365 Days of Praise
Thank God for being RIGHTEOUS in an Evil Day
“Do not fear, for I am with you;
Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, surely I will help you,
Surely I will uphold you with My RIGHTEOUS right hand”
Tragic. Frightening. Unreal. Evil. Anger. Fear. Hopelessness. Horror. Sickening. Unfair. Senseless. Panic. What words well up in you when you think about Stephen Paddock opening fire and mass murdering 59 innocent people and injuring over 500 others? We can evacuate cities when Hurricanes are predicted. But we can’t predict when evil will raise its ugly head. Everyone is asking, “What can we do?” No one has the answer for how to prevent another mass murder. Our Heavenly Father understands our fear. He promises to strengthen us and help us. How? In the midst of evil, terror, and natural disasters, a RIGHTEOUS powerful hand holds the believer. God is RIGHTEOUS and we must turn to Him in this evil day. Sign up HERE to get my upcoming monthly Faith Nugget, “Being a Good Soldier in the Battle Against Evil.”
Heavenly Father, thank You that in this evil day, You are RIGHTEOUS.
photo by David Becker
Praise God who is RICH in MERCY
“But God, being RICH IN MERCY, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),”
What powerful words these are! If someone has ever made you mad or hurt you or a loved one, then you may know what it’s like to feel resentment or harbor negative feelings toward the person. Yet, God doesn’t harbor resentment toward us. He doesn’t hold a grudge against us. Rather, on the basis of Christ’s sacrifice for our sins, He forgives us and separates our sin as far as the east is from the west. God is RICH IN MERCY. How does knowing that cause you to live gratefully before Him?
Lord, we praise You and thank You for being RICH IN MERCY! What a wonderful God you are! Quicken us to imitate You and be rich in mercy towards others.
Praise to God, the REWARDER
“And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a REWARDER of THOSE WHO SEEK HIM.”
Do you ever think about pleasing God? Did you know that it is possible to please God? Hebrews 11:5 states that Enoch was “pleasing to God.” I can’t think of a more admirable thing to be said of a person than that they please God. I long for it to be said that I pleased God. I know you do, too. How can we please God? Believe Him. Believe that He is going to reward our coming to Him in faith. Then, go to Him in faith. Take to Him that which is overwhelming you, causing you to fear, looming like an impossible project, causing you despair. Go to Him and ask Him to miraculously fill and equip you to handle whatever He’s permitted in your life. Know, that by faith, you’ll experience His glorious equipping and empowerment to see it through. Today, in the little and big things, we can please God; knowing that He is a REWARDER of THOSE WHO SEEK HIM..
Lord God, REWARDER OF THOSE WHO SEEK YOU, we seek You. We come to YOU in faith. May we please YOU as we walk through our day, being obedient to follow Your quiet, still voice.
Praise to Christ, the RESURRECTION & LIFE
“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the RESURRECTION and LIFE; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies,’”
Why do you think Jesus described Himself in so many ways when He walked the earth? Why do you think He repeated Himself with only a few changes in wording? Was it because we needed to hear again and again WHO He is? Heaven is a real place and followers of Christ who are no longer with us are alive in Heaven. Believers on earth are headed to eternal life in heaven. All because Jesus is the RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE. As Christ was raised, we’ll be raised. Pause and meditate on Christ’s words and that He wants us to have assurance that this life is not all there is. So much awaits us in heaven, and for that, we rejoice!
Lord, You are the RESURRECTION and the LIFE. We pray our life points others to You.
RESTORER
“He restores my soul;
He guides me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.”
Do you think God expects you to be superman or super woman? He doesn’t. In fact, He acknowledges that our souls will be depleted and need restoration. He says He’s the RESTORER of our souls. Red bull and other super caffeinated drinks only serve to give us a temporary kick. A rightly aligned relationship with Jesus and daily refreshment in His presence provide ongoing restoration to our souls.
Lord, we praise You, the RESTORER of our soul!
Praise the Lord, Our REST
“My people have become lost sheep;
Their shepherds have led them astray.
They have made them turn aside on the mountains;
They have gone along from mountain to hill
And have forgotten their RESTING PLACE.”
When we ask someone, 
“How are you doing,” a typical reply is, “Good.” But sometimes, when we’re sitting across the kitchen table with a family member or friend, they’ll confide, “I’m exhausted.” Or, “I’m worried.” What causes us to be exhausted or worried? Lots of things. Lack of sleep. Caring for little ones, family, or aging parents. Work deadlines. Stress. Physical or financial problems.
Deep within, we long for not only physical rest, but also soul rest. Without it, our minds wander to the worst case scenarios. Without soul rest, our spirits are agitated. Without soul rest, our emotions are on a roller coaster of highs and lows.
What encouragement can we offer to one another as we sip our coffee and chat? The reminder that the place to go for soul rest is Christ. Reading the news can get us in knots. Reading the Bible quiets us. Complaining to one another can further agitate us. Pouring our worries and weariness to our Heavenly Father brings peace.
God describes Himself as a RESTING PLACE. When we feel like we’re “losing it,” we can go to our RESTING PLACE and find rest for our souls.
Lord, we praise You, our RESTING PLACE!
Praise to our RESPLENDENT Lord
“You are RESPLENDENT...”
Praise to Our RESCUER
“He RESCUED US from the DOMAIN of DARKNESS, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son.”
Lord Jesus, You are our RESCUER! We love You! We thank You! We praise You!
Praise to God, Our REFUGE
“God is our REFUGE and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
Are the storms in your life overwhelming you…perhaps literally if you’re a victim of the recent hurricanes and earthquakes? Whether the storms are literal or metaphorical, fear can flood our emotions. Pains of guilt can beat on our heart. Worry can rain in our mind. But God doesn’t want us to stay overwhelmed, drowning in fear, burdened with worry and guilt. That’s why He’s present. That’s why He offers Himself. Just as rescue helicopters offer a way of escape to flooded victims, God hovers over us, offering His help and strength. He’s our REFUGE. The Hebrew word, “REFUGE,” means shelter from danger or falsehood. The more closely we stay under God’s arm of Biblical truth, the more protected we are; the fewer lies of the enemy we fall for. This verse is a reminder that God is our REFUGE. Are you staying close to Him? Do you believe He’s got you?
Lord, You provide yourself as a REFUGE to shelter us from falling for Satan’s lies and worldly deceptions. You provide Yourself as a shelter in the midst of life’s storms. Remind us to not stand in the rain of discouragement, but rather shelter under You.
Praise Jesus, Our REDEEMER
“He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have REDEMPTION, the forgiveness of sins.”
To whom are you looking for peace and happiness? On what are you placing your money and hope to make life better?
Only one person, our REDEEMER, has the holiness, the wholeness, the power, and grace to be our all in all; to rescue us from the sin and heartache of this world and take us to the holy heights of heaven. Only ONE. So, we look to the crib. We look to the cross. We look to the Bible. We look to the skies. And, we know … that as He kept His Word to come to us once for salvation, He will return to redeem us out of this world and take us to our eternal home.
Our redemption is closer today than it was yesterday. Smile.
LORD JESUS, REDEEMER, we’re closer to heaven today than we were yesterday. We’re closer to seeing Your unimaginable beauty. Thank You for rescuing us from the domain of darkness. We love You and pray Your light shines in our hearts and blesses others.