Steadfast and True

May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in you. – (Psalm 33:22, NIV)

Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you. – (Psalm 33:22, ESV)

Let your love and steadfast kindness overshadow us continually, for we trust and we wait upon you! – (Psalm 33:22, TPT)

God’s love and kindness are demonstrated to us, over and over again. He knows our needs and the desires of our hearts, and blesses us in ways that fill us where we feel depleted. This weekend, my husband needed time with his brother. It has been a blessing to gather, as time together is a joy and a much needed change of scenery. With all that is going on in the world, hope rises up when we are able to take inventory of our blessings. In all things, God is with us and shows us His love and kindness. May we ever look to the Lord and His steadfast love, and place our hope in Him.

The love of the Lord,

Clearly we need to take a photo this time… 🙂

Is steadfast and true;

In Him, hope shall rise,

Each day, it’s made new.

For by His great love,

He shows us His grace;

And blesses our hearts,

As Him we embrace.

With each brand new day,

May we give Him praise;

For love and nearness,

Our hope for always.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that Your unfailing love is with us always, and that we can ever trust in You. Thank You that You bless us and pour out Your kindness upon us, renewing our hope in You. Forgive us for our frustrations and fears that are founded in what we see, rather than trusting that You are with us, holding us up in Your hands. Teach us to trust You more, for You are our hope. Show us how to love one another with Your kindness and unfailing love. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we hope in You and praise You for who You are and how You love. Amen.

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

Surely Your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. – Psalm 23:6

Timeless 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)

Lord, You are my God. I honor You and praise Your Name, because You did amazing things. The words You said long ago are completely true; everything happened exactly as You said it would. – (Isaiah 25:1, ERV)

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

The faithfulness of God is timeless. All of creation announces His love as He has done, does, and will continue to do wonderful things. What was planned in the beginning, He faithfully fulfills. God, who in His infinite wisdom and love, created each of us with a plan and a purpose. As we follow Him, we see His kindness and grace through the outpouring of His love, as He leads us to walk out all that He has prepared for us. I know it seems like the wonderful things are far off when obstacles come our way, but if we slow down, take a deep breath, and truly take inventory, the visibility of His incredible blessings are abundantly clear. In the darkest times, His light remains, for if we open our eyes we are genuinely able to see. May we ever lift up praise to He who carries out the wonderful and beautiful in each of our lives.

Lord, I will praise You,

For all of my days;

Your tender mercies,

Lead us in Your ways.

Thank You for kindness,

When hope’s feeling gone;

You bless us and keep us,

Help us carry on.

Your word is the truth,

Faithful without end;

No matter what comes,

Love and strength You send.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You are our God and that Your faithfulness never ends. Thank You that You are the same yesterday, today and forever. Thank You for what You promise, as You fulfill. Forgive our fears and frustrations when we cannot see the beauty that is going to come from our ashes. Teach us to trust You and praise You, even in the storms. Show us how to love those around us well, so that hope and faith rise up, no matter how things appear. 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 so well. Amen.

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

For I have always been mindful of Your unfailing love and have lived in reliance on Your faithfulness. – Psalm 26:3

Good Hope

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. Then you will call on Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.” – (Jeremiah 29:11-13, NIV)

“I say this because I know the plans that I have for you.” This message is from the Lord. “I have good plans for you. I don’t plan to hurt you. I plan to give you hope and a good future. Then you will call My Name. You will come to Me and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will search for Me, and when you search for Me with all your heart, you will find Me.” – (Jeremiah 29:11-13, ERV)

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for Me wholeheartedly, you will find Me.” – (Jeremiah 29:11-13, NLT)

 

Though I have these verses committed to memory, there is something powerful about the timing of when this particular passage has come back around. Today, this happens to be the verse of the day on my Bible app. This morning, as I woke seeking God, there was an underlying dread at the fact that it is already Monday, after a weekend that seriously lacked rest. In fact, yesterday afternoon, one of my sweet sons and I, spent some quality time at my school, organizing and doing inventory of the varsity gymnastics uniforms, so that I would be prepared to issue them to girls after school today. Sadly, while there, I read the notes that my guest teacher left from my absence on Friday. Though not surprising, it is still quite disappointing to read about kids who chose to behave poorly while I was away. This passage reminds me that my present circumstances are not my forever. God has good plans for me. I call on Him, pray to Him, and pursue Him with my whole heart. No matter what today holds, I have hope that better is coming. Incredibly, I have seen and known God’s faithfulness in this way in a variety of areas of my life, and in the lives of others. God is good, and I trust in the hope that my future holds. May we ever cling to Christ, who is our hope, as He has plans to give us a hope and a future that are good as we seek and pray to Him.

Mom is settling in and reentering life back in Wenatchee. Yesterday, she returned to her church to attend service, for the very first time since her stroke. She is glad she went, and is looking forward to joining her Bible Study group early this week. Last evening at dinner, Mom sat with a couple in the dining room whom she had not met yet, only to discover a common connection between them. The husband had worked with a family member of Mom’s, so it was a fun conversation and connection to establish. It is such a blessing to see the hope and good unfolding for Mom as she settles back into routines and finds herself again.

 

For the plans of God,

Are help and not harm;

Hope and a future,

Faithful, loving arms.

He’ll meet us each day,

With fresh hope to hold;

Grace to keep going,

And faith to be bold.

His plans are for good,

As each day begins;

Lord help us to trust,

For You lead us in.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You have good plans for us that grant us a hope and a future. Thank You that You are faithful forever. Forgive us for the times that we doubt the good that You have for us, based on what we see in the temporary present circumstances. Teach us to trust You more, so that we may embrace each new day with hope and grace, trusting You to lead us through. Show us how to love those around us well, so that they may recognize the good and the hope that the future holds. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we seek You with all that we are, trusting You to continue to provide a future and a hope that is good. Amen.

 

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

 

Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord. – Psalm 31:24

Believe Instead of Striving

Jesus answered, “The work God wants you to do is this: to believe in the One He sent.” – (John 6:29, ERV)

God wants us to trust and believe in His one and only Son with all that we are, rather than complete some check list of accomplishments. When we are fully invested in faith in Christ, we are compelled to love and serve as He did. Our motivation for what we do, matters. If we are working to somehow try to earn God’s favor, we are toiling in vain. Anything God wants accomplished, He can do with a thought or a word. His ways are so much higher than our ways. However, if we believe in Him with our whole being, and love Him with all that we are, we cannot help but long to serve Him and do whatever He calls us to do. Acting in love is a far different scenario than obligation or fear. May we rise up and take inventory of what we are doing today. If our to do list is merely to appease or earn favor, let our hearts be changed so that we are motivated purely by His love, and a heart to serve Him and all whom He has created.

O Lord make my heart,

prepared to serve;

not to please others,

of love undeserved.

For what matters most,

is in Whom I trust;

hope everlasting,

in Christ is a must.

Show us the way, Lord,

to fully invest;

our hearts unto You,

in the way that’s best.

From that space of faith,

teach us to love well;

so others may know,

Your grace for themselves.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that what You want from us is our whole heart – our trust and our belief. Thank You that You sent Your Son to make Yourself tangible and approachable, to a world lost and desperately in need of Your grace. Thank You that You love us in spite of ourselves, and raise us up to who You call us to be, if we choose to seek and trust in You. Forgive us for our attempting to do enough or be enough, rather than investing all that we are in You. Teach us to trust in You, and allow You to do the transforming of us, so that we can go forth and be used by You to touch lives and transform communities. Lead us to love others as You so graciously love each of us. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we believe with all that we are, in the One You sent. Amen.

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

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

He Comes in Majesty

I am continually in awe of God and how He provides for us, as His children. He knows what we need, far better than we do; and He often answers before we even know what to ask.

 

Just yesterday, when I went out to grab the mail after a busy work day with much yet to be done, including a class that I wasn’t really eager to attend that was to dominate my evening, I found but one lone envelope in the box, and it was not a bill. The name on the return address was known, though not well, yet the contents included blessed and encouraged my heart in such a way, that it was as if God Himself, was using the sender’s hand to write His words to me. Among the kindness and encouragement offered, was the following verse:

 

“There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, who rides on the heavens to help you and on the clouds in His majesty.” – (Deuteronomy 33:26)

 

Not only had the God of heaven made His words tangible to me through the pen of another, but a thoughtful, practical, generous and much appreciated gift was included with words that uplifted my sagging soul on a soggy day. God moves heaven and earth to make His majesty known to us, if we are simply still and take in what is going on around us. When I take inventory of what has transpired over even the past week, I am amazed at how He has provided, protected and surrounded me. There truly is no one like our God, and He moves in majesty to help those who seek Him. May we look to He who rides on the heavens to be our help and our hope, in times of trouble and in times of peace.

 

God there is no one,

who is quite like You;

You come close to us,

and show us the truth.

With great majesty,

You sent unto us;

Your very own Son,

our Savior, Jesus.

Our help and our hope,

from heaven to earth;

our plight understood,

You’ve loved us since birth.

You see what we need,

You’re giving and kind;

we trust our Refuge,

most holy, Divine.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that there is no one like You, God. Thank You that You ride on the heavens to help us and on the clouds in Your majesty. Thank You that You know our need, and You see us and love us so much, that You surround us and supply for us, that which is needed and more. Forgive us for our moments of doubt and fear, where we forget just how big You are in the face of whatever lies before us. Teach us to trust You more, so that we take pause in the moment and remember how much greater You are, than anything that may stand before us. Lead us to love with the same generosity that You give to us. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we recognize Your majesty and move forward in confidence, knowing that You are our help and our hope forever. Amen.

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

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort. – 2 Corinthians 1:3