07262026 Once Again

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of our faithful God. Aren’t you glad God doesn’t get tired of doing the same things over and over again?

God spins the earth day after day. He continually leads the stars across the sky. He puts the sun to bed and wakes it up again every morning. Time after time He sends the rain.

God repeats His actions year after year. He changes the seasons according to His schedule. He keeps sending seedtime and harvest. He continues renewing the earth.

God consistently works in our lives. He gives grace upon grace. His love is everlasting. His compassions fail not. He provides our daily bread. He keeps forgiving our sins.

God even delivers us time after time. Notice how this psalmist describes God’s faithful help. “Thou, which hast shewed me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth” (Psalm 71:20).

This is not the first time this psalmist has been in trouble. Neither is it the first time God has delivered him. The past troubles have taught the psalmist that God is taking care of him. The past deliverances have given him confidence that God will watch out for him again.

“Again” appears twice in the expectations. He believes that God will quicken (revive) him again. He believes that God will bring him up again from his deep and oppressive trial. When it comes to these expectations, history and experience are on God’s side. He has a track record of faithfulness.

As humans, we remember where our path has gone. When a new trouble comes, the depths of our souls might cry out in anguish, “Once again!” The trials of life can seem never-ending. But when “once again” there is a trial, it is the opportunity to “once again” see God’s help and deliverance.

What are you facing currently? Once again you can expect God’s grace. Once again you can anticipate His help. Once again you can receive His wisdom. Once again you can look for His deliverance. May God revive you and lift you up once again.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

07182026 When

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of the God who prepares and has a plan. Many things surprise us, but nothing surprises God. He always knows just what to do, as well as knowing just what we should do.

As we mature, we gain wisdom, and we learn through experience. Hopefully, that prepares us to better face the unexpected things in life. As parents, we try to prepare our children by advising them what to do when certain things happen. For example, many parents will train their children what to do when someone tries to kidnap them, when someone offers them drugs or alcohol, when their friends try to involve them in a foolish activity, and so on.

God does the same with His children. A major difference between us and God is that we don’t know what will happen. Even things that we think might happen or are likely to happen are still somewhat uncertain. They are more of an “if” than a “when.” God knows, however, what are the common situations that will come to all His children, as well as the specific situations that will come to each. He will guide us in the moment, but He has also given us instruction to prepare us. For example …

When we are invited to a special event. “When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding” (Luke 14:8-10). How should we act? “Sit not down in the highest room … go and sit down in the lowest room.” We give honor to the recipient by attending, while not trying to grab honor for ourselves.

When we are in conflict with an adversary. “When thou goest with thine adversary to the magistrate, as thou art in the way” (Luke 12:58). Our action? “Give diligence that thou mayest be delivered from him; lest he hale thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and the officer cast thee into prison.” We are to use wisdom in earnestly trying to resolve the situation peacefully, without it escalating into something more serious.

When we pass through harsh trials. “When thou passest through the waters … and through the rivers … when thou walkest through the fire” (Isaiah 43:2-5). Our response? “I will be with thee … they shall not overflow thee … thou shalt not be burned.” We are not to fear but to trust in the care of our ever-present God, who has already demonstrated His love for us in the most incredible act of our ransom.

When we fall into temptations. “My brethren … when ye fall into divers temptations” (James 1:2-3). What then? “Count it all joy … knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.” We rejoice in the maturing work that we know God is doing.

When our heart is overwhelmed. “When my heart is overwhelmed” (Psalm 61:2). “When my spirit was overwhelmed within me” (Psalm 142:3). Oh, what to do? “From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee … lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” “Then thou knewest my path.” We are to run to God, to cry out to Him, to rest in His strength and in His awareness of our dilemma.

When we cry. “In the day when I cried” (Psalm 138:3). Our expectation? “Thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul.” Oh, the blessed hope of knowing we have a God who hears and answers, a God who gives us the strength we need.

When the world around us is full of trouble. “And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars” (Mark 13:7). How to respond? “Be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet.” We are to remain at peace, recognizing the inevitability of such things, and looking toward eventual deliverance.

When our foot slips. “When I said, My foot slippeth” (Psalm 94:18). Now what? “Thy mercy, O LORD, held me up.” We are to throw our full weight on the One who will support us.

When we fall. “When I fall .. when I sit in darkness” (Micah 7:8). What to do? “I shall arise … the LORD shall be a light unto me.” We are to have confidence in the One who will lift us back up and illumine our path.

When we are forsaken by others. “When my father and my mother forsake me” (Psalm 27:10). How do we handle it? “Then the LORD will take me up.” We are to rely on the One who will never leave us or forsake us, remembering that we are never alone.

When we suffer for doing right. “But if, when ye do well, and suffer for it” (I Peter 2:23). Now what? “Ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.” We are to follow Christ’s example of suffering without sinning and without attacking, entrusting ourselves to God’s oversight.

When people attack and malign us. “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake” (Matthew 5:11). Our response? “Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven” (v. 12). We are to focus on the eternal nature of our mission and on the pleasure we bring to the One who has sent us.

When we are persecuted and our message is rejected. “But when they persecute you in this city” (Matthew 10:23). What to do? “Flee ye into another.” Move on and attempt to give God’s truth in a new place.

When we are arrested for the gospel. “But when they deliver you up” (Matthew 10:19). Our reaction? “Take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.” We are to trust God for what to say in those tense moments.

