Tag Archives: praise

Looking for God in All the Right Places

In my quest to worship and praise God, I came across some scriptures that revealed another way we can praise Him. This involves remembering and proclaiming the deeds of God.The scriptures below reveal the connection between praising God and remembering and proclaiming His great deeds:

  • Ps. 145:10-12 – “All of your works will thank you, Lord,and your faithful followers will praise you. They will speak of the glory of your kingdom; they will give examples of your power. They will tell about your mighty deeds and about the majesty and glory of your reign.” (NLT)
  • Ps. 9:11 – “Sing praises to the LORD, who dwells in Zion; declare among the peoples His deeds.”
  • Ps. 105:1 – “Oh give thanks to the LORD, call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples.”

As a result of these and other passages, I began looking for God’s deeds in the Bible and in my life so that I could praise Him.

Recall God’s Deeds of Old
Many of the mighty deeds of God have been recorded and preserved in the word of God, the Bible. When we take time to recall the many great acts of God, we begin to know Him more and to trust Him more deeply. When I meditate on God’s great deeds, I cannot help but marvel and praise Him.

Some of my favorite deeds of God to recall are how:
– God created all things with his powerful word – Genesis 1
– God opened a path in the Red Sea for Israel to walk through on dry ground – Exodus 14:22
– God shut the mouths of lions and delivering Daniel – Dan. 6:22
– Jesus walked on water – Mt. 14:22-33
– Jesus fed 5,000 from 5 loaves and 2 fishes – Mt.14:13-21
– Jesus healed a servant from a distance – Mt. 8:5-13
– Jesus resurrected from the dead seated at the right hand of God – Phil 2:5-11.

As I meditate on these mighty deeds of God, I try to picture them in my mind. I see God is magnified before me. I am immediately struck with awe for God, for His power and His love to work on behalf of man. Reflecting on these acts causes me to praise God, and encourages me to trust in Him because the God who has done these mighty deeds is the same God with whom I have a relationship.

Recalling God’s Deeds in My Life
As a result of this, I became vigilant, looking for God’s working in my life, both past and present. As I reviewed my life I saw God’s mighty deeds in my life. Some of these deeds were obvious displays of God’s working, while others involved an unfolding of His working in my life and character over time. Some of the mighty deeds of God in my life have to do with God restoring my husband, Dan, to health.

A little after our first year of marriage, my husband, Dan, age 28, was having a hard time breathing. Dan went to a doctor, had the usual examination, x-rays and so on and was diagnosed with asthma. Despite treatments, the condition persisted and worsened. We prayed for God to help us and lead us to a doctor who could help.

We looked up asthma specialists in the phone book! We selected one, went to him and received the diagnosis of a malignant tumor inside the trachea. The cancer was a lymphoma which had also affected other areas of Dan’s body.

 Use God’s Mighty Deeds to Build Faith
God was there to help immediately.  As we received the dark news, my mind almost instantly was lead to the story of King Hezekiah. In 2 Kings 20, Hezekiah was given a terminal diagnosis from the prophet Isaiah. Hezekiah cried out to God for a longer life. God had compassion and added 15 years to his life. That flash of remembering of this compassionate and powerful deed of God towards Hezekiah became the fuel for the faith we would need on this journey.

At the time of the diagnosis the tumor was growing at such a rapid rate that in two weeks it would have closed off his ability to breathe altogether. Here we see the hand of God in His timing.

The tumor was inside the trachea which at that time was a very difficult procedure and required significant expertise. We were told there were 5 doctors in the nation who could perform that specific procedure. The doctor, who diagnosed Dan, knew one of those skilled surgeons who happened to be located 50 miles away from where we lived.

The surgery happened within two days of the diagnosis. The doctors warned of a 50-50 chance of surviving the surgery, and a 50% chance of surviving a year afterwards. Tumors were found in three other places along the spine. During recovery from surgery many new dilemmas presented such as the lung collapsing three times, and an emergency tracheotomy, but God brought appropriate personnel and procedures in place at the right time to help with these difficulties.

After seven months of intense chemotherapy, my husband was declared to be in remission. Dan had to re-learn how to swallow and was fed through a tube in his stomach for a year and a half. Immediately after surgery, he was unable to speak and swallow, but over the years his ability to speak was restored, even though his voice remains somewhat quiet and raspy.

God worked mighty things behind the scenes using doctors, treatments and time to give Dan life and to restore him to full function.

