<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0" xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" xmlns:googleplay="http://www.google.com/schemas/play-podcasts/1.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Bethany Heisler]]></title><description><![CDATA[Theology should be accessible to everyone. I hope to make the pursuit of God a delight]]></description><link>https://biblejournalingbethany.substack.com</link><image><url>https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!J0hm!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffc6290c6-7f71-40f2-8e69-94c0ad41d524_2316x3088.heic</url><title>Bethany Heisler</title><link>https://biblejournalingbethany.substack.com</link></image><generator>Substack</generator><lastBuildDate>Tue, 09 Jun 2026 10:36:37 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://biblejournalingbethany.substack.com/feed" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><copyright><![CDATA[Bethany Heisler]]></copyright><language><![CDATA[en]]></language><webMaster><![CDATA[biblejournalingbethany@substack.com]]></webMaster><itunes:owner><itunes:email><![CDATA[biblejournalingbethany@substack.com]]></itunes:email><itunes:name><![CDATA[Bethany Heisler]]></itunes:name></itunes:owner><itunes:author><![CDATA[Bethany Heisler]]></itunes:author><googleplay:owner><![CDATA[biblejournalingbethany@substack.com]]></googleplay:owner><googleplay:email><![CDATA[biblejournalingbethany@substack.com]]></googleplay:email><googleplay:author><![CDATA[Bethany Heisler]]></googleplay:author><itunes:block><![CDATA[Yes]]></itunes:block><item><title><![CDATA[Refuge: Dwelling Place]]></title><description><![CDATA[Our ultimate security is not found in geography or political stability. Our true dwelling place is God Himself.]]></description><link>https://biblejournalingbethany.substack.com/p/refuge-dwelling-place</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://biblejournalingbethany.substack.com/p/refuge-dwelling-place</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Bethany Heisler]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 08 Jun 2026 12:16:14 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!J0hm!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffc6290c6-7f71-40f2-8e69-94c0ad41d524_2316x3088.heic" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>&#8220;The eternal God is a dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms.&#8221;</em> &#8212; Deuteronomy 33:27 (NASB)</p><p>Among the many names and descriptions of God throughout Scripture, Refuge speaks not merely of what God does, but of where His people live. A deliverer arrives to rescue. A shepherd guides. A king rules. Yet a refuge is a place of habitation. It is somewhere one remains.</p><p>This week I&#8217;m looking into the Name of God as Refuge.</p><p>Modern Christians often think of refuge as a temporary shelter, a place to run during a storm before returning to ordinary life. Scripture presents a much richer picture. The biblical understanding of refuge is not primarily about escape but about abiding and living in this place permanently. God&#8217;s presence is not a spiritual emergency room we visit in moments of crisis. It is the dwelling place for which humanity was created. Moses final blessing over Israel says: &#8220;The eternal God is a dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms&#8221; (Deuteronomy 33:27). Before Israel entered the Promised Land, before they established cities, armies, and kingdoms, Moses reminded them that their ultimate security would never be found in geography or political stability. Their true dwelling place was God Himself.</p><p>This theme echoes throughout the Psalms. The sons of Korah write, &#8220;How lovely are Your dwelling places, Lord of armies! My soul longed and even yearned for the courtyards of the Lord&#8221; (Psalm 84:1-2, NASB). This longing was not for a building. The temple was precious because it represented the presence of God among His people. The blessing of God&#8217;s house was never the structure itself; the blessing was communion with the One who dwelled there. Psalm 84 continues by declaring, &#8220;Blessed are those who dwell in Your house! They are ever praising You&#8221; (v. 4). The psalmist does not praise those who occasionally visit God&#8217;s presence. Blessedness belongs to those who dwell there. The image is one of settled residence, not temporary shelter.</p><p>This concept becomes even more explicit in Psalm 91. The psalm opens with one of my favorite promises in Scripture: &#8220;One who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will lodge in the shadow of the Almighty&#8221; (v. 1, NASB). The promise is attached to dwelling, safety is connected to abiding, and protection is found in proximity to God. The Hebrew language proves this thought process. Words translated as refuge throughout the Old Testament that carry the idea of seeking shelter, taking refuge, or remaining under protection is in a present tense that implies continual dependence. God&#8217;s people are invited to remain under His care, to order their lives around His presence, and to find their identity and security in Him. Psalm 91 unfolds a series of dangers: snares, disease, terror, war, and destruction. But the psalm&#8217;s central message is not that believers will never experience hardship. Instead, it is that God&#8217;s presence is more secure than the dangers that threaten them. The refuge is not freedom from trouble. The refuge is God Himself.</p><p>I often seek God primarily when circumstances become difficult. Prayer intensifies when bills arrive. Scripture reading becomes urgent during uncertainty. Worship becomes more meaningful when life feels unstable. While God graciously welcomes us in every season, Scripture presents refuge as more than a reaction to hardship. Refuge is a way of life. David captures this perspective in Psalm 27. After speaking of enemies, opposition, and fear, he reveals the deepest desire of his heart: &#8220;One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life&#8221; (Psalm 27:4, NASB). David&#8217;s greatest longing was not victory over his enemies. It was not comfort, prosperity, or safety. His deepest desire was the presence of God. The following verses reveal why: &#8220;For on the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle&#8221; (Psalm 27:5). Protection flows from presence. Safety is found in dwelling. The refuge is not merely what God provides; the refuge is who God is.</p><p>I love seeing story of Scripture connect with humanity dwelling with God in Eden and ending with God&#8217;s people dwelling with Him forever in the new creation. Between those two realities runs the great narrative of redemption. Sin expelled humanity from God&#8217;s presence, but God&#8217;s saving work has always been aimed at restoration. The tabernacle, the temple, and ultimately Christ Himself reveal God&#8217;s desire to dwell among His people.</p><p>Through Jesus, believers are welcomed into continual fellowship with God. The invitation is not simply to believe in Him but to <em>abide</em> in Him. Christ&#8217;s work restores what sin disrupted, making possible the intimate communion for which humanity was created. The refuge longed for in the Old Testament finds its fulfillment in the Savior who brings us near. Life in a fallen world guarantees seasons of suffering, but the stability of God&#8217;s presence does not fluctuate with our circumstances. He is as faithful in peace as He is in crisis. He is as present in ordinary days as He is in moments of desperation.</p><p>Every day presents an invitation to cultivate awareness of the God whose presence is constant and whose love is everlasting. The refuge that shelters us in times of trouble is the same refuge that sustains us in seasons of abundance. May our greatest desire not be merely God&#8217;s gifts, protection, or provision, but God Himself. And may we discover that the safest place in all creation is where it has always been, in the presence of the Lord, dwelling beneath the shelter of His everlasting arms.</p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Deliverer!]]></title><description><![CDATA[Is the Price of Egypt song running through your head?]]></description><link>https://biblejournalingbethany.substack.com/p/deliverer</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://biblejournalingbethany.substack.com/p/deliverer</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Bethany Heisler]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 01 Jun 2026 11:25:58 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!r5yB!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91f2012b-11b4-4516-a21a-3751aa033ff7_5712x4284.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>&#8220;The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge.&#8221; &#8212; 2 Samuel 22:2-3 (NASB)</p><p>Few names of God feel more relevant than Deliverer. Every season of life seems to present a new reason to cry. A fractured relationship. Financial uncertainty. Cultural upheaval. Personal grief. My body failing. The world around me groans beneath the weight of sin and brokenness, and my heart instinctively longs for someone strong enough to save me from it.</p><p>This week, I will be looking into the name of God: Deliverer.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!r5yB!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91f2012b-11b4-4516-a21a-3751aa033ff7_5712x4284.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!r5yB!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91f2012b-11b4-4516-a21a-3751aa033ff7_5712x4284.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!r5yB!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91f2012b-11b4-4516-a21a-3751aa033ff7_5712x4284.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!r5yB!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91f2012b-11b4-4516-a21a-3751aa033ff7_5712x4284.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!r5yB!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91f2012b-11b4-4516-a21a-3751aa033ff7_5712x4284.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!r5yB!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91f2012b-11b4-4516-a21a-3751aa033ff7_5712x4284.jpeg" width="4284" height="5712" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/91f2012b-11b4-4516-a21a-3751aa033ff7_5712x4284.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:&quot;normal&quot;,&quot;height&quot;:5712,&quot;width&quot;:4284,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:0,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!r5yB!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91f2012b-11b4-4516-a21a-3751aa033ff7_5712x4284.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!r5yB!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91f2012b-11b4-4516-a21a-3751aa033ff7_5712x4284.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!r5yB!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91f2012b-11b4-4516-a21a-3751aa033ff7_5712x4284.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!r5yB!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91f2012b-11b4-4516-a21a-3751aa033ff7_5712x4284.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>When David calls God his Deliverer in 2 Samuel 22, he is looking back on a lifetime of God&#8217;s faithfulness. God rescued him from enemies, protected him from death, and preserved him through circumstances that should have overwhelmed him. David&#8217;s declaration is not merely poetic language; it is a testimony. The God of Israel had proven Himself powerful to save over and over.</p><p>In the Old Testament, God&#8217;s deliverance appears again and again. He delivers Noah from judgment, Israel from slavery, David from Saul, and Israel from exile. Each rescue demonstrated His sovereignty over circumstances that seem impossible. No enemy was too strong. No situation was too hopeless. No darkness was too dark for His saving hand. These acts of deliverance happened over and over again. They are signposts directing our eyes toward a greater rescue still to come.</p><p>The Old Testament created a longing that no earthly deliverance can fully satisfy. Israel may be delivered from Egypt, yet slavery to sin remains. Kings may rescue the nation from military threats, yet the human heart continues to rebel against God. Temporary relief from suffering cannot solve humanity&#8217;s deepest problem. A greater Deliverer is needed.</p><p>That Deliverer arrives in Jesus Christ.</p><p>Paul writes, &#8220;For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son&#8221; (Colossians 1:13, NASB). Here we find the ultimate expression of God&#8217;s deliverance. Christ did not merely rescue people from difficult circumstances; He rescued sinners from the power of sin, death, and judgment. Every Old Testament act of salvation finds its fulfillment in the cross and resurrection.</p><p>This truth defines how we understand deliverance today.</p><p>Many of us approach God hoping for immediate rescue from present pains. We ask Him to remove the hardship, heal the illness, fix the relationship, or change the circumstance. Sometimes He graciously does. Psalm 34:17 reminds us, &#8220;The righteous cry, and the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles&#8221; (NASB). God remains attentive to the cries of His people.</p><p>But deliverance does not always arrive in the timing or manner we expect. God is the God of the eleventh hour sometimes. Trusting in His timing is hard.</p><p>Sometimes God delivers us from a trial. Sometimes He delivers us through a trial. And sometimes He sustains us in a trial while we wait for the final deliverance He has promised. The Christian life is lived in the tension between rescue accomplished and rescue awaited. Christ has already secured our salvation, yet we still live in a world marked by suffering and sorrow. Waiting for trials to end is difficult. Waiting for healing, justice, restoration, or relief can stretch faith to its limits. But the name Deliverer reminds us that God&#8217;s character has not changed. The same God who delivered His people in Egypt, who preserved David through countless dangers, and who raised from the dead is still at work today.