Restore to Me the Joy

Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. – (Psalm 51:12, NIV)

Your help made me so happy. Give me that joy again. Make my spirit strong and ready to obey You. – (Psalm 51:12, ERV)

Give back to me the deep delight of being saved by You; let Your willing Spirit sustain me. – (Psalm 51:12, VOICE)

 

As I sat down to read my devotions this morning, the words that kept resonating in my heart and mind, were “restore to me the joy”, despite the lack of connection to the passages I was reading. For the last few days, I have been in a bit of a funk. I seemed to reach my breaking point yesterday, as I could not coax the normal joy from within, to make any sort of appearance externally. The weight on my heart and mind was just too heavy. Between sickness, disease, and pending death in family members, work, home, and numerous responsibilities and demands that go far beyond what one person is meant to bear alone, I was beginning to crumble on the inside. Kindness extended from colleagues made my eyes threaten to defy me, and it took everything in me to fend off tears. Isolation and work best suited my sullen state during lunch, and God granted me the strength to navigate the remainder of the day. Thankfully, gymnastics practice after school is a place that brings joy, as I delight in the doing that offers help and encouragement in an arena outside of the classroom, where I am not being assessed on every move that I make. Post practice I had the privilege of meeting up with my running buddy for a run, and that too, reminded me of the joy that is within me as I moved freely, pounding out the pain into the pavement. Upon arriving home, my amazing husband was set to love me well. He was aware of my struggle, and took care of dinner preparations, clean up, and then just sat with me, in silent support loving me all the while. This morning, I feel lighter somehow. God is faithful, and He is willing to restore His joy in us as we seek Him. His joy is not happiness with our circumstances, but rather a deep delight in Him, despite what we are walking through. The smile that is typically so readily seen on my face is not because life is always easy, but rather it is rooted in the joy granted through knowing who holds me in the hollow of His hands, every minute of every day. Perhaps yesterday I lost sight of that for a time, or my frail humanity reared its ugly head. Either way, sorrow and heavy took a spot not designated for them, and today, they are being placed back in the palms of He who can carry it all. May we ever seek the Lord to hold our heart and our hands in our heaviness, and pursue Him to restore the joy that comes in knowing our eternity is secure forever in Him.

 

O Lord God above,

May I ever seek;

Your joy in sorrow,

And strength when I’m weak.

For You are faithful,

You’re mighty to save;

You love us to life,

Through all of our days.

Help us to place all,

In Your mighty hands;

As Your love restores,

Faith we need to stand.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You are the One who restores true joy within us. Thank You that You love us and take our burdens upon Yourself, when we are carrying more than we should. Forgive us for losing sight of where our true joy resides. Teach us to trust You more, so that Your light will shine through us, always. Show us how to love those around us in practical and tangible ways. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we seek You to restore our joy in You. Amen.

 

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

 

When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. – John 8:12

Give Worry Away

Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you. – (1 Peter 5:7, NLT) 

Let Him have all your worries and cares, for He is always thinking about you and watching everything that concerns you. – (1 Peter 5:7, TLB) 

Since God cares for you, let Him carry all your burdens and worries. – (1 Peter 5:7, VOICE) 

 

This is far more easily spoken than actually carried out. Often, we don’t even recognize the burdens that we are bearing until they begin to take a toll on us, physically. Tension headaches, illness and exhaustion can all be symptomatic of unnecessary burden bearing. Yes, we have responsibilities and obligations as adult members of society, however, we are not called to carry the weight of the world on our shoulders. First and foremost, we ought to present our cares and concerns to Christ. He cares and has promised to never leave us nor forsake us. The Lord’s strength surpasses our understanding, and He is more than able to carry the burdens too weighty for us to bear. May we ever seek the Lord and lay our worries and cares in His capable hands, as He cares for us all. 

 

May lofty burdens,

Photo by Dee Jones of Open Door Photography ❤

Be given away; 

To He who’s able, 

To carry the weight. 

Our God is willing, 

With arms open wide; 

To receive our cares, 

As we choose abide. 

