365 Days of Praise
Thank you, COUNSELOR
“And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.”
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.
Praise to GOD, who CONTENDs FOR HIS PEOPLE
“Thus says your Lord, the Lord, even your God Who CONTENDS FOR His people, ‘Behold, I have taken out of your hand the cup of reeling, The chalice of My anger; You will never drink it again.’”
Would you rather God contend – plead a cause – for you or against you? If the answer is “for you,” then you have reason to praise! God contends for His people. That is the nature of our loving Heavenly Father.
Lord, You CONTEND for; not against us. We thank You and give You praise!
Lord, thank you for being the CONSOLATION OF ISRAEL and my consolation
“there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the CONSOLATION OF ISRAEL: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.”
It’s possible that you’ve not heard Jesus referred to as the “Consolation of Israel.” But, isn’t it exciting to learn the many ways Christ is described? Why is Jesus called this? The Rabbis spoke of the coming Messiah as the “consoler” or One who would bring comfort to Israel. So, when Simeon, anointed by the Holy Spirit, saw the infant Jesus at His presentation in the temple, he knew He was seeing the long awaited Messiah.
Jesus is the CONSOLATION OF ISRAEL, and He is also the Consolation of anyone who turns to Him for salvation. Can you fill in the blank with your name? Jesus is the Consolation of _________________________.
Lord Jesus Christ, CONSOLATION of ISRAEL and consolation of us, we praise and worship You. There is none who brings comfort to our soul like You do.
*http://goo.gl/v21nLj
Thank you, Lord, for being COMPASSIONATE toward us
“Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, COMPASSIONATE and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth.”
Do you know someone who is harsh and not compassionate?
Could use a little compassion from a family member or friend; yet they’re anything but compassionate?
The Hebrew word from which “compassion” is derived means “to love deeply, have mercy, be compassionate, have tender affection.” It describes God’s COMPASSION for us. Be assured, God deeply loves you. Thank Him for His COMPASSION, then turn and show compassion toward someone.
LORD, thank You for deeply loving us. We praise You, COMPASSIONATE LORD!
Commander of the Army of the Lord, we worship you
When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?” And he said, “No; but I am the commander of the army of the Lord. Now I have come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, “What does my lord say to his servant?” And the commander of the Lord‘s army said to Joshua, “Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.
You don’t know the person who is standing before you with a sword in their hand. So, of course, the first thing you want to know is whose side they’re on. Joshua asks. Then, he’s blown away by the answer. The commander of the army of the Lord is the one standing before him. Joshua fell on his face and worshipped Him. Note the Commander’s response. He didn’t tell Joshua to stand up or not to worship Him; that he was a man like him; or even an angel. Rather, He permitted Joshua to worship and even told him to take off his sandals; for the place was holy because of His presence.
How many times do we forget we’re in the Lord’s presence? How many times do we forget the Lord, the Commander of our life, is within us?
I’m guilty of forgetting. I’m guilty of not honoring the Lord as I should. If you feel the same, it’s never too late for us to start honoring our Lord more reverently. How?
- Recognize that His Holy Spirit is in us.
- Set sin away from us.
- Worship Him.
How did the Commander of the army of the Lord respond to Joshua’s question, “What does my lord say to his servant?” He answered, “Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” I believe He would say that to us today.
Lord Jesus, Commander of the army of the Lord, forgive us our sin. Forgive us for treating You with contempt. Help us be more mindful each day of Your holy presence in our lives. May our lives reflect our worship of You.
Praise to the COMING KING
“Behold, HE IS COMING with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen.”
Did you know that just as Christ’s first coming to earth was prophesied, so is His second? And, just as God fulfilled Christ’s first coming, so He will fulfill Christ’s second coming. Jesus is COMING to earth again. However, He will not come as a baby. Rather, He will come from heaven through the clouds. Every eye will see Jesus, the COMING KING!
LORD JESUS, COMING KING, we worship and praise You! Come quickly!
Praise to the COMFORTER
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,”
On a cold winter evening, nothing feels as cozy as snuggling in bed under the warmth of a soft comforter. However, no blanket compares to the God of all Comfort when a person’s crisp tongue chills us to the core, or the howling wind of despair blows through our heart. The Greek word for comfort is parakaleo, which means “to call to one’s side, speak to, in the way of exhortation, console, teach.”1 How awesome it is that God gives every believer the gift of His presence through the Holy Spirit. This Comforter is an abiding presence who will never wear out, never become threadbare, and never leave us. The more we cover our lives with prayer and God’s teachings, the more closely we’ll know the warmth of His abiding presence. (adapted from Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion, pg 67)
LORD, You are the God of all COMFORT! We praise You for the blessing of Your presence!
Thank you, Lord, for being CLOSE TO Us when we’re BROKENHEARTED
“The Lord is CLOSE to the BROKENHEARTED and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
Today is Valentine’s Day; a day marked by exchanges of tokens of love. But what if you wake up alone? What if your loved one is deceased? What if your loved one cheated on you? What if you’ve never had someone love you? What if you’re not only alone, but you’re crushed in spirit? I find it amazing that the Bible is the most honest book we”ll ever read. Our Heavenly Father “gets it” that there will be times in our life like that; which is precisely why He wants us to know that even if we’re alone, He’s close. Even if there is no one to save or lift our crushed spirit, HE CAN. Our Heavenly Father is sending a loud and clear Valentine message that He loves us. There is nothing we have done or will do; there is no place we can go that He isn’t present. “I LOVE YOU. I’M HERE,” our Heavenly Father calls; with Jesus echoing, “Me, too!”
Heavenly Father and Lord Jesus Christ, thank You for loving us and being close to us.
Praise to the Lord, our CLOTHIER
“But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you?
A clothier is a person that makes, sells, or deals in clothes or cloth. Perhaps you’ve never thought of God as your clothier, but He is. God’s provision for mankind’s clothing extends from Genesis when He provided garments for Adam and Eve, to Revelation where our heavenly clothing is described as “fine linen, white and clean.” Galatians 3:27 says of believers, you have “clothed yourselves with Christ.” Think about that! God could provide no finer covering for us than Christ’s righteousness. So, the next time you say, “I don’t have anything to wear,” remember…you do!
Lord God, we praise You for being our CLOTHIER, for covering us with Christ’s righteousness so that we are not ashamed before You!
Praise to God’s CHOSEN ONE
“’Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My CHOSEN ONE in whom My soul delights.’”
How would you answer the question, “In what does your soul delight?” If someone asked me, I’d have to think for a minute. What about you? Would you say you’re “into” music? Or, would it be sports? Or your family? Or work? Or cooking? Fill in the blank. My soul delights in _________________. God the Father said HIS soul delights in Jesus, His chosen One. Sounds like a proud parent watching His child, doesn’t it? I wonder if our souls would more often find delight if we kept our eyes on God’s CHOSEN ONE.
JESUS, GOD’S CHOSEN ONE, we worship and praise You. We delight in who You are!