</p><p>His greatest act of deliverance has already been accomplished through the gospel. Because of that, every believer can face present troubles with hope. No hardship is meaningless. No suffering is unseen. No season of waiting is outside His sovereign care. God was the Deliverer in the beginning. He remains the Deliverer now. And when Christ returns, He will bring His people safely to the other side, where every cry for rescue will finally be answered.</p><p>Until then, we wait with confidence, trusting the God who saves.</p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Christ Our Cornerstone]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Cornerstone is the stabilizer in chaos, the firmness beneath weary feet, the anchor for anxious hearts, and the foundation that cannot be shaken.]]></description><link>https://biblejournalingbethany.substack.com/p/christ-our-cornerstone</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://biblejournalingbethany.substack.com/p/christ-our-cornerstone</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Bethany Heisler]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 25 May 2026 13:00:17 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8lvA!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7dd6ced1-170c-4ef6-8d9d-fb644e06fef7_5712x4284.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Instability is the worse. I feel it when relationships strain, when unexpected financial issues enters uninvited, when anxiety presses against our ribs in the quiet hours of the night, or when the world around us seems to tremble beneath the weight of sin and sorrow. My heart long for permanence, for something immovable to anchor me when everything else feels uncertain. Scripture answers that longing with a person. Jesus Christ is our Cornerstone, the sure and steady foundation upon which all of life is meant to rest.</p><p>This week I am diving deep into the Name of God: Cornerstone.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8lvA!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7dd6ced1-170c-4ef6-8d9d-fb644e06fef7_5712x4284.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8lvA!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7dd6ced1-170c-4ef6-8d9d-fb644e06fef7_5712x4284.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8lvA!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7dd6ced1-170c-4ef6-8d9d-fb644e06fef7_5712x4284.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8lvA!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7dd6ced1-170c-4ef6-8d9d-fb644e06fef7_5712x4284.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8lvA!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7dd6ced1-170c-4ef6-8d9d-fb644e06fef7_5712x4284.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8lvA!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7dd6ced1-170c-4ef6-8d9d-fb644e06fef7_5712x4284.jpeg" width="4284" height="5712" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/7dd6ced1-170c-4ef6-8d9d-fb644e06fef7_5712x4284.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:&quot;normal&quot;,&quot;height&quot;:5712,&quot;width&quot;:4284,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:0,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8lvA!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7dd6ced1-170c-4ef6-8d9d-fb644e06fef7_5712x4284.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8lvA!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7dd6ced1-170c-4ef6-8d9d-fb644e06fef7_5712x4284.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8lvA!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7dd6ced1-170c-4ef6-8d9d-fb644e06fef7_5712x4284.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8lvA!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7dd6ced1-170c-4ef6-8d9d-fb644e06fef7_5712x4284.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>The imagery of the cornerstone appears throughout Scripture as both a promise and a proclamation. We see the prophetic promises in Psalms and Isaiah. In Psalm 118, the psalmist declares, &#8220;The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.&#8221; What was dismissed by men was chosen by God to become the very thing holding the structure together. Years later, Isaiah prophesied this coming foundation when God declared, &#8220;Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation.&#8221; The cornerstone was not an afterthought in God&#8217;s redemptive plan, but the intentional center of it. Before Christ ever walked the dusty roads of Galilee, God had already ordained Him to be the secure foundation for weary sinners.</p><p>When my daughter and I play the Penguin Ice Block Game, we know that one piece that l holds everything together shouldn&#8217;t be tapped. Each turn feels safe enough until someone taps the wrong block and suddenly the entire structure collapses beneath the penguin. We laugh when it falls. But here&#8217;s what I know, every life is being built upon something. Some build themselves upon success, others upon relationships, approval, comfort, control, or self-sufficiency. Yet all lesser foundations eventually crack beneath the weight they were never meant to carry. The soul was not designed to rest upon temporary things. We were created to stand upon Christ alone.</p><p>This is why the fulfillment of these prophecies in Jesus is so important. In Acts 4, Peter stands before the very religious leaders who rejected Christ and boldly proclaims, &#8220;This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.&#8221; The leaders believed they had discarded Him through crucifixion, yet the resurrection revealed that the rejected stone was actually the only secure foundation for salvation. Peter continues by declaring that &#8220;there is salvation in no one else.&#8221; The cornerstone is not only a supportive architecture added onto a stable life; It is the only thing keeping the whole structure from collapse.</p><p>Paul expands this imagery in Ephesians 2 when he writes that believers are &#8220;built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone.&#8221; In ancient construction, the cornerstone determined the alignment and stability of the entire building. Every other stone took its direction from it. If the cornerstone was faulty, the entire structure would eventually fail. Christ strengthens our lives; He rightly orders them. He aligns wandering hearts back toward truth. He steadies what sin distorted. He gathers broken and scattered people and forms them into a dwelling place for God Himself.</p><p>Peter reinforces this same truth in 1 Peter 2, describing Jesus as the &#8220;living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious.&#8221; Here we see the fulfillment of the prophecy in Psalms. That the cornerstone needed and required is being rejected in the form of Jesus. To those who trust Him, He is safety, refuge, and stability. To those who reject Him, He becomes a stone of stumbling. Christ cannot be admired from a distance as just an inspiring teacher or moral example. A cornerstone needs full faith because every life will ultimately be built either upon Him or apart from Him.</p><p>How comforting it is that when the enemy seeks to destabilize us, Christ remains unmoved. Scripture describes Satan as a roaring lion seeking someone to devour, and indeed there are seasons where fear, temptation, grief, or suffering make us feel as though everything around us is splintering apart. Yet the believer is not held together by personal strength, emotional stability, or perfect faithfulness. We are held together by Christ Himself. The cornerstone does not crumble because the storm intensifies. Jesus remains steady when our hearts are not. He remains faithful when we feel weak. He remains secure even when the world trembles beneath our feet.</p><p>To call Jesus our Cornerstone is to confess that He is not merely part of our lives, but the very thing which our lives depend. He is the stabilizer in chaos, the firmness beneath weary feet, the anchor for anxious hearts, and the foundation that cannot be shaken. Every other structure in this world will eventually fade, but the one built on Christ will stand eternally because its foundation is eternal. And so we cling to Him, not because we are strong enough to hold ourselves together, but because He has already proven Himself able to hold all things together, including us.</p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Note from the Car]]></title><description><![CDATA[God is here in the life we are living, not just the Bible Studies or church pews.]]></description><link>https://biblejournalingbethany.substack.com/p/a-note-from-the-car</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://biblejournalingbethany.substack.com/p/a-note-from-the-car</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Bethany Heisler]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 18 May 2026 17:40:24 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-wvH!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5095e56a-8233-4ac5-9e87-c8b2efc32a3d_1179x2079.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This weekend, I traded my commentaries for highways and gas stations. My daughter, sister, and I packed ourselves into the car and drove from New Jersey to Missouri to celebrate multiple family milestones together. It was beautiful and exhausting in the way family weekends are. There were long stretches of road, snack wrappers piling up in cup holders, deep conversations, laughter that made us cry, and exhaustion that settles deep in your bones.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-wvH!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5095e56a-8233-4ac5-9e87-c8b2efc32a3d_1179x2079.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-wvH!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5095e56a-8233-4ac5-9e87-c8b2efc32a3d_1179x2079.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-wvH!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5095e56a-8233-4ac5-9e87-c8b2efc32a3d_1179x2079.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-wvH!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5095e56a-8233-4ac5-9e87-c8b2efc32a3d_1179x2079.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-wvH!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5095e56a-8233-4ac5-9e87-c8b2efc32a3d_1179x2079.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-wvH!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5095e56a-8233-4ac5-9e87-c8b2efc32a3d_1179x2079.jpeg" width="1179" height="2079" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/5095e56a-8233-4ac5-9e87-c8b2efc32a3d_1179x2079.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:&quot;normal&quot;,&quot;height&quot;:2079,&quot;width&quot;:1179,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:0,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-wvH!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5095e56a-8233-4ac5-9e87-c8b2efc32a3d_1179x2079.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-wvH!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5095e56a-8233-4ac5-9e87-c8b2efc32a3d_1179x2079.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-wvH!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5095e56a-8233-4ac5-9e87-c8b2efc32a3d_1179x2079.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-wvH!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5095e56a-8233-4ac5-9e87-c8b2efc32a3d_1179x2079.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>As the weekend ended, I realized I wasn&#8217;t going to have the time or focus to continue my Names of God study this week. I love sitting with Scripture and digging into the character of God. That is not happening this week. Instead I&#8217;m writing a simple thought process. <em>God is here in the life we are living, not just the Bible Studies or church pews.</em> He&#8217;s in the clouds and cries and comfort of family. Theology cannot be confined to a notebook or a sermon manuscript. It is not just an intellectual practice reserved for quiet mornings and highlighted Bibles. Theology needs to be practical. What we believe about God shapes the way we respond to interruptions, the tone we use with our children, the patience we extend to our sisters, and the mercy we offer when we are tired and inconvenienced.</p><p>The gospel followed me into the car.</p><p>It&#8217;s there in moments when my daughter asked the same question for the tenth time, and I still can&#8217;t hear her, and I felt irritation rise in my chest. Its there when exhaustion tempted me to become short-tempered with my sister in close quarters. It reminds me that Christ is endlessly patient with me. The kindness of God softens me if I allow it to. The grace we have received was never meant to be a golden ticket moment; it is meant to overflow into our homes, our conversations, our marriages, and our parenting.</p><p>I think sometimes we separate &#8220;knowing God&#8221; from daily life as if doctrine belongs only to our study time or church pews, while ordinary routines belong to everyone else. But what is laundry folded in love if not worship? What is choosing gentleness in motherhood if not theology applied? What is a road trip spent marveling at creation if not discipleship unfolding in real time?</p><p>My sister and I spent much of the 14hr drive observing the clouds. Every few hours the sky looked completely different, as though God had painted over the canvas again. Layers of gold and pink stretched endlessly above us. Storm clouds gathered and dissolved. Sunlight broke through in ribbons. Ugh, I&#8217;m obsessed and it felt impossible not to worship.</p><p>This weekend showed me that again, spiritual growth can&#8217;t be measured in isolated study. The litmus test of our faith is shown in motion, like driving unfamiliar roads, while extending patience when we are tired, while listening carefully to people we love, while noticing the heavens declaring the glory of God.</p><p>So this week, instead of another Name of God study, I wanted to share these thoughts with you.</p><p>Thank you for continuing to read along, encourage me, and stay connected through this series. Your support means more than you know. Next week we will return to studying another name of God together, but this weekend reminded me that every name we study is meant to shape the way we live ordinary life.</p><p>Oh, and Happy Birthday to me &#128524;</p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[God is Not Tame: A Consuming Fire]]></title><description><![CDATA[There are names of God that comfort us immediately.]]