Dependable in Distress

When I am in distress, I call to You, because You answer me. – (Psalm 86:7, NIV)

I am praying to You in my time of trouble. I know You will answer me. – (Psalm 86:7, ERV)

When times of trouble come, I will call to You because I know You will respond to me. – (Psalm 86:7, VOICE)

I am amazed at the power held in our senses. So often, a particular scent takes me back to childhood memories of people or places that made a lasting impression. After yesterday, I am certain that it works the same for animals. The pups had been adjusting back to being home fairly well, but yesterday, after a package containing the rest of our babies’ items from board and train arrived and was opened, Thor began acting out. I quickly took their belongings down to the laundry room to wash in HOT, but aggressive and out of the ordinary behaviors continued. It was as if Thor was instantly taken back and placed in fight or flight mode. The afternoon was exhausting, and I was so grateful for my husband’s help upon his return home from work. A considerable amount of my time had been spent seated on the floor beside Thor, as he refused to enter his crate.(He normally does so very willingly.) Anguish and anger played ping pong in my heart, as I again and again had to release rage and remorse, and redirect my focus to loving my pup well. After quiet prayers were lifted for peace to return, I had a restless night’s sleep. This morning, as I began our normal routine, Thor seemed more His sweet self, and was terrific company after he ate his breakfast. When it was time to get back in his crate, he did so willingly and easily. God responds when we seek Him and He cares about what matters to us. On my part, the patience and prayers will continue, for I know the Lord will respond. May we ever seek the Savior in our distress, for He responds as we call on Him.

God has created,

Wonderfully made;

All of creation,

He loves and will aid.

The Lord hears our cries,

In love, He responds;

He heals what is hurting,

Restores broken bonds.

God sees and He hears,

Each prayer lifted up;

In love He refills,

The emptiest cup.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that we can call on You in our times of distress and You hear and respond to our heart’s cry. Thank You that You are faithful to meet us, walk beside us, and lovingly restore brokenness. Forgive us for holding onto hurts, and show us how to continually place all in Your hands. Teach us to love in ways that restore and offer hope where hurts have a hold of hearts. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we seek You in our distress and trust You to respond. Amen.

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

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. – Psalm 147:3

Where Trust Belongs

It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans. – (Psalm 118:8, NIV) 

It is better to trust in the Lord than to trust in people. – (Psalm 118:8, ERV) 

Lord, it is so much better to trust in You to save me than to put my confidence in someone else. – (Psalm 118:8, TPT) 

Surrounding ourselves with people whom we love and trust is good, but ultimately, our trust must be in God alone. He is our refuge and strength; perfect and infallible. Humans, though wonderfully made, are imperfect and subject to sin. God does not get too busy, nor distracted, and He is always present to be our help and our hope. I am blessed to have incredible humans in my corner, yet, I cannot transfer my trust from God to them. He has to come first. Too often, when our trust is misplaced, we discover disappointment, sorrow and frustration. Humans are fallible. It is not to say that there ought not be people whom we trust, but rather we must trust God first. May we ever place our trust and confidence in the Lord, for His love never fails us. 

Far better it is, 

To trust in the Lord; 

For He’s ever near, 

Faith’s promised reward. 

Though people are good, 

And we need to trust; 

Our ultimate faith, 

In God is a must. 

His love never fails, 

As He is the One; 

Our safety, shelter, 

Faithful, risen Son. 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You are the One in whom we can place our trust. Thank You that Your love is unending and will never fail us. Thank You that Your trustworthiness is not dependent upon our capacity to trust. Forgive us for the times that we have placed our faith in anyone or anything other than You. Teach us to seek You first as the One in whom we trust. Show us how to love others in ways that demonstrate Your faithfulness. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we place our trust in You and Your unfailing love. Amen. 

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

Lord Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in You. – Psalm 84:12

Wonderfully Made

For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful; I know that full well. – (Psalm 139:13-14, NIV) 

You formed the way I think and feel. You put me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You because You made me in such a wonderful way. I know how amazing that was. – (Psalm 139:13-14, ERV) 

You formed my innermost being, shaping my delicate inside and my intricate outside, and wove them all together in my mother’s womb. I thank You, God, for making me so mysteriously complex! Everything You do is marvelously breathtaking. It simply amazes me to think about it! How thoroughly You know me, Lord! – (Psalm 139:13-14, TPT) 