So many of these divine preparations are for times of difficulty and challenge. We can take heart in knowing that God knows such times will come, and He has already prepared the answers. In whatever you are facing, I pray that God will calm and comfort you, that He will strengthen you to respond correctly, and that He will give you all the grace and help that you need.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

07122026 Light in Darkness

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of God our Light. Oh, how we need light!

Micah described a time of deprivation and darkness. There was nothing to sustain his soul. Good men had disappeared from the earth. Malice, treachery, and bribery were practiced by men everywhere. Even the best of men were injurious. Friends, spouses, and family members could not be trusted. (Micah 7:1-6)

In such dark days of evil and betrayal, where did Micah fix his vision? “Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me” (Micah 7:7). That must be the answer when things are at their worst. God is the anchor to whom we must cling. He and He alone is the source of salvation. He is the One who will hear us in our trouble.

Micah continues with a beautiful picture of hope and statement of faith in his troubling times. “Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy. Though I fall I will rise; though I dwell in darkness, the LORD is a light for me” (Micah 7:8). Yes, things could be bad. Life could look hopeless. With his eyes fixed on the God of his salvation, however, Micah knew there was hope. Even if he fell in those treacherous days, Micah was confident he would get back up. Any rejoicing of the enemy would be short-lived. What I love most is his statement that though he lived in darkness, God was his light.

Light in my darkness. There is no darkness so thick that God cannot give light. That light might be like a candle flame that prevents the total darkness from squeezing in, or it might be like a flashing explosion that obliterates the darkness. Micah presents the possibility of living in darkness, so in his case, life was dark, but just not 100%. God was with him to give him enough light to continue. He was not trapped deep inside a cave without a torch to comfort and guide him. He could still function. He could still live for God. In fact, he was not oppressed by the same darkness that consumed everyone else.

Light in my darkness. This light comes to us first in salvation. Perhaps with no one else was that as dramatic as it was with Saul in Acts 9:3, when a blinding light accompanied God’s coming to him. Jesus came as “a light to lighten the Gentiles” (Luke 2:32). What a wonderful statement that “the people that walked in darkness have seen a great light” (Isaiah 9:2). Jesus came so that those who believe in Him “should not abide in darkness” (John 12:46). Those who believe have been called by God “out of darkness into his marvellous light” (I Peter 2:9).

Light in my darkness. God gives us the light of knowledge. I think of Daniel, who was troubled by a vision, “mourning three full weeks” (Daniel 10:2). He “set [his] heart to understand” (Daniel 10:12), but the answer was delayed. Finally, an angel came to give him understanding and light. When we know God, we know how to walk. “In [his] light shall we see light” (Psalm 36:9). His Word is “a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105) and “the entrance of [his] words giveth light” (Psalm 119:130).

Light in my darkness. God gives us the light of hope in times of discouragement. Job described the oppression of his trial. “A land of darkness, as darkness itself; and of the shadow of death, without any order, and where the light is as darkness” (Job 10:22). Job’s darkness was pretty thick. He recalls dark days of the past and remembers that “by his light I walked through darkness” (Job 29:3). In the end, Job saw that God “giveth songs in the night” (Job 35:10); Job found those songs and that light in his statements of faith. He learned, as Paul did, that it is possible to be “troubled on every side, yet not distressed; … perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed” (II Corinthians 4:8-9). God’s light makes the difference so that we are not swallowed up.

Light in my darkness. God gives the light of deliverance. Sometimes His light really is like the light at the end of the tunnel, when we finally emerge into brightness, a reprieve from the time of oppression. I think this is how Joseph must have felt after the long years of slavery, false imprisonment, careless neglect, and separation from family; he kept a light of hope through all those years, but finally, it broke out into bright sunshine. Elihu describes such deliverance: “to bring back his soul from the pit, to be enlightened with the light of the living” Job 33:30). David gives a picturesque testimony: “For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness” (Psalm 18:28). God shows His goodness by delivering and blessing His children. “Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness” (Psalm 112:4).

At times this life can be dark, but there is no darkness that is greater than God. “And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehendeth it not” (John 1:5). [seize, possess, absorb, overpower]. When we walk with God, we cannot be swallowed up by darkness. “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12).

May God shine His light on you this week in all the ways you need it most, and may He also shine on those who dwell in darkness around you.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

07042026 Free Indeed

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of the greatest Deliverer, the God of freedom. Happy Independence Day to the majority of you who are citizens of the blessed land of the USA. This date celebrates the beginning of our nation’s quest for freedom and independence.

There is, however, a much greater bondage and oppression than what we faced under the British; therefore, there is a much greater freedom and liberty than what we have come to enjoy.

All mankind is born in darkness. Any serious-minded person recognizes that darkness. The common response is to fear it and its consequences. That is the natural state of man – slaves to sin, terrified of its end result. But God provided a path of freedom for these trapped people. “And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage” (Hebrews 2:15).

In place of death, God gives life. In place of bondage, God gives freedom. With His life in us, we are no longer slaves to sin and no longer condemned to death. “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:2).

The freedom comes through the truth of God’s Word. His plan of salvation is clearly revealed. When we finally understand who we are and who God is and what God has done for us, we can have a freedom that has never existed before. “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).

Oh, what glorious freedom! There is nothing to match it or compare to it. “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8:36).

Free indeed! Praise God for what He has done for us and for the provision He has made for those around us. Some have not yet been set free – but some of them will be! By the grace of God and His divine blessing of our feeble attempts, God will continue to set others free. May you see some of that in this week.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA