Loving Healer

Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all His benefits – who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases. – (Psalm 103:2-3, NIV)

My soul, praise the Lord and never forget how kind He is! He forgives all our sins and heals all our sickness. – (Psalm 103:2-3, ERV)

O my soul, come, praise the Eternal; sing a song from a grateful heart; sing and never forget all the good He has done. Despite all your many offenses, He forgives and releases you. More than any doctor, He heals your diseases. – (Psalm 103:2-3, VOICE)

This morning, my heart is overflowing with gratitude. My son, who was battling double pneumonia and on 2.5 liters of oxygen on Monday, is now breathing without oxygen and is likely going to be released to come home this evening or tomorrow morning, after his final treatment is administered today. God is so kind. Despite our flaws and failures, He loves us and holds us in His hands. The Lord forgives and loves and heals. David, the person who penned most of the Psalms, was a man who understood his own faults and failures, and the great goodness of God. Any time that life brings storms that seem insurmountable, I find comfort in the Psalms, as they are real and raw and poetic. God is faithful to show me over and over again in His word, how deeply He loves and how freely He forgives. The more firmly these truths are rooted in my heart, the greater my desire is to serve and honor Him in all that I say and do. I fail and fall short, yet He picks me up, dusts me off, and shows me again how He loves. May we ever seek the Lord and His heart made plain through His word to lead us, guide us and comfort us in all things.

How great is the Lord,

To Him I give praise;

Who loves and forgives,

Brings healing our way.

When life brings the storms,

That rattle our core;

He shows us His love,

As peace is restored.

Give praise, O my soul,

Praise His Holy Name;

Our loving Healer,

May our hearts proclaim.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You forgive and heal us. Thank You that You alone are worthy of all of our praise. Thank You that You are healing and restoring my son. Forgive us for our faults and failures, and for the times that we struggle to trust what we know is true. Teach us to turn to You in all things. Show us again and again, Your goodness, kindness and grace. Lead us to love those around us with an unflappable faith. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, our Healer and the One who deserves all of our praise. Amen.

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

I will sing the Lord’s praise, for He has been good to me. – Psalm 13:6

Show the Love

Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. – (1 John 3:18, NLT)

My children, our love should not only be words and talk. No, our love must be real. We must show our love by the things we do. – (1 John 3:18, ERV)

Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. – (1 John 3:18, NIV)

 

If ever there has been a time in our nation to show love with action and in truth, the time is now. Between the natural disasters and devastation that have taken place to the racial tension that is being highlighted through the actions of our top paid athletes, people desperately need to know that there is hope and that they are loved. To look at the big picture before us seems insurmountable. How on earth do we go about meeting the needs of so many impacted by fires and floods? How can we honor our dedicated police officers and military personnel who serve, and work to see change in the discrepancies of how people of color are treated by the few law enforcement officers that are not acting with honor? There is no easy answer, nor can any one person do everything. However, we all can do something. Each of us can demonstrate truth as we choose to love. Words are lost in the wind if they are not backed up by action. Rather, if we are consistently demonstrating the love of God to all as we are called, imagine the change that the world would see. May we let our love be shown in truth by our actions, rather than merely spoken in words.

 

Our love should not be, 

Just words that we say;

Instead, let us show,

With actions each day.

It’s truth over time,

That truly will show;

The great love of God,

So others might know.

Love not just with words,

But back them with deeds;

Show truth over time,

As true love meets needs.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You show us Your love with actions, again and again. Thank You that You call us to do the same. Father, You see and know the need in our nation – please show us how to love best, so that hearts may be healed and truth may be made tangible by Your goodness and grace. Forgive us for speaking rather than listening, and for our inaction when we need to move to demonstrate Your love through tangible movement. Teach us to trust You more, so that we would listen to Your leading and do whatever You ask to love with our lives. Show us how to love others with the things that we do, so that they might see Your heart in our actions. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we do not merely say that we love each other, but we show the that we do through our actions in truth. Amen.

 

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

 

I thank You and praise You, O God of my fathers; You have given me wisdom and power. – Daniel 2:23

Power to Move

O Sovereign Lord! You made the heavens and earth by Your strong hand and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for You. – (Jeremiah 32:17, NLT)

Lord God, with Your great power You made the earth and the sky. There is nothing too hard for You to do. – (Jeremiah 32:17, ERV)

Eternal Lord, with Your outstretched arm and Your enormous power You created the heavens and the earth. Nothing is too difficult for You. – (Jeremiah 32:17, VOICE)

 

There are days when the tasks that lie before us appear insurmountable. However, when we slow down, and remember where our strength comes from, the seemingly impossible or overwhelmingly daunting, take on a new look when viewed through His lens. If the very same God who created heaven and earth is for us, how can we question the call before us? I think it is by design that He directs us to destinations that are practical impossibilities on our own, yet in Him, doors open, provisions are supplied, strength is granted, and a way is made where there seemed to be no way. As we choose to rely on our Redeemer, we begin to recognize the reality of all that He can do, despite our own limitations. May we ever seek the Lord and His supply as He calls us to the seemingly impossible. The Creator of heaven and earth can make way where we cannot, and His storehouse never runs low.

