365 Days of Praise

With the night sky as a backdrop, many July 4th watchers “ooh” and “awed” at the firework display. I can’t help but grin at how easily amused we are. Certainly our Heavenly Father who created the night backdrop must smile. I wonder if Jesus ever leans over and says, “Aren’t they going to be blown away when they see the Light display of Us?” Who will see the glorious display of LIGHTS and GLORY emanating from heaven’s throne room? Those who have placed their faith in the KING of the NATIONS.  Yes, all people throughout the world who have responded “yes” to Jesus’s gift of salvation will be at the Heavenly display of LIGHTS. How can we be certain that Jesus is the Savior of not only the Jews but of all the nations? Jesus himself said He is as recorded in Matthew 28:16-20,  “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

As you think about the fireworks display you watched on July 4, think beyond it to the One who made the night sky. Say a prayer of thanks to the King of the Nations, the light of the world.

Heavenly Father, we smile in anticipation of the display of GLORY emanating from YOU, KING of the NATIONS. Stir our hearts to live for Your pleasure and the salvation of souls throughout the world. 

What do you do on the Fourth of July?  Do you like watching fireworks light up the night sky? There’s something about the brilliance of light bursting across the darkness.  As we celebrate our nation’s declaration of independence from the British Empire, what a good time to also celebrate the believer’s declaration of independence from Satan’s empire.  What a wonderful reminder that Jesus is the Light of the World.  The fireworks we watch are a flash in the darkness. Jesus is constantly brilliant and will one day be the source of Light by which we live for eternity. No doubt, when Jesus announced He was the Light of the World, He must have sounded braggadocios to His listeners. How could a carpenter from Nazareth claim to be the LIGHT of the WORLD? Yet, Jesus made the claim, and He is who He says He is. Jesus came from heaven bringing truth that enlightens every person who will hear and believe. Fireworks come and go. Invite Jesus into your heart and live with His brilliance for eternity.

Lord Jesus, You are the LIGHT OF THE WORLD and our LIGHT. We give You honor and praise!

Are you tired of life as it is? Do you long for things to be different? God understands. He never intended our life to be filled with angst, anxiety, and the consequences of sin. He created Adam and Eve in His image and placed them in a perfect world. He created mankind to share life in and with Him; to live by His divine nature and experience His MAGNIFICENCE. Although we live in a sin sick world that is experiencing the consequences of shutting Him out, our hope is not lost. Rather, our hope is firm in Christ Jesus. After turning from sin and confessing Jesus as Lord and Savior, we must daily meditate on God’s Word. Why is this so important? To keep us emotionally, mentally, and spiritually grounded in truth.  Second Peter 1:4  reminds us that God “has granted to us His precious and MAGNIFICIENT promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.” We need look no further than the latest news to see the corruption in the world. But that is not our destiny. It is not to be our experience. We, as believers, escape the world’s corruption through the means of Christ’s divine nature operating in accordance with God’s promises. In other words, believers have the joy and privilege of learning Kingdom ways and promises and experiencing them through Christ’s Spirit. At this time in our nation and world, we have a weapon against despair, anxiety, and hopelessness that unbelievers do not have. Begin the morning welcoming your Heavenly Father and praying, “Heavenly Father, thank You for this day. Please fill my spirit with Your Holy divine nature. Help me discern Your ways and walk through my day sensitive to Your voice. Christ, flow Your joy, peace, and love through me to others.”  Yes, the Father, Son, Holy Spirit, and Bible are MAGNIFICENT. Immerse your mind with your Heavenly Father’s ways. Bath your heart in His promises. Walk by His MAGNIFICENT divine nature and you’ll discover hope in your heart and a smile to share with others.

LORD, You are MAGNIFICENT and Your promises are MAGNIFICENT. Thank You for salvation by which we become partakers of Your divine nature. Thank You for the Bible and Your Spirit by which we walk out Your magnificent, divine promises.

Record your praise to God that He is “Magnificent” in Prayers of My Heart.  Pray for yourself and intercede for your family and others that they live by God’s magnificent promises.

“I need this. I need that.” Sometimes our human nature screams for what we want. We long for a magic genie to give or tell us what we want to have or hear. Sometimes we may be frustrated because we wish God would drop from heaven what we envision to be the perfect life.  What do we do when Jehovah Jireh,  “The LORD will Provide,” doesn’t appear to provide what we want?  First, it’s important to understand the context, Genesis 22:13, of God’s name, “The LORD Will Provide.” It is when God told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, his son, as a test of his obedience. Abraham walked in faith, assuring Isaac that God would provide the sacrifice. The Hebrew words, “Jehovah Jireh,” means “the LORD will see to it.” God seeing to it that there was a substitute sacrifice for Abraham to use in place of Isaac foreshadowed Jesus “seeing to it” by providing Himself as our sacrifice. Now, what about those things on our wish list? God “sees to it.”  He has gifted us with His Holy nature to equip us to live beyond our human nature. God “sees to” our problems by instructing us in the Bible how to do life, relationships, money, parenting, envy, anger; and the list goes on. Jesus is God’s provision. The Bible is God’s provision. The Holy Spirit is God’s provision.  He is “seeing to it” above and beyond our daily and eternal needs.  Are we walking as Abraham, according to God’s Word, and therefore experiencing His provisions?

Heavenly Father, we praise You, Jehovah Jireh. You are the LORD WHO PROVIDES for not only our eternity but our every day. Help us not foolishly ignore Your daily presence and Word but rather see both as bountiful gifts that from heaven to see to our daily needs. 

