Perfect Faithfulness

Lord, You are my God; I will exalt You and praise Your Name, for in perfect faithfulness You have done wonderful things, things planned long ago. – (Isaiah 25:1, NIV)

Eternal One, You are my God. I will lift You up and praise Your Name. Because You have made wonders marvelous and beautiful – the most ancient designs holding strong and sure. – (Isaiah 25:1, VOICE)

O Lord, I will honor and praise Your Name, for You are my God; You do such wonderful things! You planned them long ago, and now You have accomplished them, just as You said! – (Isaiah 25:1, TLB)

 

In perfect faithfulness is such a powerful description of the truth of how God moves. There are so many wonderful things – marvelous and beautiful, that He has done, that bless, encourage and uphold us in ways that only God can do. Incredibly, the Lord moves through things, great and small, that remind us again and again that He is our God who is worthy of all of our praise. Sometimes, it is a matter of arriving at the end of a long week and looking back, in order to see how He has been faithful to bring us through the days that felt impossible. And in the midst of the long, there have been blessings to behold, that God brought forth. Time with my family, conversations with mom, working with wonderful colleagues, coaching great girls in a sport I love, and actual sightings of sunshine, have all been reminders of His faithfulness and reason to give Him praise. For the faithfulness of God, and the power of His plans that are steadily accomplished, may we honor and praise His Name.

 

The God of all grace,

Faithful for all times;

He plans in advance,

The blessings we find.

He’s true to His word,

God knows what we need;

He hears each request,

As with love He leads.

Such beautiful things,

Through love and His grace;

Endowed unto us,

Let us give God praise.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for loving us so well. Thank You that You do wonderful and marvelous things that You planned long ago, to bless us and show us Your faithfulness. Thank You that in all things, You are present. Forgive us for our fears and frustrations in the wait between what we know is promised and the fulfillment. Teach us to be patient and full of praise as we wait and trust in You. Show us how to love those around us best, so that all may know Your goodness and grace through our love. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we praise You for who You are and how You love. Amen.

 

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

 

Sing to Him, sing praise to Him; tell of all His wonderful acts. – 1 Chronicles 16:9

Walk in Grace

Despite Paul’s influence on the people who were following Christ, he recognized that nothing he did was his goodness given to God, but rather any good that was granted, was in fact God working through him to give grace and peace and truth to those around him. Any good that we can observe, either in us or through us, is God’s gift to us, and all the more reason for us to give Him praise. The following is Paul’s explanation in the Message:

 

I’m speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it’s important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what He does for us, not by what we are and what we do for Him. – (Romans 12:3, MSG)

 

The very idea that we get to participate in anything of God is incredible, in and of itself. Nothing good that we do could ever be done by our own volition, but rather is endowed by our Creator. God empowers those who seek and trust in Him to do His will. It is Christ in us that brings good, rather than good in us being brought before Him. May we rise up and pursue the path He has placed before us, so that we might be instruments of His peace to people everywhere. Let God’s goodness flow through us, so all might come to know Him.

 

When we walk in grace,

The love of God shows;

Not by our own good,

But through Him who rose.

All that is lovely,

And all that is pure;

Everything righteous,

Is Christ drawing near.

Let us remember,

Our role and our place;

As people of thanks,

And givers of grace.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for who You are and all that You have done for us. Thank You for light and life, hope and help, in all things and at all times. Thank You that You are good all of the time, no matter what comes our way. Thank You that You see us and know us, better than we know ourselves. Forgive us for forgetting the role we were created to fill, and help us to trust You enough to walk forward in that which You are calling us into. Show us how to live fearlessly in the light of Your love. Lead us to love others in such a way, that they may see You through the things we say and do. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we give all of our gratitude to You, and allow You to move through us as we get out of the way. Amen.

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

May God Almighty grant you mercy. – Genesis 43:14