365 Days of Praise
If You Need Some Order in Your Life
Have you ever thought about how God is a God of “order”? If not, consider how God’s order is pointed out in Jeremiah 31:35. “‘Thus says the Lord, Who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed ORDER of the moon and the stars for light by night, Who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar; The Lord of hosts is His name.’” God is a God of order. He created order in the universe. He created order to our days, nights, and seasons. He created order in protons, neutrons, and electrons making up atoms. And of protons and neutrons being made of three quarks each. If you’re struggling to have order in your days, weeks, and years or order in your family, business, or ministry, call on God. Ask Him for wisdom for how to better order your life, family, days, and weeks. Begin each day with a prayer to the God of Order then walk in His counsel.
Heavenly Father, You are a GOD OF ORDER. Please order our days so we live faithful, full lives that bring You honor.
When We’re Wrong
Jesus is the one talking in Matthew 22:31-32. He has just told those who were asking Him questions that they were mistaken. Imagine that! Humans can have wrong thinking. What’s interesting is that Jesus then used the Old Testament to correct their thinking. “…regarding the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God: I AM THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, AND THE GOD OF ISAAC, AND THE GOD OF JACOB”? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.” To those who think the Old Testament is irrelevant, please note that Jesus often quoted it as true, authoritative, and relevant. What did Jesus quote? That GOD IS NOT THE GOD OF THE DEAD, BUT OF THE LIVING. Do you have a loved one who is no longer alive on earth? If so, be assured on the basis of Jesus’s words that your loved one is alive.
GOD of the LIVING, thank You for receiving our believing loved ones into Your presence. Thank You that we, too, will one day be alive in Your presence forever.
If You’re Feeling Lonely
Our day comes to an end. Our weekends come to an end. Vacations come to an end. Times with loved ones come to an end. But Psalm 90:2 assures us that one thing will never end: God. Consider the psalmist’s encouraging words. “Before the mountains were born or You gave birth to the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.” How reassuring! God is EVERLASTING. He existed before He “gave birth to the earth and the world.” He will exist no matter what happens to the earth and world. If you’re feeling a sense of loss or loneliness, or if it feels like everything in your world is changing too quickly, hold fast to God. He will not end. He will be with you forever.
Lord, You are the EVERLASTING GOD! We rejoice in Your everlasting presence with us.
Resurrection Praise to the God of All GRACE
Do you ever feel incomplete or imperfect? Do you sometimes wish you were stronger in your convictions and more consistent in your walk with Christ? Do you ever wonder how God could love and forgive you? The answer to our questions is summed up in one word: GRACE. First Peter 5:10 explains: “After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.” The God of All Grace, who gave His Son to die for our sins, the God of All Grace who ransomed us, the God of All Grace who transferred us from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of His beloved Son, that same God of All Grace will perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish us. Praise HIM, we don’t have to pull ourselves up by our boot straps. We don’t have to rely on our goodness to be approved. Reread this incredible grace gift: “God Himself will.” The God of all grace has forgiven us of our sin by the sacrificial death of Jesus. Glory in this truth. Celebrate Christ’s resurrection – proof that God who called us to His eternal glory in Christ, will by grace, complete what He began in us. Praise the God of ALL grace.
GOD of all GRACE, we love and praise you. Thank You for calling us to eternal glory in Christ. Jesus, thank You for sacrificing Your life so that we might live eternally in Your glorious presence. Thank You, God of all grace, for perfecting, confirming, strengthening, and establishing us in Christ Jesus.
Think Bigger
Recently my son sent me a video, “How big is the Milky Way?” Watching it was an incredible reminder that too often I make God too little. He’s Christ for believers. He’s the Jew’s long awaited Messiah. Jesus died on the cross for people in certain nations. But that’s not what the Bible, God’s inspired Word, says. Rather, Isaiah 54:5, explains, we need to think bigger about who God the Father and Son are. “For your husband is your Maker, whose name is the Lord of hosts; and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, Who is called the God of all the earth.” God of ALL the EARTH. “For God so loved the WORLD, He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life,” John 3:16. As we celebrate the Risen One’s sacrifice for our life, would you join me in prayerful consideration of how faithful we are being to spread the message of the forgiveness of sin and new life in Christ to our world?
Heavenly Father and Lord Jesus, forgive us when we think too small. Quicken our hearts to take seriously Your words to make disciples of all the nations.