Does the word “work” scare you in relation to serving the Lord? For instance, when a minister announces the need more workers for Vacation Bible School or for volunteers to go on a mission trip, do you sink in your pew and hope your eyes don’t meet his? Do you shrink back from the idea of talking about Christ openly with friends and co-workers? If so, perhaps it’s because we haven’t yet gotten our minds around the incredible privilege and invitation Jesus invites us to. In Matthew 9:37-38 when Jesus said to His disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the LORD OF THE HARVEST to send out workers into His harvest,” He wasn’t calling us to busy work. Rather, Jesus looked at the fields of people who were stressed and discouraged, and He had compassion for them. He invited us to share the good news that His Heavenly Father loves them, that sins can be forgiven, and we can live by Christ’s divine nature rather than by our flawed human nature. We have the hope of heaven and eternal life. What greater, more meaningful “work” could we be employed doing than joining Jesus’s team?  If you want to be a part of something bigger than the daily grind of earth; something heavenly and eternal, then do the following.

1. Pray and ask God to use you.
2. Be open and sensitive when the Spirit prompts you to share Christ with others. Here are verses you can use to visit with someone about Jesus.
3. Share this 365 Days of Praise post each day by forwarding it to friends or family. Or, click the Facebook or Twitter symbols below each devotional and share it on your Facebook page with friends. You’ll be sharing the good news with fields of people.
4. Keep your heart open to ways God wants to use you during this time of trial in our country and world.

LORD OF THE HARVEST, thank You for coming to earth and telling us the way to eternal salvation. Use us to share  the good news with others so they can have a relationship with you like we do. 

Could you use a shot of hope that God sees and hears you?  If so, consider James 5:4 where God is referred to as Lord of Sabaoth.  “Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.” In this passage “SABAOTH” means host or hosts, especially in relation to warfare or service. It’s a reference to Jehovah SABAOTH’S reign over the host of angels, the air, nations, and demons. To think that the LORD OF SABAOTH heard the cries of workers who were unfairly treated by their bosses is amazing. Are you being unjustly treated? Does it seem like no one notices? Rest assured. The Lord of SABAOTH is noticing. Your hope in Him is well placed.  The One who reigns over the hosts of angels, the air, nations, and demons hear your prayers.

Lord of Sabaoth, we worship You and are humbled that You see us and hear our prayers. We hope in You knowing You will answer in Your perfect timing. 

Who do you call on when you’re anxious and scared and it seems there is no one who can help you? Who do you call out to when you’re powerless to change a situation? Those times have a way of humbling us. Whereas we may have been too busy to pray, we suddenly find we’re continually praying. We’re calling on God, crying out to Him. Such was the case with King Hezekiah when Sennacherib, King of Assyria, threatened to overtake Jerusalem. Hezekiah prayed and prayed hard. Listen to his prayer:

“O LORD OF HOSTS, the God of Israel, who is enthroned above the cherubim, You are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Incline Your ear, O LORD, and hear; open Your eyes, O LORD, and see; and listen to all the words of Sennacherib, who sent them to reproach the living God. … Now, O LORD our God, deliver us from his hand that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, LORD, are God.” Isaiah 37:16-17, 20

Needless to say, Hezekiah didn’t want to be defeated. He didn’t want Jerusalem to be taken over by an enemy. But his prayer also points to a noble reason to pray for God’s deliverance – so people will know that the LORD is God of all the kingdoms of the earth. When we pray, do we pray only for ourselves? Or, are we praying so God is glorified in and through our situation?

LORD of Hosts who is enthroned above the cherubim, we worship You and recognize You as God alone over all the kingdoms of the earth. Your will be done in our hearts and lives so You are glorified. 

As we have studied, there are times when God announces, “This is who I am. This is my name.” Such is the case in Isaiah 42:8 when God announced, “I am the LORD, that is My name;”  In the same breath, He continues; explaining what it means that His name is LORD. It means He will not give His glory to another. It means that our praise is to be given to Him alone. His pronouncement should cause us to rethink our lives, “Are we giving our praise to anything or anyone besides Him? Are we making anything besides God the priority of our lives?” If so, we must bow before the LORD in repentance and profess Him as LORD, giving Him praise.

God, You alone are LORD. Forgive us for putting anything or anyone before You. We bow in humble reverence and praise.

Do you ever feel “tied up” in spiritual, physical, or emotional bondage? Are you concerned for a loved one who is in bondage?  If so, pray to the Lord on the basis of Psalm 116:16 which says,  “O Lord, surely I am Your servant, …You have LOOSED MY BONDS.”  This verse reminds us that God can do what no one else can do. He has loosed us from the bonds of death and given us eternal freedom. “Unbind him and let him go,” Jesus directed those who watched Him raise Lazarus from the dead. “Unbind her. Unbind him,” Jesus commands when we call to Him in faith to loosen chains that bind us today.

Lord, You are the great and mighty God who LOOSENS BONDS. We praise You for the bonds of death from which You’ve set us free. Please loosen and set free those who are still in bondage. Loosen any emotional, spiritual, or physical bondage that may remain in our lives. Free us to run the race You’ve set before us. We look to You to do what only You can do. 

Heavenly Father, we praise YOU, LORD OF ALL THE EARTH! Your majesty and power are glorious. You reign in perfect righteousness.  Stir our hearts to speak boldly about You to others.