His Hand in the Storm

He reached down from on high and took hold of me; He drew me out of deep waters. – (Psalm 18:16, NIV)

He reached down from above and grabbed me. He pulled me from the deep water. – (Psalm 18:16, ERV)

He then reached down from heaven, all the way from the sky to the sea. He reached down into my darkness to rescue me! He took me out of my calamity and chaos and drew me to Himself, taking me from the depths of my despair! – (Psalm 18:16, TPT)

I love the imagery found in this particular verse; it is so powerful! Being an incredibly visual creature, I can picture a giant, strong, yet gentle hand, reaching down from heaven, to pull me out of the raging sea in the midst of a fierce storm. Though my current status is not tumultuous nor terribly storm-like, I know for many, it is. I have been in several raging storms throughout my life thus far, and each time, God has been faithful to be present and bring His peace, drawing me unto Himself to calm the storm within me. My circumstances seldom changed right away, but the depth of despair, desperation and isolation, did. As God takes our hand, He leads us in His loving kindness to places of peace. Sometimes, He has to guide us from deep waters to a safe harbor, yet other times He simply speaks to the storm within us, and says, “Be still.” Our current season feels long, as one day runs into the next, and into the next. Staying in one place for a long period of time can create a sort of storm within us. The greatest combatant to getting stuck in the deep end is to remember what keeps us afloat. Gratitude, faith, and hope are terrific navigation tools when storms come our way. May we look to the Lord to take our hand and pull us from the places that do not keep our head and heart above water, and trust in Him to be our help and hope as we navigate each new day that we are blessed with on this journey.

In troubled waters,

The deep raging seas;

The Lord reaches down,

His love rescues me.

His strong, gentle hand,

Extends out to mine;

A powerful peace,

No words can define.

Though storms keep raging,

Knowing He is near;

Quiets storms within,

Removing the fear.

No matter how great,

The storm will not last;

But for a season,

Then this too, shall pass.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your gentle, yet powerful love that You have for all. Thank You that as we call on You from the midst of raging storms, You reach out Your strong hand to pull us out to a place of peace. Thank You that You still the storm within us, even if the circumstances around us continue. Thank You that all things right now are temporary, and will come to a close. Forgive us for thinking that the hardest seasons will never end, or that we are in them on our own. Teach us to trust You more, so that we would be ever aware of Your presence and Your peace; for You never leave us nor forsake us. Show us how to love those around us in ways that offer peace, love and hope, reminding them that better days will come again. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we trust Your strong hands to keep us safe through the storms, and keep hope in knowing that what is yet to come is far better than what is right now. Amen.

 

 

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

 

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. – Psalm 46:1

Receiving Our Refuge

The Lord is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust in Him. – (Nahum 1:7, NLT)

The Lord is good. He is a safe place to go in times of trouble. He takes care of those who trust Him. – (Nahum 1:7, ERV)

When troubles come, there is no greater feeling than knowing that we have a safe place to land where we will be cared for and helped. God often provides people to help make His hell and nearness tangible, but ultimately, it is The Lord alone who is our refuge and strength. Because He is good, He chooses to be near to all who trust in Him. We have the blessed assurance that no matter what comes our way, we have safety and strength in our Savior. May we trust in the goodness of God, and allow His care to carry us when calamity comes near. 
The Lord is so good, 

 His presence is clear;

Our refuge and strength,

When trouble comes near. 

He’s promised to be,

Close to all who trust;

He grants all we need,

Our loving Jesus. 

Choose run to The Lord,

In trial and peace;

His grace, hope and love,

Set fearful hearts free. 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You are so good. Thank You that You are our strong refuge when troubles come. Thank You that You are close and You care for us as we trust in You. Forgive us for not running to the safety of Your arms when trouble comes our way. Teach us to trust You more. Show us how to love others in a way that we are extending Your hands and heart to those in need. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we trust You to be our refuge. Amen. 
Father, I thank You that You have heard me. – John 11:41

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

Standing Strong in Struggles

Today, as I again read the first two chapters of Job, I am reminded anew that though God does not cause the trials in our lives, He does allow them. Often they have nothing to do with sin, but rather are a test of sorts, meant to deepen our dependence on Him. In the case of Job, God saw his faith, and allowed Satan access to him, with the condition that Job was not to be killed. Even after losing everything and all of his children, in the midst of being chided by his wife to curse God, Job’s faithfulness remained.

