My Third Praise List

Praise 8

 

Today’s post is another praise list, as I call them. This one I call Promise Thanks. I find a quiet place, pull out my list, and one by one, work my way through each promise. I thank Him for them. And weep.

 

 

-to be with me

Hebrews 13.5 … he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

 

-for victory over sin

Romans 6.7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.

 

-for somewhere to run

Psalm 46.1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

 

-for sufficient grace

II Corinthians 12.9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

 

-for provision

Psalm 37.25 I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.

 

-for strength

Isaiah 40.31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

 

-for glorification

Psalm 138.8 The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O Lord, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.

 

-for working all things for good

Romans 8.28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.

 

-for the impossible

Matthew 19.26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

 

-for love

Romans 8.38-39 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

-for peace

Isaiah 26.3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

 

-for comfort

II Corinthians 1.3 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort.

 

-for drawing nigh

James 4.8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you…

 

-for protection

Psalm 91.1, 4

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. ... He shall cover thee with his feathers, And under his wings shalt thou trust: His truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

 

-for care

I Peter 5.7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

 

-for good

Psalm 34.8 O taste and see that the Lord is good: Blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

Why God Is So Good to Us

 

Praise 7

 

          The question before us is not, "Is God good to us?" No thinking, feeling, praying, working Christian could even utter such a sentence. On the contrary, the question before is, "Why is God so good to us?"

          It is plainly evident that God is good to us. We see this especially when we cast our gaze backward. Often, in the moment, we cannot trace His hand. Other than by faith, we cannot see His goodness in future years either. But unfailingly, when we look at where we have been and how we have been led, we see His lovingkindness poured out. God was good to draw you to Himself, was He not? He was good in granting you a full and free pardon. He was good in preparing and preserving for you the inerrant Word of God. And countless other examples could be cited here.

          Additionally, I would argue that God is being good to us even as we speak. Right now. At this moment in time. He is providing for you a good church and a pastor. He is giving you some measure of health. He allows many of you to live in America. He grants you an intellect capable of understanding Him and what He requires. He offers longsuffering in your besetting sin. His forgiveness is readily available upon confession. He is providing for you. His angels are protecting you from crime and accident, and persecution. He enriches your life with good friends. He grants you peace, comfort, strength, and wisdom when you ask. And He does all of these and more for me as well. Truly, God is being good to us.

          By faith, and unashamedly so, I assert that God will continue to be good to us in the future. It is eternal life we have been granted, not temporary life. It includes permanent promises of provision and protection, not temporary ones. Why, think about Heaven for a moment… No devil. No temptation. No fleshly nature. No sickness. No death. No sin. No crime. No pain. No sorrow. God Himself will be with us. Everything will be brand new and will remain so. We will be reunited with loved ones. And all of this and more will continue endlessly.

          Again, I say, the question before us is not, "Is God good to us." Instead, it is, "Why is God good to us?" Although there are several answers to that question, one is quite distinctly mentioned in Psalm 30.

1 I will extol thee, O Lord; for thou hast lifted me up, And hast not made my foes to rejoice over me.

2 O Lord my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me.

3 O Lord, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: Thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.

4 Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of his, And give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.

5 For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

6 And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved.

7 Lord, by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong: Thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled.

8 I cried to thee, O Lord; And unto the Lord I made supplication.

9 What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth?

10 Hear, O Lord, and have mercy upon me: Lord, be thou my helper.

11 Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: Thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;

12 To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.

          From time to time, people will say nice things about me. They will thank me for something I have written, said, or preached. In some fashion, the Lord allows me to minister to thousands of people regularly. When kind and grateful people turn around and compliment me, what ought to be my response? "Why, yes, thank you. God certainly has been good to me, hasn't He? It is an honor to be in His service."

Do you see that underlined clause above? God does not grant me attention so that I can glorify myself. He allows me some attention as a billboard so that I can display Him. It is for this reason He has blessed us and granted us gladness, that we may make Him look good.

While the heart is ever most important in our spiritual relationship with the Lord, it is not in my heart alone I am to glorify Him. No, I am to do so audibly. Sing… and not be silent. I must indeed be inwardly grateful first, but I need to verbalize this where others can hear it. 

Yesterday, after I picked up my daughter from work, we ran a few errands on the way home. The last stop was my local butcher shop, Cremer's. The owner there is a friendly guy, and it is not unusual for him to chat with his customers. I whistled as I opened the door and walked up one of the two aisles in the small store. Reaching into the freezer for my chosen purchase, I was startled to hear, "How are you doing today?"

