Every Good Gift

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. – (James 1:17, NIV)

Everything good comes from God. Every perfect gift is from Him. These good gifts come down from the Father who made all the lights in the sky. But God never changes like the shadows from those lights. He is always the same. – (James 1:17, ERV)

Every good gift bestowed, every perfect gift received comes to us from above, courtesy of the Father of lights. He is consistent. He won’t change His mind or play tricks in the shadows. – (James 1:17, VOICE)

 

God is always good. Though life takes twists and turns that are not; He forever remains the same. In the darkness, we can trust in His light. There is no place that we can go to depart from God’s presence, and there is nothing that we can do that will take away His love for us. Such consistency is reassuring in seasons of uncertainty. It matters not what we face, for God remains good, and present, and for us. He gives good gifts and brings light to the darkness; His love is always the same. May we trust in the Lord in all things and at all times, and recognize every good and perfect gift that comes from our Father above, for He is faithful and true and remains the same forever.

Today will be mom’s first day of out-patient occupational therapy, which is the therapy she is most eager to get started on, as O.T. focuses on upper body, and for mom, that is especially significant for her right arm. We are praying that new pathways begin firing to her right arm, and that movement and mobility begin to be reestablished where it has been lacking the most. Mom is hopeful and ready to work hard, and we are trusting in faith beside her.

 

All good that exists,

Comes down from above;

Gifted from the Lord,

Full of His great love.

Light in the darkness,

Hope when there’s despair;

Love in low spaces,

His grace, everywhere.

All thanks be to God,

For each good gift known;

It’s given in love,

As His heart is shown.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that every good and perfect gift comes from You. Thank You that in You there are no shadows and that You do not change. Thank You that Your love and faithfulness remain the same forever, so we can always trust in You. Forgive us for our fears and doubts when life takes unanticipated turns. Teach us to trust You more, for You bless us with Your presence and Your peace as You love us through all things. Show us how to love those around us at all times, so that they may know the beauty of Your light, hope and love in all things. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we trust You and praise You for every good and perfect gift that comes from You, and for Your unchanging nature. Amen.

 

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

 

So if you, who are sinful, know how to give your children good gifts, how much more so does your Father in heaven, who is perfect, know how to give great gifts to His children! – Matthew 7:11

When We Pray

Then you will call on Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. – (Jeremiah 29:12, NIV)

Then you will call My Name. You will come to Me and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. – (Jeremiah 29:12, ERV)

At that time, you will call out for Me, and I will hear. You will pray, and I will listen. – (Jeremiah 29:12, VOICE)

 

When we pray and call upon the Lord, He listens to all that we lift before Him. There is no prayer nor praise that is too great or too small for God. The promise is that every time we call upon the Lord, He will hear our prayers. For me, this is incredibly reassuring. God is faithful, and no matter what I bring before Him, I know that I am heard and loved by Him. It does not mean that every prayer will be met with the answer that I desire, however, every answer is for my ultimate good. May we ever call on the Lord and pray to Him, for He hears and listens to our every word.

 

Call out to the Lord,

He hears all we pray;

Faithful to listen,

To all that we say.

It does matter not,

How great or how small;

He listens to us,

Each time that we call.

Blessed assurance,

Faithful to His word;

Each prayer that we pray,

By our God is heard.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You are faithful to hear and listen to our every prayer. Thank You that we can call on You in all things and at all times, and trust that You hear our every heart cry. Forgive us for not presenting our requests before You. Teach us to trust You more, so that we will bring ALL before You each day. Show us how to love those around us in a way demonstrates Your heart as we truly listen and hear all that is on the hearts of people placed upon our path. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we call upon You and trust that You listen and hear our every word. 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

When Our Strength is Gone

It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure. – (Psalm 18:32, NIV)

God is the one who gives me strength. He clears the path I need to take. – (Psalm 18:32, ERV)

He fills me with strength and protects me wherever I go. – (Psalm 18:32, TLB)

 

This is a reassuring reminder this morning, as it has been a very long and exhausting week already. Though it is Thursday, it feels as if the events that occurred Monday through Wednesday covered a few weeks’ worth of time, attention and energy, rather than only three days thus far. Though I am weary, I know that God will arm me with strength and keep my way secure. He provides where we lack and gives grace so that we are able to do the things we are called to complete. May we each find refreshment and new strength in He who grants us strength and keeps our way secure.

