When You Are Down or Discouraged
I want to pause today. We’re more than halfway through our 365 days of praising God. Thank you for joining me on this pilgrimage to better know our Heavenly Father and Jesus. The reason it thrills me to admire a different facet of God each day is that He wants us to know Him. The Bible is God’s love letter in which He reveals Himself. Think of it this way. Online dating has become quite popular. People share online about themselves, their favorite books, sports, music, movies, places to visit, and restaurants. They share their religious and political views. In the Bible, God puts Himself out there and says, “I want you to know Me.” He provides a progressive revelation of Himself from Genesis through Revelation. Today, we’re meditating on how the Bible describes God as MARVELOUS. What’s marvelous about our Lord?
- His WORKS are MARVELOUS. Revelation 15:3 states, And they *sang the song of Moses, the bond-servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, ‘Great and MARVELOUS are Your WORKS, O Lord God, the Almighty; Righteous and true are Your ways, King of the nations!’” Think. In what way do you see God marvelously working in your life or in the life of someone close to you? Praise Him for it.
- His LOVINGKINDNESS is MARVELOUS. The psalmist writes, “Blessed be the LORD, for He has made marvelous His lovingkindness to me in a besieged city.” Psalm 31:21. In this verse, marvelous means “wonderful, surpassing, extraordinary, separate by distinguishing action.” Think. In what way can you personally testify to the fact that God’s lovingkindness is “wonderful, surpassing, extraordinary, separate by distinguishing action”?
- His SALVATION is MARVELOUS. In Matthew 21:42, Jesus asks, “‘Did you never read in the Scriptures, ‘THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone; THIS CAME ABOUT FROM THE LORD, AND IT IS MARVELOUS in our eyes?” Jesus said God’s plan for saving you and me is marvelous, which means “worthy of pious admiration, admirable, excellent, passing human comprehension, causing amazement joined with terror, extraordinary, striking, surprising.” Praise Him now.
- His LIGHT is MARVELOUS. First Peter 2:9, a favorite verse of mine because it defines believers and our purpose states, “But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His MARVELOUS LIGHT.” We are to tell others of the excellencies of Christ and that they can live in His excellent, extraordinary, striking, surprising light. What a privilege!
Are you in awe of your Marvelous Lord? Spend time praising Him for the above ways in which He is marvelously displayed. Write out one of the verses in Prayers of My Heart journal and focus on that verse when you are down or discouraged.
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, You are marvelous in Your work, love, kindness, salvation, and light. We celebrate and worship You!
