The Lord took me to Psalm 147 this morning. I read it in different versions and pondered upon it. The last two verses remind me of a recent sermon series God gave me about the importance of being in His Word. The entire Psalm is about how we need to praise Him for every aspect of life. His Word is a gift He has given us and we need to remember to praise Him for it. We also need to remember to unwrap this gift every day. His Word needs to be a gift that is not only unwrapped but one that is used. It should not be a gift that is discarded or put off to the side but one that is enjoyed. I was thinking about the excitement in opening a gift. We need to have that same excitement. Yesterday when Rickey and I were thrift store shopping I became so excited over a John Maxwell book I found and a devotional book to share with a friend. That type of excitement needs to be experienced every time we open His Word. I get excited when I wake up with Him giving me a specific Scripture to read. This morning was very exciting as I read Psalm 147. It reminds me to praise Him for all He has done for me and what is yet to be. Spurgeon wrote, "He who is the Creator is also the Revealer. We are to praise the Lord above all things for his manifesting himself to us.” Woo hoo! God reveals His heart to us through His Word. That is exciting! Every time we open His Word we receive a gift. We can read the same Scripture at different times and receive something different. God knows what we need and provides. Even when we choose the ways of the world instead of Him He is faithful. Paul wrote in Romans 3 about how Israel was given the task to copy and preserve His Word. When some of them turned from God, He did not abandon them. His Word tells us He will always be with us. Deuteronomy 31:8 gives us this promise. That is definitely something to praise Him for with every breath we take. I am reminded of Hannah Kerr's song Same God this morning...
The same God who makes the planets spin
Tells the tide when it should rise
Put the color in my eyes
The same God who makes the seasons change
Knows the number of the stars
Every secret in my heart
All my doubts, all my questions
In every fear I have about what might happen
You're the same God
You're with me in the middle of it all, God
You're catching every tear as it falls
I know You'll never change
Even when I'm feeling far away
You love me the same, God
You love me the same, God
You love me the same, God
You love me the same
Praise His Holy Name! Psalm 147:1 tells us to praise God for His protection and preservation. Verses two through six tell us to praise Him for His care and power. Verses seven through eleven tell us to praise Him for His work in nature. The remaining of the chapter tells us to praise Him for His wisdom, power, and Word. We have much to praise God for! Sometimes we may not feel like praising Him but when we get our focus off of self and onto Him we will realize there is always something to praise Him for. Pulsford wrote, “There is no heaven, either in this world, or the world to come, for people who do not praise God. If you do not enter into the spirit and worship of heaven, how should the spirit and joy of heaven enter into you?” Those are some pretty strong words. We must be united with God to spend eternity with Him. We must remember He is always with us and is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. When He feels far away, we are the one to have moved.
Dear Jesus, Thank You for the blessings of yesterday and the ones ahead in this day! Thank You for this time with my Momma! Thank You for giving me physical, mental, emotional, financial, and most of all spiritual strength! Your Words from Psalm 147 encourage me greatly along with this song. Cleanse me so You can fill me to overflowing with more of You. May You ooze out of my words, actions, attitude, and thoughts today. May You shine brightly through me so others will desire to be in relationship with You. Lord, forgive me when I do not praise You enough. Thank You for the beauty of Your creation Rickey and I enjoyed last evening as we drove past the sunflower fields and had the car windows open with the wonderful breeze! Lord, I know there are many struggling with feeling like they can praise You. I pray they will have something today come to their mind to encourage them to have praises on their lips and in their hearts. When we focus on You instead of issues in life, we are more apt to praise You. My Momma; my sisters Linda, Sally, and Mary; Dan; Ben and Colleen; Pete and Delores; Mandy, Rodney, Cathy, Rae Lynn, Steve Cecil, and others with the loss of loved ones; Nada; Jack Rose; a couple diagnosed with COVID; Little Ivy's family; Melanie; Iwilda; Chrissy; and so many others. I pray continued strength for Kaleigh as she recuperates from surgery along with having a new born and toddler. Lord, may we all find reason to praise You no matter what is happening in life. Thank You for being The One I Praise! Amen.
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