Weekly Magazine | An Anchor for Your Heart
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God’s Word—An Anchor for Your Heart
By: Laura Sandretti
I had a pit in my stomach yesterday.
The details of my dilemma are too raw and personal to share, but most of us have been there—a health scare, a hurting child, an ongoing marital issue, or worse. We continue smiling, working, and going through the motions, but there is a pervasive something in our soul that feels…
Heavy, unsettled, and afraid.
I am mentoring a young woman right now who loves the Lord. She has experienced Him powerfully through worship, sermons, and prayer. She admitted, though, that when it comes to God’s Word, she struggles to read it. Like me at times, she finds it confusing, irrelevant, and dry. Unlike me, she is young. She has not suffered miscarriages, watched her child wheeled into surgery, or been diagnosed with an illness. She has not had as many opportunities to feel heavy, unsettled, and afraid.
As I have traversed the ups and downs of life, I have been indebted to older, wiser women who have encouraged me to continue reading God’s Word even when it seemed hard to read or irrelevant to my life and problems. I am thankful for mentors who have been in the pit, women who know that when the rug gets pulled out from under us, the Bible provides hope, peace, and the ability to breathe. I am grateful for seasoned sisters in Christ who have taught me the power that Scripture has over raw, loud, painful emotions when we persist in, pray through, and practice reading God’s Word. Women urging me to read when I do not feel like it or feel that it will help.
Therein lies the rub.
Feelings are powerful. Emotions can trump reason, logic, and reality. Although God gave us emotions, and they are necessary and helpful at times, they can also distort and even dismantle our faith and hope in Christ. They can overrun our hearts, our minds, and our souls. I agree with the young woman I am mentoring—solid biblical teaching, worship, and prayer are powerful and inspiring. However, if the songs we sing and the sermons we hear are not confirmed, solidified, and strengthened by our individual time spent in the unchanging Word of God, they are incomplete.
Why?
As I was recently reminded yesterday during my sadness and distress, God’s Word is living and active. It superseded my emotions by somehow speaking directly to them. The Bible provided the personal, pertinent, and poignant Spirit-inspired awareness and answers I needed. His Word meets, reminds, and calms us supernaturally, specifically, and sweetly.
Feelings can trump reason, logic, reality, and even distort and dismantle our faith and hope in Christ. BUT God’s Word is living and active. It supersedes our emotions. It is powerful and sustains all things (Heb. 1:3).
Never give up prayerfully and persistently reading God’s love letter, dear sister. I need to remind, convince, and re-convince myself of God’s truths every day because my emotions are often real, raw, and raucous. If you struggle with the desire to read your Bible, ask God to help you fall in love with His Word.
While you pray and wait, continue reading. Spend time in a book of the Bible you once loved, is familiar, or perhaps you find challenging. The stakes are too high to stop reading the Lord’s powerful Word which sustains all things (Heb. 1:3).
I know one day…your heart, head, and soul will thank you.
TIPS FOR BETTER BIBLE READING
1. Read Repeatedly.
A friend told me she wasn’t reading her Bible because, “it’s too hard to understand.” I suggested she re-read a book of the Bible she had enjoyed or understood in the past. She said she loved Philippians, so she started there. Because she was in a different place in her life, with different issues and relationships, Pauls’ small letter illuminated new insights and glimpses of God’s love into my friend’s life. Slowly and prayerfully, re-reading familiar books—like the Gospels, Psalms, or Proverbs—have been some of my sweetest times with the Lord.
2. Pick Up Your Phone.
Although I often tell myself and my children to put down our phones, my Bible app is the one exception. Sometimes when I’m in a hurry, I’ll listen to my Bible app while I’m driving or straightening my hair. Although un-interrupted time reading my physical Bible is always my goal, I’m grateful for creative ways to read Scripture when I’m on the go.
3. Make it a Habit.
I have discovered that when I read my Bible before work, I read more consistently. If I miss that time, God’s Word usually gets lost in the shuffle. Whether you’re an early bird or night owl, prioritize reading your Bible at the same time every day, so it becomes more habitual. Remember that consistency helps us hide God’s Word in our heart for a time when we need it most.
4. Resort to Resources.
If you’re new to the Bible, books like Know Your Bible (Barbour Publishing) and 30 Days to Understanding the Bible (Max Anders), are helpful resources. You can also find countless commentaries and resources online but remember that reading about the Bible can never replace reading the Bible. When I’m confused or struggling with something in Scripture, I pray for a while before consulting outside resources. I want to hear from the Spirit before humans, whenever possible.
5. Read Your Bible…Better.
When I started reading the Bible—expressly to learn more about God, His love, and His character—it changed everything. The Bible is about God, not us. When we learn more about Him and His incomprehensible love for us, we are left with a sense of profound gratitude that draws us closer to the Bible and its Author, more and more.
6. Oust Outcomes.
Often when I read the Bible, I’ve noticed a subtle underlying pressure inside myself. It’s a subconscious fear that I’ll miss something important, or that I’ll have to re-read a passage to unearth that important something. “Ousting outcomes” means reading the Bible simply to look for God and His love instead of searching for a silver bullet or great epiphany.
When we learn more about God and His incomprehensible love for us, we are left with a sense of profound gratitude that organically transforms us and draws us closer to the Bible and its Author, more and more.
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Letting Ourselves Go…
By: Shelly Esser
Through the years, I’ve often heard about how easy it is as we age to “let ourselves go.” We hear it mostly applied to the physical: we no longer exercise, we’re careless about what we put into our bodies, we don’t keep our appearance up like we once did. Likewise, we can let ourselves go spiritually. It’s something that can happen gradually, almost without notice. We can get lazy in our time with the Lord, move into prayerlessness, apathy, and eventually a cold heart. When we let ourselves go, It’s hard to make the effort to change because it often takes a long time to get back on track. Yet, just like we can get ourselves back in good physical condition, we too can restore the joy of our salvation and the spiritual health we’ve let go…
Soul Refreshment
ISAIAH 26:3 (NCV)
“You, LORD, give true peace to those who depend on you, because they trust you.”
Soak in God’s Truth
By: Lisa Elliott
There are times when our weary souls needs a fresh infilling of God’s power, strength, and direction. Some of which can only be fully experienced from a place of rest. I first recognized my need for rest when a skewed perspective snuck in and accompanied my exhaustion. My activity had overshadowed my need for silence and stillness. My need for adrenalin overtook my will to comply. Vying for control in my life, it became apparent that I was forfeiting peace. Not much less the Prince of Peace. To the degree that I almost refused His invitation to soak in His truth (Matt. 11:28-30)…
Heavenly Father, in moments when our feelings threaten to distort and dismantle our faith in You, when we find ourselves wandering in a spiritual wasteland, numb to Your presence, we intentionally come before You with hearts longing for renewal and restoration.
Grant us the strength to cling to Your Word, even when our feelings try to lead us astray. Help us to immerse ourselves in the truth of Your promises, finding solace and comfort in the timeless wisdom of Your love letter to us. Let Your Word be a lamp to guide our feet and a light to illuminate the darkness of our doubts and fears.
As we journey through the wilderness of our emotions, may Your Spirit breathe life into our souls, refreshing us with the living water of Your grace. Help us to drink deeply from the well of Your love, finding sustenance and strength to persevere, even through the trials and tribulations of life.
Fill us with Your peace, and awaken our spirits to the beauty of Your presence. Let Your truth penetrate the numbness of our hearts, restoring our faith and renewing our hope in You. Thank You, Father, for Your faithfulness and Your mercy, which never fail. May Your Word be our refuge and our strength, leading us back to You in times of trouble. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
