Category: Praise

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Beautiful, Wonderful, Something Special

It’s so special to get to talk about Jesus with neighbors and friends. I just love it!

Last night one of my new friends and neighbors told me a bit of her story and how she came to have a more personal, deeper knowledge in her relationship with Christ. She had grown up in a traditional church setting. Two songs, a short message and a prayer and the service was over. Nothing that encouraged her or directed her to a day to day walk with the Lord.

She emitted such joy as she talked about the relationship she has with the Lord now. Daily seeking Him, following His leadership in her life’s daily walk. It makes me smile.

This morning I’m listening to the birds singing and my heart is also filled with song.

“Jesus. Jesus. Jesus. There is something about that name. Master. Savior. Jesus. Like the Fragrance after the rain.” (There’s Just Something About That Name by Gloria Gaither)

“Jesus is the sweetest name I know, And He’s just the same as His lovely Name, And that’s the reason why I love Him so; Oh, Jesus is the sweetest name I know.” (Jesus Is the Sweetest Name I Know)

“No one ever cared for me like Jesus, There’s no other friend so kind as He; No one else could take the sin and darkness from me, O how much He cared for me. (No One Ever Cared For Me Like Jesus)

“What a beautiful Name it is What a beautiful Name it is The Name of Jesus Christ my King What a beautiful Name it is Nothing compares to this What a beautiful Name it is The Name of Jesus” (What a Beautiful Name It is by Hillsong Music)

I’ll leave you with one last song, one that has such a powerful impact on my life. I hope you will take the time to click on this link and I pray that it ministers to you today. https://youtu.be/ihrUIPfvTh8

I hope these little snippets of song have started a reaction of praise in your heart. They certainly have in mine. We are called to be a people of praise.

“Let every living creature praise the Lord. Shout praises to the Lord!” Psalm 150:6 CEV

If we are living, and we are; if we are a created being and we are, we should shout praises to the Lord!

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Good Morning Sun

This morning Facebook reminded me of where I was three years ago and what a wonderful memory it is.

Martin Luther King weekend was a time to go camping with our oldest daughter and that year we took along two of our youngest grandchildren. There’s a great campground not far from us and it provides hiking, rock climbing and relaxation. Just what we need and enjoy.

The first morning we were there our granddaughter woke as I was having my prayer time and writing my morning blog. I could see through a crack in the blinds that the sun was rising – my favorite time of day – and I wanted her to experience it with me. So, I wrapped her in a blanket, and we quietly left the trailer and went outside to watch the sunrise.

We stood and we watched. We waited and we watched. The sky was a beautiful gold and when the sun appeared in the saddle of the mountains I said to her say, “Good morning sun – that’s how we greet the day”. She loved it and started repeating “It’s a good morning sun, a good morning sun”. I told her in language a 3-year-old could understand that each morning God blesses us with the sunrise and a beautiful new day.

Fast forward to our trip to California over Christmas, same granddaughter said to me early one morning, “Besta let’s go out and see the good morning sun”. My heart melted!

That’s how our heavenly Father wants us to be. Greeting the day with excitement and anticipation. Welcoming His presence, waiting to see His glory and feel His warmth.

Good morning Son!

“Your glorious power will be seen on the day you begin to rule. You will wear the sacred robes and shine like the morning sun in all of your strength.” Psalm 110:3 CEV

“praise the Lord for answering my prayers and saving me. 22 The stone that the builders tossed aside has now become the most important stone. 23 The Lord has done this, and it is amazing to us. 24 This day belongs to the Lord! Let’s celebrate and be glad today.” Psalm 118:21-24 CEV

“Each morning let me learn more about your love because I trust you. I come to you in prayer, asking for your guidance.” Psalm 143:8 CEV

There’s a praise chorus that I love to sing. The first line goes like this – “In the morning when I rise, In the morning when I rise, In the morning when I rise give me Jesus. Give me Jesus, give me Jesus. You may have all this world, give me Jesus.”.

I hope you join Kristine and I as we rise and say “Good morning Son – thank you for your love”.

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Growing Up with A Song

I’ve been asked, on a number of occasions, how I come up with something new to share each day. The answer – I listen.

Each morning when I wake up, sometimes the night before when I go to bed, I find myself in prayer. I journal my thoughts and praise to the Lord and then I sit quietly in His presence. Listening.

This morning as I journaled these are the words I wrote.

“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.
Amen.”

I sang those words every Sunday morning in a little country church much like the one I used as this morning’s image. I would sing at the top of my voice, at the young age of three the words didn’t have the meaning they do now but that didn’t stop the song.

“Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ for the spiritual blessings that Christ has brought us from heaven!” Ephesians 1:3 CEV

This morning the song comes from the heart, not just the head of a small child. “Praise God from whom all blessings flow”…infinite blessings. Small daily reminders such as the song of the bird outside my window, the hug and smile of a friend, the kiss of my husband, the evening’s sunset, the warmth of my home.

“Every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father who created all the lights in the heavens. He is always the same and never makes dark shadows by changing.” James 1:17 CEV

The larger blessings, the good and perfect gifts: the love of family, good health, food on the table, our needs being met, giving to others, the joy and peace that fills our hearts. Praise God, from whom all blessings flow!

“Offer praise to God our Savior because of our Lord Jesus Christ! Only God can keep you from falling and make you pure and joyful in his glorious presence. Before time began and now and forever, God is worthy of glory, honor, power, and authority. Amen.” Jude 24 & 25 CEV

“Tell every nation on earth, ‘The Lord is wonderful and does marvelous things! 4 The Lord is great and deserves our greatest praise. He is the only God worthy of our worship.” Psalm 96:3-4 CEV

Your list of small and large blessings may be different from mine but we all have a reason to sing and give praise.

The biggest reason of all is this:

“God showed his love for us when he sent his only Son into the world to give us life. 10 Real love isn’t our love for God, but his love for us. God sent his Son to be the sacrifice by which our sins are forgiven.” I John 4:9-10 CEV

Praise God from whom all blessings flow…

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Stuck in the Mud

When we lived in Montana our home was out in the country on a dirt road. To be more specific, the composition of the road was more of a clay base than a dirt base. When it rained, things got sticky.

I used to walk that road most every day, even the rainy ones. On those days I needed to watch where I stepped, keeping my feet on drier ground. It was not uncommon to break through the upper layer, sinking into the mud. On more than one occasion I had my shoe pulled right off my foot. Now, I find it humorous but then, I was not amused.

Have you ever had an experience where you were stuck in the mud? Maybe you weren’t literally stuck but possibly, figuratively stuck.

Stuck in a job that’s not meant for you; stuck in an association that isn’t healthy? I have good news.

“ I did not give up waiting for the Lord. And He turned to me and heard my cry. 2 He brought me up out of the hole of danger, out of the mud and clay. He set my feet on a rock, making my feet sure. 3 He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and will put their trust in the Lord.

4 How happy is the man who has made the Lord his trust, and has not turned to the proud or to the followers of lies. 5 O Lord my God, many are the great works You have done, and Your thoughts toward us. No one can compare with You! If I were to speak and tell of them, there would be too many to number.

6 You have not wanted gifts given on the altar in worship. You have opened my ears. You have not wanted burnt gifts or gifts to cover sins. 7 Then I said, “Look, I have come. It is written about me in the book. 8 I am happy to do Your will, O my God. Your Law is within my heart.”

9 I have told the good news about what is right and good in the big meeting with many people. You know I will not close my lips, O Lord. 10 I have not hidden what is right and good with You in my heart. I have spoken about how faithful You are and about Your saving power. I have not hidden Your loving-kindness and Your truth from the big meeting.

11 O Lord, You will not keep Your loving-pity from me. Your loving-kindness and Your truth will always keep me safe.” Psalm 40:1-11 NLVs

As I read these verses this morning, my mind went to those times of being physically, literally, emotionally and spiritually stuck. Stuck in worry and anger, stuck in a job where dishonesty and deception were the norm, stuck in a defeated life spiritually.

Did you notice the last line in verse eleven? “Your loving-kindness…will always keep me safe”. The hesed of God, his loving-kindness is our safety.

I am so grateful that God in His love pulled me out of the mud and set my feet on the Rock of His Word.

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Learn to Sing

I’m not sure what goes on in your life on a daily basis, but I know that some days I face more challenges than others. Some days it’s easy to sing because all seems right with the world, but other days come with unexpected distractions and joy-robbing obstacles.

