Seek for Strength

Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always. – (1 Chronicles 16:11, NIV)

Depend on the Lord for strength. Always go to Him for help. – (1 Chronicles 16:11, ERV)

Seek the Lord; yes, seek His strength, and seek His face untiringly. – (1 Chronicles 16:11, TLB)

 

Every day is a day to look to the Lord for His strength, yet days that happen to be overwhelmingly scheduled with busy from morning until nearly bedtime, are especially strong reminders to seek the Lord for His help. Today happens to be one of those days. Our first early dismissal day happens to coincide with Open House. For the kids, this is fantastic, as they are able to have extra time at home to relax before returning to school to introduce their parents to their teachers and tour around the school. However, for staff, early dismissal actually means time with our colleagues for professional collaboration. Early out days for the kids, actually tend to be longer for staff, and for many of us, will be with little or no break all the way to the end of Open House. It is always a joy to meet the families; there is need though, for His strengthening to have the stamina to remain “on” for so many hours. Additionally, the Open House for my own children’s school happens to be this evening as well. This will be the first time in their schooling that I have been unable to attend. I am hopeful that their Open House has later hours than ours, and I can somehow swing by, but I am uncertain yet as to whether or not that is possible. Either way, God is good, and He will provide the strength I need to navigate today. May we ever seek the Lord for strength, for He is faithful to meet us each time that we seek Him.

Today will be mom’s speech therapy assessment for in-home care in Oregon. After more than a month-long battle to work out insurance issues, the day has finally come. Though mom’s speech has returned extraordinarily well since late April, word finding can still be a frustration, especially when she is tired. Speech therapy is fantastic for aiding in rebuilding the pathways to assist with the areas of struggle, and I know mom is eager to get back to it. Please continue to pray with us for the people whom God has chosen to work with mom, and for God to be her strength as she continues in her ongoing recovery and rehabilitation.

 

On the longest days,

When we are unsure;

Of how we’ll get through,

In Christ, we’re secure.

The Lord, He provides,

All that our hearts need;

To rise in His strength,

As in love, He leads.

So, trust in the Lord,

He provides with grace;

Strength, love and His peace,

Throughout all our days.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that we can seek You to be our strength. Thank You that You are faithful to supply all that we need to navigate each new day. Forgive us for the times that we think we have to do it alone, or somehow have to “power through”. Teach us to trust and rely on You more. Show us how to love those around us well, so that we may offer strength and support, grace and peace, to encourage weary hearts to press on. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we trust You to be our strength, even on our longest days. Amen.

 

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

I lift my eyes up to the mountains – where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. – Psalm 121:1-2

Maker of Mountains

I lift up my eyes to the mountains – where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. – (Psalm 121:1-2, NIV)

I look up to the hills, but where will my help really come from? My help will come from the Lord, the Creator of heaven and earth. – (Psalm 121:1-2, ERV)

I look up at the vast size of the mountains – from where will my help come in times of trouble? The Eternal Creator of the heaven and earth and these mountains will send the help I need. – (Psalm 121:1-2, VOICE)

 

For a visual girl, such as myself, this is such a powerful reminder. At mom’s I am surrounded by hills and mountains that leave me in awe each morning as the sun rises and sets around us; and at home, snow-capped mountain ranges can be seen clearly beyond the water’s horizon of the Puget Sound. Either place, I am reminded from Whom my help comes. The very One who created such beauty, is more than able to be near and provide whatever help I need. We need only glimpse of the glory of creation to know that One who is far greater, has the world in His hands. This is critical to know, as we continue this road to recovery with mom. Our latest dilemma is such that her former in-home speech therapist took a new job, leaving the current in-home care company without a speech therapist. What this means for us, is that we have to switch all of her therapies to a different company because insurance will only work with one company. She loses her amazing physical therapist and occupational therapist, as well as a great in-home nurse. We have to trust that God has her in His hands and has a greater plan. He hasn’t brought her this far, to only bring her this far. We need His help to wrap our minds around how quickly time is flying and how labor-intensive progress is to make small gains. Our current arrangement is wonderful, ideal even for mom’s healing, but it has an expiration date. My capacity to be present in Wenatchee full-time will end in the middle of August. Meg will have exhausted her leave around the same time as well. He is our help and our hope, and we are trusting for miraculous things to determine the best next thing for mom. Thankfully, we have loving families and options in both Meg’s home and mine, if needed, yet it is not a path that mom is even ready to consider yet. All this to say that rather than looking at the size of the mountains before us, we need to look to the One who created them all. He is able to do abundantly more than we could hope or imagine as we choose to trust in Him. We do not know and cannot predict the direction this road will take, but for today, we continue to move forward in faith and trust in He who is our help and our hope forever.

 

Look to the mountains,

Such wonder to see;

How vast and how high,

From sky to the sea.

The same Creator,

Of all of these things;

Is our help and hope,

Salvation He brings.

No matter what comes,

The giants we face;

God will be our help,

With His endless grace.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that no matter when we look, we are reminded that if You can create such beauty, You can certainly help and hold us in Your hands. Thank You that You are the help we need, always. Forgive us for seeing the size of our need, rather than the size of our God. Teach us to trust You more, as You are greater than all. Show us how to love others in a way that supports and strengthens them, encouraging them to press on and look up as they continue to move ahead. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we look to You to be our help at all times and trust in You for all things. Amen.

 

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

 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight. – Proverbs 3:5-6