></description><link>https://biblejournalingbethany.substack.com/p/god-is-not-tame-a-consuming-fire</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://biblejournalingbethany.substack.com/p/god-is-not-tame-a-consuming-fire</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Bethany Heisler]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 11 May 2026 12:08:13 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!J0hm!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffc6290c6-7f71-40f2-8e69-94c0ad41d524_2316x3088.heic" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>There are names of God that comfort us immediately. Shepherd. Father. Redeemer. These names remind us that the Lord is near to the brokenhearted and gentle toward the weary. Yet Scripture also gives us names that cause us to tremble, names that interrupt our casual assumptions about who God is and remind us that holiness is not soft or manageable. One of those names is this: God is a Consuming Fire.</p><p>This week I&#8217;m looking into the Name of God: <strong>Consuming Fire</strong></p><p>The phrase appears ten times throughout Scripture, but one of the first moments is found in Exodus 24 as Israel stands at the foot of Mount Sinai. The mountain shook beneath the glory of God. Thunder rolled across the sky while smoke and fire covered the mountain because the Lord descended upon it. The people were warned repeatedly not to touch the mountain or even approach it carelessly because the holiness of God was not something sinful humanity could survive on its own. Moses alone was invited upward, and even he ascended with fear and trembling. Exodus 24:17 says, &#8220;And to the eyes of the sons of Israel the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a consuming fire on the mountain top&#8221; (NASB). Fire in Scripture is always destructive. It purifies, destroys, reveals, and judges. The fire of God exposes everything that cannot stand in His presence.</p><p>This is the tension I often struggle to hold. I speak often of the love of God, and rightly so, but I can become so familiar with His kindness that I forget His holiness. The fear of the Lord is not poetic exaggeration. It is the rightful response of creation standing before its Creator. <em>The God who formed galaxies with His voice and laid the foundations of the earth is not someone to reduce into sentimental spirituality or convenient inspiration.</em> Scripture tells us that this same God once covered the earth in judgment through the flood and will one day judge evil fully and finally again. Hebrews 10:31 declares, &#8220;It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God&#8221; (NASB). That verse is uncomfortable because it dismantles the illusion that God exists to affirm us. He is holy beyond comprehension, righteous beyond corruption, and glorious beyond what human language can fully contain.</p><p>C.S. Lewis captured the paradox beautifully through the character of Aslan in <em>The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe</em>. When the children ask whether Aslan is safe, Mr. Beaver says, &#8220;Course he isn&#8217;t safe. But he&#8217;s good. He isn&#8217;t a tame lion.&#8221; That is the kind of God we serve. Not tame. Not manageable. Not safe in the way we often define safety. Yet entirely good. Entirely trustworthy. Entirely righteous in all He does. We do not worship a domesticated deity shaped by cultural preferences. We worship the Lord of Hosts whose voice causes mountains to melt and whose mercy still invites sinners near.</p><p>What is remarkable is that the story does not end at Sinai. The mountain of separation eventually gives way to the mountain of invitation. Hebrews 12 intentionally contrasts Mount Sinai with Mount Zion. Sinai represented distance, terror, and judgment under the Law. The people stood far away because sin could not safely enter the presence of a holy God. Yet Hebrews tells believers, &#8220;But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem&#8221; (Hebrews 12:22, NASB). The consuming fire has not changed. God is still holy. His righteousness has not weakened with time. What has changed is our access.</p><blockquote><p>This is where Jesus becomes not only beautiful but necessary.</p></blockquote><p>Job longed desperately for someone who could stand between God and man. In Job 9:33 he cries, &#8220;There is no mediator between us, Who may lay his hand upon us both&#8221; (NASB). Job understood the problem humanity still wrestles with today. How can sinful people survive the presence of a holy God? How can dust approach fire and not be consumed? On our own, we cannot. Yet the Gospel declares that Christ became our Mediator and our Great High Priest. Hebrews 4:14-16 tells us that because Jesus sympathizes with our weakness and intercedes on our behalf, we can &#8220;approach the throne of grace with confidence&#8221; (NASB). Not because the fire became less holy, but because Christ covered us in His righteousness.</p><blockquote><p>The cross did not soften God&#8217;s holiness. It satisfied it.</p></blockquote><p>Jesus absorbed the wrath our sin deserved so that we could enter the presence that once drove humanity away in terror. The veil was torn because the true sacrifice had been made. The God who once descended in fire upon Sinai now welcomes believers into communion through the blood of His Son. This invitation should not make us casual. It should make us worshipful. Reverence and intimacy are not opposites in the Christian life. In Christ, they belong together.</p><p>Perhaps this is why Hebrews concludes its teaching on Mount Zion with a reminder many believers overlook: &#8220;For our God is a consuming fire&#8221; (Hebrews 12:29, NASB). Even in grace, He remains holy. Even in invitation, He remains sovereign. Even in mercy, He remains utterly glorious. The Christian life is not about shrinking God into someone less frightening. It is about seeing Him rightly and then marveling that through Jesus we are welcomed near at all.</p><p>The God of Scripture burns away every false version of Himself we try to create. His fire consumes pride, self-righteousness, rebellion, and idols. It refines those who belong to Him and judges what opposes Him. This is not cruelty. It is mercy. A God who tolerates evil indefinitely would not be good. A God who never judges sin would not be righteous. His holiness is not separate from His goodness. It is part of it.</p><p>So we stand in awe. Because Christ, the consuming fire no longer drives us away. He draws us in, purifies us, and reminds us that the safest place for the believer is not far from God&#8217;s holiness but hidden within Christ Himself.</p><p><strong>Reflective Questions:</strong></p><ol><li><p>Have I become so familiar with God&#8217;s love that I have lost sight of His holiness?</p></li><li><p>In what ways do I approach God casually instead of reverently?</p></li><li><p>How does Jesus as my Mediator change the way I view both the fear of the Lord and the invitation into His presence?</p></li></ol><div><hr></div><p>If this Names of God series has encouraged your faith and deepened your understanding of Scripture, I would love for you to follow and subscribe for future studies. Each week we are exploring the character of God through the names He gives Himself so that we may know Him more fully, worship Him more deeply, and walk with Him more faithfully. Thank you </p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Christ: the Son of God]]></title><description><![CDATA[As I watch my child develop different interests and her own personality outside of me, I wonder how that translates to Jesus being the Son of God.]]></description><link>https://biblejournalingbethany.substack.com/p/christ-the-son-of-god</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://biblejournalingbethany.substack.com/p/christ-the-son-of-god</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Bethany Heisler]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 04 May 2026 12:06:26 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pNwY!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffe01a3df-d260-40d4-a4e6-0880c66fcfa7_5712x4284.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>As I watch my child develop different interests and her own personality outside of me, I wonder how that translates to Jesus being the Son of God. I know my daughter is not me, but for sometime while she snuggled into my chest, and reached out to me with her sweet hands, she was an extension of me. She was me and I was her, but now she is not and I turn to the Name of God: <strong>Son</strong></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pNwY!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffe01a3df-d260-40d4-a4e6-0880c66fcfa7_5712x4284.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pNwY!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffe01a3df-d260-40d4-a4e6-0880c66fcfa7_5712x4284.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pNwY!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffe01a3df-d260-40d4-a4e6-0880c66fcfa7_5712x4284.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pNwY!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffe01a3df-d260-40d4-a4e6-0880c66fcfa7_5712x4284.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pNwY!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffe01a3df-d260-40d4-a4e6-0880c66fcfa7_5712x4284.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pNwY!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffe01a3df-d260-40d4-a4e6-0880c66fcfa7_5712x4284.jpeg" width="4284" height="5712" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/fe01a3df-d260-40d4-a4e6-0880c66fcfa7_5712x4284.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:&quot;normal&quot;,&quot;height&quot;:5712,&quot;width&quot;:4284,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:0,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pNwY!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffe01a3df-d260-40d4-a4e6-0880c66fcfa7_5712x4284.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pNwY!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffe01a3df-d260-40d4-a4e6-0880c66fcfa7_5712x4284.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pNwY!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffe01a3df-d260-40d4-a4e6-0880c66fcfa7_5712x4284.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pNwY!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffe01a3df-d260-40d4-a4e6-0880c66fcfa7_5712x4284.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>When Christ bears this name, He is not identifying Himself as a created child beneath a greater Father, as we are see in our earthly families. He is revealing a mystery both intimate and immense: equality within distinction, unity within personhood, perfection within relationship. At the baptism of Jesus, the heavens tear open and the Father&#8217;s voice resounds, &#8220;You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased&#8221; (Mark 1:11). This is identity is deeply woven in who Christ is always. He did not grow out of the nearness we see our children do. My child is separating and becoming her own, but Christ always was and is the embodiment and person of God. This declaration of my beloved Son was only the beginning of helping us humans understand the connection and fullness Jesus had as God and human.</p><p>We understand sonship through the lens of limitation&#8212;our children are not equal to us, nor were we equal to our parents. But Jesus redefines sonship entirely. In John 5:18, the religious leaders recognize exactly what He is claiming: by calling God His Father, <strong>He makes Himself equal with God. </strong>This is why they sought to kill Him. The name <em>Son of God</em> is not a nice metaphor; it is a bold declaration of divinity. He is not less than the Father&#8212;He is of the same essence, fully God, fully united within the Trinity. </p><p>At the cross, the battered body of Christ hardly resembles a God, let alone the Creator Himself. Yet it is here, in the place of deepest suffering, that truth breaks through the darkness. The centurion, an unlikely witness, confesses, &#8220;Truly this man was the Son of God&#8221; (Matthew 27:54). Not in the miracles. Not in the crowds. But in the sacrifice. The Son of God is revealed most clearly in His willingness to lay down His life. That He fulfilled the prophecies God laid down and proved to us that He is not just an angel, a messenger, an extension of God, but fully God himself.</p><p>As women of faith, leaning into the name of the <strong>Son</strong>, reshapes how we understand both identity and intimacy. We are not the Son&#8212;but because of the <strong>Son</strong>, we are brought near. His perfect sonship secures our imperfect adoption. Where He stands equal with the Father, we kneel as daughters welcomed in. Where He is eternally pleasing, we are graciously covered. And this changes everything. We no longer strive for belonging to earthly families that separate and fail, we live a full life from it. We no longer perform for approval, instead we rest in it. The Son of God has made a way for us to call God Father, not in equality, but in covenant love.</p><p>So we look to Him&#8212;not just as Savior, but as the perfect Son. The One who shows us what it means to trust, to obey, to surrender. The One who reveals the heart of the Father without distortion. The One who invites us into a relationship we could never earn.</p><p><strong>Reflection Questions:</strong></p><ol><li><p>How does Jesus&#8217; equality with God challenge or deepen your understanding of His authority in your life?</p></li><li><p>In what ways are you still striving for approval instead of resting in the acceptance secured through Christ?</p></li><li><p>How does seeing Jesus as the perfect Son reshape your identity as a daughter of God?</p></li></ol><p><br>If this name stirred something in your heart, I invite you to continue this journey with me. Subscribe to my Substack and follow along in this <em>Names of God</em> study, where each week we uncover the depth, beauty, and personal significance of who God reveals Himself to be.</p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Bright and Morning Star: Look Up!]]></title><description><![CDATA[I&#8217;m a Taurus.]]