My Strength and Shield

The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. Therefore my heart rejoices, and I praise Him with my song. – (Psalm 28:7, HCSB)

The Lord is my strength and shield. I trusted Him with all my heart. He helped me, so I am happy. I sing songs of praise to Him. – (Psalm 28:7, ERV)

The Eternal is the source of my strength and the shield that guards me. When I learn to rest and truly trust Him, He sends His help. This is why my heart is singing! I open my mouth to praise Him, and thankfulness rises as songs. – (Psalm 28:7, VOICE)

Some days, it takes everything in me to simply utter, “God, please help.” Incredibly, even in the difficult, He makes His heart and His help known. At the end of the day my heart can rejoice and praise Him, as He has been with me through another day. Each morning as I rise and look to Him, I am reminded anew of His goodness and my reasons to give thanks. May we ever fix our eyes on God and look to Him to be our strength and protections. He is faithful, and provides help to navigate each new day.

O Lord, fix my eyes,

Securely on You;

For You are my strength,

And where hope’s made new.

God, You are my shield,

Safety through the storms;

My reason to praise,

As Your love transforms.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You go before us, walk beside us, and remain present, no matter where life leads. Thank You that You see and know every challenge and heartache, and You faithfully provide peace and reason to praise. Forgive us for our struggle with trust when we are in the throes of life’s storms. Teach us to trust You in all things and at all times, for You supply all that we need. Show us how to love, support and encourage those around us well, so that Your love is tangible in places it is hard to see. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we trust You to be our strength and shield, and praise You for Your unending faithfulness and love. Amen.

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

But I trust in You, Lord; I say, “You are my God.” – Psalm 31:14

Be Still O My Soul

Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from Him. – (Psalm 62:1, NIV)

For God alone my soul waits in silence; from Him comes my salvation. – (Psalm 62:1, ESV)

My soul quietly waits for the True God alone; my salvation comes from Him. – (Psalm 62:1, VOICE)

The older I get, the more I recognize that I want rest to come on my terms. God creates opportunities often, yet when it is not what I intended or not what I had hoped for, it takes a bit of time for me to recognize the opportunity to rest. I have a seemingly insatiable desire to be moving and doing, not resting and being still. Each time that I embrace the time and space that is intended for rest, I find refreshment and am reminded anew of the goodness and hope that I have in Him. Salvation is not only peace for today, but it is our hope forever. May we ever make time to quietly wait on the Lord, for it is in such spaces that we find His rest and are reminded of the joy of our salvation.

Be still, O my soul,

In silence, seek rest;

The Lord is faithful,

And He knows what’s best.

Sometimes it’s quiet,

The absence of sound;

Space to truly hear,

Where our hope is found.

Ever He’s faithful,

To meet all our needs;

With grace He provides,

And in love, He leads.

Help us to seek You,

In quiet, find rest;

Our hope forever,

As You know us best.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that in You is where we truly find rest. Thank You that You provide time and space for us to be silent before You. Thank You that You remind us again and again of the hope that is held forever in You. Forgive us for our restlessness and our resistance to rest in the spaces that You provide. Teach us to trust You more, so that when unexpected quiet or solitude come, we might embrace the grace that You have given us to find rest in Your presence. Show us how to love those around us in ways that point to hope and rest that You alone provide. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we find rest in the time and space that You provide and quietly wait in the hope that we hold in You. Amen.

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

“In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength…” – Isaiah 30:15a

From the Heart Our Words Flow

A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from a treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart. – (Luke 6:45, NLT)

Good people have good things saved in their hearts. That’s why they say good things. But those who are evil have hearts full of evil, and that’s why they say things that are evil. What people say with their mouths comes from what fills their hearts. – (Luke 6:45, ERV)

 

Most of the time, the filter that I was taught from a very early age, is quite effective – “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” However, every so often, in a moment of frustration, I catch myself speaking words that do not edify anyone. It is in those moments that I am reminded anew, just how desperately I need Him to rule and reign in every part of my life. If I do not allow His grace to touch the places where my heart has been grieved, the desire to dispel defensive and unsavory dialogue runs great. Even if the words are never uttered, they lay hidden in my heart. Good can only reign if I allow God to run the ruin out. I must choose to give Him access to all, so that He can remove the sting and stain of that which renders me defensive, and allow Him to soften my heart so that I might see through His lens. May the words that leave our mouths be a reflection of our good and loving God, who fills our hearts and minds with every good and perfect gift.

 

May that which we hold,

our treasury be;

the good things of God,

shown through words we speak.

The things in our hearts,

both evil and good;

are evidenced by,

our words understood.

For good comes from good,

and evil the same;

let our words be sweet,

so good is proclaimed.

Lord, come cleanse our hearts,

so all may be good;

let our treasure be,

Your hope understood.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that a good heart is not something that we can somehow work hard enough to earn, but rather when we invite You to be the Lord of our lives, You come and transform the content of our character and chase away that which was once in darkness. Thank You that only good comes from You. Thank You that when we set our sights on the things of You, those are the very things that flow out of us. Forgive us for entertaining ugly thoughts long enough to give them words. Teach us to trust You more, so that we would seek You when the struggle comes, and allow You to shine Your light in those dark spaces, so that darkness will disappear. Show us how to love others as You so tenderly love each of us. May many come into a lasting relationship with You, as people desire the good they see in You. Be glorified O God, as we treasure all that is good from You, and allow that to be what flows from our mouths. Amen.

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

The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. – Psalm 145:8