A Loving Warrior

For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty Savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With His love, He will calm all Your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs. – (Zephaniah 3:17, NLT)

The Lord your God is with you. He is like a powerful soldier. He will save you. He will show how much He loves you and how happy He is with you. He will laugh and be happy about you. – (Zephaniah 3:17, ERV)

Your God is present among you, a strong Warrior there to save you. Happy to have you back, He’ll calm you with His love and delight you with His songs. – (Zephaniah 3:17, MSG)

 

It amazes me how often the verse of the day on my Bible application, is exactly the reminder I need. This morning, as I am on the other side of the mountains from mom and prepare to head back to work for a few days before returning to her after having not set foot in my classroom in nearly three weeks, I am more than a little nervous. Fortunately, I am comfortable about mom because my sister is there with her, and am able to be present with my family at home. Yesterday morning, I actually woke myself up from dreaming, as I had been telling my students about what had happened, and why I had been gone so long. Clearly returning to my classes has weighed heavily on my heart, and the unknown can be a bit of a fearful space. That being said, the past several weeks of my life have been nothing but unknowns. When we first drove to Wenatchee to mom in the hospital, we did not know the shape that she would be in. We knew not what the road to recovery and restoration would have in store, nor the timeline that would be required. Even now, we do not fully know the answers, however, God does. Even in this, we have found joy. There has been laughter, and smiles, gladness and delight. Peace and calm have come when they did not seem possible, and really did not make sense.

Mom continues to work tirelessly in each therapy session, and that which used to be the most frustration for her, is now becoming an area where she is seeing the most rapid growth and gratification. Speech therapy works not only on word recognition, cognition, reading, memory, logic and the like, but they are also working on strengthening her vocal cords. One of the things the stroke affected was the power of mom’s voice. Typically outgoing with a boisterous and jovial voice, the stroke left her quite soft-spoken. Her vocal work in speech therapy is helping her find the power in her voice again. We share many giggles in the process.

In all of this, God is with us, a present, loving warrior, battling on our behalf, loving us through the process as He calms our fears. May we ever trust in the One who delights in us, and listen to the songs He sings over us with joy.

 

The Lord is present,

Ever He is near;

Loving warrior,

We’ve nothing to fear.

With our God for us,

He’ll hold us upright;

Fighting our battles,

All day and all night.

Choose trust in the One,

Whose love grants us peace;

And sings over us,

Delightful release.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for being both our loving Savior and mighty Warrior. Thank You that You delight in us and sing over us, granting us peace in our spaces of fear. Forgive us for our fear of the unknown and unexplainable; for You already know the outcome and have a plan and a purpose for all. Teach us to trust the truth of Your word, that Your plans are to prosper and not to harm, to give a hope and a future. Show us how to love those around us well, so that Your loving strength shines through us clearly. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we rise up and receive the covering You provide for us in Your strength and love. Amen.

 

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

 

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

The Delight of Our Father

The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in His love He will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing. – (Zephaniah 3:17, NIV)

The Lord your God is with you. He is like a powerful soldier. He will save you. He will show you how much He loves you and how happy He is with you. He will laugh and be happy about you. – (Zephaniah 3:17, ERV)

Your God is present among you, a strong Warrior there to save you. Happy to have you back, He’ll calm you with His love and delight you with His songs. – (Zephaniah 3:17, MSG)

 

There are days that I am overwhelmed by the weight of the world, and am acutely aware of my own shortcomings. The truth of God’s word reminds me of Who is actually in the fight. God is with us, for us, and He delights in us. When we choose to love and follow Him, He sings over us with His songs of love. What a beautiful picture this reminder provides, as our God is both Mighty Warrior and Loving Father who delights in His children. A regular reminder that I am provided is how much my husband delights in little kids. He cannot go anywhere without making little ones smile, giggle, or at least wave at him. His heart is so tender toward little children, that his heart grants me a glimpse of the truth of who God is and how He loves each one of us.

 

The Lord, He is near,

My Viking & his great-niece ❤

He’s mighty to save;

Strength in the battle,

His love makes us brave.

God delights in us,

Over us, He sings;

Comfort and great peace,

His presence does bring.

So, ever seek Him,

In everything;

The Lord in His love,

Our Eternal King.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You are our Mighty Warrior who saves, and our Loving Father who delights over us with singing. Forgive us for not recognizing Your ability to be both all-powerful and all-loving when we are in the midst of struggles. Teach us to trust You more, for You are greater than all that weighs us down. Show us how to love those around us in Your strength and grace, so that many may come to forever seek Your face. Be glorified O God, as we trust in Your strength and rest in Your love. Amen.

