Perfect Peace

You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in You. – (Isaiah 26:3, NIV)

God, You give true peace to people who depend on You, to those who trust in You. – (Isaiah 26:3, ERV)

You will keep the peace, a perfect peace, for all who trust in You, for those who dedicate their hearts and minds to You. – (Isaiah 26:3, VOICE)

The more we trust God, the more we become aware of His perfect peace. God’s peace brings calm to our hearts, despite the chaos around us, and a steadiness in knowing that He is in control. No matter what we face, we can trust that God is with us, and His presence is what brings us a peace that goes beyond our understanding, and settles our hearts, despite what we see. May we ever seek the Lord and keep our minds steadfast on the truth of His word and who He is, so that we know God’s perfect peace in all things and at all times.

Peace comes in knowing,

Who is in control;

Our King and Savior,

The One we extol.

The Lord grants us strength,

When ours is but gone;

And floods us with peace,

To keep keeping on.

Even in the dark,

The Lord is our light;

Hope never ending,

Our peace through the night.

So, trust in the Lord,

Turn to Him for peace;

His love unending,

Goodness is complete.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that as we trust in You, You fill our hearts and minds with Your perfect peace. Thank You that You peace is not dependent on our circumstances, but it is provided in places and times that peace seems impossible. Forgive us for our lack of trust that seems to make peace elusive. Thank You that You patiently wait for us to turn to You, then You lovingly welcome us into Your protective embrace that provides peace that surpasses all understanding. Teach us to always turn to You, no matter what lies before us. Show us Your goodness and grace that overwhelms our hearts with Your perfect peace. Lead us to love those around us in ways that extend Your perfect peace to all. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we set our minds and hearts on You, and give You room to move as You flood us with Your perfect peace. Amen.

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

“I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33

You Steady Me

Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong and do not fear; Your God will come…” – (Isaiah 35:3-4a, NIV)

Make the weak arms strong again. Strengthen the weak knees. People are afraid and confused. Say to them, “Be strong! Don’t be afraid!” Look, your God will come…” – (Isaiah 35:3-4a, ERV)

Energize the limp hands, strengthen the rubbery knees. Tell fearful souls, “Courage! Take heart! God is here, right here, on His way to put things right and redress all wrongs. He’s on His way! He’ll save you!” – (Isaiah 35:3-4, MSG)

Yesterday, in the practice of simply being still to listen, the words, “I will steady you,” kept echoing in my heart. When the winds blow and the waves rock the boat in treacherous seas, He who can simply speak the words, “Be still,” will steady what’s rocking in me. God is the anchor that holds us secure, and the One who will steady us when our world feels shaken. He is faithful to strengthen us in spaces where strength is gone, and His presence chases away fear. The Lord is the one who comes and makes things right, even when it feels that there is no way. May we ever seek the Lord to steady us and supply the strength that we need, for He is faithful to meet us anew each day.

The Lord is faithful,

The anchor within;

He’s steady and strong,

And He brings calm in.

When storms surround us,

We can rest assured;

He is our anchor,

That keeps us secure.

Secure in His love,

Covered by His grace;

Built up in His strength,

As we seek His face.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You steady us when storms surround us, and You are the anchor that keeps us secure. Forgive us for our fears and frustrations when the storms of life seem to surround us. Teach us to trust in You to be our help and our hope, for You are our Rock in whom we can find shelter and peace, even in the midst of great storms. Show us how to love those around us in ways that share Your steadiness and security, so that peace permeates every place it is lacking. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we seek You to steady us through every storm, and to be our strength throughout each new day. Amen.

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

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure… – Hebrews 6:19a

Remember the Wonders

Well, apparently today is not meant to look like any other day. I rose at the usual time. Spent time in the word. Prayed, pondered, and then wrote out my reflections on the passage and how it applied to my life. Rather than finish the process of editing, copying, pasting and editing again, prior to publishing, I simply saved my Word Document and determined to finish the process after my early morning exercise session. Sadly, when I returned, I opened my document, copied to paste, then shifted applications to continue, I discovered, much to my dismay, what pasted was a bunch of coded garbled gunk, that in no way resembled what I had written. I deleted that, went back to my Word Document, and umm… it was blank. Everything I attempted was fruitless. After fifteen plus minutes of doing all that I knew to do, I gave up. My writing was gone.

There is always a lesson in the lesson, so here I sit, open to discover why. The gist of what I wrote about was my reflection on the following verse:

He has caused His wonders to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and compassionate. – (Psalm 111:4, NIV)

Today, exactly one year ago, my sister and I received the news that rocked our world in a way that we had never anticipated. Our strong, healthy, independent mom, had suffered a massive stroke. What made matters worse, is that we had not been able to reach her for a few days. The news that was a dread to us, was simultaneously the most welcome sight in the world to our mom. What I mean is, mom lived alone and was alone. She suffered the stroke and was left isolated and half-paralyzed, as she drifted in and out of consciousness for a couple of days, with her voice too weak to be audible beyond a few feet away. Our well-check request of the local police, resulted in her receiving medical attention hours sooner than if we had waited to drive there to find out for ourselves.