What to Do in the Silence
Can you imagine the deafening silence those who loved Jesus experienced after His marred holy body was placed in a tomb? What can be said in desperate hours and days of silence? How do followers fill their hollow heart when it is weighed with loss or burdened by sin? Nehemiah 9 shows us. It’s a chapter that recounts people who are fasting, in sackcloth with dirt on them. It’s a chapter of people who, in desperation, read the book of the law and confess and worship. We’re privy to their prayer. Nehemiah 9:5-8a, “Arise, bless the LORD your God forever and ever! O may Your glorious name be blessed and exalted above all the blessing and praise! You alone are the Lord. You have made the heavens, the heaven of heavens with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to all of them and the heavenly host bows down before you. You are Lord God, Who chose Abram and brought him out from Ur of the Chaldees and gave him the name Abraham. You found his heart faithful before You, and made a covenant with him…” What do we do in times of desperation and when God is silent? We bless God’s glorious name.
“‘O may Your GLORIOUS name be blessed and exalted above all blessing and praise!’” Nehemiah 9:5
Dead…but God
Have you been with someone when they died? I was with my mother, father, and mother-in-law when they died. Webster defines death as “the irreversible cessation of all vital functions especially as indicated by permanent stoppage of the heart, respiration, and brain activity.” That is what happened to Jesus as a result of the horrific scourging and crucifixion He suffered. The Roman soldiers who oversaw His death were skilled in their profession. They pronounced Jesus dead. But, as we know and Romans 4:17 explains, God “GIVES LIFE to the DEAD and calls into being that which does not exist.” Death seems final, but God. Yes, but God who gives life to the dead, gave life to Jesus and will give life to us after our earthly bodies cease functioning. How does it make you feel to know that God will give life to you after your earthly death?
Heavenly Father, who GIVES LIFE TO THE DEAD, we praise You and exalt Your name! Thank You for Jesus’s sacrificial death and resurrection. Thank You for raising our loved ones to eternal life. Thank You for the resurrection life we will one day experience. We love You and praise Your holy name!
If You Can’t Catch Your Breath
Do you ever feel like you can’t breathe; you have so much weighing on you? Or, you’re running so fast, it’s hard to catch your “breath”? The fact is, we can feel those ways at times; literally, physically depleted. But, we can also feel fatigued and out of breath spiritually. If, and when, we feel like we’ve had the breath knocked out of us through financial, physical, emotional, or relational blows, we can turn to our Heavenly Father. Isaiah 42:5-6 says, “Thus says God the Lord, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread out the earth and its offspring, Who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it, I am the LORD, I have called You in righteousness, I will also hold You by the hand and watch over You, and I will appoint You as a covenant to the people, as a light to the nations.” What comforting words! God gives us our breath and spirit. Our BREATH GIVER comforts us that He holds us by the hand and watches over us. Our BREATH GIVER reminds us of our covenant relationship with Him and of our appointment as a light to the nations. Our identity, our comfort, and our purpose are God breathed.
LORD, Thank You for giving us Your BREATH of life and SPIRIT. May we in turn, live for You and Your purposes.
Unwrap It!
Gifts! Who doesn’t like to receive a gift? Presents wrapped with brightly colored paper and bows. A gift tag with OUR name on it. And most importantly, someone holding the gift and offering, “Take it! I bought it for you!” Beaming, our Lord God waits for us to take the gift described in Romans 6:23. That in spite of our sin, He offers the “free gift of eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Our Heavenly Father gives us a gift that cost His Son’s life. Forgiveness is the first thing we see in the gift. Then the gifts of His Holy Spirit, heaven, friendship, eternity, and so much more! With each day, we realize there’s more of God’s love to unwrap. The Gift Giver smiles as our eyes light up in joyful praise.
Lord God, thank You for GIVING us the GIFT of eternal life in Christ Jesus and for all that is encompassed in the gift of His life! We praise You.
Could You Use Some Gentleness
When you think of Jesus, do you think of Him as gentle? In Matthew 11:29, it’s one of the ways He describes Himself. “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”” What does Christ mean when He says He is gentle or meek, another word for gentle? It is often defined as “power under control.” Although I don’t fully understand this great combination of attributes, I see them in my husband. Keith has great strength of character; yet he stoops down to pick a tiny flower amidst a field of grass in order to gently hand it to me on our walks. So Christ, while holding infinite power, offers us His gentle, humble heart where we find rest for our souls. He invites us to walk closely with Him and learn from Him.
Lord Jesus, You are both strong and GENTLE! We praise You!