Steady Me

The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in Him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with His hand. – (Psalm 37:23-24, NIV)

The Lord shows us how we should live, and He is pleased when He sees people living that way. If they stumble, they will not fall, because the Lord reaches out to steady them. – (Psalm 37:23-24, ERV)

If you are right with God, He strengthens you for the journey; the Eternal will be pleased with your life. And even though you trip up, you will not fall on your face because He holds you by the hand. – (Psalm 37:23-24, VOICE)

 

As we seek the heart of God and pursue the path that pleases Him, He takes us by the hand and leads us in the ways we are meant to go. Even when we slip up and make mistakes, He upholds us and steadies us so that we will not fall. God is full of grace, and He is faithful to lead us as we look to Him in all things and at all times. May we ever pursue the heart of God, in whom we delight, trusting Him to direct our steps and uphold us with His holy hand.

 

When we choose the Lord,

Photo by Dee Jones of Open Door Photography ❤

And trust in His ways;

By grace, He will lead,

Hold us up, always.

Though we may stumble,

He won’t let us fall;

As we take His hand,

Seek answer His call.

The Lord, He is pleased,

When we look to Him;

To lead and guide us,

As each day begins.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You lead us and guide us, and uphold us by Your mighty hand. Forgive us for taking our eyes off of You and the direction that You call us to. Teach us to trust You more, so that no matter what comes our way, we rest secure, knowing that You have hold of our hand and will not let go. Show us how to love those around us in a way that strengthens, encourages and uplifts those around us. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we seek You and trust You for all of our days. Amen.

 

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

 

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

 

 

The Race Marked Out for Us

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. – (Hebrews 12:1)

 

Each and every one of us has our own race that we are called to run. Our race is not a sprint, but rather it is a lifelong marathon. We are called to run a race full of obstacles and challenges that we must take on with trust in Him, in order to keep moving according to the course He has set before us. The great cloud of witnesses that surround us, are those who have gone before us and successfully run their own race. They too had to keep running, regardless of weather, terrain, or how they felt. The things that hinder us, are those burdens that weigh us down and make moving unbearable. God wants us to travel light. His intent is not for us to run our race weighted with an extra-heavy load, but rather for one that is custom crafted and appropriate and proportionate for us. Additionally, as we run, there are many temptations that attempt to steer us off course. Our charge is to stay the course, and not allow such sin to entangle, as they easily trip us up and steal the security of our footing. May we rise up ready each day and keep running with perseverance, the race marked out before us, throwing off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.

 

This wearying road,

has been run before;

despite obstacles,

from mountain to shore.

The very same God,

from the days of old;

will walk alongside,

give strength to uphold.

Let not the burdens,

keep us from our race;

His hands are outstretched,

He died in our place.

Beware of the sin,

that attempts ensnare;

diverting our eyes,

from Him, over there.

Instead, let us keep,

our hearts ever near;

dependent on Christ,

let us persevere.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that there are so many examples of those who have run their race with perseverance before us, and successfully finished fighting the good fight of faith. Thank You that You invite us to throw off everything that hinders us, warn us of those things that would attempt to entangle us, and strengthen us to persevere all the while. Forgive us for allowing our baggage to weigh us down, the things around us to divert our attention away from You, or our trust to simply sag, where it needs to rise up and run strong. Teach us to trust You more, so that we will seek You first in all things, and that we will be well-equipped to run our race with perseverance, daily. Lead us to love others consistently and generously, just as You love us. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Amen.

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

Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy. – Hebrews 4:16