II Timothy 1:7; Psalm 98 - "Sing Unto The Lord"

This morning God led me to Psalm 98. He has been having me in the book of Psalm a lot lately. As I thought about it, I realized there are a lot of praises in it. He knows I need to praise Him throughout these 'tough' days. He knows when I praise Him it takes my focus off of self and back onto Him where it belongs. He knows they encourage me greatly. Plain and simple. He knows. Woo hoo! This particular Psalm encourages me to praise Him for the new day ahead. Last night when Doc asked me for my prayer request at our prayer time I told him 'for the week ahead.' It is so hard to believe it is already March. Where did January and February go? Life is so busy with doctor visits/chemo, working on getting the church building finished, trying to keep up with everything he can't do, etc. But the most important part of life that I must keep my focus on is the Lord. He is the One that not only gets me through the 'tough' days but blesses me in abundance. He is the One I stay focused on so the enemy has no open door. He is the One that leads and directs me as I walk in obedience to His will. Plain and simple. He is the One. 

1 Go ahead—sing your brand-new song to the Lord!
He is famous for his miracles and marvels,
for he is victorious through his mighty power and holy strength.
2 Everyone knows how God has saved us,
for he has displayed his justice throughout history.
3 He never forgets to show us his love and faithfulness.
How kind he has been to Israel!
All the nations know how he stands behind his people
and how he saves his own.
4 So go ahead, everyone, and shout out your praises with joy!
Break out of the box and let loose
with the most joyous sound of praise!
5 Sing your melody of praise to the Lord
and make music like never before!
6 Blow those trumpets and shofars!
Shout with joyous triumph before King Yahweh!
7 Let the ocean’s waves join in the chorus with their roaring praise
until everyone everywhere shouts out in unison,
“Glory to the Lord!”
8 Let the rivers and streams clap with applause
as the mountains rise in a standing ovation
to join the mighty choir of exaltation.
9 Look! Here he comes! The Lord and judge of all the earth!
He’s coming to make things right and to do it fair and square.
And everyone will see that he does all things well! (TPT)

The first three verses of Psalm 98 tell me of the glory of my Redeemer. When we accept Jesus into our hearts, we sing a new song. Our lives are changed. As we allow His love, mercy, and grace to work in us, He will put a 'new song' in our hearts. Woo hoo! We will praise Him no matter what we are going through as we live out this 'new song'! In the next six verses David wrote of the joy He gives us. We have much to rejoice about every day. Some days it may be a little harder to find things to praise Him for but they are there. Every day we wake up breathing is a reason to rejoice. If we have a roof over our heads, food on the table, etc., we have a reason to praise Him. If our bills are paid and our needs are covered, we have a reason to praise Him. But we must remember that even when those things don't happen, we still need to praise Him. When your husband is diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, you still need to praise Him. When you become frustrated with a church building not being completed after such a 'long' time, you still need to praise Him. When you feel like you can't put one foot in front of another, you still need to praise Him. Plain and simple. No matter what the circumstances of life, you still need to praise Him. I'm so ready for Him to return to this earth and take me to live for eternity in heaven. But until that time comes there is much to be accomplished on this earth. One of those things I must do is praise Him. The enemy does not like when we praise God. He is prowling around ready to find us in our weak moments so he can take us down. But when we live a life of praise for the Lord there are no weak moments. Praising God strengthens us. Standing on II Timothy 1:7 strengthens me so much. It empowers me to love with His love so the enemy has no room in my life. It empowers me to be filled with the Holy Spirit so I can not only hear God's voice but walk in obedience to it. It empowers me to be more intentional in my walk with the Lord. Plain and simple. It empowers me. Woo hoo! No one knows when He will return but we all need to be ready at all time. I like how Matthew Henry describes how we should be. "...let us give diligence that we may be found of Him in peace, without spot, and blameless." Yes! That is exactly how I strive to live. Today is a new day. The start of a new week. Yesterday was a day to worship with my church family. It was a day to reflect back on last week and look forward to a new week. God has given me a new song in my heart to start this week. No matter what is ahead, I will praise Him.

Sing unto the Lord a new song

Sing unto the Lord all the earth...

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for this Scripture and song to bless me in abundance! Thank You for the reminder for me to praise You no matter what the circumstances! Thank You for cleansing me so You can fill me to overflowing with more of Your Holy Spirit! Thank You as You go before me and are my words, actions, attitude, and thoughts throughout this day! Thank You  for the blessings of yesterday and the ones ahead in this day! I praise You for improvement in Ady and the strength You are giving to Trisha! I praise You for the answer to prayer with providing primer when it was empty and I prayed over the bucket on Saturday! I praise You for Doc not only being able to go to church yesterday but being able to preach! I praise You for the way You are going to empower Him with Your strength today! I praise You for the blood work results we will receive for him! I praise You for all the ways You will use me today as Your willing servant! Thank You Father for being My New Song! Amen.