365 Days of Praise

“His DIVINE power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the DIVINE nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.”

2 Peter 1:3-4

DIVINE.  We often use the word casually. “This cake is divine!” Or, “It was a divine vacation.” However, in the Bible, the word is used in reference to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Christ’s DIVINE power granting to us everything pertaining to life and godliness; us (Christians) sharing in the DIVINE nature.  If we are living a ho-hum or defeated life, it isn’t because God wants us to. I encourage you to discover and delve into God’s “precious and magnificient promises” given to us in the Bible!  

Lord Jesus, You are DIVINE power and life.  Thank You for Your precious and magnificent promises by which we become partakers of Your divine nature.  We worship and adore You!

 “In that day the LORD of hosts will be
for a crown of glory and a diadem of beauty
to the remnant of His people.”

Isaiah 28:5

Throughout time, people have sat on thrones and worn diadems (crowns). Some leaders have worn their crowns well and brought honor to their people. Others have brought shame to their people. The later was the case with the chief tribe of the Northern Kingdom of Israel at the time of Isaiah’s prophecy. In contrast to the drunken leaders who wore crowns of shame; Isaiah pointed to the Lord of Hosts, who not only wears a crown of glory, but is Himself a DIADEM OF BEAUTY!

Lord Jesus, DIADEM OF BEAUTY, glorious One, we honor and praise You, our Lord!

“God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 5:8

Have you ever wished someone would do more than tell they love you; they would SHOW you? That’s what God did when He sent Jesus to die for our sins. He proved His love. He exhibited it. God didn’t just send a message of love through a prophet. He DEMONSTRATED His love in the most visible, sacrificial way possible. If you’re thinking you’re unloved, think again! 

Thank You, God, for DEMONSTRATING Your love by sending Jesus to die for our sins even while we were sinners!  We love and praise You!

“I sought the Lord, and He answered me, And delivered me from all my fears. The righteous cry, and the Lord hears And delivers them out of all their troubles.”

Psalm 34:4, 17

Do you have any fears or troubles? If so, Psalm 34 offers great encouragement.  God answers those who seek Him. He hears when Christians cry out to Him. What does DELIVER mean? It means to rescue.  Do you want to be free of your fears? Seek the Lord! Cry out to Him!

Lord, we praise You for being our DELIVERER! We are seeking and crying out to You. 

Has God delivered you or someone for whom you prayed? In your Prayer Journal, write “PTL” for “praise the Lord” or use a yellow felt-tip to highlight your prayer for His deliverance. It builds our faith and is a time of celebration to recognize answered prayer.

“Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul DELIGHTS. ”

Isaiah 42:1

Have you ever considered that the Heavenly Father delights in Jesus? That Jesus is God’s DELIGHT?  In a world full of evil, don’t you know it blesses Him to look upon His Son and say, “My soul delights in You?” What about us? Are we anxious and stressed – ever seeking to “arrive” at some point or place that will bring us delight? If so, perhaps we should follow our Heavenly Father’s example. His soul – His mind, emotions, and will delight in Jesus. Today, let’s sit back. Let’s open our Bibles and read of Christ’s gentle love and mercy. Let’s read of His great power – calming storms and calling His disciples to walk on water. Let’s delight our souls in Jesus.

Lord Jesus, You are God’s DELIGHT and the One in whom our soul delights.  We praise You!

“…in Him (Christ) all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form,”

Colossians 2:9

Some people claim that Jesus was “just another teacher.”  Others say He was a prophet; one among many prophets. Not so! Jesus proved His deity by His life, death, resurrection, and ascension. ALL the fullness of God exists in Him. Knowing this should cause us to raise our voices in praise. All the fullness of Deity came from heaven in bodily form to die for us and save our souls. What a remarkable Lord He is!

Jesus, in You all the fullness of DEITY dwells! We praise and worship You. 

“Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us,”

 Luke 1:78 

As the sun rises in the east and brings light to the world, so Zacharias, filled with the Holy Spirit, prophesied that Jesus would be the rising star giving light to our dark world. Oh, Jesus gave much more than physical light, though. The Dayspring from On High, from heaven, gives spiritual light. He shines in our hearts and dispels the darkness of our sin. He shines and gives light for our path. He shines and energizes our souls. He shines and we become fruit bearers through His life giving presence.

DAYSPRING from ON HIGH, we praise You for rising in our heart and being the Light of our soul! 

“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable.”

Isaiah 40:28

God’s patience amazes me. HE made us. Yet, we often decide independently of Him how to live. Then, we don’t understand why things go wrong in our lives.

“Really?” our CREATOR must want to say to us.

I’ve been studying the scientific reasons for many our Creator’s commands. At the time the Scriptures were written, there were no brain scans or sophisticated equipment by which God could explain the reasons for His commands. He simply said don’t or do. For instance, Jesus tell us to not be anxious. Rather, we are to pray. God tells us to forgive instead of being bitter. Today, through developing research, we better understand the magnificent way God created us and the “why’s” behind many of His commands. We are wise to read our Creator’s manual, the Bible, and live by it.

Heavenly Father, Lord and CREATOR, forgive us when we ignore Your commands. Draw us to Your Holy Presence and to surrender to Your will. 

 “And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.”

Isaiah 9:6

Do you need help? Do you wish there was someone you could talk to; who could advise you? If so, Jesus is your “go to” Counselor, and He’s wonderful! How does He counsel us? He counsels us in prayer. He counsels us through the promptings of our heart. He counsels us in the Bible through His teachings and by His example. For instance, in Matthew 15:32-38, there appeared to be a huge problem – 4,000 + people who had been listening to Jesus teach all day were hungry, and there was no food. Did Jesus wring His holy hands? Did Jesus become hopeless? No. Instead, Jesus asked the disciples how many loaves of bread they had. They replied seven and a few small fish. Jesus “took the seven loaves and the fish; and giving thanks, He broke them and ….” You know the rest of the story. Jesus THANKED His Heavenly Father for what He had in His hands. He acted in faith with what was in His hands. Did you know that thanking God for what we have rather than bemoaning what we don’t have is powerful?

If you’re struggling with a downcast spirit, start recording each 365 attribute of God. This morning I re-read in praise each attribute beginning with January 1. I was reminded of how wonderful and big our Lord is.  I love recording in Prayers of My Heart that He CONTENDS FOR me. SO … how about your COUNSELOR? He is worthy of our praise!

Jesus, thank You, wonderful COUNSELOR, for always being there.