 

The Lord, our great God,

Maker of all things;

Has power to move,

As His strength He brings.

Nothing that we face,

Is beyond His reach;

He can move mountains,

For those who choose seek.

Ever seek the Lord,

To walk in His way;

Ask for help and strength,

To by faith, obey.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You made the heavens and the earth by Your mighty hands, and that nothing is impossible for You. Thank You that we can come to You for help, and that You will supply what we need to follow where You lead. Forgive us for attempting to take things on in our own strength, or for avoiding that which You are calling us to out of fear because of our own lack. Teach us to trust You more, so that we would rely on You and Your mighty hands to be our help and our hope when we cannot see how what lies before us is possible. Show us how to love and encourage those around us, so that they might see the hope that is found in You. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we seek You for strength when we cannot see a way, and trust You to lead us, even when we cannot see the path that You have placed before us. Amen.

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

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

Overcoming Our Unbelief

So often the mountains that lie before us seem insurmountable. We look at the grade and terrain, forecast and trail conditions, yet fail to look to Him who created the mountains before us. Regardless of what stands before us, Christ who is in us, is greater. In essence, we observe the obstacle, then perhaps, hesitantly, ask God, “If You can help, will You?”

 

Just as Jesus responded to the father of the demon-possessed boy, who sought Him for the healing of his son, Christ answers us in the same way today. “If you can?” said Jesus, “Everything is possible for him who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” – (Mark 9:23-24)

 

We serve a loving and faithful God. He longs to grow and expand our faith, and lead us to understand all the more the depth and breadth of His power and grace for those who earnestly seek Him. May we rise up in faith and seek His help in overcoming our unbelief. Lord, let us see possibilities where the obstacles currently lie before us.

 

Troubles and trials,

insurmountable;

we ask but don’t know,

all things possible.

Though man on his own,

cannot overcome;

through the Lord, Jesus,

impossible’s done.

Despite our belief,

we need faith to rise;

Lord Jesus, help us,

Your strength, realize.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that despite what lies before us, all things are possible in You. Thank You that You are loving and faithful and that You want the very best outcome for Your children. Forgive us for our focus on the obstacles, rather than on You, the solution, and please help us to overcome our unbelief. Teach us to trust You more, so that we will seek You and find You regardless of what lies before us. Lead us to love others well. May many come into a lasting relationship with You, as they find new possibilities through a hope and a future with You. Be glorified O God, as we believe in word, thought and deed, and help us to seek You to overcome our spaces of unbelief. Amen.

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

For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God. – 1 Peter 2:19

Nothing is Impossible

For nothing is impossible with God. – (Luke 1:37)

 

Though these words were spoken by an angel unto Mary, as he told her of what was yet to come, both in her life, and in the life of her relative Elizabeth, they ring true for each of us today. What God speaks, He will do. Even the seemingly impossible, shall be accomplished if the Lord has said it will be so. Often, it is a matter of our willingness to faithfully take that next step in the direction He is calling, regardless of how outrageous or insurmountable it may appear. God does not call us to failure; He calls us to totally trust in Him. As we do, mountains are moved, and broken are mended, in ways we never thought possible. May we turn toward trust in He who makes all things possible.

 

The battles we face,

insurmountable;

yet when we’re in Christ,

they’re conquerable.

It is up to us,

to choose trust each day;

only in His strength,

will we find the way.

For God is our Source,

our Beacon of Light;

our strength in battle,

our power to fight.

Over the mountains,

through valleys below;

His presence remains,

wherever we go.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that nothing is impossible with You. Thank You that You are greater than every obstacle that we face, and every battle that lies before us. Thank You that You remain with us, and You fight on our behalf. Thank You that You supply the strength and stamina that we need for every step of the way, even when we feel weary and worn. Forgive us for our fears and for our lack of faith when the barriers before us seems insurmountable. Give us Your eyes to see what lies before us, and the faith to move as You call us to move. Help us to love others as You so lavishly love us, and may many come to know the hope that is held in You alone, as we faithfully move forward, wherever You are calling. Be exalted O God, as we see the possible in the obstacles before us, because of who You are. 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