Praise the Name of Jesus

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. – (Ephesians 1:3, NIV)

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In Christ, God has given us every spiritual blessing in heaven. – (Ephesians 1:3, ERV)

Blessed be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus the Anointed One, who grants us every spiritual blessing in these heavenly realms where we live in the Anointed – not because of anything we have done, but because of what He has done for us. – (Ephesians 1:3, VOICE)

The blessings from God are far too numerous to count. He has given us faith, salvation, family, friends, home, health, life, love, peace and so much more. Jesus meets us where we are and supplies us with what we need. Grace surrounds us, goodness is poured out upon us, and peace is present through the abundance of His perfect love. For these reasons and so many more, it is right to give Him our thanks and praise. May our lives be a constant offering of worship to He alone who is worthy.

All praise to the One,

Our God and our King;

Savior, Provider,

Lord of ev’rything.

His blessings poured out,

Our reason to sing;

In love, let’s worship,

Full of thanksgiving.

For health and for hope,

For goodness and grace;

Peace, love and comfort,

Strength throughout our days.

Because You pursue,

Us with Your great love;

Forever we’ll praise,

Jesus, Lord above.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You have poured out Your blessings upon us in abundance. Thank You that everything good that we see, feel and experience is a gift from You. Forgive us for neglecting to properly praise You for who You are and how You love and provide for us all. Teach us to recognize and acknowledge every good and perfect gift that comes from You. Show us how to love those around us in a way that reflects Your goodness and is an act of worship unto You. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we thank You for how You pursue and love us, for the people that You purposefully place in our lives, and for the grace that gifts us with a fresh start each new day. Amen.

© Shannon Elizabeth Grabrick and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present

It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praise to Your Name, O Most High. – Psalm 92:1

Sing in Strength

Be exalted, Lord, in Your strength; we will sing and praise Your might. – (Psalm 21:13, HCSB)

Lord, we lift You up with our songs of praise. We sing and play songs about Your power! – (Psalm 21:13, ERV)

Show Your strength, God, so no one can miss it. We are out singing the good news! – (Psalm 21:13, MSG)

The strength of the Lord is all-encompassing; body, heart, mind and spirit. He provides the strength we need where it is needed, and it is yet another reason that we ought to sing and praise His Name. As we ask, God is faithful to provide. Most of this past year, I feel like that has been my constant prayer – Lord, please give me the strength that is needed to navigate this day. Each day, as I drove home from work, I could not help but sing from a grateful heart, for His strength had been provided anew, and His power, evident to me. Even on the days that were less than stellar, God’s strength was refreshed and renewed. Each morning, it was in the seeking that my heart was recharged and made ready for the new day. May we ever seek the Lord and ask Him to show us His strength where we need it, and let our hearts sing praise for His faithfulness that knows no end.

O Lord, we cry out,

Photo by Min An on Pexels.com

To You once again;

To meet us with strength,

And make our paths plain.

May we ever sing,

Of the strength You give;

Grace for each new day,

Goodness as we live.

With arms wide open,

Let us choose give praise;

For strength provided,

Throughout all our days.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You show us Your strength again and again, and that Your faithfulness never ends. Thank You that You are our reason to sing praise. Forgive us for the times that we have neglected to give You credit for supplying all that we needed and more. Teach us to acknowledge and honor You for who You are and all that You do. Show us how to love those around us well, so that they too, may recognize the strength that You provide. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we sing praise and give You thanks for the strength that You alone provide. Amen.

