Kelly Minter's Blog

Over the past year I’ve had stretches where I haven’t readily felt my faith. God hasn’t felt as near as He often does. I’ve endured a significant disappointment and wondered where God is; Is He still working when I can’t see or feel Him? But notice my emphasis on feeling, on my senses. If God is only faithful when we can feel Him, then we as humans have a problem. Thankfully, God’s goodness doesn’t rise or fall on how we feel about Him. His goodness is based on who He is. Here are three things that have helped me the past year.

This past weekend I spoke at a church in California. I’m always grateful to teach God’s Word, but this weekend I needed it. I needed to be reminded of who God is. I was teaching on the power that pours forth from God’s holiness. When the Israelites passed through the Red Sea, they exclaimed, “Who among the gods is like you, Lord? Who is like you—majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?” (Exodus 15:11). God is unlike all others, and He never stops working, even when we don’t feel it. Go back to Scripture. Give your feelings and emotions to God, and ask Him to remind you of what is true about Him.

One of the truths I’ve held onto this past year is God is in control. This doesn’t mean that heartbreak doesn’t happen, or hardship won’t come our way, but it does mean He is sovereign over all. Some really important things are currently out of my control, so what a balm to my soul Colossians 1:16-17 has been: “For everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and by him all things hold together.” All things are held together by Him. What are you afraid of? What is causing you anxiety? Take it to His loving care.

Gratitude does not come easy to me but it’s a spiritual discipline I’ve been practicing this year. When we are experiencing various trials, and we don’t know what the future holds, we can look around at the many good things God has blessed us with. We can thank Him for these many blessings and turn our gratitude to worship. “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever” (Psalm 136:1).

These are a few of the things I’ve been going back to. I hope they help you in whatever season you find yourself in.

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Please join me for this month’s video devotional on what to do when we can’t see or feel God. If you’re in that place, I hope it will be an encouragement to you that the Israelites were there too. Sometimes it’s a blessing to be reminded that we’re not the first ones to feel as though God’s activity has vanished from in front of us. But this doesn’t mean He’s not working or with you. Watch the video below to find out more. 

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This month I’m bringing you some encouragement on identity straight from a village in the Amazon. When God called Moses to lead the Israelites out of the bondage of Egypt, Moses responded like many of us would, “Who Am I?” he said asked. In other words, I’m a shepherd and Egyptians hate shepherds, I was driven out of Egypt, I don’t speak well, etc. Do you want to know how God responded to Moses? His answer was life-changing though not what we might expect. Check out the video to find out. 

The post Who Am I?: How God responds when we don’t think we’re enough. appeared first on Kelly Minter.

It’s been a busy few months for me, and I’m sure it’s been the same for you. May is packed with Mother’s Day, graduations, end-of-year school activities, and of course spring cleaning and outside chores. I hope I’m not stressing anyone out.

To add to the busyness, last week I had the joy of graduating from Denver Seminary after five-plus years working on my MA in Biblical and Theological Studies. This endeavor has been one of the most meaningful of my life. My prayer is that all I’ve learned about God and His Word will flow through my Bible studies and speaking in ways that will help us all know Jesus more deeply.

In addition, for anyone walking through a difficult season, I wanted to share some brief thoughts on suffering. How to suffer well, and how to experience Christ in the middle of it. I hope the following words will be a blessing to you.

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With Easter being particularly late this year, I’m more aware of its ties to Spring. New life is budding, colors are bursting, the unique color of spring-green is sprouting all around us. But what is going on in our hearts? What kind of creative act does God want to do within us? 

I’ve recorded a short devotional on John 9:6, a rather peculiar verse. When we dig beneath the dirt (pun intended), we see in this text Jesus’s allusion to a BRAND NEW WORK. Because sometimes we don’t need a redo, a refresh, or a restoration — we need Christ to work something new in us. Easter, here we come!