></description><link>https://biblejournalingbethany.substack.com/p/bright-and-morning-star-look-up</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://biblejournalingbethany.substack.com/p/bright-and-morning-star-look-up</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Bethany Heisler]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 27 Apr 2026 22:17:03 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ammP!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1da33e70-5856-4837-8016-cf8eeebac262_5712x4284.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I&#8217;m a Taurus. Stubborn and Comfort driven. That&#8217;s what the astrology babes tell me. My daughter is a Scorpio. My apparently opposing sign in the sky. So that will be fun when we are older. I don&#8217;t follow astrology well, but there&#8217;s something about lifting our eyes beyond what is immediate and examining what has always been declaring truth above us. How easy it is to deem them worthy of determining our personality and decisions. The stars seemingly have always been and will always be. </p><p>This week, I am learning about the name of God: <strong>the Bright and Morning Star</strong>.  </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ammP!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1da33e70-5856-4837-8016-cf8eeebac262_5712x4284.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ammP!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1da33e70-5856-4837-8016-cf8eeebac262_5712x4284.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ammP!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1da33e70-5856-4837-8016-cf8eeebac262_5712x4284.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ammP!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1da33e70-5856-4837-8016-cf8eeebac262_5712x4284.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ammP!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1da33e70-5856-4837-8016-cf8eeebac262_5712x4284.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ammP!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1da33e70-5856-4837-8016-cf8eeebac262_5712x4284.jpeg" width="4284" height="5712" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/1da33e70-5856-4837-8016-cf8eeebac262_5712x4284.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:&quot;normal&quot;,&quot;height&quot;:5712,&quot;width&quot;:4284,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:0,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ammP!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1da33e70-5856-4837-8016-cf8eeebac262_5712x4284.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ammP!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1da33e70-5856-4837-8016-cf8eeebac262_5712x4284.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ammP!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1da33e70-5856-4837-8016-cf8eeebac262_5712x4284.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ammP!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1da33e70-5856-4837-8016-cf8eeebac262_5712x4284.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>I find myself drawn to the skies with a different kind of attention. Not to escape what is in front of me, but to better understand it. The heavens are not just beautiful; they are instructive. They are not ultimate; they are reflective. In their quiet, steady presence, they help us discern the difference between what appears glorious and what actually endures.</p><p>Scripture holds this tension for us. In <em>Isaiah 14:12</em>, the image of the &#8220;morning star&#8221; is used to describe the fall of Babylon&#8212;a kingdom marked by pride, self-exaltation, and the illusion of permanence. &#8220;How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn!&#8221; What once appeared radiant and untouchable was revealed to be fragile and fleeting. Babylon&#8217;s light was real in the sense that it was visible and influential, but it was never self-sustaining. It rose, it dazzled, and it fell. </p><p>Yet Scripture does not leave us with this counterfeit image as our only Morning Star. Long before Christ&#8217;s coming, a different promise was spoken in <em>Numbers 24:17</em>: &#8220;A star shall come forth from Jacob.&#8221; God was not pointing His people to another temporary ruler or earthly kingdom, but to One who would embody true authority. One whose reign would not depend on borrowed light or shifting power. This Star would not rise in defiance of God, but in perfect alignment with Him. Anticipating us read in that passage with a longing that Empires cannot sustain.</p><p>When we arrive at the final pages of Scripture, that promise is no longer distant. Jesus declares in <em>Revelation 22:16</em>, &#8220;I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.&#8221; He does not merely reflect light; He is its source! A chapter earlier, we are given a vision of what that means for eternity: &#8220;The city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illuminated it&#8221; (<em>Revelation 21:23</em>). This is not just poetic imagery, it is theological reality. The created lights that govern our days and nights, the very stars we study and admire, are ultimately unnecessary in the presence of Christ. Their purpose is fulfilled and surpassed in Him.</p><p>This is what the skies teach us, if we are willing to examine them closely. Stars are breathtaking in their scale and number. They stretch beyond what we can comprehend, and their light travels distances that remind us how small we are. And yet, even the most brilliant star is finite. It burns, it exhausts, it fades. Its light, no matter how strong, is not eternal. The heavens, for all their grandeur, are not the source of glory but a witness to it. They are signposts, not the destination.</p><p>There are so many things that feel expansive and significant in the moment, things that demand attention and ask for my trust. As a mother, those things often come wrapped in good intentions: the desire to create a beautiful home, to manage time well, to shape meaningful experiences for my children, to be seen as capable and present. None of these are wrong, but when they begin to function as fixed lights, guiding my sense of worth or anchoring my peace, they take on a weight they were never meant to carry.</p><p>Babylon&#8217;s story reminds us that anything built on self-sufficiency, no matter how radiant, will eventually collapse under its own limitations. The contrast of Christ as the Bright and Morning Star calls us to reorient our priorities. The things of this earth will fade away. They are not designed to endure indefinitely, nor are they meant to sustain us. They are, at best, reflections&#8212;temporary lights pointing us to a greater, unchanging source.</p><p>Each star becomes a reminder: this is beautiful, but it is not forever. This shines, but it is not the Light. When we recognize that, we are invited into a deeper trust, not in what we can see and measure, but in the One who will remain when all created light has faded.</p><div><hr></div><p>If you can this week, stop to step out and see the stars. Let them fill you with wonder and awe and consider how Christ is even more everlasting then they could ever be.</p><ul><li><p>What in my life currently feels constant or dependable, but may actually be temporary?</p></li><li><p>How might I be mistaking something that reflects light for something that <em>is</em> light?</p></li><li><p>In what ways can I intentionally re-center my days around Christ as the true and lasting source of stability?<strong>A Continuing Invitation</strong></p></li></ul><p>This name&#8212;<em>Bright and Morning Star</em>&#8212;is not just something to study; it is something to bask in. Lift our eyes to the stars and remember what is true. Not everything that shines will last. Not everything that lasts is immediately visible. But Christ stands outside of both categories as the One who defines them.</p><p>If this article resonates with you, please follow and subscribe. Your support allows this <em>Names of God</em> series to continue growing, creating space each week to consider who God reveals Himself to be.</p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Bridegroom: The One Who Waits for Me]]></title><description><![CDATA[This week, I almost quit.]]></description><link>https://biblejournalingbethany.substack.com/p/bridegroom-the-one-who-waits-for</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://biblejournalingbethany.substack.com/p/bridegroom-the-one-who-waits-for</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Bethany Heisler]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 20 Apr 2026 12:06:17 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DrF4!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F78f2500b-4f56-4adb-a51b-c93331d0dd03_2048x1366.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This week, I almost quit.</p><p>I sat down to write for this Names of God series, and instead of inspiration, I felt resistance. A quiet but persistent whisper told me this wasn&#8217;t fruitful. That it didn&#8217;t matter. That no one was really reading, and even if they were, it wasn&#8217;t making a difference. The kind of discouragement that doesn&#8217;t shout, it harbors bitterness in every corner of my mind.</p><p>But then Sunday came.</p><p>Song after song lifted the name of God&#8212;His power, His nearness, His worth. It was like a gentle but firm reminder: <em>this has never been about numbers.</em></p><p>It&#8217;s about pursuit.</p><p>It&#8217;s about drawing near.</p><p>It&#8217;s about lifting my eyes and realizing that as I take even the smallest step toward Him&#8230; He is already there.</p><p>Waiting.</p><p>This week I&#8217;m learning about the Name of God: <strong>Bridegroom</strong></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DrF4!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F78f2500b-4f56-4adb-a51b-c93331d0dd03_2048x1366.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DrF4!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F78f2500b-4f56-4adb-a51b-c93331d0dd03_2048x1366.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DrF4!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F78f2500b-4f56-4adb-a51b-c93331d0dd03_2048x1366.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DrF4!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F78f2500b-4f56-4adb-a51b-c93331d0dd03_2048x1366.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DrF4!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F78f2500b-4f56-4adb-a51b-c93331d0dd03_2048x1366.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DrF4!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F78f2500b-4f56-4adb-a51b-c93331d0dd03_2048x1366.jpeg" width="2048" height="1366" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/78f2500b-4f56-4adb-a51b-c93331d0dd03_2048x1366.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:&quot;normal&quot;,&quot;height&quot;:1366,&quot;width&quot;:2048,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:0,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DrF4!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F78f2500b-4f56-4adb-a51b-c93331d0dd03_2048x1366.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DrF4!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F78f2500b-4f56-4adb-a51b-c93331d0dd03_2048x1366.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DrF4!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F78f2500b-4f56-4adb-a51b-c93331d0dd03_2048x1366.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DrF4!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F78f2500b-4f56-4adb-a51b-c93331d0dd03_2048x1366.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Isaiah paints a picture that feels almost too tender to be true:</p><blockquote><p>&#8220;For as a young man marries a virgin, So your sons will marry you; And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, So your God will rejoice over you.&#8221; &#8212; <em>Isaiah 62:5 (NASB)</em></p></blockquote><p>God doesn&#8217;t just tolerate His people.</p><p>He rejoices over them.</p><p>Over <em>you</em>.</p><p>The image of a bridegroom is full of delight, anticipation, and affection. This is not a reluctant relationship. This is joy. This is intentional love. And somehow, in my discouragement this week, I forgot that.</p><p>In Hosea, God speaks with a promise that shifts everything:</p><blockquote><p>&#8220;It will come about in that day,&#8221; declares the Lord, &#8220;That you will call Me Ishi (my husband) And will no longer call Me Baali (my master)&#8230; And I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and in justice, In favor and in compassion, And I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness. Then you will know the Lord.&#8221; &#8212; <em>Hosea 2:16, 19&#8211;20 (NASB)</em></p></blockquote><p>From <em>master</em> to <em>husband.</em></p><p>From obligation to intimacy.</p><p>God isn&#8217;t interested in a distant, transactional connection. He draws us into covenant, into something personal, committed, and deeply relational. He is not standing over us demanding performance. He is standing before us, offering Himself.</p><p>Faithfully. Patiently.</p><p>He has always been there, standing at the altar, waiting for me. When questioned about why His disciples didn&#8217;t fast, Jesus answered:</p><blockquote><p>&#8220;The attendants of the bridegroom cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? &#8230;&#8221; &#8212; <em>Matthew 9:15 (NASB)</em></p></blockquote><p>Jesus calls Himself the Bridegroom. Not a teacher passing through. Not a distant authority. But the One who is <em>with</em> His people.</p><p>Present.</p><p>Near.</p><p>Because that changes everything.</p><p>If He is the <strong>Bridegroom</strong>, then I am not unseen in my waiting. I am not forgotten in my inconsistency. I am not disqualified by my lack of motivation this week.</p><p>He is still there.</p><p>This week didn&#8217;t feel strong or productive or particularly impactful. And maybe that&#8217;s the point. Because the <strong>Bridegroom</strong> is not waiting for my perfection, He&#8217;s waiting for <em>me</em>. Waiting as I come to the altar. Waiting as I lay down the clutter in my mind. Waiting as I offer my distracted heart.</p><p>Loyal. Steady. Unmoved by my wavering.</p><p>I&#8217;m trying to produce something meaningful but maybe this week I&#8217;m simply showing up to be loved.