365 Days of Praise
Praise to the Lord, Who is SUBMISSIVE to the Father
“He went a little beyond them and fell on His face and prayed, saying, ‘My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.’”
There are times when we are called to do something that isn’t pleasant. We would prefer not to do it. Perhaps for you, it’s a medical procedure. For a tired mom, it may be changing another diaper. A worker may long to stay in bed rather than go to work. Then, there are those excruciatingly painful occasions when we may be called to help with an intervention, or change the lock on a door to keep an abusive person out of the home. Or…die on the cross so that mankind can be saved. Jesus knew the suffering that was before Him. He didn’t want to go through it. He asked His Father for another way. But, in the end, He was submissive to Him. Does that not scream of the Father’s love for us? How are we giving back to Him? How are we showing Jesus that we appreciate Him?
Heavenly Father and Lord Jesus Christ, thank You! For all You’ve done and all You’ve sacrificed, we give You praise!
Praise to the Lord, a STRONG TOWER
“The name of the Lord is a STRONG TOWER;
The righteous runs into it and is safe.”
Perspective. It’s everything. Recently our nation has suffered terrible tragedies from hurricanes, flooding, fires, and mass shootings. We can look around and feel hopeless and vulnerable; wondering why God has abandoned us. Or, we can scale the heights of heaven and see what God has done, who He is, and what He will do. In other words, He is not uncaring and inactive. He has seen evil and death and sent Jesus to overcome it. He gave us His Spirit to be with us to strengthen and comfort us. He’s creating a new world in which there is no evil where we will live with Him. From the perspective of heaven’s heights, I’d say our God is wonderful, loving, and faithful to we who are often not faithful towards Him. I’d say He’s a God of grace. What say you? That God has abandoned us and doesn’t care? Or, that God is the STRONG TOWER to whom we can run; that He loves us and is acting on our behalf?
Heavenly Father, You are a loving, good, faithful STRONG TOWER. We praise Your name and run to Your arms.
Praise to the Lord, my STRONGHOLD
“My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
My shield and the horn of my salvation, my STRONGHOLD and my refuge;”
The words in 2 Samuel 22:3 are taken from a song David wrote to the Lord when He delivered him from Saul, who had been trying to kill him. In 1 Samuel 24:22 after an encounter with Saul, we’re told Saul went home, but David went “up to the STRONGHOLD.” A stronghold was a high place, a refuge, a place of retreat, and for many years, it was David’s safe house. In his song, he praises God for being a STRONGHOLD; a high place and refuge to which he could return and find safety. Do we know God as our stronghold? If not, He invites us to come to Him. He is high and lifted up. He is safe. We can retreat to Him in prayer and find safety from our fears, our wayward thoughts, and from the fiery darts of the enemy.
Lord God, we praise You, our STRONGHOLD. Thank You that no matter the time or day, we can retreat into Your presence.
Praise to the Lord, my Strength
“Blessed be the Lord,
Because He has heard the voice of my supplication.
The Lord is my strength and my shield;
My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped” (Psalm 28:6-7).
Do you ever feel weak or like you can’t go on? Psalm 28:6-7 reminds us that we’re not alone. We don’t have to do this thing called life, death, being a spouse, parent, widow, single person, or bread winner alone. We may be weak but God is our strength.
Does your heart trust in God? If so, you can say with the psalmist, “The Lord is my strength. My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped.” A trusting heart is a heart that may not know how they can get through their day or night; but they know Christ will be with them and give them the strength.
Heavenly Father, thank You that You are always there and no matter how weak we feel, You are our STRENGTH. We love You and praise You!
Praise to the SPIRIT who Searches All Things
“For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.”
Do you know all that God has prepared for you in eternity? The answer is “no, we don’t know.” 1 Corinthians 2:9 explains, “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him.” Then Paul continues talking about the Spirit and how the Spirit of God searches all things, even the depths of God. He explains that the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Then, he goes on to explain in verses 12-13,
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.
Do Paul’s words about the Spirit confuse you or would you like to have a deeper understanding of the Holy Spirit in your life? If so, I’d love to share with you my “Listen UP! When the Spirit Speaks” conference on DVD. It includes 31 points about the Holy Spirit every Christian should know. It’s my gift to you for any donation of $25 or more. You can watch or listen to it. The Holy Spirit is God’s gift to every Christian. Know Him. Listen to Him. Love and adore Him, for He is the Spirit of Christ abiding in you.
Heavenly Father, Your gift to us of the SPIRIT who SEARCHES ALL THINGS, is the most amazing gift. Thank You! Help us learn more about Your Spirit and how to honor You by listening to Him.
YES! Please send me Listen UP! When the Spirit Speaks. 31 Points About the Holy Spirit Every Christian Should Know. Here is my 1 time GIFT.
Praise to SPIRIT OF TRUTH
“When He, the SPIRIT of TRUTH, comes, He will guide you into all the truth;…”
The TRUTH. When listening to the news, do you ever long for the truth? When questioning your child have you ever doubted their words and said, “Tell me the truth”? If you’ve been lied to, do you question if the person is telling you the truth? How refreshing that God is the SPIRIT OF TRUTH. So when we question if we should do things our way or God’s, we have the answer. Follow the SPIRIT OF TRUTH. When society tells us one thing, but it doesn’t line up with the Bible, who do we believe? God’s Word, for His voice is the SPIRIT OF TRUTH.
Lord God, how refreshing that we can wholeheartedly trust You, the SPIRIT of TRUTH!
Praise to God who SPEAKS RIGHTEOUSNESS
“‘I have not spoken in secret, in some dark land…I, the Lord, SPEAK RIGHTEOUSNESS,
Declaring things that are upright.’”
Do you realize that the Bible is filled with the righteous counsel of God? His voice pours forth verse after verse. We are wise to read, meditate on, and practice what God tells us. There is no other place we’ll find such wise counsel. The SPEAKER OF RIGHTEOUSNESS has spoken. Are we listening? Are sharing His Words with others? One of the ways my ministry shares what God has spoken is through my ministry page on Facebook. It is a “highway” we use to “go out into the world.” When you “Like” the page, it increases our reach even if you don’t get on Facebook or use it often. So, if you want to get God’s truths “out there” simply click HERE and check “LIKE.” We’re reaching those who might not walk into a church or who may not have a Bible. Thank you.
We praise You, LORD, SPEAKER of RIGHTEOUSNESS. Quicken our ears to hear and our hearts to respond.
Praise to the only SOVEREIGN
“I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, …that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which He will bring about at the proper time – He who is the blessed and only SOVEREIGN, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.
It’s interesting, and I’d love to know your take on this. I hear some people say that since Jesus came, we’re free of the Law and commandments. We live in the era of grace. I’ll jump in here – I’m a firm believer that we live in a time of God’s grace extended to us in Christ Jesus. But, what about Paul’s “charge in the presence of God” – for Timothy to “keep the commandment”? And, “without stain or reproach” until Jesus comes back? That has me squirming a bit. Does it you? What does it mean? Could it actually mean that although we’re saved by grace, God expects us to act like His children; not like the world? In the same breathe, Paul spills forth language that could only come from one who is intimately in love with and in awe of the One they’ve seen, referring to Christ as the only Sovereign; which means a royal minister of great authority. Paul can’t stop praising the Lord Jesus Christ by His words …and life. What about you? What’s your take on this?
Lord Jesus Christ, the blessed and only SOVEREIGN, we worship You. May our lives match our lips.
Praise to the Lord, my SONG
“The Lord is my strength and SONG,
And He has become my salvation;
This is my God, and I will praise Him;
My father’s God, and I will extol Him.”
In the Hebrew language the word “song” can mean “music” or “melody.” I love that Moses says in effect, “The Lord is my melody. He’s the music to which I walk through my day.” What’s the music to which you walk? Is it a worldly beat or a forlorn song? I want to join Moses and sing, “The Lord is my strength and SONG.”
Heavenly Father, Thank You for being the SONG to which we can walk through our day. We love You!
CLICK HERE for MORE DAILY encouragement in your WALK with GOD!
Praise to Jesus, SON OF MAN
“For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
How did Jesus describe Himself? The observant physician, Luke, noted that Jesus described Himself as the Son of Man. And, in the same context, Jesus revealed His purpose for coming to earth: to save lost souls. That would be you and me. Lost. Separated from God. Having wandered from God’s holy righteousness, we were in need of a Savior. So Jesus came from heaven on a mission to earth. Born of a woman by the Holy Spirit, He did what no one else could do – seek and save us.
All praise to You, Lord Jesus, Son of God, SON of MAN, who sought and saved us! We love and adore You!