 

He replied, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” In all this, Job did not sin in what he said. – (Job 2:10)

 

When trials and struggles come our way, do we remain upright and confident in Christ? Are we able to keep from sinning in what we say? It is one thing to quickly cry out to Christ when calamity comes our way, yet it is entirely another, to continue to trust for a long season of suffering or despair. As we choose Him in the midst of our heartache and struggles, He is faithful to be present. Just as Job’s friends initially sat beside him in silence (as he actually needed), God is present, and will remain. Christ whispers the words that our hearts need to hear, and holds us up when we cannot take even one more step forward. He is faithful forever; we need simply place all of our trust in Him, no matter how things appear. May we fix our eyes on Christ and allow Him access to our whole heart, so that we become rooted and established in He who will help us weather every storm.

 

God is always good,

even though life’s not;

His hope will remain,

our eternal lot.

When the trials come,

His presence is clear;

if we’ve invested,

we’ll know He is near.

No matter the ache,

how great or how small;

He sees and He knows,

upholds us through all.

For the Lord is good,

His love shall remain;

both now and always,

let Christ come and reign.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that even in the midst of struggles and suffering, You remain present – helping, holding, loving and granting Your hope. Thank You that no matter what comes, our hope is held in You. Thank You that what awaits in eternity is well worth the temporary trials that we endure on earth. Forgive us for our lack of endurance and faith when struggles seem unending, and teach us how to persevere in Your promises and Your presence. Teach us to trust You more, for You are always good. Lead us to love and be faithful to You, no matter what comes, just as You so clearly demonstrated through the life of Your Son, Jesus. Jesus, draw many unto Yourself, so that those who are lost, may be found forever in You. Be exalted, O God, as we stand strong in You, even in the struggles. Amen.

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

Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. – Psalm 23:6

Redemption for the Repentant

Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and He relents from sending calamity. – (Joel 2:13, NIV)

 

Tear your hearts, not your clothes. Come back to the Lord your God. He is kind and merciful. He does not become angry quickly. He has great love. Maybe He will change His mind about the bad punishment He planned. – (Joel 2:13, ERV)

 

God is indeed merciful; slow to anger, abounding in love. However, we must make a choice. We either elect to turn from our selfish and independent ways and choose to trust Him, or we continue on our self-made road to ruin. Jesus made the way so that all who call on His Name, may be saved. All of our sin and shame has been covered at the cross; we need only be willing to repent and receive what He is offering. Each of us have a finite time on earth. Not one of us know the number of our days. Sitting idly by, saving the decision for “someday“, is playing roulette with our eternity. There is no better time than now. He has been waiting since the moment He knit you together in your mother’s womb. He knows your name, and everything you’ve ever done – yet He still love you and is ready to call you His own. Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God. – (John 1:12) Repent, receive, and believe, for we are meant to be His.

 

Today is the day,

to turn to the Lord;

don’t let it slip by,

seek in one accord.

For He is waiting,

with arms open wide;

to call you His own,

to stay by your side.

No matter your past,

the sin you have done;

covered at the cross,

that battle’s been won.

All that still remains,

is you choose receive;

to trust in His word,

have faith and believe.

There’s no greater choice,

to ever be made;

O child of the King,

embrace Him today.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You are gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Thank You that You receive us into Your kingdom when we call on Your Name and repent from our sinful ways. Forgive us for overcomplicating Your love or Your grace, and help us to both receive and extend all that You are offering. May we be living examples of lives transformed by You. Let those who are looking, find their way to a lasting relationship with You. Help us to hold fast to Your truth, and live and love as You love us. Be exalted, O God, as we share of the goodness and grace You grant all who seek Your face. Amen.

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

Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.  – Psalm 23:6