</p><p>Whether this reaches a thousand people or none at all, I&#8217;m reminded:</p><blockquote><p>This is about my pursuit of Him. My desire to draw near.</p></blockquote><p><strong>Bridegroom</strong> is not just a title.</p><p>It&#8217;s a promise.</p><p>That He rejoices over me. That He calls me His. That He waits for me lovingly.</p><div><hr></div><p>If this encouraged you, would you share it with someone who might need the reminder too?</p><p>If you want to keep walking through the Names of God with me each week, make sure you&#8217;re following along. I&#8217;d love to have you here &#128156;</p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Name of God: Breath of Life]]></title><description><![CDATA[There is a quiet miracle happening in your body right now.]]></description><link>https://biblejournalingbethany.substack.com/p/name-of-god-breath-of-life</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://biblejournalingbethany.substack.com/p/name-of-god-breath-of-life</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Bethany Heisler]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 13 Apr 2026 12:08:05 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Hqmy!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F665e095c-a3f3-4cee-a126-0097df2a7f5d_5712x4284.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>There is a quiet miracle happening in your body right now. You are breathing, even as you are unaware, unprompted, sustained. Inhale, exhale. Life flowing in and out, steady as mercy. We don&#8217;t often stop to consider that breath itself is not something we own, but something we are given. From the very beginning, this was always the way.</p><p>This week, we will be looking into the Name of God: <strong>Breathe of Life</strong></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Hqmy!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F665e095c-a3f3-4cee-a126-0097df2a7f5d_5712x4284.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Hqmy!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F665e095c-a3f3-4cee-a126-0097df2a7f5d_5712x4284.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Hqmy!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F665e095c-a3f3-4cee-a126-0097df2a7f5d_5712x4284.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Hqmy!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F665e095c-a3f3-4cee-a126-0097df2a7f5d_5712x4284.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Hqmy!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F665e095c-a3f3-4cee-a126-0097df2a7f5d_5712x4284.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Hqmy!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F665e095c-a3f3-4cee-a126-0097df2a7f5d_5712x4284.jpeg" width="4284" height="5712" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/665e095c-a3f3-4cee-a126-0097df2a7f5d_5712x4284.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:&quot;normal&quot;,&quot;height&quot;:5712,&quot;width&quot;:4284,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:0,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Hqmy!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F665e095c-a3f3-4cee-a126-0097df2a7f5d_5712x4284.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Hqmy!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F665e095c-a3f3-4cee-a126-0097df2a7f5d_5712x4284.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Hqmy!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F665e095c-a3f3-4cee-a126-0097df2a7f5d_5712x4284.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Hqmy!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F665e095c-a3f3-4cee-a126-0097df2a7f5d_5712x4284.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>In Genesis 2:7 (NASB), we are told that &#8220;the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.&#8221; Humanity did not animate itself. We did not awaken by instinct or evolution alone, but by the intimate nearness of God Himself. He bent low, close enough to share His breath, and life began. The breath in your lungs today is a continuation of that same divine generosity. You are not self-sustaining. You are God-sustained. Yet, how quickly we forget. Especially in motherhood, where the hours are long and the needs are constant, we begin to live as though everything depends on us. Our patience, our energy, our emotional stability, all feels like it must be manufactured from within. But if we are honest, our inner worlds can feel wildly inconsistent. One moment I&#8217;m ready to yell at the top of my lungs and the next I just want to cuddle my little close. Hormones rise and fall. Circumstances shift without warning. One moment we are steady and joyful, the next we are overwhelmed and depleted. We feel the fragility of our own &#8220;dust.&#8221;</p><p>Scripture loudly reminds us. In Job 33:4 (NASB), it says, &#8220;The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.&#8221; Not just at the beginning, but continually. His breath is not a one-time gift; it is an ongoing provision. The same God who initiated my life is actively sustaining it. My emotional highs and lows are not evidence that I are failing, they are reminders that I am fully dependent. And dependence was never meant to be a weakness. It is the design.</p><p>This is why the vision in Ezekiel 37 feels so personal. The valley of dry bones is not just a picture of Israel, it is a picture of us in our most depleted states. When we feel spiritually brittle, emotionally exhausted, and physically worn thin, God does not ask us to assemble ourselves back together. He commands breath to enter in. &#8220;Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they come to life.&#8221; And they do. Bone to bone, sinew to flesh, life where there was none.</p><p>What a kindness that God does not require strength from dust. He supplies it through His breath.</p><p>Motherhood will continue to press me. There will be mornings when my patience feels thin before breakfast, afternoons where the noise feels too loud, and evenings where I wonder if I have anything left to give. But the invitation is not to strive harder, it is to breathe deeper. To remember that every inhale is a quiet testimony: God is near. God is sustaining. God is enough.</p><p>The breath of life does not just keep your body alive; it steadies your soul. It meets you in the swing of emotions and anchors you in something far more constant than your circumstances. You are not upheld by your consistency, but by His.</p><p>So pause, even now. Inhale slowly. Exhale fully. Let it be a small act of trust. The God who first breathed life into dust is still breathing life into you.</p><div><hr></div><p>If this encouraged you, I&#8217;d love for you to subscribe and follow along with this series as we explore the names of God together each week. There is so much more to discover&#8212;and each name draws us deeper into the heart of the One who sustains us.</p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Bread of Life: The God Who Sustains Us Daily]]></title><description><![CDATA[Across cultures and generations, bread has been a staple&#8212;something simple, steady, and sustaining.]]></description><link>https://biblejournalingbethany.substack.com/p/bread-of-life-the-god-who-sustains</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://biblejournalingbethany.substack.com/p/bread-of-life-the-god-who-sustains</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Bethany Heisler]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 06 Apr 2026 12:41:48 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Pl0H!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff1047fec-65c6-441a-b9b7-02295f579b2b_5712x4284.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Across cultures and generations, bread has been a staple&#8212;something simple, steady, and sustaining. Whether it is warm sourdough pulled from the oven, soft naan shared around a table, tortillas pressed and cooked fresh, or a crusty baguette broken among friends, bread carries a sense of provision. It is ordinary, yet essential. It fills, it satisfies, and it reminds us that we are being cared for.</p><p>This week we are looking at the Name of God: <strong>Bread of Life</strong></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Pl0H!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff1047fec-65c6-441a-b9b7-02295f579b2b_5712x4284.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Pl0H!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff1047fec-65c6-441a-b9b7-02295f579b2b_5712x4284.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Pl0H!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff1047fec-65c6-441a-b9b7-02295f579b2b_5712x4284.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Pl0H!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff1047fec-65c6-441a-b9b7-02295f579b2b_5712x4284.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Pl0H!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff1047fec-65c6-441a-b9b7-02295f579b2b_5712x4284.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Pl0H!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff1047fec-65c6-441a-b9b7-02295f579b2b_5712x4284.jpeg" width="4284" height="5712" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/f1047fec-65c6-441a-b9b7-02295f579b2b_5712x4284.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:&quot;normal&quot;,&quot;height&quot;:5712,&quot;width&quot;:4284,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:0,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Pl0H!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff1047fec-65c6-441a-b9b7-02295f579b2b_5712x4284.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Pl0H!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff1047fec-65c6-441a-b9b7-02295f579b2b_5712x4284.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Pl0H!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff1047fec-65c6-441a-b9b7-02295f579b2b_5712x4284.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Pl0H!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff1047fec-65c6-441a-b9b7-02295f579b2b_5712x4284.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>John<strong> </strong>6:22&#8211;59 (NASB) shows Jesus making a striking and personal declaration about Himself. He says that He is the <strong>Bread of Life</strong>, the true sustenance that does not fade, spoil, or leave us hungry again. Where physical bread meets a temporary need, Jesus offers Himself as the lasting source of life for the soul.</p><blockquote><p>John 6:35 &#8220;And Jesus said to them, &#8220;I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.&#8221;</p></blockquote><p>This would have been both compelling and confusing to those listening. They understood hunger. They understood daily need. Jesus was inviting them to see that their deeper hunger was not physical, but spiritual. He was not offering another meal; He was offering Himself: To receive Him, to trust Him, to abide in Him. </p><p>in 2022, the prayer on my heart: Lord, sustain me. It was a season of long days and heavy uncertainty as I drove to the hospital for three months while my little one was in the NICU. Each day required showing up again, even when I felt emotionally and physically depleted and grief stricken. There was no extra strength to draw from, no reserve I could tap into on my own. What carried me through that season was not a sudden change in circumstances, but a steady dependence on God&#8217;s Word. Day by day, often moment by moment, I returned to Scripture. What I found was that I was not sustaining myself, Jesus, the Bread of Life, was sustaining me. He met me in the car rides, in the hospital rooms, in the in-between moments where fear and exhaustion tried to take hold. I was only capable of continuing because He was my daily bread.</p><p>Mothers often live in a constant state of giving. We pour out energy, attention, care, and love, without pausing to consider what is sustaining us in return. It is easy to try to run on what is temporary like sleep when we can get it, shows to binge, or the pictures we scroll through after the kids are asleep. But those things, while good, are not enough to sustain us. They were never meant to be the end all be all.</p><p>Jesus, as the <strong>Bread of Life</strong>, allows us a different rhythm. Not one of temporary self-sufficiency, but of daily dependence. He will provide what we need for that moment and the moments yet to come. </p><p>The beauty of this name is that it reminds us we do not have to carry tomorrow&#8217;s weight all at once. The <strong>Bread of Life</strong> meets us in the present. He nourishes, strengthens, and sustains in ways that nothing else can. While the world offers many forms of &#8220;bread&#8221; that promise satisfaction, none compare to the One who gives Himself fully and freely.</p><div><hr></div><p>If you have been following along in this Names of God series, I hope these reflections have been grounding and encouraging for you. Each week, we are looking at a different name of God and what it reveals about His character and care for us. If you would like to continue walking through this with me, I would love for you to <em>subscribe</em> so you can receive each new post as it is shared. My hope is that, together, we are learning to know God more deeply and to rest more fully in who He is.</p><p>Because at the end of the day, we are all being sustained by something.</p><p>And Jesus gently reminds us that He alone is the Bread that truly gives life.</p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Author: The God Who Writes and Finishes Our Story]]></title><description><![CDATA[Knowing&#8217;s a stories&#8217; author changes our perspective of their writing.]]></description><link>https://biblejournalingbethany.substack.com/p/author-the-god-who-writes-and-finishes</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://biblejournalingbethany.substack.com/p/author-the-god-who-writes-and-finishes</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Bethany Heisler]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 30 Mar 2026 22:29:53 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sGHK!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa184ff8e-fd9d-4171-8b5a-6615c63992de_5712x4284.