So, cast each worry, 

All burdens on Him; 

And watch in wonder, 

As His grace pours in. 

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You invite us to give you our burdens and worries. Thank You that You are far better equipped to bear the weight than we are. Forgive us for attempting to power through on our own when life gets too heavy. Teach us to trust and rely on You. Show us how to love those around us in a way that helps lighten loads, and reminds others that they need not bear burdens alone. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we bring our burdens before You and trust Your strength, grace and love to carry that which we are not meant to bear. Amen.

 

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

 

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. – Matthew 6:34

The Hand of Blessing

You go before me and follow me. You place Your hand of blessing on my head. – (Psalm 139:5, NLT)

You have surrounded me on every side, behind me and before me, and You have placed Your hand gently on my shoulder. – (Psalm 139:5, VOICE)

You’ve gone into my future to prepare the way, and in kindness You follow behind me to spare me from the harm of my past. With Your hand of love upon my life, You impart a blessing to me. – (Psalm 139:5, TPT)

 

Though there are disappointments and struggles (as it is a part of human existence), I am acutely aware of God’s bountiful hand of blessing in my life. Through the most trying seasons, He has gone before me and been behind me, and His hand was gently upon me. Never, even on the worst of days, did I feel as if I were on my own. Yesterday, marked one more step towards the fulfillment of this beautiful forward momentum that He has set into place in my life. My fiancé and I received the keys to our new home and were able to go and get started on a bit of yard work, despite having each worked full days, with responsibilities to attend to in the evening. We have been given the gift of time, as we have just the right amount for he and his son to move into our new home after his son’s graduation, time for my boys and me to gradually move things over as we can, and the flexibility in my rental agreement to not move in completely until the day we all depart for Wenatchee for the wedding. May we ever remember Who surrounds us and prepares the way, as He imparts blessings upon us by His love.

 

Before me You go, 

In love, make a way;

You follow behind,

Ever near You stay.

Your great hand of love,

It rests upon me;

As You grant blessings,

So abundantly.

Though trials will come,

I need never fear;

For Your love’s greater,

And Your presence clear.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You go before us and behind us and You place Your hand of blessing upon us. Thank You that You prepare the way ahead and protect us from the harm of what has past. Forgive us for not recognizing Your presence and Your blessings in our lives. Teach us to have open eyes and open hearts so that we would be ever aware of Your presence and Your hand in our lives. Show us how to love those around us in a way that imparts abundant blessings. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we praise You for Your presence and thank You for Your hand of blessing in our lives. Amen.

 

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

 

May God Almighty grant You mercy. – Genesis 43:14

Walk in Grace

Despite Paul’s influence on the people who were following Christ, he recognized that nothing he did was his goodness given to God, but rather any good that was granted, was in fact God working through him to give grace and peace and truth to those around him. Any good that we can observe, either in us or through us, is God’s gift to us, and all the more reason for us to give Him praise. The following is Paul’s explanation in the Message:

 

I’m speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it’s important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what He does for us, not by what we are and what we do for Him. – (Romans 12:3, MSG)

 

The very idea that we get to participate in anything of God is incredible, in and of itself. Nothing good that we do could ever be done by our own volition, but rather is endowed by our Creator. God empowers those who seek and trust in Him to do His will. It is Christ in us that brings good, rather than good in us being brought before Him. May we rise up and pursue the path He has placed before us, so that we might be instruments of His peace to people everywhere. Let God’s goodness flow through us, so all might come to know Him.

 

When we walk in grace,

The love of God shows;

Not by our own good,

But through Him who rose.

All that is lovely,

And all that is pure;

Everything righteous,

Is Christ drawing near.

Let us remember,

Our role and our place;

As people of thanks,

And givers of grace.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for who You are and all that You have done for us. Thank You for light and life, hope and help, in all things and at all times. Thank You that You are good all of the time, no matter what comes our way. Thank You that You see us and know us, better than we know ourselves. Forgive us for forgetting the role we were created to fill, and help us to trust You enough to walk forward in that which You are calling us into. Show us how to live fearlessly in the light of Your love. Lead us to love others in such a way, that they may see You through the things we say and do. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we give all of our gratitude to You, and allow You to move through us as we get out of the way. Amen.

