11292025 I Hear Your Prayers

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of our gentle, loving God. I have finished reading through the Psalms, looking for His gentle words. I am now filling out some of those concepts. Here is the first. One of the gentle reassurances from God is “I hear your prayers.”

Why would I doubt this? Basically because I am human and because my knowledge is limited. I don’t always see the answers I seek, and I don’t always see them right away. I don’t know why God chooses to answer differently or chooses to delay. I don’t know His big picture or how He is incorporating the situation into His bigger plan. But the biggest challenges in my struggles with prayer are when those delays or different answers happen on a grand scale. When I go through a stage that it seems that none of my numerous important requests are being answered. When it seems like He denies multiple times or delays to an extraordinary length of time. Or when He gives the answer (or at least seems to be moving things in the direction of an answer). Just when I am thanking Him for His answer, He reverses things, and what He had done (or had been doing) dissipates into disappointment. At those times I can be tempted to feel like there is no reason for me to continue praying. What difference does it make? My prayers feel useless and ineffective, and I doubt whether God will choose to do anything that I ask. For some reason unknown to me, it feels like He has turned the setting for my prayers to ignore or disregard. But God says . . .

“The LORD will hear when I call unto Him” (4:3).

“Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation. Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray. My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up” (5:1-3).

“The LORD hath heard my supplication; the LORD will receive my prayer” (6:9).

“I have called upon thee, for thou wilt hear me, O God: incline thine ear unto me, and hear my speech” (17:6).

“In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears” (18:6).

“Blessed be the LORD, because he hath heard the voice of my supplications. The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped” (28:6-7).

“O LORD my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me” (30:2).

“I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD” (40:1-3).

“But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me” (66:19-20).

“I love the LORD, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications. Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live” (116:1-2).

God says, “I hear your prayers. They reach me. I hear your burdens. In fact, I know what you need before you ask. Often I am already moving things to work out the answer. But I do know what is best, and I do know the best way to bring about the best answer. Sometimes you will just need to wait on Me and trust Me, even when I delay or give an answer that you do not expect. In the midst of your confusion or disappointment over the current situation, do not forget how many times I have answered prayer for you in the past. I do hear you. Keep praying. It is the right thing to do. I want you to come to Me. I want you to acknowledge Me as the source of your help and as the strength in your need.”

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

11232025 Laughing at the Future

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of our God, who holds all things in His hands. He holds future events, and He holds us as we face them.

I was recently looking at Proverbs 31:25. “Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.” I was especially focused on the second part of the verse about rejoicing in time to come.

As I studied that phrase, I realized that I had always misunderstood its meaning. I assumed it meant that when she was older, she would look back on her life and rejoice over how her life had gone. Or that it was a reference to joy-worthy things that would happen in her future if she keeps following God. Neither of those are bad concepts, and I think that both of them would be true of a godly lady. However, I found something encouraging and instructive when I got closer to what I believe the intent of the verse really is.

The word “rejoice” gives us the idea of some kind of celebration. In fact, in every source I am looking at, the truest translation of the word is “laugh.” That laughter can be in pleasure or merriment, so my previous interpretations of the verse could be correct, but more often the laughter is in scorn, mocking, or derision.

As an example, it is the word for God’s laughter in Psalm 2, when the heathen rage against God and make their vain plans to rebel against Him. God views their puny plans, and his response is to “laugh” and “have them in derision” (verse 4). It’s the kind of laughter that says, “You have no idea. You are no match for me. Your plans are empty and foolish.”

I found in Job what I believe is a very close parallel to the Proverbs 31 verse. In chapter 5, Eliphaz is speaking about the man God interacts with and delivers. He states, “At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh: neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth” (verse 22).

This is not speaking of a laughter of pleasure, mirth, or enjoyment; it is speaking of a laughter of confidence that scorns, mocks, and dismisses the threatening evil. It is a parallel to the lack of fear in the second part of the verse. Notice the situations in which this laughter can take place – destruction, famine, attacks by wild beasts.

Let’s go back to the Proverbs 31 woman. All the other descriptions of this lady are about what she is now and about what she is doing now. Even from that context, it makes sense that this phrase also refers to something in her current heart response. I think the idea is that she laughs in regard to times to come; in other words, she laughs at the future.

How and why does she do that? I’m sure she is aware, like the rest of us, that life is not all fun and games. There will be times of destruction and famine. There will be attacks by wild beasts. She isn’t necessarily expecting those, nor is she being frivolous about serious things, but even in her awareness that they could happen, she has a confidence in her God. She knows that none of those threats hold power over God. She knows that God can take care of any situation that comes her way, and He can take care of her within every situation.

