365 Days of Praise

Following the Israelites exodus from Egypt, Moses recounted their conquests and urged the people to obey God’s Law. In his discourse, he spoke the poignant words in Deuteronomy 4:7. Ponder them with me.

“For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as is the LORD OUR GOD whenever we call on Him?”

Have you ever thought about his words in relation to our nation? The LORD OUR GOD is OUR God and whenever we call on Him, He’s NEAR? Now you may be thinking that God hasn’t heard our prayers for our nation and hasn’t answered them. But oh, dear friend, we have absolutely no idea the outpouring of evil that might have occurred had God’s hand not been on satan’s neck. God hears our prayers. The Holy Spirit is acting and moving in response to them. If not for our prayers and God answering, I shudder to think how depraved our nation would be. So keep praying! Keep calling on God to raise godly leaders, to protect all who are standing for truth, righteousness, and freedom. What we see on earth is a reflection of the unseen spiritual warfare being played out in the heavenliness so pray like never before. There is power in prayer and your voice counts. In the meantime, it is important to have a grateful heart to God for the daily victories He is accomplishing. Is there any good in your life? Is there a victory in a leader speaking up rather than being silent? Is a family member standing strong under pressure from friends to compromise their beliefs? Are you mindfully thanking God? If not, begin! It’s important that our thanks reach God’s ears. Don’t delay. Order your copy of Prayers of My Heart journal and in the monthly calendar section, jot down 3 ways you see God work each day. Why? Because if you pause over the day with the intention of thanking Him, you’ll bring forward in your mind how God did show up big. It will bring Him pleasure to see you recognize His handiwork. It will alter your mood so that you are a more joyful Christian. 

“For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as is the LORD OUR GOD whenever we call on Him?.”  Deuteronomy 4:7

Heavenly Father, I shudder to think what it would be like if Your holy restraining hand were ever lifted. I shudder to think the extent to which evil would prevail were Your Holy Spirit not restraining it. Yes, You are near, hear our prayers, and are working magnificently. We give You praise and glory. Hallelujah, praise You, Lord. Continue on. Show off big. And, may your saints be cheering You on with their daily, mindful, intentional praise.

Journal Your Praise 

Could you use a shot of hope that God sees and hears you?  If so, consider James 5:4 where God is referred to as Lord of Sabaoth.

Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.

In this passage SABAOTH means host or hosts, especially in relation to warfare or service. It’s a reference to Jehovah SABAOTH’S reign over the host of angels, the air, nations, and demons. Praise God, He is in charge of all of that. But now take it down to a worker in a field. To think that the LORD OF SABAOTH heard the cries of workers who were unfairly treated by their bosses is amazing. Are you being unjustly treated? Does it seem like no one notices what you are doing or hears your pleas for help? Rest assured that the Lord of SABAOTH notices you and hears you. Your hope is well place in Him.  We may seldom understand God’s timing but we can always have confidence that He who reigns over the hosts of angels, the air, nations, and demons hears our prayers.

Lord of Sabaoth, we worship You and are humbled that You see us and hear our prayers. We place our hope in You knowing You will answer in Your perfect timing according to Your will.

Who do you call on when you’re anxious or scared and it seems there is no one who can help you? Who do you call on when you’re powerless to change a situation? Those times have a way of humbling us. Whereas we may have been too busy to pray, we suddenly find we’re continually praying. We’re calling on God. We’re crying out to Him. Such was the case with King Hezekiah when Sennacherib, King of Assyria, threatened to overtake Jerusalem. Hezekiah prayed and prayed hard. Listen to his prayer:

“O LORD OF HOSTS, the God of Israel, who is enthroned above the cherubim, You are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Incline Your ear, O LORD, and hear; open Your eyes, O LORD, and see; and listen to all the words of Sennacherib, who sent them to reproach the living God. … Now, O LORD our God, deliver us from his hand that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, LORD, are God.” Isaiah 37:16-17, 20

You can hear the plea in Hezekiah’s heart. He didn’t want to be defeated. He didn’t want Jerusalem to be overtaken by an enemy. But there is more to his prayer. There is a higher reason to pray for God to deliver you, a loved one, or our nation – so people will know that the LORD is God of all the kingdoms of the earth. When we pray, do we pray only for ourselves? Or, are we praying so God is glorified in and through us and our struggle or situation?

LORD of Hosts who is enthroned above the cherubim, we worship You and recognize You as God alone over all the kingdoms of the earth. Your will be done in our hearts and lives so You are glorified. 

Behold, the ark of the covenant of the LORD OF ALL THE EARTH is crossing over ahead of you into the Jordan.

Heavenly Father, we praise YOU, LORD OF ALL THE EARTH! Your majesty and power are glorious. You reign in perfect righteousness.  Stir our hearts to speak boldly about You to others. 

As we have studied, there are times when God announces, “This is who I am. This is my name.” Such is the case in Isaiah 42:8 when God announced,

I am the LORD, that is My name  

He continues in the same breath, explaining what it means that His name is LORD. He states He will not give His glory to another. In other words, we are to praise Him and Him alone. His announcement should cause us to think about our lives and if we are giving our praise to anything or anyone besides Him? In other words, are we making anything or anyone besides God the priority of our lives?” If we are, then we must bow before the LORD in repentance and profess Him as LORD. We must realign our lives so they are a praise to Him.

Heavenly Father, Lord God Almighty, You alone are LORD. Forgive us for putting anything or anyone before You. We bow in humble reverence and praise.

Do you ever feel like the world, your flesh or the devil are bearing down on you and you need a rallying point where you can find victory over your fallen nature and temptation? Moses discovered that the Lord was his rallying point. When he held high the BANNER OF THE LORD, the Israelites were victorious over their enemies. They fought in God’s name and strength, not their own. The same holds true for us.  The LORD IS OUR BANNER. When we lift His name high in prayer and look to Him for strength, we find victory over our sinful nature and the enemy. The next time temptation or your old nature starts to get the best of you, look to the heavens. Lift high the LORD’s name: Victorious Warrior, Prince of Peace. Faithful. Guardian of Your Soul.  Build an altar of praise to the Lord as Moses did.

Moses built an altar and named it ‘The Lord is My Banner,’ Exodus 17:15.

Return to the altar of praise throughout the day and give God praise.

LORD, we praise You and lift high the BANNER of YOUR NAME – victorious One. 

With the night sky as a backdrop, many July 4th watchers “ooh” and “awe” at fireworks. I can’t help but grin at how easily amused we are. Certainly, our Heavenly Father who created the night backdrop must smile. I wonder if Jesus ever leans over and says, “Aren’t they going to be blown away when they see the Light display of Us?” Who will see the glorious display of LIGHTS and GLORY emanating from heaven’s throne room? Those who have placed their faith in the KING of the NATIONS.  Yes, all people throughout the world who have responded “yes” to Jesus’s gift of salvation will be at the Heavenly display of LIGHTS. How can we be certain that Jesus is the Savior of not only the Jews but of all the nations? Jesus himself said He is.

All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age, Matthew 28:16-20,   

As you think about the fireworks on July 4, think beyond them to the One who made the night sky and who is King of the Nations, the light of the world.

Heavenly Father, we smile in anticipation of the display of GLORY emanating from YOU, KING of the NATIONS. Stir our hearts to live for Your pleasure and sharing You with others throughout the world. 

Have you ever felt “tied up” spiritually, physically, or emotionally? Like you couldn’t get free and to a place in your life you desired?  Or, are you concerned for a loved one who is in physical, emotional, or spiritual bondage?  If so, call on the name of the Lord on the basis of Psalm 116:16 which says,

O Lord, surely I am Your servant, …You have LOOSED MY BONDS. 

This verse (and the whole chapter) reminds us that when we call on the name of the Lord, He can do what no one else can do. He has already loosed us from the bonds of death and given us eternal freedom. So why wouldn’t the Lord desire for us to be free from anything that binds us on earth? “Unbind him and let him go,” Jesus directed those who watched Him raise Lazarus from the dead. If there is an area where you’re seeking freedom in your life so you can run the race God has set before you (Ephesians 2:10), then know the Lord is on your side and wants to help you. Read Psalm 116. Notice how many times the psalmist tells us what he did in order to be free. Will you call on the name of the Lord, knowing that His name indicates His full power and provision for you.

Lord, You are the great and mighty God who LOOSENS BONDS. We praise You for the bonds of death from which You’ve set us free. We call on You now to loosen emotional, spiritual, or physical bonds that hinder us from running the race You’ve set before us. We call on You trusting in Your all powerful name. 

So we get that our body needs water. But, what about our spirit? According to Jesus it needs spiritual water: Living Water, the Holy Spirit.

If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’ But this He spoke of the SPIRIT, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the SPIRIT was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.  John 7:38

Oh my goodness. This is so exciting and such an important principle. We must not miss it. Just as our body thirsts, so does our spirit. Unhappy? Feeling grumpy? Resentment making your face look dry as a prune? You could be thirsting spiritually. Yes! Go to your Heavenly Father. Tell Him, “I thirst. I feel spiritually dry.” Ask Him to refresh you. Hold your heart up wide and ask Him to fill it to overflowing with His glorious, refreshing, life giving Spirit. Oh, sweet friends, nothing in God’s Word was written in vain. When Ephesians 5:18 tells us to be filled with the Spirit, it’s not joshing around. It’s a vital command that we be filled and keep on being filled with the Spirit. So yes, when your mouth is dry, reach for a glass of water. When your spirit is dry, reach for your Lord. This is a Biblical principle that is Plain. Simple. Truth. Are you plump in the spirit or dry as a prune?

Sweet Jesus, thank You for coming from heaven to speak truth into our lives. Thank You for giving us Your Spirit,  LIVING WATER, that cleanses and refreshes us so we are filled and energized to serve You. We love You, Lord.