Praising the Creator

¹I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever;
    with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known
    through all generations.
²I will declare that your love stands firm forever,
    that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself.
³You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
    I have sworn to David my servant,
⁴‘I will establish your line forever
    and make your throne firm through all generations.’”

⁵The heavens praise your wonders, Lord,
    your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones.
⁶For who in the skies above can compare with the Lord?
    Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings?
⁷In the council of the holy ones God is greatly feared;
    he is more awesome than all who surround him.
⁸Who is like you, Lord God Almighty?
    You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you. [Psalm 89: 1-8, NIV]

It is not difficult for me to look around at creation and know there is a Creator. From the seasons to the incredible variety of flora, fauna, animals, and the vastness of the animal kingdom. And then the solar system and the amazing sunrises and sunsets and, well, you get the picture. The beauty and intricacies we get to see and understand while we are here on Earth are simply amazing.

As we close the books on another year, I am so very thankful for the beauty I saw, for the people in my life, and for the grace extended to me, each and every day, by the God of the Universe. He know my name. He knows your name!

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heav’nly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost! Thomas Ken (1637-1711)

Praise the Lord

¹Praise the Lord.

Sing to the Lord a new song,
his praise in the assembly of his faithful people.

²Let Israel rejoice in their Maker;
    let the people of Zion be glad in their King.
³Let them praise his name with dancing
    and make music to him with timbrel and harp.
⁴For the Lord takes delight in his people;
    he crowns the humble with victory.
⁵Let his faithful people rejoice in this honor
    and sing for joy on their beds.

⁶May the praise of God be in their mouths
    and a double-edged sword in their hands,
⁷to inflict vengeance on the nations
    and punishment on the peoples,
⁸to bind their kings with fetters,
    their nobles with shackles of iron,
⁹to carry out the sentence written against them—
    this is the glory of all his faithful people.

Praise the Lord. [Psalm 149, NIV]

It’s easy to get bogged down in the daily stuff. In fact, it has been easy to be bogged down as we have sludged through this year. It has been a challenge for me. And I know it has been a challenge for a lot of people. We have needed to

stretch

shift

regroup

start

stop

hunker down

disinfect

stay away

stay home

But here we are, each day continues to arrive, and we are here to be a part of it. Praising the Lord is one of those things that helps us keep our focus off our circumstances and seeking His face.

Praise the Lord!
Liz

All the Ways

¹Sing to the Lord a new song;
    sing to the Lord, all the earth.
²Sing to the Lord, praise his name;
    proclaim his salvation day after day.
³Declare his glory among the nations,
    his marvelous deeds among all peoples.

⁴For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
    he is to be feared above all gods.
⁵For all the gods of the nations are idols,
    but the Lord made the heavens.
⁶Splendor and majesty are before him;
    strength and glory are in his sanctuary.

⁷Ascribe to the Lord, all you families of nations,
    ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
⁸Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
    bring an offering and come into his courts.
⁹Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness;
    tremble before him, all the earth.
¹⁰Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.”
    The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved;
    he will judge the peoples with equity.

¹¹Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
    let the sea resound, and all that is in it.
¹²Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them;
    let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.
¹³Let 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. [Psalm 96:1-13, NIV]

There are so many ways to worship and praise our loving God! What are some of your favorite ways?

I must admit, sometimes I get distracted from this important work. There are times I let fearing and fretting and stressing take my energy and my perspective. Sometimes my ‘declarations” have been inaudible whispers. And other times they are loud and confident.

I am thankful that God knows and loves me in the midst of me. I need to think more about all the ways I can praise and get busy ascribing, singing, declaring, proclaiming, worshipping, and rejoicing!

God’s blessings on your week ahead!
Liz

PrayerPoints ~ Easter Sunday, March 27th

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Today’s PrayerPoint ~ Psalm 150

He is Risen!

He is Risen indeed!

Alleluia!

The work of Easter is remembered and celebrated today around the world but Easter is for every day! Jesus saving work is for each of us. Happy Easter today and every day!

“Praise the Lord.

Praise God in his sanctuary;
    praise him in his mighty heavens.
Praise him for his acts of power;
    praise him for his surpassing greatness.
Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
    praise him with the harp and lyre,
praise him with timbrel and dancing,
    praise him with the strings and pipe,
praise him with the clash of cymbals,
    praise him with resounding cymbals.

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord.” Psalm 150

PrayerPoints ~ Friday, March 18th

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Today’s PrayerPoint ~ Psalm 118

“This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24

Yesterday is done. Tomorrow is yet to come. So today is what I have!

Starting the day with an attitude of praise helps my day get started on the right foot! Even when I am in the middle of challenging circumstances, I can choose joy because of the bigger picture of God’s mercy and grace!

Have you noticed that a crabby person can quickly infect others with their crabbiness? Happy people can do the very same thing.

Joy.

Re-joy. (I know–that isn’t really a word but I like it — It reminds me that joy happens more than just once!)

Re-joice.

Miriam-webster.com says this about rejoice, “Middle English, from Anglo-French rejois-, stem of rejoier, rejoir, from re- + joir to welcome, enjoy, from Latin gaudēre to be glad…”

Joy.

Welcome.

Enjoy.

Rejoice.

My prayer is that you are able to find joy in your day and share that with those who come in contact with today!

PrayerPoints~ Monday, March 14th

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Today’s PrayerPoint ~ Psalm 103

“Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise is holy name. Praise the Lord, O my soul and forget not all his benefits.

He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases; he redeems my life from the pit and crowns me with love and compassion.

He satisfies my desires with good things, so that my youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” Psalm 103:1-5

When I am struggling — and there always seems to be some sort of thing I dread that is coming up — it is really important for me to focus on praising and thanking God for what He has done and recalling those things. Reminding myself of God’s provision in my life is so important..sometimes I have a crazy short-term memory!

I also think it is helpful to encourage others when they struggle to remember. There are times when life is hard and there seems to be no good choice out there. Remembering that God goes before and behind me and hems me in is sometimes hard when I am caught up in a moment (or days) of discouragement.

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11

Is there someone in your life who can use some encouragement today?

Below is another great Integrity Music Song. Enjoy!

PrayerPoints ~ March 11th, Friday

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Today’s PrayerPoint ~ Psalm 100

“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.

Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.

For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.”

May God’s peace and joy infuse your day!

Busy Days

Got a long list and a short amount of minutes to accomplish the task?

That is my life today!!!

But it isn’t too busy a day to praise God for the sunshine, His love, His grace, His mercy, And His forgiveness! Even on one of those crazy days there is time for praise!!!

Quick–what are 5 things you are thankful for today? It is important that we notice and give thanks, even on a busy day!