That’s where singing comes in – singing lifts the heart, it can make the heart skip and brings a lightness to our step.

Remember Paul and Silas in Acts 16. They had been beaten and were chained in the prison cell but at midnight they chose to sing. I don’t believe they were singing the blues either, “nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen”. No, I’m sure it was something to give God glory and praise.

I was downloading some music the other night – songs of praise – and I came across this one that’s a favorite with me. It’s by Katy Nichole, In Jesus Name (God of Possible).

“I speak the name of Jesus over you
In your hurting, in your sorrow
I will ask my God to move
I speak the name ’cause it’s all that I can do
In desperation, I’ll seek Heaven
And pray this for you

[Chorus]
I pray for your healing, that circumstances would change
I pray that the fear inside would flee in Jesus’ name
I pray that a breakthrough would happen today
I pray miracles over your life in Jesus’ name
In Jesus’ name”

This is what I am praying for each one of you – right now. I’m praying and singing over you.

Sing songs of praise to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Savior of your soul. Sing songs of healing, songs of peace, songs of victory, songs of deliverance, songs of the matchless love of God.

“Sing joyful songs to the Lord! Praise the mighty rock where we are safe. 2 Come to worship him with thankful hearts and songs of praise. 3 The Lord is the greatest God,

king over all other gods. 4 He holds the deepest part of the earth in his hands, and the mountain peaks belong to him. 5 The ocean is the Lord’s because he made it, and with his own hands he formed the dry land. 6 Bow down and worship the Lord our Creator! 7 The Lord is our God, and we are his people, the sheep he takes care of in his own pasture.” Psalm 95:1-7 CEV

In the wee hours of the morning, I am singing over you. In the wee hours of this morning, I hear God’s songs of deliverance – He is singing over you also.

“ How happy he is whose wrong-doing is forgiven, and whose sin is covered! 2 How happy is the man whose sin the Lord does not hold against him, and in whose spirit there is nothing false…You are my hiding place. You keep me safe from trouble. All around me are your songs of being made free. 8 ‘I will show you and teach you in the way you should go. I will tell you what to do with My eye upon you’…10 Many are the sorrows of the sinful. But loving-kindness will be all around the man who trusts in the Lord. 11 Be glad in the Lord and be full of joy, you who are right with God! Sing for joy all you who are pure in heart!”. Psalm 32 NLV

Sing, for joy comes in the morning!

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Purpose

Does your day have purpose? Better question – does MY day have purpose? Most of you know that I love my quiet mornings. Time to sit with coffee in hand, computer on my lap and my heart focused on what the Father is saying to me.

In the solitude I talk a little and then I listen.

While we were in Greece, Dave and I had our morning walk and talks. We would walk along the seashore and express our gratitude to the Father for His amazing love, protection, peace, wisdom, direction, forgiveness, grace and mercy.

There’s so much to be thankful for. One of the biggest blessings is that He loves us enough to listen.

This morning routine isn’t of my own making. I learned from the best.

“And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the Lord.” Genesis 19:15 KJV

King David gives us insight to his mornings:

“My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; In the morning I will direct it to You, And I will look up.” Psalm 5:3

“But I will sing of Your power; Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning; For You have been my defense And refuge in the day of my trouble.” Psalm 59:16

“I rise before the dawning of the morning, And cry for help; I hope in Your word.” Psalm 119:47

“Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, For in You do I trust; Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, For I lift up my soul to You.” Psalm 143:8

Jesus gave us this example:

” Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.” Mark 1:35 KJV

“Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them.” John 8:2 KJV

Yes, our mornings should count!

They should set the tone and purpose of our day. There is a song that often goes through my thinking. It was written by Jeremy Camp, Give Me Jesus.

“In the morning, when I rise

In the morning, when I rise

In the morning, when I rise

Give me Jesus.

Give me Jesus,

Give me Jesus.

You can have all this world,

Just give me Jesus…”

The Bible tells us the greatest commandment is to love the Lord, our God, with all our heart, soul and mind. Praising Him should be the primary purpose of every believer.

Greet the morning with a song for the good things the Lord has done!

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The Rocks Have Something to Say

When we began to plan our trip to Greece years and months ago, I had one priority. I wanted to visit the island of Patmos, the place where John had been exiled, the place the Lord gave him the message of the end times, the Book of Revelation.