 

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

 

The Lord delights in those who fear Him, who put their hope in His unfailing love. – Psalm 147:11

In and Through

We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in His love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. – (1 John 4:16, NLT)

So we know the love that God has for us, and we trust that love. God is love. Everyone who lives in love lives in God, and God lives in them. – (1 John 4:16, ERV)

We have come into an intimate experience with God’s love, and we trust in the love He has for us. God is love! Those who are living in love are living in God, and God lives through them. – (1 John 4:16, TPT)

 

When we know and live in the love of God, it overflows out of us. As we love God, we are equipped to love people well. So often, the greatest way that we can show God to those around us, is by loving people where they are at. Encouraging words, a kind gesture, or just being present with people in their pain, speaks far more of a loving God than simply making claims about who He is. May we continue to grow in our understanding of God’s love so that we go forth and love others as we are loved by Him.

 

The love of the Lord,

Photo by Dee Jones of Open Door Photography ❤

Is worthy of trust;

His good overflows,

So, give too, we must.

As we choose love well,

Others come to know;

God’s love and His grace,

That our actions show.

May all that we say,

And each thing we do;

Be seasoned in love,

So His light shines through.

 

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for the abundant goodness and grace found in Your love. Thank You that we can always trust in Your faithfulness. Thank You that as we are loved by You, we are equipped to go forth and love likewise. Forgive us for not allowing Your love to fill us to overflowing, as it is by Your love that we too, can love those around us. Show us how to love people with more than words and to meet them wherever and however they are. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we receive You lavish love and love those around us as we are loved by You. Amen.

 

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

In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. – Matthew 5:16

Through Trust, We Love

We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in His love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. – (1 John 4:16, NLT)

So we know the love that God has for us, and we trust that love. God is love. Everyone who lives in love lives in God and God lives in them. – (1 John 4:16, ERV)

We have experienced and we have entrusted our lives to the love of God in us. God is love. Anyone who lives faithfully in love also lives faithfully in God, and God lives in him. – (1 John 4:16, VOICE)

 

Because we have entrusted our lives to the love of God, we have experienced and know His love in us. The very nature of who God is, is love. Outward evidence of our inward existence is demonstrated through the love that we give according to the grace and goodness that we know we have received. With Christ in us, we cannot help but love. The spaces where we struggle to love, are often the same spots within us, that we find it difficult to believe that God loves and accepts such a broken or flawed part of us. May we ever seek to live in the love of the Lord, receiving all that He has to give, so that we may go forth and love as we are loved.

 

When we choose to trust, 

Our hearts come to know;

The depth of God’s love,

The grace His love shows.

Let us choose to live,

In light of His love;

So we may too give,

God’s hope from above.

Entrust in the Lord,

And you’ll come to know;

The depth of His love,

And how it will grow.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that as we seek You, You show us the depth of Your love and how trustworthy You are in all things and at all times. Thank You that as we place our trust in You, we are able to live in love because You love us so well. Forgive us for not demonstrating Your love to all whom we meet in our moments of frustration, and teach us to trust and rely on You more, so that we give the same grace and love that we have been given by You. Show us how to love all those with whom we interact each day, so that they might see Your love through our words and deeds. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we trust in Your love and live in You as You live in us. Amen.

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

Show me Your ways, O Lord, teach me Your paths; …my hope is in You all day long. – Psalm 25:4-5

Ceasing Seclusion

“Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him. – (Luke 8:38-39)

 

In this portion of the eighth chapter of Luke, the account of Jesus sending the demons out of a man into a herd of pigs is being retold. The man had been demon-possessed for many years, not living in a house, nor wearing clothes. He had lived in the tombs in his broken chains, stuck in solitude. When Jesus came along, life as he had known it, forever changed. Jesus restored his right mind and gave him his dignity back. As the demons fled, the man recognized the power and goodness of God, and begged to go with Jesus. However, God had a different plan for the man. This man would be an extraordinary witness to God’s power in his own hometown, as all had seen and known of the man’s previous state. Seeing the man clothed and in his right mind, would be a story that only he could share to help open doors in the hearts of the people in his hometown, so they might hear all that God had to offer. When Jesus asked him to stay, despite his likely disappointment, he obeyed.

 

God has done much for us as well. Are we willing to go where He calls? For some, He may ask us to go, yet for others, we may be asked to stay. Wherever we are, we have a story to share. We all have moments where we can recall when Christ came near, and our hearts were forever changed. What is your story that you will share for His glory? May we go forth wherever You call, and share all that You ask.

 

May we pass on,

all that God has done;

make known His heart,

most glorious One.

He takes our mess,

however we come;

washes us clean,

in light of the Son.

The heart of stone,

we once had before;

He makes tender,

as He loves us more.

By His great grace,

we too, may give love;

He fills us up,

with more than enough.

Let us go forth,

wherever He calls;

love as He loves,

beyond our own walls.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You do the miraculous in us, so that we can move mightily in Your strength. Thank You that You call us to tell of what You have done, be it near or far. Thank You that we each have a story to tell. Forgive us for our fearfulness and doubt, and help us to discover the power that You have placed in our voice when we are faithful to speak on Your behalf. Teach us to trust You more, and lead us to love well, all whom You have placed on our path. Let the lost be found, and may many come to know You as their Savior and King. Be glorified, O God, as we go where You call and do as You ask. 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