Welcome to Day #17 of the Psalms Series!
I met today’s guest through Five Minute Friday (surprise surprise). Give a warm welcome to the lovely Marcy as she shares special reflections with us from Psalm 113.
Marcy is a wife, and adoptive mamma, a nurse and a grace loving
girl. She’s an advocate for infertility and foster-adoption awareness
and she loves to write about her faith, her family and for the
encouragement of others. You can check out her blog at No Maybe Baby, follow her Tweets @MarcyNellHanson and join the community on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NoMaybeBaby.
Read Psalm 113
I sat here at my table, tapping keys and hitting delete again and again. I have flipped the crazy thin pages of my Bible back and forth, reading and re-reading the same words over and over in an effort to feel the spirit move, or at least give me an inkling of what it is I am supposed to write. But I keep coming up short. I chose this Psalm for the last verse. Truth be told, I sort of missed the rest of the passage once I read those few words at the bottom, skirting the top of Psalm 114.
“He settles the barren woman in her home
As the happy mother of children.
Praise the Lord.”
Psalm 113:9
This verse got me. It spoke to me. It is one that I wish I would have found years ago. And as it likely would have brought me comfort, I probably would have cursed it as well. You see, I am that barren woman. I am the woman who waited like Hannah for so long for a child, spilling my soul at the altar. Crying those messy tears. And I waited for God to see me and hear my voice. And in that time, I forgot to praise him.
And I find that I still do. During times of hardship words of praise are so often secondary to the pleading prayers I send skyward. And yet, isn’t that when we should be praising him the most? When life is the most difficult, isn’t that where He can shine the brightest? As I look back up through this chapter the answer is such a resounding YES!
“He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap;
He seats them with princes,
With the princes of their people.”
Psalm 113:7-8
He seats them with princes,
With the princes of their people.”
Psalm 113:7-8
How will I recognize the greatness of His love and the awesomeness of his power, if I haven’t been in those ashes?
How can I experience the awe of His sweet love and the strength of His arms if he can’t lift me from the ash heap? I can’t.
And do you know what is so sweet about those verses? Aside from the stellar promises of salvation, there is the promise of redemption.
Not only does He lift us up, but He places us with royalty. But not just any royalty, the royalty of our people. He does not just make things better by transplanting us somewhere else. He makes us amazing then lets his light shine through us to those who know us best.
Let his name be praised!
Don’t get me wrong- I am not saying the hard times are easy. I am surely not saying the messy cry doesn’t still happen. It does. I’m still that barren woman. My body has never and will never carry a child. But God did follow through on that promise. My house is full of children. In ways that I had never imagined, I have become a mother.
Praise the Lord!
With Him,
Marcy
Deep Breaths:
1. Reread Psalm 113 nice and slow and think on these words.
2. It is hard to praise in the pain, but it can make all the difference. Turn on your favorite worship song or make up your own. Lift up a song to Jesus and praise Him today.
3. Worship is more than just singing. What is another way, besides singing, that you can praise God today? Express your love to the Lord in a way that you enjoy.
Oh friend, I know your journey has been hard at times. So glad that you find peace and comfort in the words of our Father. Thanks for being so open about your journey with us. Great post!
Thanks for reading, Holly!
So beautiful! You are blessed with that houseful of children. Through my journey of infertility and loss, I learned that things don't always turn out the way we think they should, but they always turn out the way He thinks they should and that is so much better! Have a beautiful weekend, friend!
Thanks lady! So much so-they always turn out how he thinks they should. Sometimes that's hard to see in the moment, but it is so worth it when you look back.
Thank you for sharing your heart with us Marcy- appreciate your willingness to let us in and grow together.
Katie thanks so much for letting me be a part of your series! It is an honor.
Absolutely, so glad you joined us.:)
I began to cry even before I read your blog because this Psalm is so very dear to me. But I didn't want to pick it, I am so glad you did because your reflection is beautiful. "I probably would have cursed it as well" — I really know what that means. This one has been a difficult promise for me to understand.
I don't have a houseful of children. But at timely moments I hear from women I led to the Lord or discipled. They are my houseful of children! And as they have children, I feel somewhat like a grandmother!
Kelley,
Thank you for sharing your heart here, friend. I pray for blessings on your life and all the women you bless!
Oh my soul, this is beautiful, Marcy. Beautiful. These words speak deepest to me, right where I am, right now…"He does not just make things better by transplanting us somewhere else. He makes us amazing then lets his light shine through us to those who know us best.” I need to remember that I am where I am for a reason and I can and will be used right here if I let His light shine through me. Bless you and thank God that He loves us through the barrenness. xoxo, Meredith
Thank you Meredith. Your words bless! I'm praying for peace in your heart, lady.
Simply beautiful, Marcy. Thank you for sharing your heart and your pain. I have certainly seen God bring marvelous blessings out of pain myself. And I still don't understand it. It is a profound mystery to me. But, oh, how thankful I am that God redeems even the more painful parts of our lives and turns them into wonders. May God continue to bless you!
Thank you, Sabra. I'm so glad you stopped by! Blessings to you, sister!