“Remember” onto Faith and Praise
When I am feeling forgotten by God, or frustrated about waiting on Him to work in my life, when my faith is hitting on empty, I recall not only the mighty deeds God has done of old, but also the great deeds God has done in my life, from restoring life and health to my husband to helping me change things I thought would never change in my character.

This “remembrance of God’s mighty deeds” grows my faith and my awe for God. When I share the ways God is working in my life, or when I remind others of God’s mighty deeds, I am praising God.

I never read the Bible as a child but I do remember paging through a big family Bible that sat on a coffee table. Perhaps it was the pictures of God’s mighty deeds that I saw in that Bible that captured my heart for God.

I encourage you to page through a Bible and find more mighty deeds of God. Let these truths lead you to faith and to praise God.

A Language for Prayer

Language to Pray
Sometimes in my communication with God I wonder what language could I possibly speak that would communicate effectively my thoughts and my heart? Words from an old hymn express this thought well, “What language can I borrow to thank Thee, Dearest Friend?”

Recently on a quest to learn how to praise God, I read through the book of Psalms and looked at the language of praise and of prayer.  I came away with an amazing new understanding of God just by studying the expressions used to describe God in the Psalms. Here are several examples of these expressions, there are many more.
– Ps. 111:3 – the God of splendid and majestic works (NASB)
– Ps. 104:1 – God who is clothed in majesty
– Ps. 29:4– the God of powerful and majestic voice
– Ps. 24:10 The Lord Almighty— he is the King of glory.
– Ps. 68:8 – God, the One of Sinai

Thinking about these names and descriptions of God found in the psalms gave me a greater awareness of  “Who” I am talking to in prayer. This transformed my reverence for God. How can one not be reverent when thinking of God as presented in Ps. 68:8 “God, the One of Sinai.” When praying to God and thinking of Him as the same God who appeared to Moses and the people on Mt. Sinai in thunder, lighting, smoke, fire and quaking earth, (Ex. 19:16-19), I gained a greater sense of awe. This is the same God who hears my prayers. I can come before the throne of this God through the grace of Jesus.

I found these expressions and descriptions affecting my attitude towards God and my actual words in communicating to God. It made me more aware that I am actually communicating to the God who created the universe.  Speaking to God as the King of Glory; the God who sits enthroned above the earth; my refuge and high tower, or my shield and protector makes my communication with God more real. It helps me to more deeply appreciate prayer not just as a spiritual exercise, but as it really is a “relationship” with “God.”.

Use the inspired Word of God to help you express your heart to God and to develop greater intimacy with God. (More of this topic will be presented in the future on the Digging Deeper page of this site).

Bless the Name of God

Blessed be the name of God!
As I am reading and learning to pray the psalms, I came across the expression “blessed be the name of God.” That sounded so familiar to me. Slowly, my mind unraveled the mystery. As a young girl I remember kneeling down in a small church building and responded “blessed be the name of God,” over and over again. As the lector called out attributes and actions of God, we responded “blessed be the name of God”. Since most attendees were of Polish, or partial Polish descent, often this call and response was in Polish. My mind still remembers the response “Niech będzie błogosławione imię Boga”. It is only recently that I connected the Polish phrase to the English form of the call and response worship.

As I read through the Psalms (and other passages) I see this expression in various forms: blessed be the name of the Lord; let God’s name be blessed; bless the Lord and so on. Some examples :
– Psalm 113:2 – “Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time    forth and forever…”.
– Daniel 2:20 – Daniel said, “Let the name of God be blessed forever and ever, For wisdom and power belong to Him.
– Psalm 103:1,2– “Bless the LORD, O my soul, And all that is within me, bless His holy Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits…”

There are many statements of this expression in the scriptures. (See other references to this expression: Ps. 41:13; 50:2; 72:18,19; 89:52; 106:48; 124:6; 144:1; Gen. 14:20; 1 Kings 1:48; 5:7;8:15,56;10:9;8:56; I Chron. 16:36;29:10-13; Job 1:21. It is an encouraging study to read these passages in context and learn who blessed God, what did they say in blessing God and why).

How does one  “bless” God?
I was a little stumped by the term bless in the expression “bless, the Lord.” I thought, how can I bless God, isn’t that something He does to me? Isn’t that something we say to one another,?” We write it in notes of encouragement, birthday cards, and so on, ” God bless you”, and so on.

In the context of Ps. 113:2, the term “blessed be” comes from the Hebrew term “barak” which means bow or kneel. Brown, Driver and Riggs provides the following meaning, in reference to its use in numerous psalms: “to bless God, to adore on bended knee.” This gives us the picture of  bowing before almighty God, surrendering our pride, our self, honoring, and praising him.

“Blessed be God, blessed be the Lord, blessed be the name of God” are all terms of praise, a praise to God that indicates His position as sovereign, Almighty God worthy of our honor and thanksgiving and crediting Him for all goodness and acts in our favor.

So when I, with purposed intent, take time to bow and worship God, praising His nature, His character and great deeds, I am “blessing the name of God.” So, “blessing” in this sense is a term indicating worshiping God, bowing before Him, honoring Him, and praising Him.

Blessing is Praising
The idea of blessing God, or blessing His name is closely related to praising Him. In the psalms we often see parallel type statements that mean the same thing with a slightly different tint or shade of meaning. In Psalm 145: 1-2  we see this parallel structure:
“I will extol You, my God, O King,
And I will bless Your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless You, and I will praise Your name forever and ever.”

Another example of this is in Psalm 34:1 which states:
“I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.” And, again, we read it in Ps. 634:  “So I will bless You as long as I live; I will lift up my hands (a stance indicating praising God) in Your name.”

In my way of thinking, when I bless God I am praising Him with a heart of good will and gratitude to God.  When I praise God I am praising Him from a heart of deep reverence, honor and adoration, with an understanding of His worthiness and my need for Him.

Blessing the name of God is worshiping Him and praising Him. We are ascribing to God the value and worth that He has. We, the creation, are honoring the Creator. We, the subjects are honoring the King. We, the children, are honoring our eternal Father.

Read through the book of psalms highlight all the verses on blessing the name of God.  When was the last time you thought about God and honored Him as God? Take time today to bow before God and bless His name.

 

 

 

 

Ring the New Year in With Praise

Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits— Ps. 103:2

A Hum Bug about New Years
I am generally a “hum bug” about New Years.  I am not sure why but I am. Maybe it is because time seems to be flying by and each year I think I will not accomplish what I should or what I want to do. I fear I will not fulfill my purpose(s) in life.

There have been times when I have dutifully examined the old year and set out goals and plans for the new. Yet in the end I felt that I came up short. I didn’t meet the goals. I didn’t fulfill what I thought was my purpose.

A Change of Focus
But recently I have tried to switch the focus from me, myself and my self constructed world to God and His realm, His kingdom.  I have begun looking for Him and His handiwork and presence throughout my days. And I have seen it, yes, I have seen His working in the good and the difficult situations and feelings in my life.

So, this New Years, I am not full of consternation and regret but of joy-not the bring out the party hats and toot the horns joy, but a deep inner peace and contentment. Sure, I failed to do some things I thought I should. Sure, I have had my share of sadness, and challenges in my character and relationships. But I have seen God working, giving me patience, humility, grace, courage to speak, and ways to serve and help others.

So this year I am spending New Year’s Eve and day with specific time to praise God. Praising God and His Son Jesus will be my focus not just on this day, but it will be my theme for this year.

Praise Truths about God
The pages of scripture reveal the character and nature of God. As I read these words I begin to see a God I can trust and who is worthy of praise. These truths about God help me understand what my life is about and help me during the challenging times and feelings. I praise God for His love, faithfulness, mercy, goodness, power and more.

Here are a few that help me:
God is good. This is a truth. He cannot act against His nature. He is good and has good intentions towards me. So, this year when life does not seem so good and I am wondering about God’s part in it, I will choose to believe that God is good and has good intentions towards me no matter what things around me look like or feel like.
• Psalm 145:9 – The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.
Psalm 100:5 – For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and His faithfulness   continues to each generation.

God is faithful. He is always there. He is reliable, even when you feel you have nothing to stand on, He is there.
• Lamentations 3:22-23– The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

God is personally involved in your life. God is always working on my behalf even when I do not feel it. He is intricately involves in my life. God is not the author of bad things in my life, but when bad things happen, I know He knows and is helping me.
• Psalm 56:8– You keep track of all my sorrows.You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.
• Psalm 139:16-You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.

These are but a few truths about God that I will hold unto and praise Him for in the New Year.

Make a collection of truths about God and use them to encourage you and to praise God as you go through this next year