Every human on the planet has been created intentionally, and knit together beautifully. I am struggling to figure out where humanity determined that one variation or race or people group is less than or superior to another. What is worse, is that the sin that entered in and tainted the perspective of people, one to another, has been perpetuated throughout history. As a member of Christ’s body, it is my responsibility to identify the places within my own heart where bias, prejudice and the like are hidden, so that I may repent and see all people through the Lord’s lens. Additionally, I must not shy away from the ache that this has caused in my sisters and brothers around me. To be and do better, I must actively seek to listen and understand, so that genuine change may occur. If I truly believe that all people have been intentionally and beautifully made, then I must further pursue how to admonish, defend and support every person around me. Because prejudice and discrimination have taken place for centuries, it is meant to be a lifelong process of pursuing change and bringing restoration to all. It begins within our own hearts, but must continue in our neighborhoods, communities, our nation, and our world. Daily, I am gutted as the stories of people’s own experiences as people of color, are being shared. White privilege is real, as I have not had to be fearful or exercise extreme caution in how I navigated my days because of the amount of melanin in my skin. We must listen and learn. I want to be an agent of change in the world, and this must begin with me. Though I cannot control the actions and reactions of others, I can be intentional to listen and read and learn and speak up when I see anyone being treated as less than intentionally and beautifully made. May we seek the Lord for wisdom and perseverance, as we listen, learn and become a better version of who we have been called to be. 

Each human on earth, 

Purposefully made; 

Hand-crafted by Christ, 

In various shades. 

Unique in design, 

Such intricacy; 

Each one fully known, 

Beyond what is seen. 

Lord, give us all eyes, 

That we truly see; 

Equal in value, 

Planned diversity. 

Bring restoration, 

True community; 

Everyone known, 

In love, unity. 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that everyone has been intentionally and beautifully made. Thank You that You are a creative God, that has made us beautifully diverse and wonderfully unique. Thank You that You call us to appreciate and celebrate the unique beauty and design that You have intentionally made. Forgive us for the times that we have marginalized another person or people group through ignorance or silence. Teach us to be and do better. Help us to view all people through Your lens, and with Your heart to love. Show us how to best love every individual we meet. May we support, encourage and love one another, as You call us to love. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we repent and rise up to truly be the body of Christ. 

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

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. – Ephesians 4:2

Known with Purpose

He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. – (Psalm 147:4, NIV)

He counts the stars and knows each of them by name. – (Psalm 147:4, ERV)

He sets His stars in place, calling them all by their names. – (Psalm 147:4, TPT)

 

If God, the Creator of the heavens and earth and all that is, knows each star and calls it by name, how much more does He know us, His created? God is aware of even the seemingly most insignificant details; “And even the very hairs on your head are all numbered.” (Matthew 10:30) Love alone, drives such care and concern for who we are, and everything about us. He knows how we were knit together, and He has already called it “good”. Each one of us were born with a plan and a purpose – with gifts and talents to share with the world. Our charge is to seek Him to discover what we have been created for, and then to go forth, and do whatever it is, in love. As a teacher, especially as I wear my art teacher hat, I have the opportunity to help each student who enters my classroom discover that they are an artist. Some come in with a preconceived idea that they have zero artistic abilities, and I spend the entire semester working to help them discover that there are more mediums in art that drawing. Additionally, art is in the eye of the beholder. To one, Picasso is the most profound, whereas to another, Monet or Degas have been deemed the best. God set us all in place too, and He knows us each by name. His care goes far beyond the knowing; He loves so that we can become the very best version of ourselves. May we ever seek the Lord and His loving kindness, so that we can live life in our strengths and purpose with love.

On the way back from a grocery trip with one of my boys, I was able to reach mom on the phone. It was great to talk to her and hear her voice, and I know that it was a bonus for both she and Lucas to speak with one another. Eager to hear about the start of school, much of the conversation was spent answering questions posed by mom. She caught us up on her day, and was pleased to let us know that she had been working hard on walking and other therapy exercises. Her determination and strength are inspiring, and part of the gift of how she was intentionally designed. We continue to pray for the details to fall into place, as mom is still in limbo, waiting for in-home therapies with actual therapists.

 

The very same God,

Who hung all the stars;

Made us with a plan,

Purpose that is ours.

Designed with intent,

Wonderfully made;

Fully we are known,

As His love’s displayed.

May we each go forth,

And pursue His plan;

Love with intention,

Each day as we can.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You know and love us so well. Thank You that all of creation has been designed intentionally, and is fully known by You. Forgive us for somehow forgetting just how vast the expanse of Your love and wisdom reaches. Teach us to trust You more, so that we would faithfully pursue You and all that You have for us. Show us how to love well, so that we may walk out our days with purpose in a way that lifts up and encourages those around us. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we seek You to lead us to love and grow into all that You have for us. Amen.

 

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

 

For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose. – Philippians 2:13

 

* A song that comes to mind as a reminder of this truth, is Stars, by Skillet. ❤