This photo is from the last time all of us were able to get together. Mom is even stronger now than she was then! ❤

So, where I am I going with the connection to wonders and grace and compassion? Honestly, in spite of everything, God was incredibly faithful and kind, as He provided the right people, places, resources, and time to allow the best possible road for mom’s recovery to be set in place. His grace and compassion have been made new every morning, and I remain in a space of awe at the determination and resilience that He has supernaturally given our mom. She went from barely speaking above a whisper, while struggling to find words, to now speaking and carrying on conversations in a normal voice. Additionally, when she was first in the hospital, we were excited about small muscle twitches in her right side, particularly in her right leg. Now, a year later, she is walking independently with a cane, and continues to work on rebuilding her strength and stamina to increase her speed and the steadiness of her gait. Every step of the journey, God was gracious and compassionate. We have grown even closer as an extended family, and will be having some serious gatherings when these restrictions are finally lifted. In the meantime, there are many phone calls made and photos shared, as we continue to work together to move forward on this healing journey. May we each take time to remember in wonder the incredible ways that God has been gracious and compassionate to us, even in our most trying of times.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that through every season in our lives we have reason to look back in awe and wonder, for You have always been gracious and compassionate to us. Forgive us for our fears, frustrations, and our “if onlys”, for You bring beauty from ashes and hope from despair. Thank You that You are not finished yet! Teach us to trust You more, so that we can go forth and love those around us with the same compassion and grace that You give to us. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we praise You in wonder for who You are and how You love us so well. Amen.

 

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

 

Who is like You, Lord God Almighty? You, Lord, are mighty, and Your faithfulness surrounds You. – Psalm 89:8

Seek His Steadiness

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. – (Romans 15:5-6, NIV)

May God who gives patience, steadiness, and encouragement help you to live in complete harmony with each other – each with the attitude of Christ toward the other. And then all of us can praise the Lord together with one voice, giving glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. – (Romans 15:5-6, TLB)

Now may God, the Source of great endurance and comfort, grace you with unity among yourselves, which flows from your relationship with Jesus, the Anointed One. Then, with a unanimous rush of passion, you will with one voice glorify God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. – (Romans 15:5-6, TPT)

 

As we seek God to be our Source of endurance, encouragement and comfort, we are able to in turn, do the same for others in His strength. The incredible design in this is that as we give as we have been given, our lives give glory to God. We are praising our Provider as we practice passing on the patience, steadiness and encouragement that we have been given so that we may live in harmony with one another. May we ever seek the Lord and the endurance and encouragement that He provides, so that we may do the same with those around us. When we do, our lives united glorify God.

 

God grants endurance, 

Encouragement too;

The heart of Jesus,

Passed to me and you.

For as we’re given,

We can also give;

With one mind and voice,

We praise as we live.

So let us choose love,

On the Lord rely;

Together unite,

So God’s glorified.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You give us patience, endurance and encouragement to help us live in complete harmony with each other. Thank You that as we do, we are giving praise to You. Forgive us for the times that we have not had an attitude that reflects Your heart toward others. Teach us to trust You more, so that we would extend the same comfort, encouragement and grace that we have been given to those around us. Show us how to love others well, so that we may extend the patience, comfort and encouragement that is needed most. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we seek You to help the very things that You give us be that which flow from us. Amen.

 

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

You have made known to me the paths of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence. – Acts 2:28

Pursue Righteousness

Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. – (1 Timothy 6:11b, NLT)

Always try to do what is right, to be devoted to God, and to have faith, love, patience, and gentleness. – (1 Timothy 6:11b, ERV)

Pursue a righteous life – a life of wonder, faith, love, steadiness, courtesy. – (1 Timothy 6:11b, MSG)

 

Though this portion of passage comes from a letter that Paul was writing to Timothy to instruct him in the way in which he was meant to go, it is instruction that applies to all of us. When we pursue righteousness, we are walking towards God and His will for our lives. In doing so, we live a life of faith, love, perseverance and gentleness, as these are the very attributes of Christ, Himself. When He dwells in us, what flows from us is seasoned by His goodness and grace. The more we invest in knowing God, the more clearly we reflect His radiance through our words and deeds. May we choose to pursue a righteous life that is invested in knowing and loving the Lord, so that we can go forth and know and love others well.

 

May our hearts pursue,

Artwork by Sylvia Carlton

The Lord God above;

Who grants us all things,

And fills us with love.

For as we invest,

Our hearts come to know;

The depth of His grace,

Draws our hearts to grow.

Grow in His goodness,

As patience is learned;

Let gentleness lead,

As our lives are turned.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You call us to pursue You and what You are calling us to do. Thank You that You also equip us to do the very things that You ask of us, rather than expecting us to somehow manage on our own. Forgive us for the times that we have been without faith, have been unkind, quit, and have been harsh. Teach us to trust You more, so that we would walk in the way that You are calling us to walk. Show us how to demonstrate faith, love, perseverance and gentleness to those around us, so that they might come to know how deeply they are loved, and see You through our words and deeds. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we pursue a righteous life in You, and go forth in Your strength with faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. Amen.

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

For the Lord your God will bless you, …and your joy will be complete. – Deuteronomy 16:15