Spaces of Grief

You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in Your bottle. You have recorded each one in Your book. – (Psalm 56:8, NLT)

You know I am very upset. You know how much I have cried. Surely You have kept account of all of my tears. – (Psalm 56:8, ERV)

 

Yesterday morning, my mom shared with me that the grandson of one of her dearest friends was airlifted to Children’s Hospital with serious respiratory issues, and was not doing well. Right away, I recognized the severity of what was going on, as they do not simply airlift children from the local hospital to a specialized hospital for small things. I began to pray throughout the day as my heart drifted back to the sweet little boy who was struggling, and for his loving family, who could do nothing else but pray as well. In the early evening, I sent a message to my mom in hope of a positive update. About two hours later, I received the devastating news that this precious little boy had lost his life. What are we to do in such circumstances? Obviously, I will be praying for comfort for the family in their grief, but practically, despite a phenomenal faith, there is nothing that can lessen the weight of the loss of a child. I know God can and will carry them through this season, and will do immeasurably more than we could hope or imagine, yet even so, my heart aches for them, and I cannot begin to fathom the depth of their present pain. He sees our every sorrow, and tracks our every tear. His heart aches with ours, and He loves us through our losses. May we love a little harder, all those whom we’ve been given, and lift up those who are grieving as we give them grace to walk out their present suffering.

 

In seasons of loss,

In Loving Memory of Eli. ❤

In spaces of grief;

Draw near us Jesus,

Your love brings relief.

You see our sorrow,

You catch all our tears;

Comfort our mourning,

Grant strength to face fears.

Be near, precious Lord,

To those in great loss;

Hold each in Your arms,

Let no one be lost.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You are our Comforter in times of great sorrow. Thank You that You see every tear, and nothing is not noticed by You. Thank You that Your heart grieves with ours, and that You sit beside us in our mourning. Forgive us for our floundering in the midst of suffering. Teach us to turn to You to be our comfort in times of trouble, as You have promised to never leave us. Show us how to bring comfort to those who are grieving, and to love well, those in the midst of great loss. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we lean on You in times of great sorrow, and depend on You to show us how to comfort those around us who are grieving. Amen.

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

You comfort me in my suffering, because Your promise gives me new life. – Psalm 119:50

Faith in the Fire

The account of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego as they stood firm in the face of fire in front of King Nebuchadnezzar is a childhood favorite of mine. This morning, as I read it anew, there were details that stood out to me more than they ever have before. One such point that had previously escaped me, is the fact that the men whom Nebuchadnezzar considered his strongest men, were called on to throw Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego into the fire that had been heated to seven times hotter than its usual temperature. The trio of faithful followers of God were tied up, fully clothed, and thrown into the furnace, however, this is the part that I neglected to notice before:

And because the king in his anger, had demanded such a hot fire in the furnace, the flames killed the soldiers as they threw the three men in. – (Daniel 3:22, NLT)

Can you even begin to imagine what the scene might have been like? Three men bound and fully clothed (in attire that was quite flammable) not even breaking a sweat and untouched by the fire, as the soldiers were consumed by the blazing heat of the flames as they drew near the furnace and threw in Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. It is an interesting dichotomy, as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego willingly went to the fire because they trusted God, whereas the strong soldiers willingly went to the fire because they knew if they did not obey, they would be killed. On one side there was faithful obedience out of trust and reverent awe, whereas on the other, it was only out of fear. Our motivation matters. When we know God, we want to obey and honor Him because we trust in His goodness and grace. May we ever trust the Lord and His hand when we stand in the face of the fire, for He is good and His faithfulness knows no end.

 

We must choose to trust,

When facing the flames;

For He’s our rescue,

As we trust His Name.

Worthy of our faith,

The God of all grace;

He comes as we call,

Wherever the place.

No mountain’s too high,

Nor valley too low;

For Him to draw near,

And make His strength known.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that when we trust in You, You are faithful to meet us where we are. Thank You that You hear our every prayer, and know every need. Forgive us for our lack of faith when the flames come at us with force. Teach us to trust You more, so that we would stand firm in You, knowing that You are far greater than anything that comes against us. Show us how to love those around us in a way that offers hope and strength where they are lacking. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we trust in You in the fire and in freedom. Amen.

