Space Mission Reminders

 By: Joanne Viola

 

By the time these words are read, the Artemis will have already returned to earth. For today, I find myself anticipating their return and praying for their safety.

For the past few days, I found myself reflecting on the excitement which I felt as a child watching each take-off and splash-down of the earlier space missions. And tonight’s return will hold equally as much anticipation for many of us.

One early morning this past week, looking up into the dark sky, the moon was visible and bright. I marveled at the sight, thinking of the thousands of miles the Orion spacecraft had begun to make.

Images of the moon sent back revealed an image much larger than it appeared in the sky. The vastness of space, and the unknown territory above us, reveals the ingenuity and creativeness of our God.

“The heavens are telling of the glory of God; 
And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. 
Day to day pours forth speech, 
And night to night reveals knowledge.” 
(Psalm 19:1-2, NASB)

Without saying a single word, they point us to our Creator. Each star hand crafted and placed in their position.

“He counts the number of the stars; He gives names to all of them.” 
(Psalm 147:4, NASB)

And each one reveals a God who so deeply cares for us all:

“When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, 
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, 
What is man that You take thought of him, 
And the son of man that You care for him?” 
(Psalm 8:3-4, NASB)

It isn’t only the stars which our Creator has numbered, for Jesus Himself tells us the care we receive. Jesus tells the disciples that not one sparrow can fall to the ground apart from the Father. He sees and cares for sparrows, which had little worth in those days. He then went on to say:

“But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 
So do not fear; you are more valuable many sparrows.” 
(Matthew 10:30-31, NASB)

Maybe, like me, you are still reflecting on the latest space mission.
May your thoughts turn to our Creator,
and be comforted by His detailed attention He gives to each of our lives.

 

Reflection: 
What have been your thoughts as you watched the recent space mission? Did you need the reminder of the detailed care of our God over your life?

 

Image by Alexander Antropov from Pixabay

 

Compassion for Those Who Mourn

By: Lauren Thomas 

“Blessed are those who mourn…” These were not some words that Jesus let flippantly fall from his lips. They were not words crafted and calculated to draw a crowd. They were words of truth that flowed from his very heart. They were words that he demonstrated in action. 

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."

Matthew 5:4 ESV

There are three specific instances in the gospels where Jesus raised a person from death. A common thread runs through all these accounts: on Earth, Jesus didn’t raise the dead on behalf of the dead, but on behalf of the living. Spiritually Jesus raises the dead and gives new life. One day at the Resurrection, believers will receive resurrected bodies. 

 

But when Jesus walked the Earth, the physically dead were given new life for those left behind. In Luke 7:11-17, Jesus had compassion on a weeping widow walking in funeral procession for her only son. The implication of these details is that she had no one left to take care of her. Jesus understood these factors and, in his compassion, raised her dead son. This was for the widow, not the son. In Luke 8:49-56 Jesus raised a 12-year-old girl from the dead. According to verse 42, she was the only child of her parents. It wasn’t for the girl that Jesus performed this miracle, but for the aching mother and father. In John 11, Jesus raised Lazarus. We read that Jesus loved Lazarus and his sisters. He didn’t raise Lazarus for Lazarus’ sake, but for his sisters who might not have had any other males in the family to provide for and protect them. 

 

Jesus had compassion on those who mourned, to the point that he literally undid the death that caused their grieving. This shows his heart for humanity. Jesus longs to undo the hurts that his people face. 

 

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted

and saves the crushed in spirit.

Psalm 34:18 ESV

 

We know that one day, he will undo all the hurts, right all the wrongs, wipe away every tear.

 

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Revelation 21:4 ESV

 

Until then, we can know that in our mourning, grief, and sadness, Jesus is with us. He feels it with us. And he longs with us for the day he will wipe away our tears. Jesus has compassion on those who mourn. They one day will be comforted.

 

Reflection:

Do you believe Jesus’ words? Does he feel close to you in your mourning? How do you think Jesus feels about your grief?

God's Hand in Our Lives

 By: Grace Metzger

Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Where can I flee from Your presence?

If I go up to the heavens, You are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, You are there.

 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,

 even there Your hand will guide me,
Your right hand will hold me fast.

Psalm 139:7-10 NIV

Recently I've had my sixth surgery, removing my tenth tumor. When you've had that many surgeries people tend to ask you how you do it, how you can stay positive during those moments in your life. Peace during difficult moments is a hard thing for people to understand. For me it took years to figure out how to find peace even through the struggling.

But as for me, it is good to be near God.
I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge.

