Joy in the Wait

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

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

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

As we delight in the Lord, we begin to recognize the blessings that He has poured out upon us. The desires that dwell deep in our heart are the dreams He planted within. In our ongoing pursuit of a life lived with Him, He makes our hopes and dreams a reality. Often, the wait feels long, yet even when we do not see it, He is moving on our behalf. When we are seeking after Him with all of our heart, our desires align with His. It is in that alignment that He brings change, resolve and new things. Currently, I am in a space of waiting. My charge in the wait is to take joy in Him. This is not an easy task when it feels as if the weight of the world is pressing down, yet the more I press into Him, the more I feel the weight lifting. Too often, we carry what is not ours to carry. One of the gifts that He gives is His strong hands that are willing and able to bear our burdens and hold the heaviness within us. Jesus is gentle and kind, and He never forces His way in nor takes what we do not freely give Him. May we ever take joy in the Lord, for His promises are good and He is the One who grants the desires of our heart.

Great joy in the Lord,

Is where hope is found;

For all that is good,

In Christ, does abound.

What our heart desires,

Manifests in Him;

He’s our Provider,

Who ushers good in.

Timing’s the challenge,

We all want it now;

Yet it’s in waiting,

That He works somehow.

He makes plain a path,

For us to choose take;

Each step requires faith,

Trust the way He makes.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that we can always find joy in You. Thank You that joy in You is not dependent on our circumstances, but rather is dependent on You. When we recognize Your goodness, kindness and grace, we cannot help but rejoice in who You are and how You love. Thank You that our dreams and desires that dwell deep within our hearts are gifts from You. Forgive us for losing sight of the joy we have in You, or for losing hope in the dreams not yet realized. Show us how to trust You in the waiting and to find joy in the hope we have in You. Lead us to love those around us in a way that offers joy, peace and hope. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we take joy in who You are and give thanks for the good things that You have planned for us all. Amen.

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

You reveal the path of life to me; in Your presence is abundant joy; in Your right hand are eternal pleasures. – Psalm 16:11

Grow Not Weary of Good

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. – (Galatians 6:9, NIV)

May we never tire of doing what is good and right before our Lord because in His season we shall bring in a great harvest if we can just persist. – (Galatians 6:9, VOICE)

 

Doing what we know is good in the sight of the Lord, is not always an easy task. Often, seemingly everyone else around us is doing differently, and making the choice to do right before God takes an intentional commitment to persist. Remaining right before Him is not about immediate gratification, rather with Christ, our ongoing decisions to live a life of faithfulness to our Heavenly Father, holds an eternal reward. The life we live is an example to those around us – be it good or bad, and if we are persistent in remaining upright according to God, others will be compelled to seek Him too. May we never grow weary in doing good, so that what we sow in faithfulness will be reaped in the righteousness of many.

 

Lord, keep far from me,

Weariness in good;

For I want to be,

Where love’s understood.

Help me to be light,

In places of lack;

Give me strength to fight,

When under attack.

Help me not give up,

No matter what comes;

As You fill my cup,

With each rising sun.

Thank You, dear Jesus,

That faithful shall reap;

A harvest success,

Safe in the Lord’s keep.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that in You, we need not grow weary in doing good, as You grant those who persist, a great harvest. Thank You that as we take steps of faith, You meet us with Your unending faithfulness and grace. Forgive us for our lack of persistence. Teach us to trust You more, so that we will learn to persevere in all things and at all times, even when we grow weary and want to quit. Show us how to love those around us the same way that You love us so well. May many come into a lasting relationship with You, as they see evidence of Your love and faithfulness through us. Be glorified O God, as we persevere in doing the good that You have called us to do. Amen.

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

When times are good, be happy. – Ecclesiastes 7:14

 

Wait Quietly with Hope

Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in Him. – (Psalm 62:5, NLT)

To quiet all of me, means to still my body, mind and spirit. This is no easy task. My mind races, my body longs to move, and my spirit is often unsettled in the constant momentum. It requires that I make an intentional choice to be silent before the Lord and simply wait in stillness. Neither natural, nor comfortable, this requires a choice of the will, because my hope is indeed held in God. What I find is that when I do slow down and silence myself before Him, and choose to wait quietly, He is faithful to meet me, and always has something to say to my heart. In the quiet wait, He whispers His words of encouragement, direction, correction and love. Time spent quietly waiting before God, is never for naught. He meets us in these moments, and reminds us why He is our hope and the One whom we can cling to in all things and at all times. May we allow all that we are to wait quietly before God, because our hope is held in Him alone.

O Lord I come,

in quietness;

as I choose wait,

I find my rest.

For all my hope,

is found in You;

O Faithful One,

Your word is true.

When chaos reigns,

and there’s no peace;

Lord please come near,

and grant release.

Encouragement,

when we have none;

all grace You give,

O Holy One.

May we allow,

all that we are;

to wait on You,

Great Morning Star.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that we can come, with all that we are, and wait quietly before You. Thank You that You are faithful to meet us in the moments that we choose to come before You, and our hope is held in You alone. Forgive us for allowing our busyness to keep us from being intentional to wait quietly before You. Teach us to slow down and wait in Your presence, for You alone are our hope and our help. Lead us to love others in such a way, that they too may see the hope that is held in You. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we wait quietly before You, placing all of our hope in You. Amen.

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

Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. – 2 Corinthians 3:5