Sunrise to Sunset

From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the Name of the Lord is to be praised. – (Psalm 113:3, NIV)

From sunrise-brilliance to sunset-beauty, lift up His praise from dawn to dusk! – (Psalm 113:3, TPT)

At every time and in every place – from the moment the sun rises to the moment the sun sets – may the Name of the Eternal be high in the hearts of His people. – (Psalm 113:3, VOICE)

As one who typically rises before the sun, I am blessed with the daily reminder of the goodness and faithfulness of God as I watch darkness become light. There is a holiness in the witnessing of the sunrise and sunset, for it is a mighty example of God’s creativity and handiwork in action. In the same way that God is faithful to cause the sun to rise and set each day, He too, is faithful to love and be near us. It is because of His great faithfulness that God deserves all of our praise. Every breath, each new day dawning, we are granted reminders of His goodness and faithfulness. May we ever recognize how great God is and give Him all of our praise.

Every new day,

At dawn’s early light;

God shows His power,

Colors to delight.

Just as He’s faithful,

With the rising sun;

His presence promised,

‘Til each day is done.

Wherever we are,

From east to the west;

God will be with us,

As He loves us best.

So, rise up and praise,

The God of all grace;

Give thanks to the Lord,

Throughout all our days.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You are faithful forever and worthy of all of our praise. Thank You that You are with us from sunrise to sunset, and that You will be with us wherever we go. Forgive us for faltering faith. Teach us to recognize You goodness and grace that is all around us, so that we forever praise You as we should. Show us how to love those around us in ways that make Your goodness and presence abundantly clear. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we praise You from the rising to the setting of the sun for how You love and all You have done. Amen.

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

Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens, Your faithfulness to the skies. – Psalm 36:5

Triumphant Entry

A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds went ahead of Him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!” – (Matthew 21:8-9, NIV)

On the way to Jerusalem, many people spread their coats on the road for Jesus. Others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. Some of the people were walking ahead of Jesus. Others were walking behind Him. They all shouted, “Praise to the Son of David!” ‘Welcome! God bless the one who comes in the name of the Lord!’ Praise to God in heaven!” – (Matthew 21:8-9, ERV)

Then an exceptionally large crowd gathered and carpeted the road before Him with their cloaks and prayer shawls. Others cut down branches from trees to spread in His path. Jesus road in the center of the procession – crowds going before Him and crowds coming behind Him, and they all shouted, “Bring the victory, Lord, Son of David! He comes with the blessings of being sent from the Lord Yahweh! We celebrate with praises to God in the highest!” – (Matthew 21:8-9, TPT)

 

This portion of the road to Easter story, never ceases to amaze me. It is difficult to wrap my mind around a huge crowd throwing their coats and palm branches on the road before Jesus, so that He would cross before them on a space that recognized and acknowledged His significance as they shouted out the truth of who He was, only to have a mob mentality less than a week later, to have Him crucified. Further in the passage, the crowd follows Jesus to the temple and He continues to teach and heal and love as He had always done. Imagine His perspective as Jesus rode into Jerusalem. He knew what was coming, yet He chose to enter into town. In our broken humanity, we likely would have questioned the crowd or looked upon them with a lesser love, knowing where the week was going. However, Jesus, in His perfect love, likely took in every face and chose love all the more. He could have turned and ridden right back out of town, and no one would have questioned Him. Jesus entered with purpose, on purpose, and did not deter from He knew He had to do. Love for all of humanity drove Him; love for each one of us, individually, kept Him there. May we turn our hearts and minds to Christ, the risen King, as we enter into this most sacred and surreal Easter week. He is good, and His love endures for all time.

 

Triumphant entry,

The crowds shouted praise;

All glory to God,

Through sayings they raised.

They made a clear path,

For Christ to ride in;

Such honor granted,

Holy week begins.

Imagine seeing,

The One they foretold;

Passing before you,

A sight to behold.

Help us to take pause,

Reflect and recall;

The great magnitude,

Your entry for all.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You love us so much that You sent Your one and only Son to make the way for us to be restored back to life with You. Thank You that in this season of so much unsettled and unknown, You have settled and You know. Thank You for Your love that entered in, despite the horrendous weight that You were chosen to bear on our behalf. Forgive us for not taking time to pause and reflect on the holiness of this season. Teach us to have a greater grasp of what You have done for us so that we might know love and life abundant in You. Show us how to love others with the same tenacity that You have as You choose to love each of us. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we reflect, remember and rejoice in the incredible sacrifice that You made so that we would have abundant life in You. Amen.

