Showing posts with label praise. Show all posts
Showing posts with label praise. Show all posts

Friday, December 15, 2023

Mary's song teaches us how to magnify the ETERNAL ONE

I was at a loss. My words seemed so inadequate. The more I said, the more it didn't work. I walked away from the conversation wondering. "HOW DO I bring God into this?" I just went back to what I had been studying and God answered my heart question even when I didn't even know it was my question.

How do I magnify the eternal when everything seems so wrong?
I read Mary's song not really feeling like I wanted to listen and learn, but I know that the process would prove fruitful regardless of my feelings. I determined to discover what I could about God in Mary's praise song. 
Mary was in a very difficult situation. She was pregnant without the marriage bed. Who would believe her? She was nothing in the world's economy, but in God's economy she was worthy.

Even in her predicament she found a way to praise God. 

I discovered that after fleeing to her cousin Elizabeth and finding a kindred spirit celebrating her situation, Mary then sang her song of belief and praised God.

Sometimes, I just don't know how to praise, but I have found if I follow the prayers and praises modeled in Scripture I can.
From Mary, I learned that in order to magnify the ETERNAL ONE, I should do these things.

1. Acknowledge His worth.
2. Proclaim His past deeds.
3. Remember His mercy.
4. Honor His character.
5. Celebrate His generational exploits.
6. Sing His praises.

If I just trust the process, I discover my feelings catch up. None of these in the immediate changed the situation. Mary would still know persecution, ridicule, humiliation; well, she would suffer alot. I imagine she would mess up in the process, too. She was human after all. But Mary chose to focus her mind on the One who could help her and based on history, HE did.  Jesus was born and He grew in wisdom and in stature in favor with God and man. Mary made it through it all and now we call her blessed.

The praise changed her. It is where eternal strength enabled. 

Maybe, we should find ways to magnify the ETERNAL ONE in our moments of suffering and give HIM praise!

Wednesday, October 4, 2023

How to pray when life is hard

Sometimes life can hit us with many blows. As I sent this prayer to one of my beloved this morning I realized I should post so others can take hold and pray it, too.

My beloved friend, when Greg and I were in the worst season of our lives, I realized I had forgotten how to praise God. So, I began a journey of studying the prayers in the Bible. I called it Redeemed to Praise. As I studied the prayers, I realized that lifting came when praise was lifted up, so I decided to fast for 40 days of asking God for anything. Instead, I simply praised Him for what I know about Him. This became my soul talk and prayer walk. 

Watch and pray...

Father, You are the Great I AM. You are the Great Physician. You are my present Help in my time of need. You are my hope, my shield, and my deliverer. You give sustenance and endurance. In You am resilient. 

You are my immeasurably more and way maker for You make all things possible because You are my provider.

This is what I know!

In these I give thanks. In these I give You praise!

I am so glad I am Your child and that when I seek You, I will find You. Thank you for the truth that when I knock You answer. 

I am Yours, and You are mine. You are the Prince of Peace, and because of Jesus, I have the Prince of Peace in me. 

Your Holy Spirit resides in me. I love that He alone guides me in all truth. He is my helper who comes alongside me, assists me, and helps me. Thank you! You know my needs, my wants, my desires, my hopes, and my dreams. You see my pain, my suffering, and my agony. 

You understand what is happening in my life, and You promise that if I seek to fulfill Your purposes You will use it for good. You also promise that if I commit something to You, You will grant me success. 

I recognize this as true. Your success, not man's is the safest place to be. Truly, I would rather stand one day in Your courts than a thousand elsewhere. 

In this I give You my praise and thanksgiving. Here, I am LORD, I am Yours. I trust You because Your peace surpasses all understanding and in you it is mine to take hold. 

Thank You for all of these truths. I rest in them.

 In Jesus' name, amen

This season became my daily habit. I would much rather praise God than ask God because when I praise Him for what I know about Him I am choosing to believe Him and trust Him. 

This season radically changed me and I believe it did others because the LORD inhabits the praises of His people.

Saturday, October 22, 2022

He is Worthy of Praise because HE is Love and Truth

Probably twenty years ago, the LORD convicted me of treating Him like Santa Claus instead of Holy God. So I did a fast of asking God for anything. I took thirty days and I determined in my prayers to only praise God for what I knew about Him. 

I had no idea how this would radically change my life and how I pray. It gave me God confidence and I discovered that my prayer life was more fruitful. My faith and trust increased and others noted my prayer life. 
What started out as an act of repentance produced good fruit. I guess this is what John the Baptist and Jesus meant when they said, "Produce the fruit of repentance" (Matthew 3:8;Luke 3:8).

I am loving the slow process of writing out what I am learning about God as I read the Illuminated Bible. I first read the chapter and then as I color in it, I am listening to the Street Lights Audio Bible. I might listen to the chapter three or four times. It reveals truths I did not catch in the reading.

This week love and truth are the two characteristics that have stole my heart. God is love! God is truth! 

How might I give Him praise for these qualities? How might I repent for the lack of them? Or even repent for my family, city or nation for the lack of them? How can I encourage love and truth? 

Father, we praise You! You are the Light of the World that brings love and truth. Thank You that Your love and truth set us free. Thank You for these gifts that abound in You and are freely given to us so that they abound in us.

Monday, December 21, 2020

Tidings of Great Joy

For my morning worship yesterday I drew this little bird declaring his praise song. I felt he needed the phrase, "Fear not for I bring you tidings of great joy." I basked in his declaration as I drew in worship. I realize to some that may sound odd. Yet, I know the reality that joy inspires creativity and yes at times joy can seem quite unreasonable. It may not make sense to the one observing and not yet grasping. Even when one cannot understand, we cannot hide joy because joy overflows and spills forth. 

This morning as I read about Mary's magnificant and Zechariah's praise song, it occurred to me that both spontaneously burst into praise about the goodness of God because they believed that God would do what He said He would do. When the angels declared that a child was born that would be a Savior to all men to the shepherds, they ran to go see. Once they saw the baby as the angels declared, they ran to tell everyone what they had seen and heard. See joy pours out from the depth of our well being because when we know the goodness of the LORD is certain, it unlocks a sense of purpose and unleashes the power of praise. We live knowing that the joy of the LORD is our strength because our joy is set upon the One who gives us hope, healing, and an eternal home. 
To give great tidings of joy is to declare the goodness of God. To whom might you declare His praise and know the joy of the LORD is our strength? Maybe, today you might practice declaring what you know about God and discover joy!