(I will) Praise God Like Daniel Did

He Is Worthy to Receive All Glory & Honor
Daniel 2:20-22 ESV
Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belongs wisdom and might. He changes the times and seasons; He removes kings and sets up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding; He reveals deep and hidden things; He knows what is in the darkness and the light dwells with Him.
This is only part of the praise that Daniel said after God revealed to him the nature and interpretation of King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. I love it because it puts many of God’s attributes in a nutshell. God is responsible for the changes in seasons and He establishes kings or takes them down. God is the source of all wisdom and knowledge. Yet, I really like that the fact that it is God who reveals deep and hidden things, therefore, He knows all things. God knows what is in the darkness, therefore, nothing is hidden from Him. Light dwells with Him. What a comfort it is to know that in Him I can find wisdom and knowledge and that He has everything under His control. I cannot hide anything from Him for He knows what is in the dark.
I rejoice in God, my Savior, for He has made a way to reconcile with someone dear to me when I did not see a way. He knows my heart and He gives me the desire of my heart because I delight in Him and His word. Indeed, He has become my everything and my all. I can say, with conviction, that I am satisfied in Him. With this satisfaction comes the quiet acceptance of the way things are. I can embrace the fact that life is what it is and let go of what I wish it were. Sure I grieve a little because somethings did not turn out the way I thought that it should but God has helped me to see thing in a different light. Much like the Big Daddy Weave’s song, Different Light, there is no after without before. Without what has happened in my life, I would not be where I am today. He is enough and everything He says He is and more. I know that whatever comes my way, I will be okay for I know who holds my future and my life in the palm of His hand.
Great and mighty is the Lord, my God!
My Prayer: Dear God, may I be Your instrument of hope to people who need to know You. Thank You, Lord, for revealing to me the deep and hidden things and for Your wisdom and knowledge. Help me to impart it to others. Amen
Disclaimer: I apologize for being out of pocket and with God’s help I hope to continue in His good grace to bless you with the comfort that He has given me.

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Sing to the Lord, Praise His Name;

I Will Sing to the Lord
For My Heart is Glad!
 My heart is indeed glad. As I have reported last week, my extended family has increased by one beautiful little girl. I was singing to her in the shower today of God’s love for her and that He has a plan for her. I was singing my thanks to God for this new life. I prayed blessings over her and her mother for I know that my God will do exceedingly more than I can possibly ask for. I read Psalm 96 and it is so beautiful and it reflects how my heart feels. So here it is;
1 Sing to the Lord a new song;
    sing to the Lord, all the earth.
Sing to the Lord, praise His name;
    proclaim His salvation day after day.
Declare His glory among the nations,
    His marvelous deeds among all peoples.

For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
    He is to be feared above all gods.
For all the gods of the nations are idols,
    but the Lord made the heavens.
Splendor and majesty are before Him;
    strength and glory are in His sanctuary.

Ascribe to the Lord, all you families of nations,
    ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name;
    bring an offering and come into His courts.
Worship the Lord in the splendor of His[a] holiness;
    tremble before Him, all the earth.
10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.”
    The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved;
    He will judge the peoples with equity.

11 Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
    let the sea resound, and all that is in it.
12 Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them;
    let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.
13 Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for He comes,
    He comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
    and the peoples in His faithfulness.
May your heart be glad and may there be a song in your heart also; for the Lord is good and His mercy endures forever.

Footnotes:

  1. Psalm 96:9 Or Lord with the splendor of

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Great is the Lord and Mighty in Power!

