How Do You Handle the Whys?

 

By Andrea Merrell

I know the Lord is always with me.
    I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.

No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice.
    My body rests in safety.

Psalm 16:8-9 NLT

 

A young husband dies. A godly man. Healthy. Leader in the church. Everyone wonders why.

A single, hard-working mom loses her job and her home. She has to go on welfare. No one can understand why.

I’ve had my own share of whys over the years, especially when both my son and daughter became prodigals. There was no logical explanation for their actions.

David—shepherd, psalmist, and king—experienced the same dilemma. Throughout the Book of Psalms he cried out to God and asked “why?” But even when he didn’t get the answers he longed for, he said, “I know the Lord is with me. I will not be shaken, for He is right beside me. No wonder my heart is glad and I rejoice. My body rests in safety.”

David knew where his help came from. He was able to rejoice even when there were no answers to his whys. He gave up the right to understand and chose to trust in the Lord—no matter what. His joy and sense of well-being were not determined by his circumstances.

There are many things that will remain a mystery until we see the Lord face-to-face. If your whys are not being answered, give up the right to understand and trust the Lord instead. Then you can safely rest in His loving hands.

Photo courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net and Isolated Images.

 

You Can’t Hide from God

 

By Andrea Merrell

Lord, you know everything there is to know about me.

Psalm 139:1 TPT

 

“No one can know what I’ve done,” the young girl said through bitter tears. “I’ll never tell another living soul, and neither can you. It would ruin me.”

Her secret was safe with me, but what she failed to realize or accept was that God already knew.

When we try to hide those so-called secret sins—especially from God—they tend to take on a life of their own. They become our master and push us further into the darkness. No one understood this better than the psalmist David. He wrote:

Lord, you know everything there is to know about me. You perceive every movement of my heart and soul, and you understand my every thought before it even enters my mind. You are so intimately aware of me, Lord. You read my heart like an open book, and you know all the words I’m about to speak before I even start a sentence. You know every step I will take before my journey even begins. (Psalm 139:1-4 TPT)

When we understand how intimately acquainted God is with us, it changes everything. He know us inside and out, even better than we know ourselves. And He waits with open arms for us to come to Him and lay our burdens at His feet.

If you’re struggling in this area, pray along with David: God, I invite your searching gaze into my heart. Examine me through and through. Find out everything that may be hidden within me. Put me to the test and sift through all my anxious cares. See if there is any path of pain I’m walking on, and lead me back to your glorious, everlasting way—the path that brings me back to you (Psalm 139:23-24 TPT).

Photo courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net and artemisphoto.

Beware of Sacred Cows

 

By Andrea Merrell

Beware of … the deceptive teaching 

of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Matthew 16: 11b-12b

“Wow, another sacred cow bites the dust,” my husband said as we left church one Sunday.

The sermon had centered around old, man-made traditions we had both been exposed to growing up. All the dos and don’ts (mostly don’ts) that had become etched in stone in certain religious settings.

The problem? None of them lined up with Scripture.

I thought back to my first memories of church as a child and all that I was taught. The “rules” so to speak. Unfortunately, over the years every church I attended seemed to have its own set of rules, causing even more confusion.

I always wondered who made those rules. And why did they differ so drastically? Just like the Pharisees and their man-made traditions, all those dos and don’ts revolved around a person’s actions. Their performance. How they dressed. How often they attended church. No tattoos. No piercings. No holey jeans. No smoking. No drinking. No R-rated movies. I once heard someone say if you go to a bar or a pool hall, you’re surely going to hell. I even heard a preacher ranting online recently about conducting church services “in the dark,” as he put it, and having a rock band on the platform. Drums, it seemed to him, were of the Devil.

Many years ago, I heard the story of a church that split over men wearing ties and another over women wearing makeup and jewelry. Jesus warned the religious leaders of His day about coming up with their own rules.

