Take Joy

Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. – (Psalm 37:4, NIV)

Depend on the Lord. Trust in Him, and He will help you. – (Psalm 37:4, ERV)

Take great joy in the Eternal! His gifts are coming, and they are all your heart desires! – (Psalm 37:4, VOICE)

When we delight, depend on, and take great joy in the Lord, we desire what He desires, and we trust Him to help us walk into all that He has for us. All that we are and all that we long for become aligned with God as we earnestly seek Him. The more we understand who He is, the more deeply we delight in Him. God is good, and His love endures forever. As we seek and depend on Him, He shows us more and more of who He is and how He loves. Our desires become intertwined with loving Him and loving His creation. May we ever seek the Lord, in whom we can trust, depend and delight; for He helps us become who we have been created to be, and walk into the desires that align with His.

Take joy in the Lord,

In Him we can trust;

Our help and our hope,

The Savior is just.

When our hearts align,

As God’s very own;

Hopes and dreams fulfilled,

For His love is shown.

Be near us, Lord God,

As we seek to know;

Your heart for all things,

Your help so we grow.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that as we delight in You, You show us more and more of who You are and how You love. Thank You that it is in this space of knowing, that we recognize the desires of our hearts coming to pass. Forgive us for our selfishness and our lack of seeking You. Teach us to not only seek, but to depend on and delight in You. Show us how to love as You love, so that all might know the goodness of Your grace. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we take joy in You and all that You have in store for us. Amen.

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

Splendor and majesty are before Him; strength and joy are in His dwelling place. – 1 Chronicles 16:27

In Worrisome Space

Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you. – (1 Peter 5:7, NIV)

Give all your worries to Him, because He cares for you. – (1 Peter 5:7, ERV)

Let Him have all your worries and cares, for He is always thinking about you and watching everything that concerns you. – (1 Peter 5:7, TLB)

 

We are in a time that is full of uncertainty and unknowns. It is seemingly impossible to avoid “what if” scenarios, as a state of emergency has been declared by our governor, and the World Health Organization has deemed Covid-19 a pandemic. The weight and worry that I bear looks different than those who are living with compromised immune systems or are in households with young children or elderly, as their concerns are much more immediate and life-threatening. For others, it is more a matter of day-to-day living and the wonder as to how it will all work out. As an educator, there is much uncertainty as to when our schools will be closed, and for how long. In this space, my only real choice is to give all of my worries and uncertainties to God. He sees and knows, and He cares about all that concerns us. I know not why such a crazy crisis is taking place, yet I know it is an opportunity for people to rise up and love others well. Our charge is to love as we are loved. May we give all of our worries to God, because He cares for us, and depend on Him to lead and guide us as we navigate this rocky road of uncertainty.

 

In worrisome space,

Give all unto God;

The Lord cares for us,

Despite all our flaws.

He sees and He knows,

Our each anxious thought;

He’s present to help,

Each time He is sought.

Even when all things,

Impossible seem;

The Lord has a way,

To give grace, redeem.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that we can come to You and cast all of our worries and cares upon You. Thank You that Your hands can hold them, and Your shoulders have already bore every burden we ever will bear. Thank You that You provide grace, goodness and love as we come to You. Forgive us for carrying weight and holding anxiety and concerns that we are not meant to hold in fear. Teach us to trust You and listen to wisdom, so that we would navigate in grace and love. Show us how to love well, all those around us, in tangible and meaningful ways. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we give You all of our cares and concerns and trust You to lead us in wisdom and strength in the face of all of the unknown. Above all, help us to choose love in all that we say and do, every step of the way. Amen.