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

May God Almighty grant you mercy. – Genesis 43:14

Rather By Prayer

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. – (Philippians 4:6-7)

 

Life fuels anxiety. Between work, home, health, children, and a vast array of responsibilities, anxiety arises. Paul presents God’s perfect plan for us, when anxiousness attempts to enter. Rather than remaining in the spaces of angst, we are to pray. Whatever is worrying us, we are meant to bring before the Lord, with thanksgiving (because He is able to meet our needs). The “AND” is the connecting comfort that we cannot neglect. When we allow Him into the avenues of our anxiety, and hand our worries to Christ, His peace, that passes all understanding, comes and guards our hearts and minds, which ultimately fends off further anxiousness. Let us present our concerns before Christ in prayer, whenever anxiety arises, and may we be ever aware of His peace that comes close to guard our hearts and minds.

 

Do not be anxious,

about anything;

rather by prayer,

to God, be seeking.

When we pray to Him,

let Christ know our need;

He hears what we ask,

to His peace He’ll lead.

Christ will guard our heart,

our mind and our soul;

if we hand to Him,

all that’s taking toll.

The peace of the Lord,

shall come grant us rest;

so trust well in Him,

present your requests.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You love us and know us, and do not want for any of us to be anxious about anything. Thank You that we can come to You and pray to You, and present our every prayer and petition before You, with thanks, knowing that You hear us and see our need. Thank You that when we pray, Your peace comes and covers us in ways that we cannot even begin to comprehend. Forgive us for allowing anxiety to eat away at us, and help us to seek You and the help You provide, the moment worry or anxiousness begins to creep in. Teach us to trust You more, so that we may be at peace, even in the midst of life’s storms. Help us to love others as You so lavishly love each of us. May many come to know the perfect peace that is found in alone. Be glorified Lord God, as we present our every prayer and petition before You, trusting in 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

Work With All Your Heart

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for man, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. – (Colossians 3:23-24)

 

Today marks the close of one season, and the beginning of another. This is the final day of the 2013-2014 school year. Though I have various trainings and responsibilities throughout the summer that tie to my position as an educator, my primary concern for the next two months will be to care for my growing boys, and attempt to organize and manage the household far better than I am able during the school year. The people-pleaser in me, finds this task to be a bit daunting. I want to have everything done well now, and begin the summer fun. However, I realize that everything that is worthwhile, takes work. If I press in, and remember that all I am doing is ultimately to honor the Lord, not man, then I will be far better off. He is well-pleased when we seek to serve Him, even in the mundane. He is glorified, as we love and care for our kids, and all those around us. As we commit to serve others, we are ultimately serving Him.  May we each choose to do all things unto Him, with our whole heart.

 

Whatever we do,

let hearts seek to serve;

all unto Jesus,

our praise He deserves.

Each task we tackle,

and job we take on;

may Christ be our strength,

our hope and our song.

When our heart is right,

and we work for Him;

there’s joy in the task,

and peace from within.

Great is our reward,

when our days are done;

to forever dwell,

with the Holy One.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that we are called to work as unto You, not man. Thank You that whether or not we receive earthly rewards, our ultimate reward is found in our eternal hope in You. Thank You that Your salvation is a gift that is given freely as we come and choose to receive it. Thank You that our choice to work as unto You, to serve and honor You, is an outpouring of our gratitude for all that You have given unto us. Forgive us for poor attitudes about work, or for hearts that seek to please people rather than You. Help us to find proper perspective as we recognize that the only reward that really matters is that which we find in You. Let us live, love, work and serve as unto You, and may many come to know You as a result. Be glorified as we go about our work, and lifted high as we live each day for You. Amen.

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

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. – Galatians 5:22-23