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Knowing&#8217;s a stories&#8217; author changes our perspective of their writing. One of my favorite authors as a young adult was found to be lacking and involved in multiple sex scandals. This immediately warped my view of his writings and I do not recommend him anymore to friends. Understand God as <strong>Author</strong> helps us know Him more and be able to recommend him to our friends.</p><p>This week we are delving into the Name of God: <strong>Author</strong></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sGHK!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa184ff8e-fd9d-4171-8b5a-6615c63992de_5712x4284.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sGHK!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa184ff8e-fd9d-4171-8b5a-6615c63992de_5712x4284.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sGHK!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa184ff8e-fd9d-4171-8b5a-6615c63992de_5712x4284.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sGHK!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa184ff8e-fd9d-4171-8b5a-6615c63992de_5712x4284.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sGHK!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa184ff8e-fd9d-4171-8b5a-6615c63992de_5712x4284.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sGHK!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa184ff8e-fd9d-4171-8b5a-6615c63992de_5712x4284.jpeg" width="4284" height="5712" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/a184ff8e-fd9d-4171-8b5a-6615c63992de_5712x4284.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:&quot;normal&quot;,&quot;height&quot;:5712,&quot;width&quot;:4284,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:0,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sGHK!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa184ff8e-fd9d-4171-8b5a-6615c63992de_5712x4284.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sGHK!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa184ff8e-fd9d-4171-8b5a-6615c63992de_5712x4284.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sGHK!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa184ff8e-fd9d-4171-8b5a-6615c63992de_5712x4284.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sGHK!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa184ff8e-fd9d-4171-8b5a-6615c63992de_5712x4284.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>More of a title than personal name, this identity helps shape how we read the Bible and how we look at the stories of our own life. The name of God as <strong>Author</strong> reminds us that our lives are not a collection of random events, but a story that is being intentionally written by One who sees the beginning, the middle, and the end all at once.</p><p>In the New Testament, this idea is expressed through the Greek word <em>arch&#275;gos</em>, often translated as &#8220;author,&#8221; &#8220;originator,&#8221; or &#8220;founder.&#8221; This word points to someone who not only begins something, but also carries it forward to its intended purpose. In Hebrew 12:2 (NASB), we are called to fix our eyes on Jesus, &#8220;the <strong>author</strong> and perfecter of faith.&#8221; This description shows that Jesus is not only the one who initiates faith within us, but also the one who brings it to completion. Our spiritual lives are not self-written stories; they are authored and sustained by Him.</p><p>This same word appears again in Acts 3:15 (NASB), where Jesus is called &#8220;the <strong>Author</strong> of life.&#8221; Jesus is not only involved in our spiritual growth, but is the very source of life. Everything that exists, including the unfolding of our own personal stories, finds its origin in Him. He is the <strong>Author</strong> not only of salvation, but of life itself.</p><p>Understanding God as <strong>Author</strong> helps us reshape the way we interpret the unfolding of our lives, especially in seasons that feel incomplete. As mothers, we often find ourselves watching stories develop in real time, both in our own lives and in the lives of our children. My camera app is filled with thousands of pictures that tell a story of growth and happiness in my child&#8217;s life. We see small decisions, habits, and moments that feel significant, yet we do not always know how they will shape the future. There can be a quiet pressure to get everything right, as though the outcome of the story depends entirely on our ability to write it well. But the truth that God is the Author gently removes that burden. The story is not ultimately ours to control; it is His to write.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kveu!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F08a98a9f-c295-42b5-9f22-297ad7aa3ff0_1179x2556.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kveu!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F08a98a9f-c295-42b5-9f22-297ad7aa3ff0_1179x2556.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kveu!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F08a98a9f-c295-42b5-9f22-297ad7aa3ff0_1179x2556.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kveu!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F08a98a9f-c295-42b5-9f22-297ad7aa3ff0_1179x2556.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kveu!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F08a98a9f-c295-42b5-9f22-297ad7aa3ff0_1179x2556.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kveu!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F08a98a9f-c295-42b5-9f22-297ad7aa3ff0_1179x2556.png" width="1179" height="2556" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/08a98a9f-c295-42b5-9f22-297ad7aa3ff0_1179x2556.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:&quot;normal&quot;,&quot;height&quot;:2556,&quot;width&quot;:1179,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:0,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kveu!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F08a98a9f-c295-42b5-9f22-297ad7aa3ff0_1179x2556.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kveu!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F08a98a9f-c295-42b5-9f22-297ad7aa3ff0_1179x2556.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kveu!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F08a98a9f-c295-42b5-9f22-297ad7aa3ff0_1179x2556.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kveu!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F08a98a9f-c295-42b5-9f22-297ad7aa3ff0_1179x2556.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>This does not mean that our choices are meaningless, but it does mean that they exist within a greater narrative that God is faithfully guiding. When we trust Him as <strong>Author</strong>, we begin to see that even the uncertain or difficult chapters are not outside His care. He is writing the opening lines of our faith, and continuing to write our stories in light of His story of redemption. The same God who authored salvation through Christ is actively at work in the details of our lives, weaving them into something purposeful.</p><p>There is a deep comfort in knowing that God does not abandon the stories He begins. Hebrews 12:2 (NASB) says, Jesus is not only called the <strong>author</strong>, but also the <em>perfecter</em> of our faith. This means that He does not leave the work unfinished. The chapters that feel unresolved to us are still in the process of being written. What we experience as incomplete, He sees as ongoing.</p><p>As we watch our children grow and their stories begin to unfold, this truth becomes even more real. We are not the ultimate authors of their lives. We guide, nurture, and teach, but we do so under the care of the One who is writing a far greater story than we can see. The same <strong>Author</strong> who began a good work in us is at work in them, shaping their lives according to His purposes. This allows us to release some of the anxiety that comes from trying to control every outcome, and instead rest in the faithfulness of the One who writes with perfect wisdom.</p><p>Trusting God as Author means believing that our lives are not random, unfinished fragments, but part of a story that is being brought to completion. It means recognizing that even when we cannot see how the pieces fit together, the One who is writing the story has not lost His place. He continues to write with intention, weaving our lives into the greater narrative of His glory.</p><blockquote><p>Because He is both the <strong>Author</strong> of life and the perfecter of faith, we can trust that the story He is writing will not only be meaningful, but complete.</p></blockquote>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Anointed One: The God Who Was Chosen and Sent]]></title><description><![CDATA[There is something deeply reassuring about knowing that God is intentional.]]></description><link>https://biblejournalingbethany.substack.com/p/the-anointed-one-the-god-who-was</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://biblejournalingbethany.substack.com/p/the-anointed-one-the-god-who-was</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Bethany Heisler]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 23 Mar 2026 17:06:51 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zLX3!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fae9e280b-b754-4c9c-898d-0db4df4cca7a_5712x4284.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>There is something deeply reassuring about knowing that God is intentional. In a world where so much feels uncertain and unplanned, Scripture reminds us that God does not act vaguely or reactively. He appoints, He sends, and He fulfills His purposes with precision. </p><p>This week I&#8217;m studying the name <strong>Anointed One</strong>.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zLX3!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fae9e280b-b754-4c9c-898d-0db4df4cca7a_5712x4284.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zLX3!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fae9e280b-b754-4c9c-898d-0db4df4cca7a_5712x4284.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zLX3!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fae9e280b-b754-4c9c-898d-0db4df4cca7a_5712x4284.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zLX3!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fae9e280b-b754-4c9c-898d-0db4df4cca7a_5712x4284.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zLX3!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fae9e280b-b754-4c9c-898d-0db4df4cca7a_5712x4284.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zLX3!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fae9e280b-b754-4c9c-898d-0db4df4cca7a_5712x4284.jpeg" width="4284" height="5712" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/ae9e280b-b754-4c9c-898d-0db4df4cca7a_5712x4284.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:&quot;normal&quot;,&quot;height&quot;:5712,&quot;width&quot;:4284,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:0,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zLX3!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fae9e280b-b754-4c9c-898d-0db4df4cca7a_5712x4284.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zLX3!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fae9e280b-b754-4c9c-898d-0db4df4cca7a_5712x4284.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zLX3!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fae9e280b-b754-4c9c-898d-0db4df4cca7a_5712x4284.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zLX3!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fae9e280b-b754-4c9c-898d-0db4df4cca7a_5712x4284.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>The name <strong>Anointed One</strong> helps us see that God&#8217;s plan has always been deliberate, steady, and sure.</p><p>The word <em>Messiah</em> in Hebrew and <em>Christ</em> (from the Greek <em>Christos</em>) both mean the same thing: <strong>Anointed One</strong>. This is not a title given to Jesus after the fact, but a declaration of His identity and purpose. </p><h4>To be anointed in Scripture meant to be chosen and set apart by God for a specific role, often accompanied by the empowering presence of the Spirit. </h4><p>When we call Jesus the Christ, we are recognizing that He is the One God appointed from the beginning to accomplish His redemptive plan.</p><p>This was not a new idea introduced in the New Testament. The expectation of God&#8217;s Anointed was woven throughout the Old Testament. In Psalms 2:2 (NASB), we read, &#8220;The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers conspire together against the LORD and against His Anointed.&#8221; Even here, there is a clear anticipation of a chosen King who would stand at the center of God&#8217;s purposes.</p><p>When Jesus came, the early church understood exactly who He was. In Acts 4:27 (NASB), they prayed, &#8220;For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed&#8230;&#8221; They recognized that Jesus was not simply a teacher or a prophet, but the very One God had set apart long ago. </p><h4>His life, death, and resurrection were not unexpected turns of events, but the fulfillment of a plan that had been unfolding across generations.</h4><p>His anointing was not merely symbolic; it was powerful and active. In Acts 10:38 (NASB), we are told, &#8220;You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power&#8230;&#8221; Everything Jesus did flowed from that divine appointment. His miracles, His teaching, His authority&#8212;all of it was rooted in the fact that He was God&#8217;s chosen and empowered One.</p><p>The writer of Hebrews captures the beauty of this truth when he says in Hebrews 1:9 (NASB), &#8220;Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of joy above Your companions.&#8221; Jesus is not one among many; He is the <strong>Anointed One</strong>, uniquely set apart to accomplish what no one else could.</p><p>Understanding Jesus as the <strong>Anointed One </strong>reshapes the way we view our own lives. It is easy to feel like life is uncertain, as though we are making decisions without knowing how they will turn out or walking through seasons that lack clear direction. Motherhood especially can magnify that feeling, as we try to make wise choices for our children while often feeling unsure of the outcomes. Yet the truth that Jesus is the <strong>Anointed One</strong> reminds us that God&#8217;s plan is not fragile. If He was intentional enough to promise, prepare for, and send His Son with such precision, then He is not careless with the details of our lives.