Little did I know that this is one of those places where “you can’t get there from here”.

Patmos is a small island about an hour by sea from Turkey. They have no airport, the only way to the island is via ferry. What we did find was an airport several islands away on Samos. We caught a flight from Crete back to Athens and then to Samos. There we boarded a ferry, one of many that go to the island, for a three-hour tour. Yes, a three-hour tour.

We left Crete at 8 am and arrived on Patmos at 7 pm. After a good night’s sleep, we headed to the Cave of the Apocalypse, as it is called. This is the place where Greek Orthodox teaching say John was sequestered and there wrote the Book of Revelation.

Many times on this trip we have learned to trust the directions we were given by Google Maps. I truly believe this technology was God-guided. We saw that our destination was only .5 km from our hotel. It wasn’t too warm that morning so we decided to walk. It started out with a beautiful meandering through the narrow residential lanes of Skala. The incline became steeper and the humidity was increasing, our energy was being tapped. We stopped a few times to catch our breathe.

At one spot a local man pointed us in the right direction or who-knows-where we would have ended up.

This spot on the hilltop has been well preserved. There is a building where you enter and a corridor to follow back to the Cave. It is now a place of worship and prayer. Often times there is a priest there to give instruction on the significance of the site, but he wasn’t there when we were.

We truly did sense the presence of God. We went there to worship and give thanks for the Father’s abiding presence. Knowing that He has promised to never leave us or abandon us. Knowing that the Book of Revelation was written to warn us all of the events that will mark the end of time on earth. The wars, rumors of wars, destruction, famine, floods, men’s hearts turning to selfish ambition and ignoring the will of God are all signs the Bible tells us to look for before the Lord returns. These are the signs of our times.

Yet, in all of this the thing that had the greatest impact on me were the rocks. Outside, away from the structure, were these big rocks, steps had been hewn to make the walking easier but the rocks were the very same as those that had been there, under the feet of John, possibly causing him to stumble. These rocks were a living testimony.

“They said, ‘Great and honored is the King Who comes in the name of the Lord. There is peace and greatness in the highest heaven.’ 39 Some of the proud religious law-keepers who were in among the people said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, speak sharp words to Your followers.’ 40 Jesus said to them, ‘I tell you that if these did not speak, the very stones would call out.’” Luke 19:38-40 NLV

It’s interesting to hear people speak about how peaceful they feel on the island. Those who live there say the same thing. It’s a place free from turmoil. If we don’t speak to honor and glorify God, the rocks by their very existence will!

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Time to Count

I know it’s not even close to Christmas but this morning I woke up with the lyrics of a song from my favorite Christmas movie, White Christmas, running through my mind.

“When I’m worried and I can’t sleep, I count my blessings instead of sheep. Then I fall to sleep counting my blessings”.

Worried? Not at all, just feeling extremely grateful for all the Lord has done. Yesterday afternoon I talked with both my brother and my sister. It was so good to hear their voices. I’m grateful for loving siblings and for the godly parents who raised us.

I’m grateful for our children and their constant expressions of their love for us and that they are raising children who love us. Sunday we were greeted with little voices calling our names in the most loving tones, followed by hugs and kisses.

The older adult children never end a text or a phone call without an “I love you”!

If those expressions spoken by children here on earth thrill our hearts to the depth that they do, then how much more do our expressions of love and gratitude thrill the heart of God.

I love to worship the Lord!

Not worship because of things that He has done, although those are many but worship just because of Who He is. One definition of the word worship in the Merriam-Webster dictionary is excessive admiration for someone.

Excessive – our God is excessive. He didn’t just create 5 colors and quit – He was excessive. He didn’t just create 6 fish or 7 fruit or 8 vegetables. He created millions of stars, countless galaxies, hundreds of millions of people with individual fingerprints and unique DNA. Excessive!

He gave us His only Son who willingly paid the price for the sins of the whole world.

Excessive! Our Father is excessive in demonstrating His love for us. Shouldn’t we be excessive with our praise?

“My Lord, there is no God like you. No one can do what you have done. 9 My Lord, you made everyone. I wish they all would come worship you and honor your name. 10 You are great and do amazing things. You and you alone are God. 11 Lord, teach me your ways, and I will live and obey your truths. Help me make worshiping your name the most important thing in my life. 12 My Lord God, I praise you with all my heart. I will honor your name forever! 13 You have such great love for me. You save me from the place of death. 14 Proud people are attacking me, God. A gang of cruel men is trying to kill me.