There is no need for fear. There is no need to live in constant anxiety about what might happen. Even when looming danger threatens, she can be confident in God’s protection. With God at her side, the threats are empty. Or perhaps more precisely, the threats are limited and impotent. They will not win in the end.

The truth is that hard things will come in life. Some of the challenges threaten to swallow us up. But I really like the perspective of this woman who laughs at the future. Her heart is at rest, because she knows that no challenge is too great for God to see her through. Instead of trembling in fear, she responds with confidence. Her laughter is something along the lines of, “Do you really think you are any match for the God who watches over me?”

Perhaps on the outside, there are times that she will weep, but on the inside, there is still a confidence that her God will ultimately deliver her and will conquer all evil and every threat. He will be with her and will walk with her through every situation. She trusts Him, and she hopes in Him.

That’s what I want. A heart that trusts God regarding my future. A heart that confidently expects Him to oversee all the days that I do not yet know about. A knowledge that no threat is a match for my God. May God hold your hearts also in that confident expectation and trust.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

11152025 Gentle Words

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of our gentle God. There are lots of things we need to know about God, and there are lots of different kinds of words that we need to hear from God. Sometimes what we need to know and hear is His gentleness.

This week I started reading again through the Psalms – my old and dear friends. As I did so, I almost immediately started to notice verses that spoke of the gentleness and tenderness of God. Maybe in future weeks I will share some more of these and maybe even organize them, but today I thought I would share the verse that was the first one to really jump out at me and impress me with God’s gentleness.

“For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the LORD; I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him” (Psalm 12:5).

I think that God’s gentleness is nowhere more evident than by those who are needy. This verse speaks of the poor and the needy, but there is more than just their condition. There is also their awareness of their condition; their needy condition is oppressive and burdensome. We see here that the poor are oppressed and that the needy are sighing.

Can you picture these poor people? It’s like you can see that life is not going well for them and perhaps has not been going well for them for some time now. The difficulty is just squeezing the life and hope out of them. They hardly feel that they can survive anymore. They have no strength or will to go on. The only thing left to them is simply to let ooze out of them what fills their spirit, and it is an oppressed sigh. Like their spirit is groaning.

This is not merely the setting where God’s gentleness is most evident, but it is also the setting where His gentleness is most needed. These oppressed, sighing people desperately need the gentle hand of God to touch them. They need His gentle voice to speak to them.

God does that. While this verse does not explicitly say so, it is evident that God cannot respond with gentleness without first noticing the pitiful condition of the sufferers. God sees them. That is important for these people to know.

Beyond seeing them, God understands. He realizes that the situation is difficult. He doesn’t gloss over it or expect them to “man up” and just deal with it. God knows the sorrows of our souls better than we know them ourselves. When our spirits sigh, He knows just how to translate that sighing.

After God sees and understands, He cares. Their pain and struggle matter to Him. He is not detached and aloof. He is not seeing yet unconcerned.

After God sees and understands and cares, He acts. He intervenes. In this verse, God purposes to rise up and take action. He determines to do something. There is deliberate action that requires movement on His part.

After God sees and understands and cares and acts, He delivers. God’s action is not an empty pat on the back. He picks that person up and sets him in a safe place where the oppressor can no longer aggravate him. He provides the relief that the soul has so desperately craved.

God’s answers are not always immediate. That is evident even within this verse. God did not deliver this person at the first moment of difficulty. The trial went on long enough that the person was sorely oppressed and left sighing. The point is not that God immediately delivers us from everything hard, but that He always sees us and always cares and that He always moves in at the right time. Often that is just when we feel like we cannot take any more.

If you are in (or approaching) such a situation, I pray that you will take heart from this verse. God sees you. God hears your sigh. God understands your pain and emptiness. God cares for you. God will sustain you, and when the time is right, He will step in and rescue you. Take comfort in the tender heart of God and in His gentle nature toward His dear children who are in agony. Maybe soon, He will arise and set you in safety. Pray for that, with confidence in His gentle care. Hope in Him.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

11092025 Ministry Given by God

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of the One who loves the world and desires all men to be saved. While God does the work in hearts, He chooses us to be part of the process.

Surely you have observed that not every Christian has the same role in that process. In fact, very often our role changes over time. John the Baptist had an amazing role in preparing for the Messiah. God used him in a tremendous way to prepare the way of the Lord. Large crowds came; John challenged them regarding the way they were living and pointed them to the Lamb of God who was emerging onto the scene. Jesus Himself acknowledged the unique and effective ministry of John.

But then things began to change. As John directed people’s attention toward Jesus, people did start to follow Jesus. John’s crowds grew smaller while those following Jesus grew in size (John 1:35-41 and 3:22-26). When some of John’s remaining followers expressed their concern about the decline in ministry, John was not upset. He stated, “A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven” (John 3:27).