</p><h4>The same God who appointed Christ is the God who guides us. </h4><p>He is not hoping things will work out; He is working them out according to His purposes. That does not mean we will always understand what He is doing, but it does mean we can trust that there is intention behind every season. Even when life feels unclear to us, it is not unclear to Him.</p><p>For mothers who feel the weight of getting everything right&#8212;the right decisions, the right timing, the right words&#8212;this truth offers real rest. The ultimate plan of God does not depend on our perfection. It rests in the hands of the One who has already been chosen, sent, and anointed. And because of that, we are free to live faithfully within our limited understanding, trusting that the God who set His purposes in motion through Christ is still faithfully carrying them forward today.</p><p>Bethany &#129505;</p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Ancient of Days: Trusting the God Who Has Seen It All]]></title><description><![CDATA[There are moments in life when we simply cannot understand what God is doing.]]></description><link>https://biblejournalingbethany.substack.com/p/ancient-of-days-trusting-the-god</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://biblejournalingbethany.substack.com/p/ancient-of-days-trusting-the-god</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Bethany Heisler]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 16 Mar 2026 20:22:27 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!onpl!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F02565642-53b9-4342-b5f5-b8e14cccebc2_5712x4284.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>There are moments in life when we simply cannot understand what God is doing. Circumstances shift unexpectedly, and situations arise that leave us wondering how this could possibly fit into a good and meaningful story. As humans, we live inside a very small window of time. We see the moment in front of us, the consequences of yesterday, and our hopes for tomorrow, but we rarely see the full picture. In those seasons, one of the most comforting names of God in Scripture is Ancient of Days.</p><p>This week I&#8217;m learning about the name of God - <strong>Ancient of Days</strong></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!onpl!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F02565642-53b9-4342-b5f5-b8e14cccebc2_5712x4284.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!onpl!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F02565642-53b9-4342-b5f5-b8e14cccebc2_5712x4284.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!onpl!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F02565642-53b9-4342-b5f5-b8e14cccebc2_5712x4284.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!onpl!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F02565642-53b9-4342-b5f5-b8e14cccebc2_5712x4284.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!onpl!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F02565642-53b9-4342-b5f5-b8e14cccebc2_5712x4284.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!onpl!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F02565642-53b9-4342-b5f5-b8e14cccebc2_5712x4284.jpeg" width="4284" height="5712" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/02565642-53b9-4342-b5f5-b8e14cccebc2_5712x4284.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:&quot;normal&quot;,&quot;height&quot;:5712,&quot;width&quot;:4284,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:0,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!onpl!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F02565642-53b9-4342-b5f5-b8e14cccebc2_5712x4284.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!onpl!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F02565642-53b9-4342-b5f5-b8e14cccebc2_5712x4284.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!onpl!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F02565642-53b9-4342-b5f5-b8e14cccebc2_5712x4284.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!onpl!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F02565642-53b9-4342-b5f5-b8e14cccebc2_5712x4284.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>This name appears in a vision given to the prophet Daniel. Daniel is shown glimpses of the future: kingdoms rising and falling, powers shifting, and history unfolding in ways that would be overwhelming for anyone to witness. Yet in the midst of these visions of earthly instability, Daniel sees something far more steady. He sees God Himself seated on the throne. </p><p>In Daniel 7:9 (NASB) Daniel writes: &#8220;I kept looking until thrones were set up, and the <strong>Ancient of Days</strong> took His seat; His vesture was like white snow and the hair of His head like pure wool. His throne was ablaze with flames, its wheels were a burning fire.&#8221;</p><p>The title <strong>Ancient of Days</strong> communicates God&#8217;s eternal nature. He is not simply old in the sense of age; rather, He exists beyond time itself. </p><p><em>Before kingdoms ever rose, before generations came and went, before the world unfolded as we know it, God already was. </em></p><p>Every chapter of human history has existed under His watchful eye. Nothing that unfolds in the world surprises Him, confuses Him, or forces Him to adjust His plans. The same God who oversaw the rise and fall of ancient empires is the God who oversees the details of our lives today.</p><p>This truth becomes especially comforting when we consider how limited our understanding really is. We interpret circumstances through the lens of our emotions and our immediate surroundings. Often we cannot see how the pieces of our lives fit together in any meaningful way. But the <strong>Ancient of Days </strong>does not share our limitations. He sees the past, present, and future all at once. </p><p><em>The God who guided history long before we existed continues to guide it now, and His wisdom extends far beyond the narrow perspective we possess.</em></p><p>Parenting a toddler has reminded me how this dynamic works. There are moments when my child strongly believes she knows exactly what she wants, even when that choice clearly will not serve her well. On a rainy day she might insist on wearing her dress-up shoes outside because they are beautiful and exciting to her. From her perspective they make perfect sense. Yet I can see what she cannot&#8212;the puddles, the slippery pavement, the cold water that will quickly soak through them. Out of love, I guide her toward rain boots instead. She may protest, frustrated that I am not allowing what seems best to her in the moment, but my guidance is not meant to limit her joy. It is meant to protect her and lead her toward what she actually needs.</p><p>In many ways our relationship with God works the same way. We often approach life with strong ideas about what should happen next. We have plans, expectations, and timelines that feel reasonable to us. Yet the <strong>Ancient of Days</strong> sees far more than we do. He sees the paths that will ultimately shape us, the circumstances that will grow our faith, and the opportunities we will have to glorify Him. When God redirects our steps or closes doors we hoped would open, it is not because He lacks care for us. It is because His wisdom reaches beyond the limits of our understanding.</p><p>Daniel&#8217;s vision reminds us that even when history appears chaotic, the throne of God remains steady. The <strong>Ancient of Days</strong> is seated, ruling over every generation and every unfolding event. The same God who has witnessed the entirety of human history is guiding our lives today. When we remember that truth, we are freed from the pressure of needing to understand everything ourselves. We can trust that the One who has seen it all is faithfully leading us, even in moments when our finite human minds cannot comprehend what He is doing.</p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Alpha and Omega: The God Who Was, Is, and Always Will Be]]></title><description><![CDATA[Motherhood can make time feel strange.]]></description><link>https://biblejournalingbethany.substack.com/p/alpha-and-omega-the-god-who-was-is</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://biblejournalingbethany.substack.com/p/alpha-and-omega-the-god-who-was-is</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Bethany Heisler]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 10 Mar 2026 13:19:32 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sN5O!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb75fd451-b1f7-475c-9ee9-8244709924ff_5712x4284.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Motherhood can make time feel strange. Some days move painfully slow. &#8220;It goes by so fast!&#8221; my mom would say and I would roll my eyes as I was in the midst of toddler meltdowns, the endless questions, the same chores repeating again and again.</p><p>But then suddenly a season is over.</p><p>A baby becomes a child. A child becomes someone who doesn&#8217;t need you the same way anymore. Time moves forward whether we feel ready or not. To have a God that is out side of time, to be constant when time feels relative is essential in my sanity.</p><p>This week I&#8217;m focusing on the name of God: <strong>Alpha and Omega.</strong></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sN5O!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb75fd451-b1f7-475c-9ee9-8244709924ff_5712x4284.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sN5O!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb75fd451-b1f7-475c-9ee9-8244709924ff_5712x4284.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sN5O!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb75fd451-b1f7-475c-9ee9-8244709924ff_5712x4284.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sN5O!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb75fd451-b1f7-475c-9ee9-8244709924ff_5712x4284.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sN5O!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb75fd451-b1f7-475c-9ee9-8244709924ff_5712x4284.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sN5O!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb75fd451-b1f7-475c-9ee9-8244709924ff_5712x4284.jpeg" width="4284" height="5712" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/b75fd451-b1f7-475c-9ee9-8244709924ff_5712x4284.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:&quot;normal&quot;,&quot;height&quot;:5712,&quot;width&quot;:4284,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:0,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sN5O!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb75fd451-b1f7-475c-9ee9-8244709924ff_5712x4284.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sN5O!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb75fd451-b1f7-475c-9ee9-8244709924ff_5712x4284.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sN5O!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb75fd451-b1f7-475c-9ee9-8244709924ff_5712x4284.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sN5O!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb75fd451-b1f7-475c-9ee9-8244709924ff_5712x4284.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet.</p><p>When Scripture uses this name for God, it is declaring something profound: He is the beginning and the end. The one who exists before everything and who remains after everything.</p><p>In Revelations 22:13, God declares, &#8220;I am the <strong>Alpha and the Omega</strong>, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.&#8221;</p><p>This is not just a poetic phrase. It is a statement about God&#8217;s nature. He stands outside of time while also holding every moment of it together. Nothing begins apart from Him. Nothing ends outside of His authority.</p><p><strong>The God Who Was There in the Beginning</strong></p><p>From the very first page of Scripture we see this truth.</p><p>Genesis 1:1 says, &#8220;In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.&#8221;</p><p>Before creation.</p><p>Before humanity.</p><p>Before the chaos of our lives and the questions we carry.</p><p>God already was. He was not created. He did not arrive late to the story. He did not discover the world halfway through its unfolding.</p><p>He began it.</p><p>Which means the God who guides our lives today is the same God who spoke the universe into existence. Who spoke me into existence.</p><p><strong>Faithful Through Every Season</strong></p><p>This name has been comforting to me because it reminds me that God&#8217;s faithfulness does not depend on mine. Because too often, my decisions are wrong. My plans fall apart. My circumstances feel shaky and uncertain. But the God who is <strong>Alpha and Omega</strong> is not shaken by the instability of my life. He was faithful before I existed. He will remain faithful long after my worries fade. Even when I feel inconsistent, distracted, or overwhelmed, His character does not shift. In that we find true rest, in this God we can rely on.</p><p>He is steady.</p><p><strong>The God Who Holds the Whole Story</strong></p><p>One of the hardest parts of life is that we can only see a small part of the story.</p><p>We make decisions with limited information. We try to guide our children without knowing exactly what their future will hold. How am I suppose to know if she will be an athlete or gamer? What does a savings account look like for a child? Would she excel better being homeschooled or in a public school? All these questions and more tumble through my head as I lay her down to sleep. But Alpha and Omega reminds us that God sees the entire timeline at once.</p><p>The beginning.</p><p>The middle.</p><p>The end.</p><p>He knows the chapters we are currently living through and the ones we cannot yet imagine. He is both the beginning and the end, nothing that happens in between escapes His care. So we turn to Him, in prayer and meditation.</p><p><strong>Resting in the Everlasting God</strong></p><p>When life feels unstable, it is tempting to believe everything depends on us getting things right. But the name Alpha and Omega gently reminds us that the story of the world, and even the story of our lives, does not begin or end with us. God was there before. He is here now. He will remain forever: He was, He is, and He will always be. That means even when my circumstances feel uncertain, I can trust the One who holds every moment of time in His hands.