They don’t respect you. 15 My Lord, you are a kind and merciful God. You are patient, loyal, and full of love.” Psalm 86: 8-15 ERV

Join me in counting our blessings. Let’s show some excessive admiration and love to the One, the Only, Father God, creator of heaven and earth!

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Bad Dreams – Bad Day?

This morning I awoke from a very bad dream – I hate days that start like this. They can rattle my emotions and they try to destroy my peace!

Not the way I want to start my day. How do you regain control of your day, even when it’s only a few minutes old?

I picked up my Bible and with a prayer on my lips I said, “Father, this is the day You gave me and I will not give it over to disturbing thoughts”. I opened my Bible to Psalm 147, within the first few verses I knew what I needed to do.

“Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God. For it is pleasing and praise is right. 2 The Lord builds up Jerusalem. He gathers those of Israel who had been taken away. 3 He heals those who have a broken heart. He heals their sorrows. 4 He knows the number of the stars. He gives names to all of them. 5 Great is our Lord, and great in power. His understanding has no end. 6 The Lord lifts up those who are suffering, and He brings the sinful down to the ground.7 Sing to the Lord with thanks. Sing praises to our God on the harp.” Psalm 147:1-7 NLT

It was time to sing!

I sat and quietly sang a song from long ago:

“I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever,
I will sing, I will sing,
I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever,
I will sing of the mercies of the Lord.
With my mouth will I make known
Thy faithfulness, Thy faithfulness,
With my mouth will I make known
Thy faithfulness to all generations,
I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever,
I will sing of the mercies of the Lord.”

My heart lifted with joy and my peace is returning. I know no better way to settle a disturbed heart than through prayer and worship.

“O Lord, the heavens will praise Your great works and how faithful You are in the meeting of the holy ones. 6 For who in the heavens is like the Lord? Who among the sons of the powerful is like the Lord? 7 God is honored with fear in the meeting of the holy ones. He is honored with fear more than all who are around Him. 8 Lord God of all, powerful Lord, who is like You? All around You we see how faithful You are. 9 You rule over the rising sea. When its waves rise, You quiet them. ” Psalm 89:5-9 NLV

The words from the song are the first three verses of Psalm 89 and then these are some of the following verses. It is wonderful what happens to a heart filled with praise!

So, now I will leave you and go back to praising. I have a feeling I will be singing in the shower this morning.

Bad dreams? What bad dreams? This is a day for praising the Lord!

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A Place of Worship

Recently our granddaughter was in Montreal, and she visited the Notre Dame Cathedral there. She sent us a picture and it is absolutely stunning, breathtaking as a matter of fact.

Churches and Cathedrals were once built to reflect the glory and majesty of God.

I have read over and over again the instructions that God gave Moses for the construction of the Tabernacle, which was the place of worship for the Israelites. It needed to be portable and easy to move during their wanderings in the desert, but it was also ornate and full of rich detail. Massive amounts of gold were fashioned for the decor. Only the finest linen was used, gemstones were hewn for the priests’ breastplates, even the carrying poles had gold rings and end caps.

This was God’s house and it had to reflect His grandeur of His majesty.

But as beautiful as that Tabernacle was only the priests could enjoy the beauty. Not everyone had open access to enter.

However, when Christ came a different and more common temple was fashioned.

“You surely know that your body is a temple where the Holy Spirit lives. The Spirit is in you and is a gift from God. You are no longer your own. 20 God paid a great price for you. So use your body to honor God.” I Corinthians 6:19-20 CEV

We, the body of believers, are the dwelling place for the Spirit of God. We’re not quite as fancy with gilded walls and tapestries but we are where God has chosen to dwell.

“ Listen! I am standing and knocking at your door. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and we will eat together.” Revelation 3:20 CEV

Christ asks our permission for entrance. He desires to make His home in our hearts, bringing His supernatural character to our natural existence.

“My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you’ll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God.

20-21 God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.” Ephesians 3:15-20 MSG

All He asks of us is permission to enter, an open door into our lives. His presence makes us a glorious temple, a place of worship.

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