December 22, 2024

Life Of Praise

November 12, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

I will love You, Lord, always
Not just for the things You’ve done for me
And I will praise You all my days
Not just for the change You’ve made in me

I’ll praise you for You are holy, Lord
And I’ll lift my hands, but You are worthy of so much more
For You are awesome, God of the Nations,
Lion of Judah, Rock of the Ages, Alpha, Omega
You’re worthy of all praise
More that these hands I’ll raise
I’ll live a life of praise

I will serve You, Lord, always
For You are my strength
When I am weak
I will never be afraid for You are my rock and You protect me

But I’ll praise You for You are holy, Lord
And I’ll lift my hands, but You are worthy of so much more

 Singer/Songwriter: Mark Hall along with Casting Crowns

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~   ♥   ~   *

Let us come before Him with thanksgiving and extol Him with music and song.
For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods.
Psalms 95:2-3

When I am weak and weary, all I need to do is put on a song of praise…it instantly gets my heart and my thoughts on the goodness of Jesus.  I have heard it said that ‘a heart full of gratitude begins when my sense of entitlement ends*’.  Even in the midst of the most difficult of circumstances we have so much to be thankful for!

All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people
may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away,
yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.
2 Corinthians 4:15-16

It is in the hard stuff that we are renewed and strengthened day by day. God is our Strength when we are weary.

The LORD is my Strength and my Shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped.
My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to Him in song.
Psalm 28:7

When I think of strength and being strengthened I think of a mighty oak tree. May this poem about the mighty oak tree encourage you this day… I know it blessed me!

The Oak Tree
by Johnny Ray Ryder Jr.

A mighty wind blew night and day
It stole the oak tree’s leaves away
Then snapped its boughs and pulled its bark
Until the oak was tired and stark
But still the oak tree held its ground
While other trees fell all around
The weary wind gave up and spoke.
How can you still be standing, Oak?
The oak tree said, I know that you
Can break each branch of mine in two
Carry every leaf away
Shake my limbs, and make me sway
But I have roots stretched in the earth
Growing stronger since my birth
You’ll never touch them, for you see
They are the deepest part of me
Until today, I wasn’t sure
Of just how much I could endure
But now I’ve found, with thanks to you
I’m stronger than I ever knew

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~   ♥   ~   *

Heavenly Father, I thank You that when we are weak You are strong.  And that no matter what we are enduring we KNOW You are faithful!  In Jesus’ Name!!  Amen!!!

* quote from Steven Furtick

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Praise Heart

November 28, 2013 by

We cannot praise God if we don’t know Him personally. It takes our relationship with Him for us to adore and admire His good works over our lives.

I stand in awe of Him because I personally know who He is to me and what He has done. He is so great, and so worthy to be praised. It is only when I realized this when I will truly worship, praise and admire and appreciate His works over my life.

For You are awesome God of Nations,
Lion of Judah, Rock of Ages, Alpha, Omega
You are worthy of all praise
More that these hands I’ll raise
I’ll live a life of praise!

from Life of Praise ~ Casting Crowns

When I say, “You are awesome!” it means I have run short of words— He is so wonderful! When I say, “Lion of Judah” it means I know He is reigning over every situation. Think of a lion the way it roars and what do other animals do when the lion is near? They flee for life. How about this Lion of Judah? At His name every knee will bow.

Lets just look at what He has done?  Read through this praise-filled psalm, Psalm 103.  He has done great and mighty things; looking from the time we were born to now; and the greatest thing of sending Christ to die on our behalf for us to have eternal life…don’t I have to jump with praise and live a life of praise?

What else do I want when I know He is worth it. He created me to praise Him again and again…He is mighty, awesome, excellent, great in battle!

There is a song I have composed (of course, have not taken to the studios yet!)…part of the lyrics says:

Adonai, I worship You today
El Shaddai, I worship You today
You are worthy of the praise
You are worthy of the glory
Adonai, I worship You today

And when I sing this song I feel His presence near me. Remember when our praises go up high to Him, His glory comes down and this song gets me closer to His throne.

