Strength and Peace Supplied

The Lord gives strength to His people; the Lord blesses His people with peace. – (Psalm 29:11, NIV)

May the Lord make His people strong. May the Lord bless His people with peace. – (Psalm 29:11, ERV)

God makes His people strong. God gives His people peace. – (Psalm 29:11, MSG)

 

On my longest days, this is a perfect reminder. Knowing that God will be grant me strength and peace, despite the chaos, makes all the difference. My hope is held in trusting the repeated faithfulness of God. His goodness and grace grant the strength that I need and the peace my heart craves, despite the lengthy list of all that is required of me on a given day. Though at times I get caught up in the chaos, and am not sure how I will get through, God is faithful to meet me and supply all that is needed to navigate the course to which I am called. May we ever remember that God makes us strong and is the provider of peace in all things and at all times.

 

Strength comes from the Lord,

Our Grantor of peace;

Supplies what we need,

In love, He’ll release.

Grace to the seeking,

All hope we may hold;

For He is faithful,

His love makes us bold.

Bold in the Lord’s strength,

At rest in His peace;

Able to press on,

Grace and love repeat.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your goodness and grace. Thank You that You grant us strength and peace, even when neither seem possible and we are at the end of ourselves. Forgive us for not seeking Your strength when we are weary and Your peace when all calm is lacking. Teach us to trust You more, as You alone are our Provider and our place of peace. Show us how to love those around us in a way that extends strength and peace where both are lacking. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we trust You to supply the strength and peace we need to navigate each new day. Amen.

 

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

 

Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. – John 14:27

Trust in Our Trials

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. – (2 Corinthians 1:3, NLT)

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Father who is full of mercy, the God of all comfort. – (2 Corinthians 1:3, ERV)

What a wonderful God we have – He is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Source of every mercy, and the One who so wonderfully comforts and strengthens us in our hardships and trials. – (2 Corinthians 1:3, TLB)

 

God is good. He is full of mercy and comforts us through our hardships and trials. His goodness and grace are not dependent on how we feel, and His mercy knows no end. I am one who craves constant activity. When I am utilizing my body as it was designed, be it to run or hike or partake in my sport of the season, it is in these that I feel free and most alive. Sadly, with the injury I sustained last week, I am unable to do anything that requires weight-bearing on my leg with the fracture and am at a loss for what to do to truly move as my body craves to move. Incredibly, His mercy has been my comfort, and so far, my heart has held hope that the healing process for a fracture is far shorter than that of a more severe sort of injury. This morning I will see the orthopedist and know more about the specific plan for healing and recovery and have a better idea of timeline. As I go, I hold hope that He is my strength and comfort and will be with me. May we ever trust in He who is our Source of mercy, and our generous Provider of comfort and strength through every hardship and trial.

 

The Lord is still good, 

When things all seem bad;

Comfort through trials,

What we never had.

He gives us the strength,

To rise and press on;

When in our own mind,

All hope is but gone.

His mercy restores,

Upheld by His grace;

He loves us to life,

Strength to all things face.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, all praise to You, the Father of our Lord Jesus. Thank You that You are full of mercy and that You comfort us and strengthen us in the midst of our hardships and trials. Forgive us for either allowing our circumstances to overwhelm us, or for attempting to power through our trials on our own. Teach us to trust You more, as You are the One who provides all that we need to navigate every difficulty that we face and You cover us with Your love and Your grace. Show us how to love those around us in the same way, so that they too, would know Your comfort, grace, strength, mercy and love in the midst of every trial faced. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we give You all praise for who You are and how You love us in tangible ways in the midst of our struggles. Amen.

 

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

But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ. – Ephesians 2:4-5

Seek His Spirit to Stand

So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. – (Galatians 5:16, NIV)

So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. – (Galatians 5:16, NLT)

I say be guided by the Spirit and you won’t carry out your selfish desires. – (Galatians 5:16, CEB)

 

Without the Holy Spirit in us, we do that which we know we ought not do. Our very nature desires to do the things that are in direct conflict of those to which we have been called. Thankfully, Christ came and died for us to take away the sin and shame of our failures of the flesh. More than that, He sent His Spirit to dwell in the hearts of all who choose call on His Name to lead and guide us in the way in which we are meant to go. By His Spirit, we can keep from giving in to the desires of the flesh and instead bring honor to Christ through the choices we make with how we conduct ourselves. May we each choose to walk by His Spirit, therefore keeping ourselves away from the selfish desires our flesh longs for, and instead rise up and honor Him in all that we say and do.

 

Within each of us,

a battle goes on;

a pull to choose sin,

to walk in the wrong.

Yet by Christ’s Spirit,

we have strength and guide;

to know what is right,

how we’re to abide.

He shows us what’s right,

and grants His power;

to choose right by Him,

no matter the hour.

So seek first the Lord,

and look to His face;

He’ll grant what’s needed,

to walk in His grace.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You have given us the gift of Your Holy Spirit to guide our lives so that we are able to withstand the cravings of our sinful nature. Thank You that You lead us and guide us as we choose to trust and rely on You. Forgive us for attempting to navigate on our own, and teach us to trust You more. Show us how to come before You in all things and at all times, so that we may know Your guidance for every decision that we make. Lead us to love others as You so unreservedly love each of us. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we listen to the voice of Your Spirit within us to overcome temptation and walk in the way in which we are called. Amen.

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

Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him. – Psalm 34:8

The Reality of Rest

Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from Him. – (Psalm 62:1)

Rest is a remarkable thing.  Our soul craves it, yet rest does not always come from idleness; sometimes it comes from contact with others – from being surrounded by others who are like-minded in their pursuit of God.  This weekend has been all about connecting with other women, sisters, from my church, as we are on retreat.  Though I have not physically rested much, nor slept anymore than usual, my soul feels rested and new life is being birthed within me again.  Places that were weary and worn, are being restored, as God has used others to speak His truth into my life.  Likewise, He is further equipping and preparing each of us, to go out and do the same for others.  May we each find rest for our soul through our precious Savior, as our salvation comes from Him alone.

Find rest, O my soul,

in the Lord alone;

for there is none like,

Him who makes heart home.

Our sweet salvation,

is promised in Him;

if our heart’s open,

inviting Him in.

For our weary souls,

there is rest to find;

as sisters gather,

with purpose in mind.

With hearts for the Lord,

and for each other;

refreshment is found,

thanks to our Father.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that our souls find rest in You.  Thank You that You made the way for salvation for all who place their trust in You.  Thank You that when we are weary and in need of rest, You alone, know what that rest should look like for us, individually.  Thank You for the sweet blessing of community in the body of Christ.  Thank You that You have created us for relationships.  Forgive us for the times that we are weary and we isolate ourselves, rather than seeking You and one another.  Teach us to trust You more, as You alone are the One who brings refreshment to the weariest of souls.  Lead us to love and refresh those around us, so that they too, may come to know the salvation that is found in You alone.  May many choose to give their lives to You.  Be glorified O God, as we find rest in You, our Savior and King.  Amen.

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

Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him. – Psalm 34:8