January 3, 2014.
Today is a day of praise. All glory, honor and dominion be to the Lord of Lords, King of Kings. When I sit down to write, I usually don’t have too much of a plan. I pray that God speaks through me, and allows me to know what needs to be said. Today, after portraying the power of the Lord in the last two posts, it seems fitting to make today a day of ascribing that power to Him. I don’t know if there is a better example of this than the man after God’s own heart, King David, son of Jesse. I will share a few selections from the biblical Psalms and a Psalm of my own. I leave the rest up to you. I encourage you to read these with full imagination of the imagery presented, and I also encourage you to read them aloud. It may seem silly at first, but there is something so powerful about reading the word of the Lord aloud. If you are feeling creative, you could even write a Psalm of praise yourself! Blessed be the name of the Lord.
“Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised
in the city of our God!
His holy mountain, beautiful in elevation,
is the joy of all the earth,
Mount Zion, in the far north,
the city of the great King.
Within her citadels God
has made himself known as a fortress.”
(Psa. 48:1-3)
“Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion,
and to you shall vows be performed.
O you who hear prayer,
to you shall all flesh come.
When iniquities prevail against me,
you atone for our transgressions.
Blessed is the one you choose and bring near,
to dwell in your courts!
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house,
the holiness of your temple!
“By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness,
O God of our salvation,
the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the farthest seas;
the one who by his strength established the mountains,
being girded with might;
who stills the roaring of the seas,
the roaring of their waves,
the tumult of the peoples,
so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs.
You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy.”
(Psa. 65:1-8)
“Shout for joy to God, all the earth;
sing the glory of his name;
give to him glorious praise!
Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!
So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you.
All the earth worships you
and sings praises to you;
they sing praises to your name.””
(Psa. 66:1-4)
“What is man, that you would show your face?
What am I, for your mercy and grace?
Who are we, on whom your love abounds?
Who am I, but dust from the ground?
Worthy are you, by whom all things are,
Praises give you, from near and far!
Worthy above all who on your name call,
Praises are due, from unclean lips fall.
Shout to the Lord! Let his glory be known!
Sing a new song, glory to his throne!
Sing aloud, all people and nation,
Shout to the Lord, all of His creation!
In you, O Lord, do our souls rest,
only in you, O Lord, and nothing less.
All glory and power, His mercy and grace,
All praises give you, every earthly place.”
(WH)
Suggested Daily Reading: Psalm 8, 66, 93, 95, 96, 99, 100 and 104
(The Psalms are usually short, but very powerful)
Grace and Peace,
-Walter
Twenty Eight Eighteen 