Finale
Panorama
The final session of Panorama: a sweeping vista of God’s Word will be held June 3, 7:00 PM, at New Life Church, West Linn. Join in person or on livestream at https://bit.ly/NewLifeWomenLivestreamJune. Materials and videos of sessions one through four are on the church website.
Materials for our current Side by Side Bible study of Revelation can also be found on the church website. We will finish our study of Revelation at 1st Thursday Connect on July 1 and then break for the rest of the summer.
Poll
The Women’s Ministry leadership team would very much appreciate your input as we plan for next year. Would you take a minute to answer five questions? Whether you are a regular attender or have never participated before or are somewhere in-between, your feedback is valued. Thank you for your help!
Isaiah 40
As we memorize Isaiah 40, these excerpts from the commentary Isaiah: God Saves Sinners by Raymond Ortlund are provided for your education and enjoyment. We will be memorizing verses 27-28 in June.
Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, "My way is hidden from the LORD, and my right is disregarded by my God"? Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. (Isaiah 40:27-28 ESV)
The Jewish exiles living under a kind of mass house arrest in Babylon felt abandoned by God…. This way of thinking is not new…. Isaiah articulates for us our poisonous thoughts, but not to coddle us…. No one lives with an unwavering faith. But Isaiah reasons with us, challenging the irrationality of our unbelief, to help us get back on track.
Everything that matters in life hangs on who God is. What does Isaiah say? Four things. First, God is eternal, everlasting…. So we should never panic if things aren’t falling together according to our deadlines. God is working his purpose out in his own way, at his own pace, without our hurried, nervous desperation.
Secondly, God is the Creator of everything, all the way to the very “ends of the earth….” We lie in his grace and power at all times, everywhere.
Thirdly, God is always at work…. He never grows tired or weary but is forever fresh, always alert, always able.
Fourthly, God is wise, and “his understanding in unsearchable.” In other words, we can’t figure God out…. If our lives are not exactly the way we would like them to be, we can be sure they are precisely the way God wants them to be. He knows what he’s doing. So we don’t live by explanation; we live by promises. We don’t figure God out by our brains; we submit to him by faith.
Links
Below are links to articles, books, podcasts, and music that might be of interest or help on various topics. Resources are curated but may not always reflect the views of New Life Church. Enjoy!
Welcome to Exile: It’s Going to Be OK—by Alistair Begg @ TGC. “So we do not panic and we do not vent, and we enjoy a deep confidence even as the tides seem to run against our faith.”
Four Defining Moments for Young Marriages—@ Desiring God.
Whitney Woollard on Worshiping Through Chronic Illness—@ Disciple Hinson Podcast. “Suffering is a famine, but Christ is a feast.”