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I recorded a short Lenten devotion for you to reflect on. In Luke 24:5, the angel of the Lord asks the women at the empty tomb, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” This always makes me think about where I’m looking for life. I hope these thoughts set your expectations on Jesus no matter what you’re walking through this spring.

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Are you in a season of waiting? An in-between time? I don’t know anyone who relishes the time between a promise given and the proper time for the promise fulfilled, yet what God does in our lives and the lives of others can be some of the most meaningful work He accomplishes. I hope you’ll find encouragement in this season as God prepares you for what He has prepared you for!

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Hear insight from Kelly about prioritizing new year goals and your knowing God. John 11 is where Kelly speaks to the reaction of Jesus, Martha and Mary in light of this wisdom about cultivating our relationship with God over what we do for Him.

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This month I wanted to encourage you with how Elizabeth and Mary embraced their God-given roles and found joy leading up to the first Christmas.

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Over the next few months I’ll be writing devotionals from the book of Esther in celebration of the release of my latest study, Esther: Daring Faith For Such A Time As This, coming November 1st. There’s so much encouragement in her story. In God’s story.

When You Don’t Know, Do What You Do Know

Esther 4:14b “Who knows, perhaps you have come to your royal position for such a time as this.”

The phrase, “for such a time as this” is a familiar one in the Book of Esther. What we don’t often focus on is that the verse begins with “who knows.” Because we typically want to know, right? We want to know who our child will end up marrying, what will happen with the diagnosis, whether or not we’ll get the job, what school our child belongs in. We love a “thus sayeth the Lord,” when it comes to life’s biggest decisions.

But when Mordecai pleaded with Esther to put her life on the line on behalf of the Jewish people he didn’t have a direct command from the Lord. Mordecai believed that God would work out deliverance, but he didn’t know how. When it comes to significant outcomes in my life, I very much like to know “that” it will happen and “how.” But it’s precisely the latter that God doesn’t usually share with us. Sometimes all He asks us to do is to take the first step of obedience. And then the next.  

As I write, I have a stirring in my heart for something I’m not quite sure about. The Lord has asked me to take a practical step of obedience but I don’t know where it’s leading. It it leads where it could, it would be life-changing. But the path could also just as realistically not be life-changing at all. Who knows? But here’s the thing… well, two things: 1. God knows all things and 2. we know a few things. 

God knew exactly how He would deliver His people because He knows all things. But Mordecai knew a few things. We can assume he knew of God’s general will for His people, the Jews. We can assume he knew of passages like Deuteronomy 4:31 which says, “For the LORD your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your ancestors, which he confirmed to them by oath.” In other words, Mordecai knew that God would keep His covenant with His people even when they had been driven into faraway places. He knew enough to know that God would not fail the Jewish people now. Even though they were seemingly a million miles from the land of promise, and Esther was queen in a pagan Persian palace, and Mordecai had angered a chief rival of the Jews by not bowing down to him, somehow, someway, God would keep His promise to preserve His beloved people. Mordecai wasn’t exactly sure if or how Esther would be used, but He believed God would deliver His people one way or another.

The same is true for us. When we study Scripture, we discover what God has called us to generally: Love others, speak kindly, walk humbly, worship Jesus, take care of the orphan and widow, live generously, trust God and don’t worry, and we could go on and on. Those are the “few” things we know to do. God knows the bigger picture. And He delights in our trusting Him, even when we don’t know the specifics of how He will work out His plan.

Esther and Mordecai had the confidence to courageously step up, not because God told them how things would turn out but because they knew that fighting for the Jewish people was in accordance with His will. What do you know to do that is God’s will? You may not have all the details, but how can you obey now? What practical step can you take? 

Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (NIV). Many things in life are not good. And bad things don’t always work together for good. However, what we can bank on is that in all things it is God who is working for our good!1 

Be obedient to Christ. Make choices according to what God has revealed to you in His Word. Trust Him. Though you can’t know how it’s all going to work out, take heart that it will. In His time, in His way, always for your good.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; in all your ways know him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your cares on him, because he cares about you. 1 Peter 5:6-7 

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