365 Days of Praise

“Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh, as it is said to this day, “In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.”

Genesis 22:14

Have you ever felt desperate and cried out to God for help to fulfill what He’s asked of you? Such was the case for Abraham. God asked him to sacrifice his son, Isaac. It seems crazy and incomprehensible to us, but God never intended for Abraham to kill his son. And Abraham knew that. He told his servants, “We will return,” not “I will return.”  But Abraham also knew that God told him to sacrifice Isaac, so he took all the steps not knowing what would happen. One step of faith at a time. In the final moment, as he raised the killing knife, God stopped him. He then provided a ram for Abraham to substitute in the place of his son. It was a foreshadow of God providing Jesus as our sacrifice. But in the demand of a human father being asked to sacrifice his son, we catch a glimpse of the pain and sacrifice of God sacrificing Jesus for us. God provided for Abraham and for us.

JEHOVAH-JIREH, You are our wonderful Lord who sees our needs and then provides Yourself as the fulfillment for it.  We love You.

“I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name, LORD, (JEHOVAH) I did not make Myself known to them.”

 Exodus 6:3

JEHOVAH means self-existent One or “the existing One.” As God explained to Moses in Exodus 3:14, He is “I AM WHO I AM.” Bible scholar Charles Ryrie, explains, “It is a name of relationship between the true God and His people and when used, emphasizes God’s holiness, hatred of sin, and love of sinners.” * I’m so glad that the self-existing LORD who is holy and hates sin, loves us, aren’t you?

Lord God, JEHOVAH, we praise You and thank You that You love us and have provided salvation for us! 

*Ryrie Study Bible, New American Standard Bible 1995 Update, Charles Caldwell Ryrie, Moody Press, Chicago, pg 2057.

 “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.”

1 Timothy 1:17

“I can’t see God, so how do you know He’s there?” people sometimes ask. I think one of the best responses is found in Romans 1:19-20. “because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His INVISIBLE attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.” In other words, look at the glory of the heavens. Look at the glory of the flowers and trees. Look at the wonder of the human body. God may be invisible, but His presence is clearly seen.

King eternal, immortal, INVISIBLE God, we praise You and thank You for the glory of Your creation and for making Yourself clearly seen through Your handiwork. 

“The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired. His understanding is INSCRUTABLE.”

 The word “INSCRUTABLE” comes from two Hebrew words that describe God’s understanding. The New International Version of the Bible uses the word “fathom.” “His understanding no one can fathom.” The New King James Version states it: “His understanding is unsearchable.” In other words, when we pray and receive God’s answer and it’s not the answer we wanted, it helps to remember that His understanding of our situation is better than our understanding. His understanding of us and those involved is better than our understanding. Trust and faith are essential elements of not only our profession of faith; but also of our daily walk. We can trust our God, whose understanding is INSCRUTABLE.

Lord, Your understanding is INSCRUTABLE.  We look to You in praise and trust!

“For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, INNOCENT, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens;”

Have you ever felt guilty? Isn’t it a horrible feeling? What do you do with guilt? You can’t hide it, shake it, or bury it. It clings to you like a cat. Nails dug in, it’s determined to not turn loose of your heart. However, there is One who never experienced guilt. Until…our guilt was placed upon Him.  Can you imagine being holy and INNOCENT one moment and the next moment experiencing the guilt of the world?  Jesus did that for us. Never question His love…”while we were yet sinners, He died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

Wonderful, Savior, INNOCENT ONE, thank You for taking our shame and guilt so that we might be declared innocent.

“The Lord is the portion of my INHERITANCE and my cup; You support my lot.”

 Can you imagine being told that a relative you barely knew had passed away and left you all his money? “That’s nice of Uncle Fred,” you might say, thinking of the last time you’d seen him with his common clothing and car. But then, the executor of the estate continues, “Congratulations! You’re a billionaire!” Stunned, you realize that you never knew all that Uncle Fred possessed. Psalm 16:5 is such a comment to the Christian. “Congratulations! You’ve inherited Christ, His Holy Spirit, divine nature, mind, power, and heaven!” Friends, that ought to set our feet to dancing and put a smile on our face. Do we realize all we have in Christ? Or, are we bemoaning what we don’t have? Today, we can rejoice in CHRIST – our INHERITANCE! 

Lord, You are our INHERITANCE; what more could we want? We love You, praise You, and rejoice in YOU!