 

When our strength is gone, 

In trust, we need turn;

To God who gives strength,

We are His concern.

As His dearly loved,

He makes plain the way;

For us to press on,

Shows the path to take.

Let us rest secure,

Knowing that the One;

Who made everything,

Will help get things done.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that we can trust in You to supply strength when ours is depleted. Thank You that You keep our way secure. Forgive us for trying to power through on our own in our weariness. Teach us to trust You more. Show us how to love well all those around us, so that we may offer strength and encouragement. Please keep our way secure. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we seek You for strength, protection and direction at all times. Amen.

 

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

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

Love Made Known

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 be only words and talk. No, our love must be real. We must show our love by the things we do. – (1 John 3:18, ERV)

My little children, don’t just talk about love as an idea or theory. Make it your true way of life, and live in the pattern of gracious love. – (1 John 3:18, VOICE)

 

John, who had walked with Jesus closely as His disciple, was both reminding and reassuring those who followed Christ, that our ultimate call is to love. This charge has not changed throughout the ages. All of the wisdom and wonder that is packed in the Bible can be best explained as: we are called to love God and love people. To do so, it cannot simply be something that we theorize and discuss, but rather we must act upon it and live it out in our daily lives. Love must be evident in not only what we say, but also in the things that we do. May our lives display a pattern of faithfully living a life of love, consistent with that which we are called to do.

 

Our love shouldn’t be talk,

It’s much more than words;

It must be sincere,

Beyond what is heard.

For love is made known,

Through what we choose show;

May all that we do,

Be lit by love’s glow.

When all that we do,

And all that we say;

Demonstrate His love,

His heart’s on display.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You are love. Thank You that You call us to love You and love those around us through our words and deeds. Thank You that You do not call us to do anything that You are not also willing to equip us to do. Forgive us for the times that our words and deeds do not align with Your gracious love. Teach us to trust You more so that we would show Your love through all that we say and do. Help us to love those around us with goodness and grace, even when the word or deeds extended toward us are kind nor warranting a gentle response. May our love turn away wrath and lead many to Your loving arms. Be glorified O God, as we seek You to show love through all that we say and do. Amen.

 

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

 

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

Hold Onto Hope

Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep His promise. – (Hebrews 10:23, NLT)

We must hold on to the hope we have, never hesitating to tell people about it. We can trust God to do what He promised. – (Hebrews 10:23, ERV)

Let us hold strong to the confession of our hope, never wavering, since the One who promised it to us is faithful. – (Hebrews 10:23, VOICE)

 

Our hope ought to be held close to our hearts and ready on our lips, as we can be certain of what God has promised because He is faithful to do what He says He will do. There is something so reassuring in knowing that Christ is the anchor of our soul. We need not struggle nor strive to earn what is promised, but rather we are to embrace what we have already received, which compels us to speak truth in love to those who still need to hear. The Lord is faithful forever, and we can always trust that He will stay true to His word. May we rise up in faith and hold fast to the truth, as we go forth trusting the Lord’s promises and share of all that He has done.

 

Let our hearts hold fast,

image from quotespictures.com

to our hope that’s true;

for God is faithful,

what He says, He’ll do.

Let’s not hesitate,

His hope, let us share;

for Christ’s the answer,

for all in despair.

Christ does not waiver,

His truth shall remain;

His promises true,

the hope we can claim.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that we can hold tightly, without wavering, to our hope in You. Thank You that You can be trusted to keep Your word. Thank You that You are faithful, always. Forgive us for our hesitation to speak of the hope that we hold in You. Teach us to trust You more, so that those who know You not, may be given the opportunity to hear the truth of the how great Your grace is for all who call on Your Name, and how ready to receive each who seek, You truly are. May many receive what You are freely offering. Be glorified O God, as we hold fast to the hope we have in You, and speak freely of Your faithfulness. Amen.

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

Answer me, O Lord, out of the goodness of Your love; in Your great mercy turn to me. – Psalm 69:16