two typed pages of unbroken text.) No, I saw that all throughout the really difficult times, the really hard challenges, the really tough temptations, and the really glaring weaknesses, God was faithful. Over and over again, He protected me, provided for my needs, prompted my thoughts, and poured out His love.

God still loves me, and He still wants me to grow. He is sad about my failures just like I am, but He patiently works to bring me out of those failures and into a better walk. Choosing thankfulness reminded me that life is not all bad. Even when it is really bad, or almost as bad as it can get, there are still blessings from God. Still grace. Still help. Still support. Still guidance. Still goodness. Even then – maybe especially then – God is faithfully doing His work of transforming us into the image of His dear Son.

“But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord” (II Corinthians 3:18). Thank God for His faithful love and His faithful work. One day we “shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (I John 3:2), but until then, He faithfully works to take us closer to that desired end. May God help each of us to be pliable within His capable hands.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

04132025 God of Compassion

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of our compassionate God. Today I would simply like to share a few verses about God’s compassion. I hope they will be an encouraging reminder.

“He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered: the LORD is gracious and full of compassion” (Psalm 111:4).

“But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies. For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men” (Lamentations 3:32-33).

“Like as a father pitieth [has compassion on] his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust” (Psalm 103:13-14).

“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling [have compassion] of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:15-16).

Even when God must do hard things in our lives, He filters that through His compassion. He helps us through the difficulty and gives us all the grace we need, because He both knows and understands how weak we are.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

04062025 God Cares

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of our caring God. I have been burdened lately over my mom’s painstakingly slow homegoing and the resulting challenges. At times my mind is very busy, trying to strike the proper balance between making life plans and remaining flexible. My spirit is saddened by the constancy of this weight that hangs over our family in such a prolonged way.

As I was praying for God to help me through these challenges, He brought a verse to mind. “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you” (I Peter 5:7). This is actually one of my most-commonly recalled verses, but there was something different this time. God impressed me that “He cares for you” is more than just words. It’s more than an abstract statement. Those words mean something!

My Bible study tool defines “care” with “to be of interest, to concern, it matters.” A modern dictionary mimics that: “To feel interest or concern.” Caring is when one person’s heart is touched with another person’s situation, to the extent that he wants to do something to help - something to alleviate the pain or something to improve the situation.

This was what God impressed on me. If He cares for me, if He feels my burden, then He will do something in response. His interest and concern will result in action. I don’t know what that action will be. It might be giving peace and comfort. It might be stepping in to arrange the timing in a way that is convenient and manageable. It might be helping me to trust. But if God’s heart is touched with the troubles of my heart, He is not going to sit callously by, doing nothing and expecting me to just be tough.

I can readily think of a few Bible examples when God cared about someone’s overwhelmed heart. There was Hannah in I Samuel 1. These words describe Hannah’s state: “wept,” “did not eat,” heart grieved,” “bitterness of soul,” “wept sore,” “sorrowful spirit.” But when she poured out her soul before God, He cared, and He responded. He sent Eli to comfort her with the promise that God would grant her request, and Hannah bore a son.

How about this story that is a bit more unexpected? Leah in Genesis 29. Jacob loved Rachel, not Leah, but Leah was forced on him. We tend to share Jacob’s viewpoint, seeing Rachel as good and loved, while Leah is wrong and hated (even though it wasn’t her fault, and there is nothing to indicate she was of worse character or disposition than Rachel). Poor Leah was trapped in a marriage she did not choose and in which she would never be loved. But God cared. “When the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb.” God’s caring resulted in action. That did not mean Leah became loved by Jacob or that all the conflict went away, but it did encourage Leah that “Surely the LORD hath looked upon my affliction” and “Because the LORD hath heard that I was hated” (Genesis 29:31-33). It didn’t change everything, but it meant something special to Leah.

I think of one example in which the question was actually expressed: “Don’t You care?” Jesus and His disciples were in a ship at night, and a great storm arose, threatening to sink the ship. The disciples were panicked, but Jesus was sleeping. They woke Him up and asked, “Master, carest thou not that we perish?” (Mark 4:38). Did Jesus care? Yes, His heart was touched with concern at their struggle. He responded by calming the storm.

Does Jesus care for us? He does. What does that mean? The God whose heart has concern for and interest in our struggles does not stand idly by. When the troubles of our heart touch His heart, He does something. His action may not be to completely resolve the situation or to answer in the way that we most desire, but He will do something that matters. He will give peace and comfort. He will help us to trust. He will give us grace to withstand. He will work out His plan for our good and for His glory. I think the point of caring is that, whether we feel it strongly or not, the One who cares will intervene on our behalf. He will in some way help us to endure or absorb whatever the situation is.

Have you not found that sometimes it is enough just to know that someone cares, even if he is not able to do anything to change or alleviate the situation? God does that – He cares. The important difference is that God is not incapable of doing something.

May you hear God speak to you as I heard Him speak to me this week: “My child, remember that I care. And if I care, if My heart feels the struggles of your heart, then know that I will step gently and compassionately into your situation to do what is right and needed and helpful and good. Rest in my care.” He cares for you.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA