December 26, 2024

With Joyful Lips I Will Praise You

October 4, 2013 by

SeekingHimLogo

My whole being shall be satisfied…and my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.
When I remember You upon my bed and meditate on You in the night watches..
For You have been my help, and in the shadow of Your wings will I rejoice..
Psalms 63:5-7

Take a moment, please, and think back to last night as you laid your weary head down on your pillow…. Did your thoughts turn to praising the Almighty with joyful lips?  Did you remember the blessings and mercies and grace that He had given to you throughout the day?  Did you meditate and consider how very much He had helped you and guided you?  Did you recognize that He had protected you…and did you rejoice?

I think, for most of us, we DO thank God for the day that has just past.  But…then perhaps we get distracted thinking about all that has occurred during the day.  We remember conversations —good AND not-so-good.  We think about unfinished tasks and projects.  We add to the ‘to-do’ list we carry around in our heads.  Maybe we even start worrying over the next day that hasn’t even begun yet.  But there is a better idea!  Try thinking about:

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true,
whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—
if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Philippians 4:8

So take another moment, please.  Think about yesterday….  Was there truth?  Were things right?  Can you remember something lovely that happened?  Did a friend do something you admired?  Did God’s blessings cause your heart to sing His praises?  I venture to say that yes…YES!…there were true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and PRAISEworthy things!!!  Thinking about these kind of things will cause us to praise our great God with joyful lips.  Remembering  the grace and mercy that He gave to us will give us much to meditate upon.  Dwelling upon the goodness of our God will lift our heart and we will rejoice!

Tonight, as you lay your beautiful head down again, sing and speak praises to Your Father!  Instead of worry and concern, allow all the truth, the right and lovely, the pure and admirable, the excellent, the praiseworthy things to fill your heart and mind.  Give praise to the One Who supplied your needs, Who protected you, Who led you and guided you.  Rest, my friend, in the comfort and blessing of His presence…and I am sure you will wake up in the morning, saying as the Psalmist did:

But I will sing of Your mighty strength and power;
yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy and loving-kindness in the morning;
for You have been to me a defense and a refuge in the day of my distress.
Unto You, O my Strength, I will sing praises;
for God is my Defense, my Fortress, and High Tower,
the God Who shows me mercy and steadfast love.
Psalms 59:17 and 18

 * * * * *

Almighty God, You are Holy, You are Faithful, You are Sovereign, You are Love!  Please help us through Your Holy Spirit to remember to think on the truth, the right and lovely, the pure and admirable, the excellent, the praiseworthy things…and to praise You, Lord!   Amen.

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Quenching Your Thirst

October 2, 2013 by

SeekingHimLogo

I am single. Some days, I feel like being single is a blessing.  Some days, I am content.  Other days (oh! those other days!), I feel like being single is a curse, a punishment, and the absolute worse thing a person could have to endure.

Being single—despite thinking it is sometimes—is not a curse and it is not something I can “fix.”   Being single is not a problem that needs to be resolved…it is a season to be embraced.  During this time I have learned to embrace being alone. (And when I say alone, I mean the absence of another person.) I’ve learned much about myself and being alone (although, I fought at first) has pushed me closer to God.  I have learned to rely on Him in ways I don’t think I would learned without this season of singleness.

This burning desire to be married and have my own family can consume me at times, if left unchecked.  After all, it is not wrong to want a family.  However, the Lord has taught me much about maintaining the proper priority when it comes to desires.  This unsatisfied desire has allowed me to thirst for the Lord more.

 O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for You;
my whole body longs for You in this parched and weary land where there is no water.
Psalm 63:1

I am learning to search for the Lord when my despair over my singleness is overwhelming.

  • Not people.
  • Not my single friends who agree with the unfairness of singleness.
  • Not my well-meaning married friends who, lovingly, speak out one or all of the many given lines available about how waiting is “sooooo” worth it.

My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me.
Psalm 63:8

The Lord is the only one who can wrap me in His loving arms and make everything better.  Some nights I cry to Him—literally cry—and He always reassures me that He has a plan…an awesome plan.

Regardless of whether you are in a season (a LONG season) of singleness, or infertility, or financial struggle, or health issues…let Him quench your thirst, your desire, whatever it may be.

He can.

