365 Days of Praise
Praise to the SMELTER
“He will sit as a SMELTER and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the LORD offerings in righteousness.”
God has a goal: to purge us of sin. Therefore, as a SMELTER sits before a fire and purges gold and silver of impurities, our Lord purifies us. Our ultimate purification will occur at Christ’s second coming or our arrival in heaven. In the meantime, He purifies us as we sit before His Holy Word and as we open our hearts to His Spirit.
Lord, thank You, SMELTER of our mind, spirit, and soul. Purify us so we reflect Your image.
Praise to the Lord, SLOW TO ANGER
“The Lord is gracious and merciful; SLOW TO ANGER and great in lovingkindness.”
Lord, we praise You for being SLOW to ANGER. You are a gracious and merciful God. We love You and thank You!
Prayers of My Heart is a journal where you can record each of God’s attributes. Leaf through the pages in times of trial or joy and praise Him for all He means to you.
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Praise to the Lord, a SHIELD
“You, O Lord, are a SHIELD about me,
My glory, and the One who lifts my head.”
Do you feel under fire by a barrage of personal, financial, or other attacks? If so, take courage. Look up, into the face of your Heavenly Father, who is a SHIELD about you! Take the armor He provides. (Ephesians 6:13) Take up His Word. (Psalm 119:97-98, 110-111, 114) He has not left you alone to suffer or to sink. Cover yourself with His love and truth. (from Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion)
Lord, I praise You for being a SHIELD about me, my glory, and the One who lifts my head!
(Shield image Grace Baptist Church, Decatur, IL)
Save
Praise to our SURE FOUNDATION
“He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure.”
Have you ever felt like your life was crumbling apart? Perhaps you do, now. Tragedies have swept across our nation from the hurricanes in Florida and Texas to the mass murder in Nevada and the fires in California. One thing is sure – that nothing is sure. We’re not guaranteed another day or another breathe. But we are guaranteed that if we build our lives on the Sure Foundation of Christ, we will never die. Our souls will live on in eternity with our Lord and loved ones who have also called on the Lord for salvation. So we pause and consider – on what are we building our lives? On whom are we counting? There is only one sure foundation and that is the Lord Jesus Christ.
Lord, thank You for being the SURE FOUNDATION on whom we can build our eternal lives
(Image is the Foundation Stone in the floor of the Dome of the Rock shrine in Jerusalem.)
Praise to Christ, SEPARATED FROM SINNERS
“it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, SEPARATED FROM SINNERS and exalted above the heavens;”
Are you amazed at the various ways Christ is described? Jesus is our friend. He loves us. He offered His life so that we might live. Yet, He’s SEPARATED FROM SINNERS. What does that mean? It means we needed holy Jesus to go before God and intercede for us. Jesus is without sin so He alone could do that for us. If you know someone who is not a follower of Christ, you can find help HERE to explain how to become a Christian.
Lord, we praise You, who are SEPARATED from SINNERS. Thank You for interceding for us so we might stand before holy God in heaven.
Colonial Heights Baptist Church Bridge illustration
Praise to SELECT ARROW
“He has also made Me a select arrow,
He has hidden Me in His quiver.”
Commentator David Guzik explains this description of Jesus in this way: “The Messiah prophetically proclaims that He is like a carefully made and polished ARROW in the service of the LORD, ready to be used at the right time.”* In other words, at the right time, God sent Jesus forth. Commentator Matthew Henry adds regarding Christ being a Select Arrow: “furnished Him with every thing necessary to fight God’s battles against the powers of darkness, to conquer Satan, …”** Christ being a Select Arrow, as with every description of God’s attributes, increases our appreciation and mindfulness of the fulness of His character; giving us more reason to meditate on Him in wonder and awe.
Lord Jesus Christ, SELECT ARROW of the Lord, thank You for coming forth from Your Father and fighting the powers of darkness; securing our salvation and freedom. We love and praise You!
Praise to the SEEKER OF THE LOST
“The Son of Man has come to SEEK and to SAVE that which was lost. ”
The first Bible study I was asked to write was Discovering His Passion. It’s one of my favorites. The premise of the book? Luke 19:10. Jesus explained who He was and what He was doing on earth; that He came from heaven to SEEK and to SAVE us. If you ever feel like your life has no value; or, when you get down on yourself…look up to the heavens. Gaze beyond the beauty of the clouds to the royal eternal home of Jesus. Then, think how He left heaven’s glory to come to earth to save your soul. Glory in that.
Lord Jesus, Thank You for Your passion to SEEK and to SAVE the lost, to save us. We praise You and can’t wait to be in Your presence.
Click HERE to learn more about Discovering His Passion.
Praise to the SEED of Salvation
“’And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her seed;
He shall bruise you on the head,
And you shall bruise him on the heel.'”
Have you ever said, “Thank You, Jesus, seed of salvation“? I haven’t. But, I am now. The Bible refers to Jesus as the Seed of the Woman, the Seed of Abraham, and the Seed of David. Commentator Herbert Lockyer’s explains the following:
Christ as the Seed, holds the secret and sustenance of life. Christ as the Seed assures us that He Himself is the Source of life. But in order to produce fruit the seed has to be buried in the earth, a truth Christ applied to Himself as falling into the ground and dying in order to bring forth much fruit (John 12:24). He came as the Seed of a woman, in order that all born of man might become His children by His finished work and the regeneration ministry of the Holy Spirit (John 3:1-18).
We are born of Christ’s seed; seed that springs up into eternal life. What a praise to our Heavenly Lord!
Lord Jesus, Seed of Salvation, You are in the garden of our hearts, and Your life seed changes us. Thank You! May we nourish Your seed so Your life in us bears much fruit!
Praise to Our SANCTIFIER
“Now may the God of peace Himself SANCTIFY you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
I wish I wouldn’t sin any more. I long for the day in heaven when I don’t. But as long as we live in our earthly bodies, as much as we long to be perfect, we’ll deal with our in-born sin nature. The good news is that God has chosen, by His grace, to SANCTIFY us. That means He has set us apart as His. He has also taken it upon Himself to make sure that we’re perfect. Think about it. You and all who call upon the name of the Lord will one day live together in His presence – sinless. Does knowing that cause you to want to kneel in awe or stand with arms lifted in praise?
God, we praise You, our SANCTIFIER. Thank You for setting us apart for Yourself and for taking it upon Yourself to sanctify us complete and without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We can’t wait!
Praise to the Lord, the SAME YESTERDAY, TODAY, FOREVER
“Jesus Christ is the SAME YESTERDAY and TODAY and FOREVER.”
Do you ever feel that things change so fast you can hardly keep up with them? Does it seem that people change what they say from one day to the next? It’s difficult to know people’s true beliefs. But, God doesn’t change. He is the SAME YESTERDAY, TODAY, FOREVER. Society may shift its standards and morals, but God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Lord God, thank You that You do not change. You are the SAME YESTERDAY, TODAY, and FOREVER.