365 Days of Praise
Praise to Our Protector
“But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one” (2 Thessalonians 3:3).
Does the amount of evil in our day ever cause you to fear for yourself or loved ones? Recently, after speaking at a church, a young mom approached me and confided that she feared for her child. Part of her fear was because she had been molested as a child. Part stemmed because of the immoral culture in which we live. What hope do we have in the day in which we live? Prayer, obedience to God’s commands, and eternal salvation.
Prayer: In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus teaches us to pray to be delivered from evil. We ask our Heavenly Father to protect us and others; to deliver us from evil.
Obedience: The Bible is our safeguard. It instructs in the way in which we should walk. It protects us by telling us what is evil so we don’t fall for Satan’s schemes.
Eternal Salvation: We can’t escape all evil in this life. But, Jesus has provided for our eternal protection and salvation from evil by opening the path to heaven. The Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect all who call on Him.
Lord, our PROTECTOR, thank you for protecting us from the evil one’s daily snares and from an eternity of evil. Help us walk wisely, strengthen, and keep us from evil.
Praise to our PROSPEROUS Lord
Behold, My servant will PROSPER,
He will be high and lifted up and greatly exalted.
Are you familiar with “prosperity theology”? It’s defined as “a religious belief among some Christians, who hold that financial blessing and physical well-being are always the will of God for them, and that faith, positive speech, and donations to religious causes will increase one’s material wealth. If humans have faith in God, he will deliver security and prosperity.” *
However, Jesus didn’t teach or live that. He preached the gospel. He taught, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy… But store up for yourselves treasure in heaven,…” Mt 6:19-20. Jesus taught that we are to build our lives on Him. He is to be the foundation of our life, so we don’t collapse when floods destroy our homes. Lk 6:46-49
What does the Bible mean, then, when it says Jesus prospers? The Hebrew word in this verse means “success.” Although during Jesus’s life it appeared that He was doing anything but prospering, He was successfully accomplishing God’s will by securing our salvation.
As family, friends, and our world suffer devastating floods and earthquakes, it’s a somber time for us to consider what we’re building our lives on and for. Is it the here and now that can easily be destroyed? Or, are we instead, storing treasures in heaven that last eternally?
Lord Jesus, Prosperous One, thank You for successfully securing our salvation with You for eternity. Help those in harm’s way to find strength and security in You.
*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosperity_theology
Praise to the Promise Keeper
“being fully assured that what God had PROMISED, He was able also to perform.”
Have you ever promised something and then couldn’t or didn’t fulfill your promise? If you have, you know what a horrible feeling it is. Maybe we promised, “I’ll never say that again.” Then we did. Or, we may have said to ourselves or even to God, “I promise. If you’ll get me out of this mess, I’ll never do that again.” Or, “I’ll do better next time.” But, we failed to keep our promise. Or, maybe it’s hard for you to trust people because they’ve made promises to you that they didn’t keep. However, when it comes to God, we can be fully assured that what He promises, He is able to do and will do. For many, these are scary days. Natural disasters, war, disease, and civil unrest can make us feel unsure of where we can turn and who we can trust. If we’re feeling a little off base or unsure of what the future holds, it would be a good time to open our Bibles and reread God’s promises. His are the ones we know are sure and true.
Heavenly Father, in our changing world that is filled with civil unrest, disease, and disasters, we praise You that You are faithful to keep Your promises and that You are able to do what You promise. Our trust rests in You, Lord.
Praise to the Lord, the PROPITIATION for Our SINS
“He Himself is the PROPITIATION FOR OUR SINS; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.”
PROPITIATION. That’s a mouthful! And, it’s probably not the first word you think of when you’re praising God. “Lord, You are love, joy, peace” rolls off our tongues easier than “Lord, You are the PROPITIATION FOR MY SINS.” But, that IS who HE IS. What does propitiation mean? It means “satisfaction.” In contrast to the Rolling Stones hit song, “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” Christians sing a different tune. When Christ offered His life as a sacrifice for our sins, God was satisfied. The payment for sin and guilt were satisfied, paid fully once and for all with Christ’s blood. Yes, we sing a song of praise to Jesus – for settling our sin debt with God.
Lord, thank You for being the PROPITIATION for our sins and the sins of the world!
Praise to the PROPHET
“…Jesus the Nazarene, who was a PROPHET mighty in deed and word in the sight of God and all the people.”
Do you wish you knew the answer to your problems? Have you ever prayed, “Lord, direct me!” Or prayed, “Show me what to do.” What if you were a prophet who could foretell the future. Jesus is a PROPHET. He knew what was coming down the road. And, although the Bible doesn’t always outline the specifics of our day, Jesus used the Scriptures to point out present and future events. (a good reason to read what our Prophet said) Reading the Bible and Jesus’s words will prepare us for today and for our tomorrows. It will help answer our questions.
Jesus, You are a PROPHET mighty in deed and word. We praise You!
Praise to the PRINCE of PEACE
“His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, PRINCE OF PEACE.”
Praise to the PRINCE OF LIFE
“…you put to death the PRINCE OF LIFE, the one whom God raised from the dead, a fact to which we are witnesses.”
Can you imagine the conversations that took place after God raised Jesus from the dead? Some didn’t believe it at first. Others couldn’t help but acknowledge it when they saw Jesus, touched Him, and observed Him eating fish. He wasn’t a ghost. He wasn’t a figment of their imagination. Five hundred people witnessed seeing the resurrected PRINCE OF LIFE. In other words, they couldn’t “kill Him dead” forever. Jesus walked right back into life. Why? How? Because Jesus is the PRINCE of LIFE. What’s more – He is your PRINCE OF LIFE. He won’t let you stay dead. He’s waiting on the other side when you walk the corridor of death. You need not fear.
Lord Jesus, we praise You, the PRINCE of LIFE.
Praise the PRINCE of KINGS
“And from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the first begotten of the dead, and the PRINCE of the kings of the earth. Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood,”
One day, Jesus is returning and it will be a glorious day. Mouths who have cursed Him will be closed. Skeptics who have mocked Him will be shamed. Rulers who ignored Him will bow low. Today is a day of prayer. I invite you to take a few moments to worship Jesus, the Prince of the kings of the earth.
Heavenly Father and Prince Jesus Christ, ruler of the kings of earth, we smile in celebration of You. We glory in You. We anticipate Your return with joy. Our hearts overflow in praise. We ask for Your tender mercy on all who are alone, cold, hungry, and suffering. Thank You for the day You will restore the world in righteousness; for the glorious day of Your return.
Praise to Our PRIEST
“Therefore, He (Jesus) had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high PRIEST in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.”
Have you ever longed for a way to be exonerated and released from your sin; rather than it weigh you down as if you were carrying a corpse of guilt on your back? If so, please recognize that Jesus is more than our friend. He is our high PRIEST. That means that when He died, He entered the holiest of holies – God’s presence – and offered the sacrifice of His blood to atone for and cover our sins. There is no need for us to carry our guilt. Jesus, our high priest carried it to the cross and died on our behalf. We are no longer shackled with sin and guilt. Run free to Christ and ask how you might serve Him!
Lord Jesus, we praise You, our Lord and high PRIEST! Thank You for absolving us of our sin and removing the guilt of our sin. How can we serve You?
Praise to God Our PRESERVER
Friends, the attributes and names of God that you receive every morning were scheduled before Hurricane Harvey. As I have reviewed them prior to them going out, I’ve been shocked by the images and attributes that were pre-selected. We can’t help but recognize that God’s nature speaks of more than the temporal. God is eternal, and His nature reflects His eternal perspective and promises.
“The LORD preserves the simple;
I was brought low, and He saved me.,”
Have you ever thought of God in terms of being your Life PRESERVER? The Hebrew word, “preserve,” means keep, guard, protect, saves life. A PRESERVER is “someone who keeps safe from harm or danger.”** No doubt, our Lord fits the description. Satan has a domain of darkness. (Colossians 1:13) God has a domain of light where Jesus reigns in love. God rescues every single person who calls out to Him. He transfers the repentant to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:13-14)
We understand the need for someone to come and save us from raging waters. Do we understand the need for Jesus to come and save us from raging sin? God sent Jesus to earth to save us from drowning and dying in sin as assuredly as rescuers were sent to save those dying in flooding waters.
We understand the need for being saved from physical death. Do we understand the need for being saved from spiritual death? Who do we know who needs to be saved? Will we go to them and tell them about Jesus?
Lord, we praise You, the Only One to whom we can look to PRESERVE our life, our soul!
**http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=preserver