 

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

 

Cast your cares on the Lord, and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken. – Psalm 55:22

Persevere in Love

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. – (1 Corinthians 13:6-7, NIV)

Love is never happy when others do wrong, but it is always happy with the truth. Love never gives up on people. It never stops trusting, never loses hope, and never quits. – (1 Corinthians 13:6-7, ERV)

Love joyfully celebrates honesty and finds no delight in what is wrong. Love is a safe place of shelter, for it never stops believing the best for others. Love never takes failure as defeat, for it never gives up. – (1 Corinthians 13:6-7, TPT)

 

The last few weeks at school have been particularly rough. My resolve to hope and persevere have been wavering. Yesterday the enormity of the weight, somehow hit me like a ton of bricks. I found myself in a funk that I could not escape. God, in His kindness, continues to surround me with amazing friends and colleagues. Throughout the day, I had kind and encouraging interactions that propelled me to press on. I do not know what the solution is going to be to my current dilemma, but God does. He is love. He does not delight in the wrong that is going on. Because He is my safe shelter, I need never stop believing the best for others. Though this season is difficult to walk through, it is not the time to give up and lose hope. Love always hopes and always perseveres. It may require action and interventions, but it does not mean to lose heart. My trust is in God, not people; for humans are fallible, whereas He is not. Additionally, He has provided a husband and home that are the safe shelter I imagine He intended. No matter how my day has gone, I can speak freely without judgment and know that I will be loved and cared for well. May we seek the Lord, who is love, so that we may rejoice with the truth, believe the best for others, never lose hope and never give up.

 

True love celebrates,

“Home” – photo by Dee Jones of Open Door Photography ❤

Truth and honesty;

It always protects,

With ferocity.

Love chooses to trust,

Hope and persevere;

Seeks God and His strength,

Knows that He is near.

Love does not give up,

But keeps pressing on;

For God’s love endures,

Hope to depend on.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You are Love. Thank You that You show us again and again what love really means. Thank You that You delight in the truth, You always protect, You are our reason to trust, the One in whom we hope, and our strength to persevere. Forgive us for our frustration and our lack of faith when it feels like love fails. Teach us to trust You more, as You are working and moving far beyond what we can see. Show us how to love those around us with a love like Yours. Grant us the strength to never lose hope, and to always persevere. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we choose to persevere in love. Amen.

 

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

 

Surely Your 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

Pursuing Our Provider

Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always. – (Psalm 105:4, NIV)

Depend on the Lord for strength. Always go to Him for help. – (Psalm 105:4, ERV)

Search for the Lord and His strength; continually seek Him. – (Psalm 105:4, NLT)

Look to, depend on, and search for the Lord and His strength, are perfect reminders of our need to pursue our Provider in this season of busy that can leave us feeling depleted. God is faithful to meet us as we seek Him. His love never fails. These are important reminders, as this week, the last before Spring Break, seems to be the longest of the year. May we ever look to the Lord for strength, depend on Him to be present, and search for Him, as He will be found by the seeking.

When weary and worn,

I look to the Lord;

For in Him I find,

His strength, He’ll outpour.

God’s goodness and grace,

Meet me in this space;

He renews resolve,

Throughout all my days.

Resolve to press on,

Keep going as called;

Presence and His peace,

By grace, He installs.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that as we look to You, depend on You and search for You, You meet us in our need and supply what we are lacking. Thank You for Your strength when ours has run out. Forgive us for allowing weariness to drag us down. Teach us to trust You more, as You provide Your rest at the perfect time. Show us how to love and strengthen those around us, so they may be ever aware of Your goodness and grace. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we pursue You and Your provision to carry us when we feel depleted. Amen.

 

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

 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. – Proverbs 3:5

Look For in Faith

Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always. – (1 Chronicles 16:11, NIV

Depend on the Lord for strength. Always go to Him for help. – (1 Chronicles 16:11, ERV)

Search for the Lord and for His strength; continually seek Him. – (1 Chronicles 16:11, NLT)

 

The stretch between Christmas break and Spring break always seem extraordinarily long. Despite the disruption to our schedule with a handful of snow days, this portion of the school year still feels like a marathon. Between the ridiculously full moon and the unseasonably warm weather, the energy and struggle to focus feel like an epidemic in the classroom. Student frustration is increasing, as the rigor and demand of the work is becoming more challenging than before. This is the space where I am ever aware of the limitations of my own strength, and recognize the need for the Lord’s. I appreciate the various translations of this verse, as they remind me that I need to look for and depend on the Lord for His strength, and ever seek His face. He provides what I am lacking, as I place my trust in Him. May we ever look to the Lord and depend on Him, as He is our source of strength as we seek Him.

