Revere, Return and Remember

In Samuel’s farewell speech to Israel, his words were ones of wise instruction as to how to follow after the Lord so that they would remain in the space of His favor.

 

“But be sure to fear the Lord and serve Him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things He has done for you.” – (1 Samuel 12:24)

 

After reading several translations of the same verse, the charge to be sure to fear the Lord was translated a few different ways. To fear the Lord in this sense, is to revere, trust and honor Him. We are able to do that if we serve Him faithfully with all of our heart. Additionally, that reverence, trust, honor and holy fear comes naturally, as we consider and meditate on all of the great things that He has done for us throughout our lives. The Lord is faithful and true, and He has great plans for each of us. Despite what we see in the here and now, as we trust His faithfulness and continue to forge forward, we discover all that He has for us, both now and into eternity. May we rise up in reverence and trust in Him, as we serve Him faithfully with our whole heart. Let us continue to consider all of the great things that He has done.

 

The fear of the Lord,

is a space of trust;

standing in reverence,

to serve Him, we must.

Let us consider,

all of the great things;

our faithful Father,

through His love, He brings.

With all that we are,

let us trust and serve;

for a life of praise,

is what God deserves.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You are worthy of all of our reverence, trust and honor. Thank You that we can trust You completely, and serve You faithfully with our whole heart. Thank You that we have much to consider, when we think of all of the great things that You have done for us. Thank You that we need only recognize our next heartbeat, next breath, next sight or next sound, to understand how much You love us and bless us through life and light and all that is around us. Forgive us for not giving You proper praise or reverence, or for not giving You our whole heart. Teach us to trust You more, as we recognize who You are and all that You have done for each of us. Lead us to love others with the very same love that You have poured out upon us. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we trust in You, serve You faithfully with our whole heart, and consider all that You have done for us. Amen.

© Shannon Elizabeth Moreno and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present.

He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy. – Job 8:21

Consider Great Things

Life is busy; and busy, can be distracting. In the midst of all that moves us, we are meant to slow down and take time to reset and reflect, restoring our priorities to their proper place. As Samuel was nearing the end of his life and the people had asked the Lord for a king, to be like the nations that surrounded them, he offered much sound advice. A verse that stood out to me this morning, as a reliable reminder to keep our priorities in their proper place, is the following: “But be sure to fear the Lord and serve Him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things He has done for you.” – (1 Samuel 12:24)

 

To fear the Lord is to stand in reverent awe of who He is, and to understand that He is God, and we are not. Serving Him faithfully with all your heart is to withhold nothing; allowing Him access to all that we are, and offering our whole selves unto Him. When we feel that tender tug on our heartstrings to do something to serve, we don’t think; we act. To consider what great things He has done for us, is to remember His faithfulness. It takes little looking to see how He has been faithful. Being awake and able to read His word this morning is just one small example of His unending faithfulness unto us. The sun rose, as it was meant to do, I draw breath, without effort… What an incredible God to give us the gift of life and love and His unending faithfulness!

 

Take time to slow down,

to think of great things;

the gifts from the Lord,

that salvation brings.

His love and His grace,

freedom from demise;

His great strength to stand,

against all the lies.

Stand in total awe,

of our Mighty King;

serve Him faithfully,

as our offering.

Remember the Lord,

and His faithfulness;

all glory to Him,

God of Righteousness!

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You are God and we are not. Thank You that You alone are worthy of all of our reverence and awe; for You created everything that is, and was and is yet to be. Thank You for Your loving kindness and faithfulness to us, though we deserve it not. Forgive us for getting so caught up in the chaos of life, that we don’t stop to remember all that You have done for us. Help us to remember Your faithfulness, and trust that You are still the same God today as You were before. May we have hearts that are willing to serve You completely, and trust You with our whole being. Let Your love shine through us as we seek to serve as You call us. May many come to know You as their faithful Father, as we honor You in all that we say and do. Be magnified in the midst of us, as we consider the great things You have done. Amen.

© Shannon Elizabeth Moreno and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present.

May God be gracious to us and bless us and make His face shine upon us. – Psalm 67:1