Category: God’s protection

Belonging, Christian faith, Christian Writer, Connected to God, God's faithfulness, God's protection, Holy Spirit, Lessons from life, Loving Jesus, The Word of God, Valuable to God

LEARNING TO TRUST

joymargetts

It is well over a month since I last posted a blog. I have been busy and in a good way. In the last month I have organised and co-hosted a very successful Christian Writer’s Retreat, and finished two book manuscripts, both of which will be published this autumn. But the last week has been dominated by just one thing. Well, one puppy, to be exact.

Image of a small puppy, white with black facial markings, sitting on a small plaid blanket

Puppy Supervision

Those of you who have followed my blog know that we had a dog called Monty, who was a unique character, and was my companion for the last few years when I was stuck at home by myself for a great deal of time. We lost Monty in January, and we weren’t sure if, and when we would replace him. We actually got to appreciate the freedom of not having a dog to tie us down. But then we met out neighbour’s litter of puppies. And we fell in doggy love.

Image of a small puppy asleep in itd bed

Effie came home to live with us a week ago. She is not Monty. She is a Jack Russell cross, as he was, but she is dainty and sweet, and generally well behaved! So far! She has brought much love and laughter into the house. But her needs have meant I have had little time for much else but puppy supervision. Except for when she is sleeping, as she is now…

Learning

We are trying to train Effie. She is responding fairly well. She has intelligence, but is also beginning to display some terrier attitude. The really lovely thing is that, even after just a week, she has attached herself to us, and to me in particular. She follows me about, and loves cuddles, and comes to me when she is unsure of new things or people. She knows I will feed her, and settles down to sleep when I tell her it is time. It made me think about how God deals with us.

Loved

Now of course we are not dogs. We are His beloved children ( I John 3:1) and those whom He delights in (Psalm 147:11, Zephaniah 3:17). I delight in Effie, even when she misses the training mat, or chews the corner of a book. So God doesn’t change the way He feels about us dependent on how well behaved we are. His love for us is unconditional.

Like I want the puppy to learn what is good for her and what is not, so does God want us to learn. He has given us His Word, and His Spirit to help us. Like I do with Effie, God sometimes has to step in with a ‘No’. He moves to direct us away from unacceptable behaviours that can lead us into trouble. We know what it feels like to feel the check of His Spirit convicting us. God also lovingly provides all that we need – food, rest, safety, the feeling of being accepted and loved.

A Love that can be trusted

Image shows the front cover of a book, entitled The Bride: will love's power turn betrayal into belonging? The picture is of a medieval couple holding hands, surrounded by a floral design.

Some of these themes are explored in one of the books I am having published this autumn. The Bride is all about how God loves unconditionally. And how that love has the power to transform lives and heal hearts. I write fiction, but I write out of my own experience of God. I have come to understand that I have a Father who loves me unconditionally, but who wants the best for me. I know that He is the Lover of my soul, my place of safety and the one I have learned to trust.

Just as a certain little dog is learning to trust me.

Joy Margetts is a published author and blogger. Her books are works of Christian Historical fiction. Set in medieval Wales against the backdrop of Cistercian abbey life, they tell stories of faith, hope and God’s redemptive power. Her debut novel ‘The Healing‘ was published by Instant Apostle on 19 March 2021. Joy has also self- published a short novella, ‘The Beloved‘ as both a companion to ‘The Healing‘, and as an easy to read standalone story, which is available to buy on Amazon Kindle.

‘The Pilgrim‘, her second full length novel, was published by Instant Apostle on 22 July 2022, and her third novel, ‘The Bride’, will be published on 20th October 2023.

More information on Joy, and her books can be found here www.joymargetts.com

Bible, Casting our care on Jesus, Christian Writer, Connected to God, God's protection, The Word of God

LOVINGLY HELD

joymargetts
Small child standing, his face lit by the sunlight through a window

It is a blessing and a privilege to be actively involved in our grandson’s young life. He is just one year old and seems to love being with us. We care for him regularly to enable our daughter to work, and it is a joy. We bend our creaking limbs to get down on the floor to play with him, we run to catch him when he makes an unexpected move towards the stairs, we laugh at his antics when we try to feed him, and wonder at how he is constantly growing and developing his character. When he is finally tired out he will happily come up on to a lap, especially if his favourite TV programme is put on. He sits watching and suddenly he relaxes back against you and his hands go up to fiddle with his ears, and you know he is getting sleepy.

The most wondrous thing is how much he trusts us. He feels completely safe, he leans back and lets himself be loved. He has no worries or anxieties in that moment. He is lovingly held.

LEANING IN

It made me think about my relationship with my heavenly Father. There are times when we do things together, times when He feeds me, times when He steps in to protect me. But perhaps the most precious moments are when I just allow myself to sit in His presence. To lean into Him, to allow myself to rest and let the anxieties fall away.

As my grandson grows older, inevitably he will learn to be more independent. Learn more about life, learn to worry and become less trusting. I hope that is a few years off yet. We as adults have lived long enough to know there are many reasons to worry, and that we just can’t trust everyone. But God still calls us to come to Him as a small child. Psalm 131: 1-2 says this:

Lord, my heart is not haughty,
Nor my eyes  lofty.
Neither do I concern myself with great matters,
Nor with things too profound for me.

 Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul,
Like a weaned child with his mother;
Like a weaned child is my soul within me. (NKJV)

I like how The Passion Translation translates the Psalm:

Lord, my heart is meek before you.
    I don’t consider myself better than others.
    I’m content to not pursue matters that are over my head—
    such as your complex mysteries and wonders—
    that I’m not yet ready to understand.
 I am humbled and quieted in your presence.
    Like a contented child who rests on its mother’s lap,
    I’m your resting child and my soul is content in you.
 O people of God, your time has come to quietly trust,
    waiting upon the Lord now and forever.

LOVINGLY HELD

Small child on the lap of an older man

The truth is, that unlike a small child, we have to make the conscious decision to stop and put it all down, to not be overwhelmed by our anxieties. We have unlimited access into God’s presence (Hebrews 4:6). And just as Jesus sat with His disciples and let John lean back against Him (John 21:20), so His desire is for us to lean into Him and trust Him completely. To rest back and relax into the safety of His protection. To allow ourselves to be lovingly held, if just for a while.

Joy Margetts is a blogger and a published author. Her debut novel ‘The Healing‘ was published by Instant Apostle on 19 March 2021. A work of historic fiction, set in medieval Wales against the backdrop of Cistercian abbey life, it is also a story of faith, hope and God’s redemptive power. Joy has also self- published a short novella, ‘The Beloved‘ as both a companion to ‘The Healing‘, and as an easy to read standalone story, which is available to buy on Amazon Kindle.

‘The Pilgrim‘, her second full length novel, will be published by Instant Apostle in July 2022

More information on Joy and her writing, and links to purchase her books can be found here www.joymargetts.com

Christian Writer, Connected to God, Dealing with Fear, Faith, God's faithfulness, God's protection, prayer, The Word of God

THE POWER OF GLASS: THE POWER OF PRAYER

joymargetts

Dog v Rabbit

We have a dog. Sometimes having a dog is hard work, especially when they are old and hairy, and smelly and noisy. But they can also be oh so entertaining. A few days ago we witnessed something that made us laugh out loud.

We have wall to ceiling windows in our new extension, and the garden is just the other side of the glass. Dog takes up position on his chair (Yes, he has his own armchair. Don’t judge me!) from where he has a good view of all the goings on outside. This particular day a large wild rabbit appeared in the garden. Now dog is a terrier, and rabbits are for chasing, and so of course he went mad. Barking, running up and down, generally being a big fierce scary little terrier. The rabbit for its part just sat down. Less that six feet from the window. Completely unmoved by all the commotion the other side of the glass, it just sat. For over an hour. In the end dog just had to give up, and collapsed panting and sighing onto his chair. Never once did he take his eyes off the garden invader, but he was not able to get anywhere close to chasing it away.

Wild rabbit sitting on a pile of garden soil
Small black and white dog sitting on a chair gazing out of a window, his chin on his paws

What the glass wall represents

Now as a Christian writer I could take all sorts of things from this and use it as an illustration applicable to our every day lives. For example

  • The glass represents God, the barking dog is the enemy and the rabbit us. The enemy can make a big noise but he can’t get at us, if God is our protection. His bark is worse than his bite.

Or perhaps

  • Like the rabbit we should be unmoved by what people (dog) say about us, and stand firm under persecution, holding on to the truth of the word of God – what God says, that is the glass by which we should see things.

Our prayers, the glass wall

Now both of those are great truths and perhaps they are an encouragement to you. I really do hope that they are. But I am especially aware today of millions of people who are right in the frontline of attack and persecution. Not least our brothers and sisters in the Ukraine. It doesn’t necessarily feel like they are being shielded from the enemy, and they are truly vulnerable to persecution and suffering, however strong their faith in God is at this time.

So for them perhaps a better metaphor might be that the glass represents our prayers for them. We might not be able to prevent the bark becoming a bite, but we can stand in the gap for them. We can claim God’s promises on their behalf, we can call on Him for His protection of them, we can declare their victory in Him. We can ask for their needs to be provided for, their faith to be strengthened, their hope to rise and God’s peace and joy to sustain them. We can pray. And our prayers work. There are stories of miracles and hope, love and kindness pouring out of the areas of conflict.

Image of a stone wall with a glassless window overlooking a field of sunflowers and the text of Ezekiel 22 v 30

The power of prayer

My dog is not evil, it is his natural instinct to want to taste a bit of rabbit. The rabbit is not all good. In fact it really looked like that bunny knew how much of a tease it was being. And wild rabbits can desecrate a garden.

Perhaps then, rather than painting one side all wrong and the other side all right, our prayers should extend to those on both sides of the conflict. No-one is outside of God’s mercy and grace. Our dog and that rabbit will never be friends, but the power of God’s love and mercy can reconcile the fiercest of human enemies.  History proves it to be true.

Joy Margetts is new to blogging, and new to being published. Her debut novel ‘The Healing‘ was published by Instant Apostle on 19 March 2021. A work of historic fiction, set in medieval Wales against the backdrop of Cistercian abbey life, it is also a story of faith, hope and God’s redemptive power. Joy has also self- published a short novella, ‘The Beloved‘ as both a companion to ‘The Healing‘, and as an easy to read standalone story, which is available to buy on Amazon Kindle.

‘The Pilgrim‘, her second full length novel, will be published by Instant Apostle in July 2022

More information on Joy and her writing, and links to purchase her books can be found here www.joymargetts.com