We Cannot Begin to Fully Comprehend 
The Greatness of God’s Power & Might!
Psalm 147:4-6 NIV

He determines the number of the stars
    and calls them each by name.
Great is our Lord and mighty in power;
    his understanding has no limit.
The Lord sustains the humble
    but casts the wicked to the ground.
 When I am faced with a hardship, it is a challenge for me to remember the power and might of my God. He will and has sustained me many a time in my life. For God made all the stars in the heaven and knows the by name. He holds them in place as well. There is nothing my God cannot do. Yet, I am feeble and fickle that I crumble when trials come. Having looked back over my life and seen His hand at work, I can trust Him to be there for my future trials as well. He is a gracious and merciful God. I came across something in Nehemiah that is so beautiful and reminds me of His faithfulness.
Nehemiah 9:31-33 NIV

31 But in your great mercy you did not put an end to them or abandon them, for you are a gracious and merciful God.
32 “Now therefore, our God, the great God, mighty and awesome, who keeps his covenant of love, do not let all this hardship seem trifling in your eyes—the hardship that has come on us, on our kings and leaders, on our priests and prophets, on our ancestors and all your people, from the days of the kings of Assyria until today. 33 In all that has happened to us, you have remained righteous; you have acted faithfully, while we acted wickedly.

 
What this says to me is that whatever comes my way God will remain faithful and see me through even when I fall short. I have seen the footprints in my life where Jesus carried me through and the times where He had to drag me too. I know that there will be times ahead where Jesus will need to carry me again and I am forever thankful that He is there. For now I enjoy the peace He has given me and I hope to encourage others in their time of need.

Have you taken the time to look back and see where Jesus has carried you?


My Prayer: Dearest Jesus, I cannot begin to thank You enough for the times in my life where You have carried me through to the other side. Help me to encourage others who are struggling with the comfort You have given me. Amen.

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Grattitude Thursday: Give Praises to God!

Four-fold Reason for Praising God
1 Peter 2:9 (ESV)
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
 
Remember the milk commercial, “Milk. It does the body good.”? Well, the same can be said about praising God. It does the soul good to sing His praises. There any number of reasons for doing so. One, life itself. Waking up to another beautiful day for we are not promised each day. It is a gift from God. God has chosen those who love Him and are called according to His purpose to be His. Second, His gift of salvation through Jesus, His Son. Jesus is the only name under heaven by which we must be saved. I am thankful for another day and the weather that has been amazing as I am training to run a 5K this year, my first.
Colossians 3:15 (ESV)
And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 (ESV)
 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
 
Third, it is God’s will for us to give Him thanks and praise. From this attitude of gratitude comes freedom to love others as well as to be able to forgive. When I take time to think of all that God has forgiven me, I can, in turn, forgive those who have hurt me. This sets me free. Fourth, in all circumstances, we are to give thanks. Yes, even when times are at their worst, there is always something to be thankful for. I may have to ask God to show me and He does. I remember, in time of grief, being thankful for anger because it was a change in how I felt and gave me energy to do what needed to be done. I am very grateful for the new life He has given me so that I can be who He created me to be and to show His love to others.

May you find your own reasons for giving thanks and praise to God. To God be the glory, honor, and praise.

My Prayer: Dear Father in heaven, I am forever grateful for the life You have given me and for carrying me through my darkest hours. May others come to know You and see Your goodness. Amen.
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What an Awesome God, He Is!

God is a Gentleman!
Psalm 103:8
The Lord is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
2 Peter 3:9 
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.  
Yes, my God is a Gentleman. He is ever faithful. Psalm 33:4, “For the word of the Lord is right and true; He is faithful in all He does.” I found 9 other places in His word where God is said to be slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. I particularly like 2 Peter 3:9 where it states that God is patient with us not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance. He will not force Himself on us but invites us to come and see, for ourselves, His tender mercies which are new every morning. He desires for all to come to salvation but yet does not force it because He wants us to desire Him. This is why He made salvation so simple and yet man complicates it. All one has to do is come to Jesus through looking to the cross and what Jesus did for us (John 3:14-17).
I have been the fickle one. When times are peaceful I tend to grow lax in my reading of His word and prayer. I have been reading through Hosea the last couple of days. The way God addresses Israel’s denial of Him pains me and I do not want God to think of me like this. I desire to be hopelessly devoted to Him. I need to set a time to spend with Him so that I can strengthen my relationship with Him just as I would with my husband and/or a friend.
So my challenge to you is to read Hosea and ask yourself how does God see you.
My Prayer: Dear Father in Heaven, hear my prayer, forgive me for putting other things before You and neglecting Your Word and prayer time with You. Help me to return to my first love, You! May others see You in me. Amen!
 
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Rejoice in the Lord!

I Shall Rejoice in the Lord!!
Why?
 
Psalm 64:9-10 (NIV)
All people will fear;
    they will proclaim the works of God
    and ponder what He has done.

10 The righteous will rejoice in the Lord
    and take refuge in Him;
    all the upright in heart will glory in Him!

 Philippians 4:4-5 (NIV)

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
I rejoice in the Lord for He is good and it makes my heart glad. I have come through another crisis and I am better for it. It was not easy of course but God is true to His word and worked all things for my good. I learned that I can talk things out with someone close to me and not be held captive to old patterns of thought and/or actions as before. Now I can say with a little more conviction,
 ‘Come what may, I will be okay for the Lord is with me!’ 
I am learning to be comfortable with the uncomfortable. So let me rejoice as David did in the psalms.
 
 Psalm 104:33-34 (NIV)
I will sing to the Lord all my life;
    I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
34 May my meditation be pleasing to Him,
    as I rejoice in the Lord.
 
I rejoice in the Lord for He is my refuge in times of trouble and despair. May my gentleness be evident to all and I shall sing of His praise for as long as I shall live.  
What do you have to rejoice in the Lord for?
 
My Prayer: Dear Father in heaven, may my meditation be pleasing to You as I rejoice in You. I give You thanks and praise for seeing me through another crisis and helping me to learn to be comfortable with the uncomfortable. I rejoice in You for You are good. Amen.
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Thousand, Thousand thanks Shall Be, Dearest Jesus, unto Thee!

“Christ, the Life of All the Living”
by Ernst C. Homburg, 1605-1681
Translated by Catherine Winkworth, 1829-1878

1. Christ, the Life of all the living,
Christ, the Death of death, our foe,
Who, Thyself for me once giving
To the darkest depths of woe,–
Through thy sufferings, death, and merit
I eternal life inherit:

Thousand, thousand thanks shall be,
Dearest Jesus, unto Thee.
2. Thou, ah! Thou, hast taken on Thee
Bonds and stripes, a cruel rod;
Pain and scorn were heaped upon Thee,
0 Thou sinless Son of God!
Thus didst Thou my soul deliver
From the bonds of sin forever.

Thousand, thousand thanks shall be,
Dearest Jesus, unto Thee.
3. Thou hast borne the smiting only
That my wounds might all be whole;
Thou hast suffered, sad and lonely,
Rest to give my weary soul;
Yea, the curse of God enduring,
Blessing unto me securing.

Thousand, thousand thanks shall be,
Dearest Jesus, unto Thee.
4. Heartless scoffers did surround Thee,
Treating Thee with shameful scorn,
And with piercing thorns they crowned Thee.
All disgrace Thou, Lord, hast borne
That as Thine Thou mightest own me
And with heavenly glory crown me.

Thousand, thousand thanks shall be,
Dearest Jesus, unto Thee.
5. Thou hast suffered men to bruise Thee
That from pain I might be free;
Falsely did Thy foes accuse Thee,–
Thence I gain security;
Comfortless Thy soul did languish
Me to comfort in my anguish.

Thousand, thousand thanks shall be,
Dearest Jesus, unto Thee.
6. Thou hast suffered great affliction
And hast borne it patiently,
Even death by crucifixion,
Fully to atone for me;
Thou didst choose to be tormented
That my doom should be prevented.
Thousand, thousand thanks shall be,
Dearest Jesus, unto Thee.

7. Then, for all that wrought my pardon,
For Thy sorrows deep and sore,
For Thine anguish in the Garden,
I will thank Thee evermore,
Thank Thee for Thy groaning, sighing,
For Thy bleeding and Thy dying,
For that last triumphant cry,
And shall praise Thee, Lord, on high.

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