Looking over my shoulder, I grinned and said, “I’m feeling fine as a frog hair split four ways.”  

A bit startled, he said something about the weather being exceptionally fine. Sensing an opportunity as I strolled by him, I said, “It takes more than the weather to make you feel this good. It takes Jesus.”

He could not help himself. He laughed, shook his head, and went back to work.

Do you know how you feel when you hit a golf ball perfectly? Yeah, that feeling. That is how I felt as I walked out of that store. God has been good to me, and I had publicly praised Him for it, in my own small way bearing witness to Christ at the same time.

Do the men and women you work with know more about your lumbago than they do about how good God has been to you? Does your hairdresser at the salon know more about how rotten your children are than she does about how good God is to you? Do the people in your world see the trouble, the problems, the burdens of your life? Or do they know that your Heavenly Father greatly blesses you and that you are convinced He is an amazing God?

Has God been good to you? Is God being good to you? Will God continue being good to you?

Then tell somebody.

My Second Praise List

 

Praise 6

 

          One of the things I want to do in this blog series is not only emphasize the importance of praising God, but I also want to help you develop the ability to do so. To that end, I intend to include several lists that I use during my praise time with the Lord. The last one I call my Gratitude List. This one is named Praising God About His Word. It includes a series of simple statements about the Word of God along with supporting Scripture passages. I recite each statement, read each verse, and then talk to the Lord for a while upon that point. If I spend two or three minutes on each point I have just spent 30-45 minutes praising the Lord.

 

1) I need to praise You for Your Word.

Psalm 119:62 At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee Because of thy righteous judgments.

Psalm 119:164 Seven times a day do I praise thee Because of thy righteous judgments.

Psalm 56:4 In God I will praise his word, In God I have put my trust; I will not fear What flesh can do unto me.

Psalm 138:2 I will worship toward thy holy temple, And praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: For thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.

 

2) Your Word is consistent.

Psalm 119:86 All thy commandments are faithful: They persecute me wrongfully; help thou me.

Titus 1:9 Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.

 

3) Your Word is permanent.

Psalm 119:89 For ever, O Lord, Thy word is settled in heaven.

Psalm 119:160 Thy word is true from the beginning: And every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.

Isaiah 40:8 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: But the word of our God shall stand for ever.

John 10:35 If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken;

1 Peter 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

1 Peter 1:25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.

 

4) Your Word is amazing.

Psalm 119:129 Thy testimonies are wonderful: Therefore doth my soul keep them.

Psalm 119:161 Princes have persecuted me without a cause: But my heart standeth in awe of thy word.

 

5) Your Word is inerrant, entirely pure.

Psalm 119:140 Thy word is very pure: Therefore thy servant loveth it.

Proverbs 30:5 Every word of God is pure: He is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.

 

6) Your Word is tested and stands strong.

2 Samuel 22:31 As for God, his way is perfect; The word of the Lord is tried: He is a buckler to all them that trust in him.

Psalm 18:30 As for God, his way is perfect: The word of the Lord is tried: He is a buckler to all those that trust in him.

 

7) Your Word is good, provoking and providing goodness in my life.

2 Kings 20:19 Then said Hezekiah unto Isaiah, Good is the word of the Lord which thou hast spoken. And he said, Is it not good, if peace and truth be in my days?

Hebrews 6:5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,

 

8) Your Word is right about everything.

Psalm 33:4 For the word of the Lord is right; And all his works are done in truth.

 

9) Your Word is true. It contains no falsehood. It is the epitome of truth.

Psalm 119:160 Thy word is true from the beginning: And every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.

John 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

2 Corinthians 6:7 By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left,

Ephesians 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

James 1:18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

 

10) Your Word is certain to accomplish Your purpose.

Isaiah 55:11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: It shall not return unto me void, But it shall accomplish that which I please, And it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

 

11) Your Word impacts my heart.

Jeremiah 20:9 Then I said, I will not make mention of him, Nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, And I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.

Jeremiah 23:29 Is not my word like as a fire? saith the Lord; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?

 

12) Your Word is powerful.

Luke 4:32 And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power.

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

 

13) Your Word gives life.

Philippians 2:16 Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.

1 John 1:1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;

 

14) Your Word cannot be chained.

2 Timothy 2:9 Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound.