As for God, His way is perfect:
The Lord’s Word is flawless;
He shields all who take refuge in Him.
Psalm 18:30 NIV
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Here we have David, in the midst of singing praises to God for delivering him from his enemies. I believe David stated the most important reason for that victory—!
God’s way, as the following Scriptures state, is His very own method and style. God’s way of doing something has no comparison.
LORD, there is no one like You!
For You are great, and Your name is full of power.
Jeremiah 10:6 NLT
Among the gods there is none like You, Lord;
no deeds can compare with Yours.
Psalm 86:8
He is the Rock, His works are perfect,
and all His ways are just.
A faithful God who does no wrong,
upright and just is He.
Deuteronomy 32:4
“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.
“And My ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.
For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so My ways are higher than your ways
and My thoughts higher than your thoughts.
Isaiah 55:8-9
God’s Word is flawless, unbroken, unimpaired, and whole. It is beneficial to us. This is in sharp contrast to the lies of the enemy.
God is not man, that He should lie, or a son of man,
that He should change His mind.
Has He said, and will He not do it?
Or has He spoken, and will He not fulfill it?
Numbers 23:19
All Scripture is breathed out by God
and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction,
and for training in righteousness,
that the man of God may be competent,
equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:16-17
God is our Shield. Just as a king is trusted as the protector of his people, so we who put our faith in God are to trust Him as our Protector.
But You, Lord, are a Shield around me,
my glory, the One who lifts my head high.
Psalm 3:3
Lord Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in You.
Psalm 84:12
But let all who take refuge in You be glad;
let them ever sing for joy.
Spread Your protection over them,
that those who love Your name may rejoice in You.
Psalm 5:11
Because God’s way is perfect, and His word is flawless, and He has promised to protect His children, we need to take heed. Yes, like David, we have enemies—whether in the physical or in the spiritual—who try to “entangle us with cords of death” (Psalms 18:4-5). But if we take heed of God and His Word, He will ”avenge us, and save us from our enemies” (Psalms 18:47-48). When we are faithfully in God’s Word, then we will know God and experience His deliverance.
It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
Matthew 4:4
Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord.
Joyful are those who obey His laws and search for Him with all their hearts.
They do not compromise with evil, and they walk only in His paths.
You have charged us to keep Your commandments carefully.
Oh, that my actions would consistently reflect Your decrees!
Psalms 119:1-4
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Dear God, our Father and Protector, we come before You with humble and grateful hearts. There is no way that is more perfect than Your Ways. There is no word that is more flawless than Your Words. We are Your children, and You desire nothing more than for us to trust You wholeheartedly so that You can be our Protector. Help us by Your Holy Spirit to “take heed” of Your Word for us, so that we will know You better and follow You more closely. We want to be joyful daughters of integrity “…who obey Your laws, and search for You with all our hearts.” Thank You for Your Word and Your Holy Spirit, so that we can know You better. In Jesus’ Precious Name, we pray, Amen.
Thankful Heart
My open hands receive blessings You pour out on me
Your tender care restores my soul
Your faithfulness endures, as mercy covers all my sin
Your perfect love has made me whole
Beyond the words I’m searching for
I long to give You something more
Here’s my thankful heart, thankful heart
Offered up in gratitude for all You’ve done for me
Here’s my thankful heart, thankful heart
Offered up in praise to You
I’m unworthy of the gift of Your unfailing love
But You embrace me as I am
You provide my needs, and raise a harvest from the seeds I sow in vain
I bless Your Name
Beyond the words I’m searching for
I long to give You so much more
From the raising of the sun
‘Til it’s going down
The name of the Lord be praised
Written by Gary Forsythe
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We can offer up our thankful hearts to our ABBA Father at any time; while
The vital point is THAT we DO give praise to Him out of the abundance of our thankful hearts!!!
Listening to this sweet song, this is my oh-so-very-favorite part:
Beyond the words I’m searching for I long to give You so much more….
How about you…do you ever find yourself exclaiming similar thoughts to God? Oh, I do! So often I am simply without adequate words to tell God all that is in my heart! (As if He does not already know!!!) But I am encouraged that He wants us (you and me!) to come to Him with all that is in our little hearts…what a kind, compassionate, loving Father!
Hear my prayer, O Lord; let my cry come to You!
Psalm 102:1
Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out Your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us. Selah
Psalm 62:8
…Unto You will I sing praises with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel.
My lips shall shout for joy when I sing praises to You,
And my inner being, which You have redeemed.
My tongue also shall talk of Your righteousness all the day long….
Psalms 71:22-24
A big key to heartfelt praise and thanksgiving is to recognize where we were before God saved us through His grace and love. Truly we were in a desperate situation. You could not save yourself from God’s righteous judgment. But God sent His Son, to save you—to save all mankind!—by His grace. Because now you have experienced His great love and grace, you delight in Him and His great salvation and you can’t help but sing for joy! May I encourage you, friends, to never hesitate…never hold back…never deny yourself the joy of singing praises to our Almighty God!
Sing for joy in the Lord, O you righteous ones;
Praise is becoming to the upright.
Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre;
Sing praises to Him with a harp of ten strings.
Sing to Him a new song;
Play skillfully with a shout of joy.
For the word of the Lord is upright,
And all His work is done in faithfulness.
He loves righteousness and justice;
The earth is full of the lovingkindness of the Lord.
Psalms 33:1-5
While studying through Psalm 33, I read Matthew Henry’s Commentary. Here is a portion of what he wrote, “What a pity it is that this earth, which is so full of God’s goodness <verse 5>, should be so empty of His praises, and that of the multitudes that live upon His bounty there are so few that live to His glory!”
I hope that will not be said of us. As God’s “righteous ones,” let’s be all about offering up our thankful hearts through our praise and songs of joy. Our lives are the proof that He delivers our souls from death. Our response should be to praise Him with thankful hearts.
Remember that line of this song that I shared I just love so much—Beyond the words I’m searching for I long to give You so much more—perhaps the words of the psalmist in Psalm 138 can help to express them. These are my prayer; maybe yours, too.