It was God who gave John his mission and ministry. John fulfilled what God called him to do. He was the voice calling in the wilderness, preparing the way. There came a time when that ministry was no longer needed. Jesus had a core group of sincere followers, and He had a much larger following of those who wanted to learn of His teaching and see His miracles. Jesus was no longer anonymous. His fame spread, and He was known to the common people, to the Jewish leaders, and even to some in the occupying government.

It was God who also gave Jesus His mission and ministry. Jesus stated over and over again that He came to do His Father’s will. He did nothing that was not given to Him by the Father. He did nothing of His own initiative. Jesus accepted the role that was given to Him. Jesus’ ministry also changed over time. He started with a few. He became overrun by crowds so that He could not escape. He faced opposition as both the common people and the rulers struggled to accept His teaching. That opposition grew to the point of constant threat and then His eventual crucifixion. Jesus accomplished all that the Father gave Him to do.

God still continues to choose a mission and ministry for His servants. Whatever the ministry that a man (or woman) has, he has that ministry only because it is given to him from heaven. God chooses their backgrounds and upbringings. He chooses their spiritual gifts. He chooses their place of service. He guides in their training and in their specific niche of service.

Some serve in hard fields, where the ground is unyielding, while others serve in fields white unto harvest. Some labor to lay the groundwork, while others reap after decades of preparation. Some serve in small villages, while others serve in large urban areas. Some have ministries that are interrupted by political instability or by debilitating health. Some have influence primarily with children, while the adults refuse to believe. Others have sufficient qualified men to provide proper leadership in the church. Some work with families, some with lepers, some with refugees, some with the poor, some with the deaf, some with students, and so on. The results are going to vary based on the combination of factors.

God simply calls us to labor faithfully within the ministry that He has given us. As with John and Jesus, the ministry can change over time. Times of success may turn into times of dryness. Large crowds of curious seekers may dissolve into a core group of true followers. Our energy to work eighty hours a week may diminish into a few profitable hours. The opposites of all those can happen as well. A tragedy can suddenly turn people’s hearts. A new ministry partner can bolster our outreach. A new contact can open a door with a new group of people.

Whatever happens, it is the ministry chosen and given from heaven. There should be no shame or regret in living out the ministry that God has determined, even if it seems small and ineffective. There should be no pride if the growth and results are robust. We sow, we water, but God gives the increase. We simply serve Him with the measure of grace, ability, and opportunity that He provides.

May God encourage you in your ministry, whatever it is. May He give you strength for the demands, wisdom for the decisions, patience, hope, joy, and peace in serving Him.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

11012025 Mud Season

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of God our Rock. That matters.

When I lived in New Hampshire, people sometimes used to joke that we didn’t have summer there. My reply was, “Yes, we do. Last year it was on a Wednesday.”

After that brief summer came autumn, then wiiiiiiiinteeeeer. Then mud season. Mud season is hard to explain if you haven’t lived through it. My best attempt is that the ground doesn’t seem firm. When you set your foot down, it’s like the whole surface underneath your foot is squishy. Or shifty. Like the surface is unstable. Like an earthquake. The surface slides around. See, I was right. I can’t really explain it.

I have thought that sometimes life is like that, though. You’re walking, but everywhere you put your foot, it feels like the surface is shifting underneath you, and it’s not quite firm. Of course, I’m talking now about life and faith and feeling uncomfortable and maybe a little uncertain.

But here’s the good thing about mud season (and why I think it provides a good parallel for life). You can walk on the mud. You don’t sink in like quicksand. It’s just the surface that is shifty, but underneath there is solid ground. Walking on that surface, I might have concern that huge clods of mud will build up on my shoes. I might have concern that I could slip or fall. But I don’t have concern that I will sink through the earth. I don’t have concern that the ground will either disappear or swallow me up. I know it’s just the surface layer that is uncomfortably squishy.

That’s how it is with life also – with the faith journey. No matter how squishy and uncomfortable the surface feels, there is solid ground underneath. You might get a little muddy, and you might slip, but you won’t sink through or get swallowed up. There is a rock-solid foundation that cannot disappear. That knowledge is what enables us to keep walking forward. Sure, it might not feel great at the moment, but nothing eternally tragic is going to happen.

God is a rock. Trust in Him is well-placed. “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his” (II Timothy 2:19). “And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer” (Psalm 78:35).

Maybe no one else thinks like me, but I hope this unusual illustration can be an encouragement. Even if every step feels squishy, there is a firm foundation underneath. Trust in that, and keep walking.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA