365 Days of Praise
Thank You, DELIVERER
“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.”
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.
Praise to the DELIGHT of God’s Soul
“Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul DELIGHTS. ”
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!
Thank you, Jesus, in whom all the fullness of DEITY dwells
“…in Him (Christ) all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form,”
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.
Praise to Our DEFENDER
“’I will defend this city to save it for My own sake and for My servant David’s sake.’”
Our Heavenly Father is protective. The word used for defending the city for His sake and David’s, means “cover and surround.”* It may be that you are in need of someone to defend you. If so, be encouraged. God is your defender.
Heavenly Father, we praise You for being our DEFENDER.
*http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H1598&t=NASB
Praise to DAYSPRING on High
“Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us,”
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!
Praise to Our CREATOR
“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.”
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.
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!