Keep Singing

O my Strength, to You I sing praises, for You, O God, are my refuge, the God who shows me unfailing love. – (Psalm 59:17, NLT)

I will sing praises to You, my source of strength. You, God, are my place of safety. You are the God who loves me! – (Psalm 59:17, ERV)

I will lift my voice to sing Your praise, O my Strength – for You came to my defense. O God, You have shown me Your loving mercy. – (Psalm 59:17, VOICE)

 

As I prepare to head home for a quick visit until Sunday morning, I have much to be grateful for as I go. God is doing a new thing in mom, as He is granting her courage and desire to actually get out of the house and enjoy a change of scenery. For me, this has been a huge answer to prayer, especially with no appointments scheduled over the long holiday weekend. Mom desperately needed something to break up the long hours, and I needed a change of scenery and an escape. Wednesday, she willingly obliged to go into town for a quick coffee run, and consequently, we picked up lunch at a favorite take out place. Yesterday, what began as another quick coffee run, turned into a glorious adventure in scenic driving, as mom directed me on amazing back roads that I had never been. We both were all smiles as we soaked in the sun and the scenery along the river, nestled between the surrounding mountains. For a few hours, life did not seem like we were in this post-stroke limbo space, but rather we were simply out on an adventure together. Dare I say, all felt gloriously normal. The outing challenged her enough to leave her needing a rest, and helped break up the day so that what could have been a long and dull day, actually flowed and was an enjoyable and relaxing one. Sleep last night was decent, and the sunrise this morning was an exceptional orange glow. As I drive home late this afternoon, I know that my way will be accompanied by a loud sing-along to my favorite songs of praise. God is loving and merciful, and He provides all that we need, just as it is needed. May we ever praise Him for His goodness and grace.

 

Forever faithful,

God of strength and grace;

Our space of refuge,

For all of our days.

You show us Your love,

As it never fails;

Kindness unending,

Your goodness prevails.

May we ever sing,

Give unending praise;

To You, our Savior,

Hope of all our days.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You are goodness and kindness, strength and love. Thank You that You are our refuge forever. Thank You that You teach our hearts to sing, so that we may ever praise You. Forgive us for forgetting the tune that You have planted in our heart when things feel too heavy. Teach us to trust You more, so that we will place all in Your hands and praise You through life’s storms. Show us how to love those around us in a way that helps lighten the load that others are bearing, so that they too, may find the song within. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we praise You, our strength and refuge, for Your unfailing love. Amen.

 

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

 

Sing to Him; yes, sing His praises. Tell everyone about His wonderful deeds. – 1 Chronicles 16:9

Present to Hear

Bend down, O Lord, and hear my prayer; answer me, for I need Your help. – (Psalm 86:1, NLT)

 

As I continue to contemplate prayer, I look to the Psalms and see the sincerity, openness and honesty that flowed from the heart of David as he called on the Lord. When he needed help, he said as much. In times of blessing, gratitude graced his lips. Regardless of what was going on, he brought his prayers before the Lord, and trusted Him for help. I love that God does not need eloquent prayers to hear our heart, but rather wants us to come to Him – in all things and at all times – trusting that He hears and that He is the solution for what we are asking. May we call on Him in need and in plenty, as He hears, answers and helps as we ask.

 

O Lord, help us know,

How You have drawn near;

When we call Your Name,

You’re present to hear.

Thank You for answers,

And help in our need;

You’re the solution,

That sets our hearts free.

Free from the chaos,

That keeps us apart;

Grounded in Your peace,

As You touch our hearts.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that when we call on You and pray to You, You hear us, answer us and grant us Your help. Thank You that Your solutions are not always our solutions, as You know what is best for us far better than we do. Forgive us for not praying in our places of uncertainty. Teach us to trust You more, so that we would be transparent before You, speaking freely of our fears, hopes, needs and praise. Show us how to love others in practical ways, so that they will see Your heart through our words and deeds. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we pray to You in all things and at all times – for You are our help and solution to that which we are asking. Amen.

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

Your righteousness reaches to the skies, O God, You who have done great things. Who, O God, is like You? – Psalm 71:19

 

 

Obey the Impossible

So Moses did as he was told… – (Numbers 20:9a, NLT)

 

Despite the seemingly impossible and at times, absurd, Moses did as the Lord asked. As he did, God moved miraculously to provide for the people. In this particular passage, when Moses struck a rock with his staff, enough fresh water to satisfy all of the people and their livestock in the middle of the desert flowed forth.