 

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

 

Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. – Psalm 68:19

From Dawn to Dusk

From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised. – (Psalm 113:3, NIV)

May the Lord’s name be praised from where the sun rises to where it goes down. – (Psalm 113:3, ERV)

From the sunrise brilliance to sunset beauty, lift up His praise from dawn to dusk! – (Psalm 113:3, TPT)

 

When I see a gorgeous sunrise or sunset, I cannot help but be reminded of the One who is painting such perfection in the sky. Yesterday, in the early morning hours as we made our way to my Viking’s brother’s house, we viewed the beginning color shift of the early shades of sunrise. Watching my love and my brother-in-love enjoy time together filled my heart, as I know how wonderful it is for both of them to have time with one another. Additionally, I was blessed to have time with Bibi, the love of Donnie’s life, to get to know her better, and to begin planning ideas for a time that we can all get together again. The visiting, exchanging of stories and reminiscing continued until after sunset, and once everyone had gone home from their house-warming barbecue, the four of us were quietly seated in the living room, just soaking in the blessing of a fantastic day. This morning, as I woke and began the coffee, a gorgeous orange glow began to fill the kitchen. I glanced to my left out of the porch windows, and was blown away by the brilliance of the rising sun. God is so very good to us, and I love how He grants us reminders of His goodness all throughout the day. May we ever praise Him, from dawn to dusk.

Yesterday, I primarily put my phone away to be present and engaged in the here and now. However, I did take a moment to send mom a text to let her know that I was thinking of her and loved her, and that I was missing her. When I checked my phone a bit later, I found a return message from Mom, and enjoyed sending more back to her. My sister has been working with her on utilizing the voice to text feature, so I am hopeful that the process is growing easier. It is a strange space of separation to be so far away from Mom, especially for so long. I am looking forward to talking to her later today, and hopefully catching up with my sister too, as that is also long overdue. Prayers for Mom, Megan and the entire family are very welcome, as they all continue to navigate the juggling act of work, school, sports schedules, coordinating medical appointments, dealing with insurance, and loving each other well. Thank you so much, to those who have been faithfully praying and loving Mom and the entire family throughout this season; you are appreciated more than any of us can ever express.

 

With each brand-new day,

This morning’s sunrise in Reno. ❤

Comes a fresh sunrise;

Faithful evidence,

Where hope’s realized.

All throughout the day,

And ‘til the sun sets;

God shows us His grace,

Through nature’s palettes.

The reasons to praise,

Are endless, indeed;

How great the Lord loves,

Faithful, He meets needs.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You are faithful from the rising to the setting of the sun. Thank You that we have reason to praise You all day long. Thank You for the abundant blessings that You place in our lives, if we only stop and look around. Forgive us for the times that we fix our eyes on what is wrong, rather than on that which is right. Teach us to trust You with the trials and to praise You for Your faithfulness in all things. Show us how to love and encourage all those around us, so that they may be lifted up. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we praise You throughout the day for who You are and all that You do. Amen.

 

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

 

That’s why I will speak of Your righteousness and sing praises to You all day long. – Psalm 35:28

Gratitude in All

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. – (Colossians 3:17, NIV)

Everything you say and everything you do should be done for Jesus your Lord. And in all you do, give thanks to God the Father through Jesus. – (Colossians 3:17, ERV)

Surely, no matter what you are doing (speaking, writing, or working), do it all in the name of Jesus our Master, sending thanks through Him to God our Father. – (Colossians 3:17, VOICE)

 

There is nothing quite so clear at reminding one of gratitude for the gifts they have been given, like an extended time away. For me, after such a long stretch away from my husband and children to care for my mom, I find myself appreciating and enjoying even the most mundane of tasks together. Yesterday, my Viking and I had several errands to run. It was a day off for him, and one of the days I have remaining before I have to be back in my classroom or on campus for back-to-school meetings and such. We were able to check off each of the items on our list, and ended with taking one of our vehicles to get an oil change. Though it was quite a wait, we were in it together, and it was far preferred over him having to do the work himself on his day off. Our day ended with dinner as a family together at home. I am beyond grateful for the blessings bestowed upon me both here in my home and through the ongoing care my mom is receiving with my sister. God is good, and to Him be all glory and praise.

Yesterday, I didn’t actually have the opportunity to speak with mom. I know that the day was going to be full, as she was going to have Terry (in-home care provider) with her during the day, and then a gal whom my sister and family have known for quite some time was going to spend the afternoon and evening with mom, as Meg and family were heading to their company picnic, and mom determined that she would prefer not attend.  I will be eager to catch up with her this morning to hear how it all went, and tomorrow is an especially significant day, as it will be mom’s 70th birthday. 😊

May we each do everything unto the Lord, giving Him thanks for all that He has done.

 

In everything,

A bit of silliness at the oil change stop. ❤

May we choose give praise;

With a grateful heart,

Give thanks all our days.

For God in His grace,

Has given so much;

Strength in our weakness,

His powerful touch.

Lord, help us choose well,

In word, thought and deed;

May we love like You,

Help meet other’s needs.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for goodness and grace. Thank You for the love and blessings that You continue to bestow upon us with Your presence. Forgive us for the times that we neglect to honor You with our words, thoughts or deeds. Teach us to fix our minds and hearts on You, so that all that we do brings glory to You. Show us how to love those around us in a way that demonstrates Your love in tangible and practical ways. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we honor and praise You with all that we say and do. Amen.

 

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

 

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever. – 1 Chronicles 16:34