It is the same with you, praise can be done anytime as long as you know Who you are praising, what He has done, and things He is yet to do—for they are awesome. Nothing compares to Him; hence He is the Alpha and Omega (He’s the beginning AND the end.)
He is our Rock of ages—solid rock. All other grounds are sinking sand hence us praising Him for He is the solid one never shaken even when the storm rages and it is because He is in me and I am in Him I don’t fear no storms and I am covered under this Rock. The Rock Who is Christ Jesus and this means if devil wants to attack he should start with the shelter (who is Christ) then come to me otherwise I am under maximum protection—hence my praise.

Father, I praise You and worship You for You are the great I AM!  In Jesus’ name, I pray. AMEN!!!

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Creative Praise

November 27, 2013 by

SeekingHimLogo

“But I’ll praise You for You are holy, Lord!
And I’ll lift my hands but You are worthy of so much more!”

Life of Praise by Casting Crowns

What is a life of praise? It’s more than church on a weekly basis, its more than bopping our head along to an upbeat song on the radio. It’s even more than uttering a quick prayer when negative emotions creep into our heart. It’s not only moments of praise throughout the day. It is a life of praise, it is a continuous action, and it’s a reliance on our Heavenly Father. It is acknowledging Him simply for who He is. These are the lines of the song that stood out to me: “Not just for the things You’ve done for me. Not just for the change You’ve made in me. For you are my strength when I am weak. And I will lift my hand, but You are worthy of so much more.”  A life of praise is a way of being; it is a way of existing.

Praise God in His sanctuary;
Praise Him in His mighty firmament!
Praise Him for His mighty acts;
Praise Him according to His excellent greatness!
Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet;
Praise Him with the lute and harp!
Praise Him with the timbrel and dance;
Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes!
Praise Him with loud cymbals; Praise Him with clashing cymbals!
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD!
Psalms 150:1-6

Sometimes I wonder how I can praise the Lord with my everything, and then I remember this verse. It lists so many ways that we can praise Him. Now I honestly don’t see anyone walking down the street with a “lute and a harp”, but He reminds me that we’re not limited to this. We can praise Him with our work, we can praise Him in the way we interact with others, the love that we show our friends and family, and with the gifts he has given us. I believe that our God is a creative God and since we were created in His Image, we are creative as well. Our lives are creative and our praise can be creative.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Lord thank You for the gift of creativity, please help us to use this gift to praise Your name. Remind us that there are so many ways we can give You praise and glory, so many ways in our everyday actions. Lord let us use our every breath to praise You. In Jesus’ Name We Pray.

Amen.

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Worthy of So Much More

November 26, 2013 by

SeekingHimLogo

“I will serve You Lord, always for You are my strength…
But I’ll praise You for You are holy, Lord
And I’ll lift my hands, but You are worthy of so much more….”

As I listened to the song,  Life of Praise by Casting Crowns, the line “I’ll lift my hands, but You are worthy of so much more!” jumped out at me.  I, sometimes, lift my hands at church during worship and I serve in the Children’s Ministry.  However, I got the feeling that the “…so much more…” being referred to here could not be summed up in the amount of serving I do.

I asked the Lord, “What is this ‘…so much more…’?”

I compiled a (mini) list of things God is worthy of:

Glory

O Lord , our Lord, Your majestic name fills the earth!  Your glory is higher than the heavens.
Psalm 8:1

Praise

Let the godly sing for joy to the Lord ; it is fitting for the pure to praise Him.
Psalm 33:1

Glory and praise are obvious things that the Lord is worthy of!  After all, He is who He is. I felt a nudge to make this much more personal.

God is worthy of my:

Love –

Jesus replied, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart,
all your soul, and all your mind.’
Matthew 22:37

Loyalty –

Remain in me, and I will remain in you.
For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine,
and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.

John 15:4

Obedience –

The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.
Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.
Psalms 37: 23-24

Trust –

Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm.
Psalms 20:7-8

Complete Devotion –

The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.
He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. S
Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life,
and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.
Psalms 23:1, 3, 6

Time –

Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught.
Luke 10:39

Feel free to add to this “mini” list!

Ultimately, God is worthy of everything that is in my possession, but being specific helps me to focus on actual areas.  Vaguely, saying, “I give you my all,” is easy for me.  When you start to put names to “my all” the obvious question is,  “Does He still get your everything?”

Time is a big one for me…I like to spend more time than I should playing endless hours of video games.

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Lord, help me to he a better steward of that which you have blessed with with. Help me to remember that I am meant to bring glory to you.

Amen.

 

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