Psalm 73:28 NIV

For me it started during my third surgery, I was 16 years old and like most 16 years old I was full of angst and drama. This particular surgery failed, due to this I lost feeling in my left leg and it affected the way I walk even to this day. I was angry at everything and struggled to understand why this was happening. I had lost all of my peace during this time and felt distant from God. This continued on for longer than I like to admit until one day I looked back at that time in my life and saw God's hand in that moment; I was able to see how God was able to use that awful moment for goodness. He used that moment so that way my grandmother can visit me, she visited me about a week after that surgery then passed away two weeks later. That was my last memory of her and without the surgery I wouldn't have had that moment with her.

Let us then approach God’s
throne of grace with confidence,

so that we may receive mercy and
find grace to help us in our time of need.

Hebrews 4:16 NIV

Looking back I can see God's fingerprints throughout my whole life, even in small ways like McDonald's giving me free ice cream when I stopped there before my MRI to check if I had cancer, Moments like that I can look back at and see that God was there then and He will be with me now. God has had His fingerprint on my life throughout everything and from that I can draw peace from it even during the storms.

God is there throughout our whole lives, and He continually shows us that He is with us. But because we are so distracted with the storms of the world, we often miss the signs that He's giving us. I challenge you that the next time you are struggling, look back at the times that God was there for you during other hard times. Remind yourself that He was there then and He will be there for you now. For me it's helped in the past of keeping a list of all those moments, reminders for myself that I look at whenever I am struggling. A reminder that God is with me and you throughout everything.

Discussion Question: what are some of the small ways God has shown you that He's with you?

Our Many Hats

By: Jenifer Metzger

My mouth is full of praise

and honor to You all day long.

Psalm 71:8 CSB

Wife.
Mom.
Grammie.
Daughter.
Sister.
Friend.
Ministry leader.
Homemaker.
Neighbor.
Blogger.

These are some of the hats I wear on an almost daily basis. Pause for a moment and think of your hats. Would you add career woman? Maybe coach? How about runner? Perhaps teacher? You and I wear many different hats every day. All throughout the day we switch our hats on and off, sometimes wearing multiple hats at a time.

Today my hats consist of homemaker and blogger as I take care of my home and do some work on the computer for my own blog and here at Woman to Woman. Then this afternoon I will switch over to my mom hat as I help my daughter who is hoping to drive today for the first time since her hip surgery. Then a little later this afternoon I'll slip on my wife hat when my husband gets home from work, and this evening add my Grammie hat as we go visit one of our grandbabies. Other hats may need to be worn throughout the day as well.

While we all have a plethora of hats we wear throughout the day, there is one hat we have that should stay on all day long, every single day. That is the hat of worshipper. We are called to be worshippers of God and this is one hat that we should never take off.

How can we leave on the worshipper hat while still giving time and attention to our other hats? Incorporate your worship hat in all that you do. As you take care of your home, sing praise songs, listen to an audio Bible, or pray over your family. As you wear your wife hat, be kind and loving to your husband, serve him joyfully, honor him with respect, and pray over him. When wearing your career woman hat, be sure to show the love of Christ, be kind, be a Godly example, and look for opportunities to be a witness.

The worshipper hat is one that should always stay on and should continually seep into each area of our life. Let's strive to be women who live a life of worship all days and in all things.

Discussion:
1. Think again of all the hats you wear regularly. Are there any hats you need to take off and lay aside for a season? Or maybe a hat you should be wearing more often?
2. Do you struggle with keeping your worshipper hat on? Think of ways to incorporate your worshipper hat in different areas of your life.

Names of God Series: Leaning on The Mighty One

 By: Rebekah Hargraves

Photo Courtesy of: Brett Jordan

"You shall know that I, the Lord, am your Savior

    and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob." ~Isaiah 60:16b

In our names of God series this week, we are looking at God's name, "The Mighty One", a name which denotes the fact that God is all-powerful, strong, and able to save.

We repeatedly see proof of this throughout the Old Testament, from the life stories of the Hebrew slaves in Exodus, Daniel in the lion's den, and the Israelites under the reign of Queen Esther. to providing for His people through Joseph during a famine, using the Hebrew midwives to preserve the life of baby Moses, and more. 

This is a beautiful timeline of God's mighty saving power on behalf of the lives of His people in Old Testament times, and reminding ourselves of these stories can build our faith like little else can. 

But what is really beautiful and wonderful to consider is the fact that the same God Who was mighty to save the people of the Old Testament is the same God is able and willing to mightily save us in the here and now, as well. Our God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and His mighty nature is the same now on our behalf as it was then on behalf of the ancestors of our faith. 

So, take heart, dear sister. Whatever it is you may be facing right now, know this - your God is the mighty One. And He can abundantly come to your aid!

Reflection Questions:

1) What stands out to you about this name of God?

2) What is your favorite OT story of God's mighty rescuing power?

3) How and when have you seen God come mightily to your aid, as well?