 

Let’s look to the Lord,

And choose seek His face;

Depend on His strength,

Granted by His grace.

Ever keep searching,

In spaces of need;

Go to God for help,

Allow Him take lead.

God in His leading,

All strength He supplies;

To keep pressing on,

Our Source realized.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your faithfulness to meet us as we seek You. Thank You that You supply the strength we lack to press forward in all that we are called to do. Forgive us for not searching for You in the struggle. Teach us to turn to You in all things and at all times. Show us how to love those around us in a way that extends Your help, compassion and strength where it is lacking. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we seek You and depend on You to be our strength; always. Amen.

 

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

 

The Lord gives His people strength. The Lord blesses them with peace. – Psalm 29:11

Keep Nothing Back

Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust Him, and He will help you. – (Psalm 37:5, NLT)

Depend on the Lord. Trust in Him, and He will help you. – (Psalm 37:5, ERV)

Open up before God, keep nothing back; He’ll do whatever needs to be done. – (Psalm 37:5, MSG)

It is easy to remember to call on God to ask for help when things get difficult, and when things are overwhelmingly good, my heart does overflow with gratitude to God. However, committing all that I do unto the Lord before I even begin, is not always my mode of operation. It is not that I do not want God to gain glory through all that I do, but rather that I some times get caught up in the rapid pace of life and press forward on auto-pilot instead of asking God to go before me. I know that He is with me wherever I go, but to truly depend on Him and trust Him, I want to give Him everything in advance. May we seek our Savior each new day, and offer unto Him, all that lies ahead in trust.

With all that I am,

And all that I do;

Help me, Lord Jesus,

Give all unto You.

For where I choose trust,

Your presence shall be;

Faithful to give help,

Wherever there’s need.

O God in all things,

I choose to trust You;

I hold nothing back,

For Your word is truth.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that we can commit all that we do unto You, and trust You to be our help, as You are faithful to answer and be present. Thank You that You see our need and hold nothing back. Forgive us for not giving all unto You in advance. Teach us to trust You more, so that we would commit all of our ways for all of our days, unto You. Show us how to love those around us in a way that offers help and hope, and demonstrate trust that is true in You. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we depend on You and trust You in all things and at all times to be our Help and our Hope. Amen.

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

The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. – Psalm 145:8

 

In God We Can Trust

Understand, therefore, that the Lord your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps His covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes His unfailing love on those who love Him and obey His commands. – (Deuteronomy 7:9, NLT)

Know this: God, your God, is God indeed, a God you can depend upon. He keeps His covenant of loyal love with those who love Him and observe His commandments for a thousand generations. – (Deuteronomy 7:9, MSG)

 

God is faithful to keep His promises and will continue to generously give His unfailing love to those who choose to love and obey Him. When we recognize God for who He is, we cannot help but long to please Him. The very same God who created the heavens and the earth, and all that is within them, hand-crafted each of us, and longs to live in relationship with us. To be loved personally by He who is so much greater than our minds can even conceive, is completely overwhelming. How can we help but love and honor the very hands that held the heart that beats within us, before we breathed our first breath? May we recognize God and who He is, and choose to love and obey all that He commands.

 

The hands that stretched out,

to place all the stars;

are the hands of love,

that come where we are.

The Lord reaches out,

He’s faithful and true;

to all who choose trust,

in Him, be made new.

As we choose obey,

and love by our will;

His promises kept,

our hearts His love fills.

No matter what comes,

in God we can trust;

our hope is secure,

for His ways are just.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that when we recognize You as our God, and love and obey what You ask, You are faithful to Your promises and lavish us with Your unfailing love. Thank You that You do not expect perfection, but rather hearts that are earnestly seeking You and Your best for our lives. Thank You that You are always ready and willing to meet us in each moment, wherever we are. Forgive us for our disobedience or hesitation when You call us into something that seems further or more difficult than we have ever gone or done before. Teach us to trust You more, so that we would remember that if You call us into something, You are ready to equip us to do what You are asking and go wherever You are leading. Show us how to love others as You so lavishly love each of us. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we love and obey all that You ask of us, for You are God indeed, on whom we can depend. Amen.

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

Shout aloud and sing for joy. – Isaiah 12:6