Dear Sister,
This morning when I sat down at my kitchen table to write this letter to you, I wondered what I could share with you that would encourage you in your walk with the Lord and in your ministry. There is so little, or nothing, that I know about your life and the things you are concerned about. But then I remembered that the same Holy Spirit who lives in you is in me as well, and I can trust Him to guide me to write the words that will help you.
I remember times in my personal life as well as in my service to the Lord when I went through struggles, discouragement and hurt. Some of it I caused myself; the rest was because of other people. But in either case, the most difficult thing was that there was no one I could talk to about it. I felt so alone and didn’t know what to do.
During those times, different Scripture portions became very real and alive to me. I would read them over and over to myself, until I could cling to them in faith and with all my heart. And I experienced a wonderful thing: God stood by the Word I held onto and brought me safely through every time. Now as I look back, each of those Scriptures has a personal story of God’s faithfulness attached to it. Today I want to share a few of these Scriptures with you.
God knows exactly how much I can bear: “For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust” (Psalm 103:14).
This Scripture tells me that my Creator has calculated my strength, and He knows how fragile I am in my physical as well as in my spiritual life. He will never overload me or permit trials to come my way that would destroy my faith in Him. Therefore, I can trust Him, even if I don’t understand what is going on or why some of these things are happening in my life.
My heavenly Father is aware of my need: “... Thou dost understand my thought from afar” (Psalm 139:2). “Do not be anxious... for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things” (Matthew 6:31–32).
God as my Father knows not only the needs I have in my daily life, such as clothing, food, shelter, health and protection—He also knows the deepest yearnings of my heart: the understanding, love, acceptance, comfort and fulfillment I long for in my marriage... the strength and endurance I need as a mother... the friendship, fellowship and encouragement I so much desire at my lonely place of ministry.
The moment my heart receives the truth that “my heavenly Father knows that I need all these things,” my anxiety, fear, desperation and tears will be replaced by deep peace, joy and trust. Then, even if I can’t see the answer yet, I know for sure that my Father not only knows my needs but will meet them as He promised.
God has not forgotten me: “How precious also are Thy thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand” (Psalm 139:17–18).
This means God is continually thinking about me, even right now in the midst of my struggle. And His thoughts about me are not angry or impatient, but precious and loving. In fact, I mean so much to Him that He can’t stop thinking about me. That knowledge fills me with joy and thankfulness. And I realize I am no longer hurting, that those whom I considered my friends have forgotten me or don’t care about me.
What I really want to tell you today is this: You need to fill your heart with God’s Word.
Our very survival as Christians depends on it: “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).
It produces faith in our hearts, which then enables us to receive from God: “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17).
It is part of our armor to defeat the enemy: “ ...and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17).
It shows us the way we must go: “Thy word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105).
It’s our God-given instruction on how to live as Christians: “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).
And there is so much more.
How can you do this?
- Read God’s Word daily and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal it to you.
- Take notes on what you learn at church or when you read the Bible.
- Meditate on a Scripture by thinking about it over and over again.
- Learn important Bible verses by heart.
My dear Sister, let us pray for one another, that we will live with all our hearts for our King.
Your sister,
Gisela