There were times that Moses wrestled with obeying the things that God had asked of him, and as a result, he at times, missed out on the fullness of what the Father had for him. The same holds true for us. God does not ask us to do the seemingly impossible or apparently absurd, just to isolate and let us suffer. Rather He calls us to trust so that we might see the mighty move of His hand on our behalf, if only we will trust and allow Him to be God. When we do that which He has called us to do, His provision and purpose present themselves in phenomenal ways. However, when we do not move where we are called, we miss out on what He has prepared. May we seek the Lord with all that we are, and then in faith, do as He asks so that we may know the fullness of the Father’s goodness and grace.

 

So often the times,

That we’re called to move;

Seem impossible,

Yet His strength shall prove.

In Christ, no mountain,

Shall stand in the way;

When we trust in Him,

There’s strength to obey.

In obedience,

Miracles take place;

God goes before us,

And grants us His grace.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You supply all that we need and more, to walk in obedience to that which we are called. Thank You that You make the impossible, possible in You. Forgive us for our doubts and fears, and teach us to trust You more. Help us to hold fast to the promises of Your presence and provision to all who place their trust in You alone. Show us how to love others well, so that they might see the hope that is found in You alone through how we care for those around us. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we trust and obey all that You say, even when it seems completely impossible. Amen.

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

God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me. – Genesis 21:6

 

Presenting Needs With Thanks

Yesterday morning in church, we did something that was quite impactful. After our pastor reminded us of the things that God has been speaking about Moving Forward this year, including some of the key things that we need to do in order to do so, he had us take a card that was in the seatback in front of us, and write the things that we need from the Lord, and on the other side, our thanksgiving to God for all that He has done. Once we had completed our card, we took it to a box up front, and then partook in communion. The cards will be burned, as they are our offerings before the Lord.

 

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. – (Philippians 4:6-7, NLT)

 

The remarkable thing to me, was I knew exactly what need I was to write down to present before Him. If anyone had asked me to verbalize a need, I might not have been able to answer so quickly. There was something about the process that facilitated transparency before God. Just as easily as I had written down the need, my list of thanks for God’s faithfulness freely flowed. To look back over the past year, despite the difficulties, He has been overwhelmingly faithful, every step of the way. Interestingly enough, my heart had been agitated all morning. Though I had prayed and spent intentional time with Him, there was just something that continued to press in that place that prevents peace. The action of identifying the area of my own need, presenting my request to God with thanksgiving, remembering where He had been faithful before, and then spending time thanking Him, brought peace. Though there is no “formula” to find peace, God is faithful to meet us in our place of unrest as we seek Him and place our trust in His goodness and grace. He is enough to overcome the biggest barriers that seem to stand in our way. Our job, is to trust Him to get us where we need to go. Sometimes it is over them, sometimes through them, and other times, He leads us around that which seems impossible to traverse. May we choose prayer over worry, and place our trust in God. Let us tell Him what we need and thank Him for all that He has done. May we recognize His perfect peace that surpasses all understanding, as our hearts and minds are protected through living in Christ.

 

Dear heart, don’t worry,

instead, choose to pray;

tell God what you need,

and thank Him today.

For His peace will come,

through our choice to trust;

not working harder,

just pray, thank Jesus.

Remember the times,

He’s been there before;

for faith shall rise up,

and our hearts trust more.

The God of all peace,

shall guard heart and mind;

for those who choose seek,

forever will find.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that we need not worry about anything, but rather we ought to present our requests before You. Thank You that You hear our prayers and are faithful to answer and bring Your perfect peace. Forgive us for our anxiousness that rises up as we choose to try to navigate on our own. Teach us to trust You more, so that we would identify our own areas of need, present them before You, remember the times that You have been faithful before, and give You all of our gratitude – for You are so faithful. Show us how to love others with Your love that presents peace, even in places where peace makes no sense. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we choose trust instead of worry, and allow Your peace to reign in our hearts and minds as we give You all of our thanks and praise. Amen.

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

For the Lord your God will bless you, …and your joy will be complete. – Deuteronomy 16:15