* * * * *

Thank you, Lord, that I am given the opportunity each day to know that You are God—the God…the God that has the plan…the God that is holding my hand…the God that is leading me along the path of life that is before me….the good God who does not cause adverse circumstances and who does punish or bring us trials…the good God who says I can walk you through anything life brings your way, if you’ll only trust me…the good God who provides us with all we need to be more than conquers…the good God who shows us there IS a “happily-ever-after.”  Ultimately, regardless of our current situations, we win.  (And how can we lose, when we’ve already won.)  Thank You, Lord.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

 

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Seek and Rely

October 1, 2013 by

SeekingHimLogo

O God, Thou art my God; early will I seek Thee:
my soul thirsteth for Thee, my flesh for Thee, my flesh longeth for Thee
in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;
To see Thy power and Thy glory, so as I have seen Thee in the sanctuary.
Psalms 63:1-2

 

God wants us to seek Him. I try to seek Him everyday-from the time I wake to the time I go to sleep. I often fall asleep praying because I talk to God until I fall asleep. My soul thirsts for God on a daily basis. However, that human side of me still exists. When I face trials or things happen beyond my control, I still try to take control. I often feel that if I can control it then it will turn out like I want it. I am wrong every time.

 

God uses His power and glory to keep us with Him. I often find that if I just turn things over to Him, the situations I can’t really control—but try to control—will turn out the way that He has already determined.

 

When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.
Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.
Psalms 63:6-7

 

All I have to do is turn things over to God, and life will turn out as God has it planned. He is not leaving me and never will. It just feels like it when I try to control things that I already know that I can’t. When I do realize that God has control, life is much better. I just have to think and remember that God is in control, and that He already knows the outcome. I just have to rely on Him to deal with the pressures and things I can’t control during certain situations.

 

God wants us to rely on Him no matter what the situation is. A situation gets worse when we don’t because we as humans try to fix it ourselves. Relying on God is the only way to fix a situation—He already knows the outcome. We as humans need to seek God and thirst for Him during our times of blessings and needs. This way we get the full attention of, and relationship with, our God.

 

* * * * *

Dear Heavenly Father, we come to You today because we thirst for a relationship with You. We long for You, and we have seen Your power and glory. We pray that You help us through the hard times and bless us in the good.  In Jesus name.  Amen.

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Hunger and Thirst for God

September 30, 2013 by

SeekingHimLogo

O God, thou art my God early will I seek Thee, my soul thirsteth for Thee,
My flesh longeth for Thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is.
To see Thy power and Thy glory so as I have seen Thee in the sanctuary.
Psalms 63:1-2

This psalm is describing a man’s deep longing in his heart for God.  Every believer should pray as David did in this psalm.

My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God; when shall I come and appear before God?
Psalms 42:2

As water is essential for physical life, so God and His presence are essential for satisfaction and wholeness of life.  True believers will hunger and thirst for God and His grace, blessings, and supernatural activity in their lives.  To stop thirsting for God is to die spiritually; thus we must not allow anything to diminish our intense desire for the things of God.

“Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33).  The Lord we serve will supply our needs according to His riches in His glory.  When we show ourselves to have a willing heart to interact with Him, we need to seek Him where He may be found.

Do we know God?  Have we come to a point of being passionate for Him?  Those who profess to know God must examine themselves by asking themselves the following: “Do I really possess a strong desire for God and His Presence in my life? Or do I go through life largely consumed with secular pursuits and worldly entertainment, while prayer, bible reading, and a deep hunger and thirst for God and His righteousness have little place?”

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Matthew 5:6

The foundational requirement for all godly living is to hunger and thirst for righteousness.  The spiritual condition of a Christian all throughout their lives will depend on their hunger and thirst for the Presence of God…the Word of God…communion with Christ…fellowship of the Spirit.

It is essential that we be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s convicting work in our lives.

Righteousness—our righteousness—is Christ Jesus Himself living in our hearts. Through this indwelling we might become “…the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).  We must hunger and thirst for the things of God and not of this world.

* * * * *

Father, we come before You giving You all the praise and honor for this good day that You have given unto us.  May You reign over our lives so that we can reign with Christ Jesus.  May You increase our thirst to study Your Word and know You more than now.  Let us embrace the gift of righteousness with gladness!  In Jesus’ name I have prayed.

Amen!!

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