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

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort. – 2 Corinthians 1:3

Choose to Trust

For he was awestruck by the number of fish they had caught, as were the others with him. – (Luke 5:9, NLT)

 

Though I have both read and heard the account of the calling of the first disciples in Luke 5:1-11, countless times, my heart received it anew this morning. Despite the passage covering only eleven verses, there is much depth in both what is said and that which is implied. First, Jesus had come to Simon, James and John on familiar ground. He borrowed a boat to teach the crowds, and then, after having earned credibility and authority with the men through His teaching, Jesus then chose to challenge their thinking. When Jesus asked Simon to take his boat out into deeper water to let down his nets so he could catch some fish, Simon had a choice – he could recognize the authority of Jesus that he had observed as He spoke to the crowd, and submit to His request in trust, or he could legitimately argue that there was nothing to catch, as they had already been out there all night and caught nothing. Something in Simon recognized the authority of Jesus and he chose to trust Him and do as He asked, despite the experience he had already had with a fruitless night of fishing. Simon’s decision to do what seemed less than sane, resulted in a haul of fish so great, that their nets began to break. The men were left awestruck at what Jesus had done, as they knew when and where to fish, and this was not the when nor the where, yet here they stood with more fish than they could handle! May we follow the example set by these early followers of Christ, as they recognized who Jesus was, chose to trust and do what He said (even when it did not make sense) and then stood in awe at the wonder of the way that He worked.

 

Early disciples,

Showed us how to be;

We first must choose trust,

Christ’s authority.

When what the Lord asks,

Makes no sense at all;

We still need choose trust,

With purpose, He calls.

Remember look back,

Though fearful and flawed;

See where He’s brought us,

Let us stand in awe.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You make Yourself known in tangible ways, and meet us each where we are at. Thank You that though the things You ask don’t always make sense, they are always for our ultimate good. Forgive us for our fearfulness or lack of faith in that which we cannot see. Teach us to trust You more so that we would recognize Who You are and the power You have in all things and at all times, despite what we see. Show us how to love those around us well, so that they may come to know the wonder of Your mighty love. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we choose to trust and obey whatever You ask, even when it does not make sense, for we know that You have our ultimate good in mind. Amen.

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

They will celebrate Your abundant goodness and joyfully sing our Your righteousness. – Psalm 145:7

Oh Fearful Heart, Be Strong

Say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, He will come with vengeance; with divine retribution He will come to save you.” – (Isaiah 35:4)

 

In the midst of a space of uncertainty, I am surrounded by those who are a few steps ahead of me in this journey. I am encouraged to watch them embrace this very strength in the Lord, and see how He comes and moves on their behalf. Though it is a fight to fend off fear, our Heavenly Father holds us in His strong hands, and will help and uphold us where we think we are unable to go. Our God is just, and though we may not see justice in the immediate, we know that ultimately, His truth will reign, and all will have to give account before Him. May His help and healing uphold all who are facing fear, and may His strength encourage us to forge forward wherever He is calling us to go.

 

Oh sweet, fearful heart,

be strong, do not fear;

for the Lord will come,

His presence is clear.

Truth shall be made known,

and goodness shall reign;

allow Him to work,

call on the Lord’s Name.

The Lord, He is just,

righteous in His ways;

we need give Him room,

to order our days.

Dear Lord, lead us on,

help us to be strong;

let fear fade away,

and hope carry on.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You come beside us when we are full of fear, and You encourage us to be strong in You. thank You that You are near, and that Your justice will reign, as You promise to save Your people who depend on You. Forgive us for allowing fear to keep us from pursuing You with our whole heart, and teach us to trust You with all that we are in all that we do. Lead us to love fearlessly, so that others too, may come to know the hope that is found in You alone. Let those who are looking, find a forever faith in You. Be glorified O God, as we are strong in You, trusting You to move on our behalf. Amen.

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

And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you.” – Exodus 33:19