</p><p>Let&#8217;s rest in His presence this week. Let&#8217;s breathe in His faithfulness and breathe out our anxieties. </p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Abba: The Father Who Holds Us]]></title><description><![CDATA[Motherhood has a way of exposing how small you really are.]]></description><link>https://biblejournalingbethany.substack.com/p/abba-the-father-who-holds-us</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://biblejournalingbethany.substack.com/p/abba-the-father-who-holds-us</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Bethany Heisler]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 05 Mar 2026 19:46:23 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!v5Nz!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4e4e48b9-2122-49e7-a912-e795670571be_5712x4284.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Motherhood has a way of exposing how small you really are. The moments when your child looks at you expecting certainty and all you feel is overwhelm. My daughter can play for extended moments of time independently. I know I&#8217;m very blessed to have a four yr old who is content with two dolls and magnet tiles. But those moments can only come because she has had intimate time with mom. If I start the day without a cuddle or eye to eye conversation with her, that independent play goes out the window. Some days it feels like the entire emotional ecosystem of a home rests on my shoulders.</p><p>Which is why studying the names of God has been important for me lately. It&#8217;s my pause of holding her entire life in my hands and passing it to the good, good Father of Jesus.</p><p>- Today&#8217;s name is <strong>Abba</strong>.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!v5Nz!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4e4e48b9-2122-49e7-a912-e795670571be_5712x4284.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!v5Nz!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4e4e48b9-2122-49e7-a912-e795670571be_5712x4284.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!v5Nz!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4e4e48b9-2122-49e7-a912-e795670571be_5712x4284.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!v5Nz!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4e4e48b9-2122-49e7-a912-e795670571be_5712x4284.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!v5Nz!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4e4e48b9-2122-49e7-a912-e795670571be_5712x4284.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!v5Nz!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4e4e48b9-2122-49e7-a912-e795670571be_5712x4284.jpeg" width="4284" height="5712" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/4e4e48b9-2122-49e7-a912-e795670571be_5712x4284.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:&quot;normal&quot;,&quot;height&quot;:5712,&quot;width&quot;:4284,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:0,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!v5Nz!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4e4e48b9-2122-49e7-a912-e795670571be_5712x4284.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!v5Nz!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4e4e48b9-2122-49e7-a912-e795670571be_5712x4284.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!v5Nz!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4e4e48b9-2122-49e7-a912-e795670571be_5712x4284.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!v5Nz!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4e4e48b9-2122-49e7-a912-e795670571be_5712x4284.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><strong>&#8220;Abba&#8221; in Scripture</strong></p><p>The word Abba is an Aramaic word meaning father. It&#8217;s not just a title, but a relational word used by a child toward a parent. And it appears in intimate moments in Scripture.</p><p>In Mark 14:36, Jesus prays in the Garden of Gethsemane: &#8220;And He was saying, &#8216;Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will.&#8217;&#8221;</p><p>At the moment of deepest anguish before the cross, Jesus cries out to the Father using this word of closeness and trust.</p><p>Paul later shows us that this same relationship is given to believers.</p><p>Romans 8:15 - &#8220;For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons and daughters by which we cry out, &#8216;Abba! Father!&#8217;&#8221;</p><p>And again in Galatians 4:6 - &#8220;Because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying out, &#8216;Abba! Father!&#8217;&#8221;</p><p>The same cry Jesus used in the garden is now placed in the hearts of God&#8217;s children. We are not left as spiritual orphans. We are invited to call Him Father.</p><p><strong>The Relief of Having a Father</strong></p><p>There is something deeply relieving about having a good father.</p><p>I still catch myself thinking this way sometimes even though I&#8217;ve been married 10 years and have had conflict with my dad. If my tire went flat on the side of the road or if I needed advice about something complicated or if I felt overwhelmed by a decision&#8230;My instinct is often, to the the dismay of my husband, to call my dad.</p><p>A good father steadies things. He doesn&#8217;t make every problem disappear, but his presence changes how heavy the problem feels. So many people lack this relationship, and fathers who show up and are faithful feel hard to come by. Then there is Jesus.</p><p>Scripture says this is the relationship God invites us into. Not distant deity. Not cosmic supervisor. Not an absent father.</p><p>A Good Father.</p><p><strong>A Father Who Never Fails to Show Up</strong></p><p>Human fathers, even wonderful ones, are still limited. They miss calls. They run out of wisdom. They grow tired.</p><p>- <strong>Abba</strong> never fails to show up.</p><p>He never grows weary of His children.</p><p>He never runs out of wisdom.</p><p>He never abandons the responsibility of loving us.</p><p>Romans 8:14 says, &#8220;For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons <em>and daughters</em> of God.&#8221; This reminds us that we cry out Abba, Father, not from fear, but from adoption. We belong in His family, belonging changes everything.</p><p><strong>When Love Says No</strong></p><p>Fatherly love is not the same thing as constant yes. If you&#8217;re a parent of a toddler, you already understand this. My toddler would happily play in a toilet if given the chance. To her, it looks interesting. Adventurous. Possibly fun! &#128580; But my love for her means I say no. I pull her away. I set boundaries. I protect her from things she doesn&#8217;t understand yet. She protests like I&#8217;ve ruined her entire life. And those protests are loud!</p><p>In the same way, our Abba Father holds the boundaries of the universe. He governs what we can see and what we cannot. He limits things we wish were different. He sometimes answers prayers with silence or with no. Not because He is distant, but because He is a Father.</p><p>Life can feel overwhelming when we believe everything depends on us: Our decisions, Our parenting, Our plans. Abba reminds us that we are not alone in the family. There is a Father in the house.</p><p>A Father who holds the structure of reality together.</p><p>A Father who sees what we cannot see.</p><p>A Father who loves His children enough to guide them, correct them, and care for them.</p><p>When anxiety starts creeping in, the quiet fear that everything might fall apart, the name Abba pulls me back. I am not navigating life as an orphan, I have a Father who will never fail to show up.</p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Adonai: The Sovereign Lord for Mothers]]></title><description><![CDATA[I&#8217;m coming back to Bible journaling after years of feeling incompetent and less then.]]></description><link>https://biblejournalingbethany.substack.com/p/adonai-the-sovereign-lord-for-mothers</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://biblejournalingbethany.substack.com/p/adonai-the-sovereign-lord-for-mothers</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Bethany Heisler]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 03 Mar 2026 15:42:13 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vWOG!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F44cb1660-8b8e-4824-9a24-942d276f5799_3276x4096.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I&#8217;m coming back to Bible journaling after years of feeling incompetent and less then. I want to find myself in truth by sitting at the feet of Jesus.</p><p>So I started with the names of God.</p><p>Knowing the names and titles of God, only draws out His character and begs me to know Him more  I hope you can come along this journey of knowing God more in this study of the Names of God.</p><p>The first name I&#8217;m studying is <strong>Adonai</strong>.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vWOG!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F44cb1660-8b8e-4824-9a24-942d276f5799_3276x4096.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vWOG!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F44cb1660-8b8e-4824-9a24-942d276f5799_3276x4096.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vWOG!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F44cb1660-8b8e-4824-9a24-942d276f5799_3276x4096.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vWOG!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F44cb1660-8b8e-4824-9a24-942d276f5799_3276x4096.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vWOG!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F44cb1660-8b8e-4824-9a24-942d276f5799_3276x4096.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vWOG!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F44cb1660-8b8e-4824-9a24-942d276f5799_3276x4096.jpeg" width="3276" height="4096" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/44cb1660-8b8e-4824-9a24-942d276f5799_3276x4096.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:&quot;normal&quot;,&quot;height&quot;:4096,&quot;width&quot;:3276,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:0,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vWOG!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F44cb1660-8b8e-4824-9a24-942d276f5799_3276x4096.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vWOG!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F44cb1660-8b8e-4824-9a24-942d276f5799_3276x4096.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vWOG!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F44cb1660-8b8e-4824-9a24-942d276f5799_3276x4096.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vWOG!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F44cb1660-8b8e-4824-9a24-942d276f5799_3276x4096.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Adonai means Lord. Master. The Sovereign One. The One with rightful authority. If you&#8217;re a mother, that word might make you bristle at first.</p><p>Authority.</p><p>Lordship.</p><p>Submission.</p><p>We live in a world that tells us those words shrink us. But Scripture shows us something very different.</p><p><strong>What Does &#8220;Adonai&#8221; Mean in Scripture?</strong></p><p>In Genesis 15:2, Abram cries out, &#8220;O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless&#8230;&#8221;</p><p>The phrase translated &#8220;Lord GOD&#8221; is Adonai Yahweh &#8212; Sovereign Lord. Abram speaks honestly, vulnerably, even confused &#8212; but he addresses God as the One who has authority over the promise.</p><p>In Psalm 97:5, we read: &#8220;The mountains melt like wax before the LORD, before the Lord of all the earth.&#8221;</p><p>Adonai is not local. Not limited. Not partially in charge. He is Lord of all the earth.</p><p>This is not cold authority. This is true sovereignty.</p><p><strong>Why Adonai Matters in Motherhood</strong></p><p>Motherhood tempts us to act like functional sovereigns. We manage schedules. We anticipate needs. We carry invisible loads. We try to hold together the emotional ecosystem of our homes. We begin to live as if everything ultimately rests on us.</p><p>But Adonai interrupts that illusion.</p><p>He is the Master. Not me.</p><p>He is the One with authority over my children&#8217;s hearts. Not me.</p><p>He governs outcomes. Not me.</p><p>And here&#8217;s what surprised me: His authority has not crushed me, it uplifts me.</p><p><strong>Submission That Leads to Rest</strong></p><p>The word Adonai implies submission. A servant-master relationship. And that can feel uncomfortable in modern ears.</p><p>Biblical submission to Adonai is not demeaning, it is stabilizing.</p><p>When I submit to His authority:</p><ul><li><p>- I stop trying to control what only He can govern.</p></li><li><p>- I stop measuring my worth by outcomes.</p></li><li><p>- I stop panicking when I cannot fix everything.</p></li></ul><p>Isaiah saw Him seated. Not pacing. Not wringing His hands. Seated.</p><p>The Sovereign Lord over my motherhood is not anxious. Because He is Adonai, I am allowed to rest.</p><p><strong>The Mercy of His Lordship</strong></p><p>In Malachi 1:6, God says: &#8220;If then I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? says the LORD of hosts&#8230;&#8221;</p><p>He names Himself Master &#8212; Adonai &#8212; but not as a tyrant. As a Father calling His people back to right worship.</p><p>His authority is holy.</p><p>But it is also merciful.</p><p>Adonai does not demand submission to burden us. He invites it to free us.</p><p>When I bow to His Lordship, I am not shrinking. I am stepping under the protection of rightful rule.</p><p>In a world that constantly asks mothers to be everything, everywhere, all at once, that truth feels like oxygen.</p><p><strong>Theology for the Tired Mom</strong></p><p>Studying the names of God is not an academic exercise.</p><p>It is survival.</p><p>Adonai reminds me:</p><ul><li><p>I am not sovereign.</p></li><li><p>I am not ultimate.</p></li><li><p>I am not responsible for holding the universe or my household, together.</p></li></ul><p>The Sovereign Lord is in total control.</p><p>He reigns, I can close my eyes at night.</p><p>Because He governs hearts, I can release outcomes.</p><p>Because He is Master, I am not.</p><p>That is not weakness.</p><p>That is rest.</p>]]></content:encoded></item></channel></rss>