In Jesus Calling, Sarah Young writes:

Do not be like the Pharisees who multiplied regulations, creating their own form of godliness. They got so wrapped up in their own rules that they lost sight of Me. Even today, man-made rules about how to live the Christian life enslave many people. Their focus is on their performance rather than on Me. ~Jesus

Thankfully, God is the only true Judge, and He looks at the heart—not on what we do or don’t do. When we try to live by man’s opinions and standards rather than God’s Word we end up in bondage, always dealing with guilt and condemnation while trying to measure up.

God never intended for us to live that way. Instead of playing by the rules, let's allow the Holy Spirit to be our guide. He will always lead us in the right direction.

Photo by Diana Shchurova on Unsplash

Where Do You Belong?

 

By Andrea Merrell

You’re no longer wandering exiles.

This kingdom of faith is now your home country.

You’re no longer strangers or outsiders.

Ephesians 2:19 MSG

I watched her go from one scenario to another. From church to the bar scene. From Bible studies to drinking and wild parties. She finally ended up as a druggie because she felt “accepted.”

People can spend a lifetime trying to find themselves. To fit in. To find where they belong. But the Bible says God has planted eternity in the human heart (Ecclesiastes 3:11). He created each of us with a God-shaped void that nothing or no one else can fill except Him.

In Ephesians, Paul writes:

That’s plain enough, isn’t it? You’re no longer wandering exiles. This kingdom of faith is now your home country. You’re no longer strangers or outsiders. You belong here, with as much right to the name Christian as anyone. God is building a home. He’s using us all—irrespective of how we got here—in what He is building. He used the apostles and prophets for the foundation. Now He is using you, fitting you in brick by brick, stone by stone, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone that holds all the parts together. We see it taking shape day after day—a holy temple built by God, all of us built into it, a temple in which God is quite at home (vs. 19-22 MSG).

Everyone needs to feel loved and accepted. To belong. To fit in. Being God’s child is the perfect fit. We carry the hope of eternity in our heart. We are in this world but not of it. We no longer have to search for our place. We are part of God’s family.

That’s where we belong.

Photo courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net and tuelekza.

Home Sweet Home

 

 By Andrea Merrell

 

O Lord, you have always been our home.

Psalms 90:1 TEV

 

I smiled as I opened a gift from a friend. The beautiful gold lettering on a long piece of parchment paper unfolded a lifetime of memories, and I realized the truth in those few simple words: Home—the place your story begins.

 

Some say we are what we eat. Others say we are what we read. Still others insist we become like the people we associate with. I believe we are the sum total of our life experiences, yet it all begins at home from our earliest recollections.

 

As a writer, I draw from everything that has touched my life. Even when creating fictional stories and larger-than-life characters, I find many of my own attitudes, experiences, and hang-ups sneaking their way into the story.

 

Everyone who touches us leaves an impression—some to a greater degree than others. We are influenced by success, relationships, and blessings, as well as pain, heartache, and failures. Seeds are planted throughout our days—both good and bad—and they spring up when we least expect them.

 

Even though home has great bearing on who we become, it has not always been my safety net. There were times in my life I wanted to be anywhere else but home. The good news is God takes all the broken pieces, smooths out the rough edges, and strategically puts the puzzle together, forming the bigger picture. When we belong to Him, He takes every trial and every triumph, refines them, and wraps them in His grace. God promises to work every situation for our good, His glory, and the benefit of those around us. He also promises to prepare a place for us where we will spend eternity. That’s when the journey really begins.

 

My story began in my childhood home, dysfunctional at best. It continues today as a wife, mother, grandmother, author, editor, and devoted child of God. He is my dwelling place. My Forever home.

 

In the Wizard of Oz, young Dorothy had a grand adventure and met lots of quirky characters on her way. I’ve had some pretty grand adventures myself, but one day when I reach my heavenly destination I will say just like Dorothy, There’s no place like home.

 

How about you? Will you let Him re-write your story and become your forever home?