© Shannon Elizabeth Grabrick and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present

But I will sing of Your strength and will joyfully proclaim Your faithful love in the morning. For You have been a stronghold for me, a refuge in my day of trouble. – Psalm 59:16

Sing Praise

Come, let us shout joyfully to the Lord, shout triumphantly to the Rock of our salvation! Let us enter His presence with thanksgiving; let us shout triumphantly to Him in song. – (Psalm 95:1-2, HCSB)

Come let us sing praise to the Lord! Let us shout praises to the Rock who saves us. Come and worship Him with songs of thanks. Let us sing happy songs of praise to Him. – (Psalm 95:1-2, ERV)

Come, let’s shout praises to God, raise the roof for the Rock who saves us! Let’s march into His presence singing praises, lifting the rafters with our hymns! – (Psalm 95:1-2, MSG)

No matter what is going on, God is always worthy of our praise. He holds us up through hard times and rejoices with us during seasons of blessing. The Lord is our Provider, Protector, and Prince of Peace. We are always welcomed into His presence. It is in His presence that one cannot help but give thanks, for it is in that space that we recognize the goodness of God. May we ever come before the Lord with thanks, for He is always good.

Sing praise to the Lord,

Our Rock and our King;

The Savior of all,

Our reason to sing.

For God alone saves,

Brings hope and new life;

Holds us through heartache,

The Ender of strife.

Always we’re welcome,

To seek, enter in;

 For His peace prevails,

And new life begins.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that we are welcomed to enter Your presence as we are. Thank You that as we do, You bless us with the perfect peace found in Your presence, and the grace and forgiveness our hearts need. In You, we have reason to praise and worship You with all that we are. Forgive us for our lack of seeking. Teach us to ever pursue time with You, for it is in that space that we become increasingly aware of Your goodness and how deeply You love. Show us how to love those around us in the same way, so that they too may understand the overwhelming kindness of Your grace and the abundant blessing of Your love. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we come before You with thanks and praise and sing of Your goodness for all of our days. Amen.

© Shannon Elizabeth Grabrick and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present

Sing to Him; sing praise to Him; tell about all His wonderful works! – 1 Chronicles 16:9

Remember to Praise

Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all His benefits. – (Psalm 103:1-2, NIV)

O my soul, bless God. From head to toe, I’ll bless His holy name! O my soul, bless God, don’t forget a single blessing! – (Psalm 103:1-2, MSG)

O my soul, come, praise the Eternal with all that is in me – body, emotions, mind, and will – every part of who I am – praise His holy name. O my soul, come, praise the Eternal; sing a song from a grateful heart; sing and never forget all the good He has done. – (Psalm 103:1-2, VOICE)

For so many, I know this pandemic is a very long season of struggle. Isolation and financial hardships have not been a positive pairing. However, even so, God is good. Difficult seasons have a way of bringing out the good in people. I have witnessed generosity and grace, kindness, goodness and compassion, in spaces where it was needed most. As we praise God and remember His blessings, it inspires us to do the same for those around us. The more we recognize the goodness of God, the greater our desire becomes to praise Him with all that we are. May we ever seek to know God more, and allow our lives to sing out our gratitude for who He is and all that He has done, as we intentionally love people and love God, the way that He intended.

Lord, I lift my praise,

All up unto You;

For Your mighty love,

And all that You do.

Your kindness and grace,

Give reason to sing;

All thanks unto You,

Our praise offering.

Let our very lives,

Be songs that give praise;

For Your mighty love,

Outpoured each new day.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You are our reason to praise. Thank You for Your goodness and grace, love and merciful ways, shown to us again and again throughout all of our days. Forgive us for allowing our eyes to fix on the difficulties before us, rather than on the One who is our Provider. Teach us to turn to You, recognizing the power of Your love and provision. Show us how to love those around us in ways that glorify You. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we praise You with all that we are through all that we do and say. Amen.

© Shannon Elizabeth Grabrick and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present

Sing to Him, sing praise to Him; tell of all His wonderful acts. – 1 Chronicles 16:9

Trust in Faithfulness

For the word of the Lord is right and true; He is faithful in all He does. – (Psalm 33:4, NIV)

The Lord’s word is true, and He is faithful in everything He does. – (Psalm 33:4, ERV)

For God’s Word is something to sing about! He is true to His promises, His word can be trusted, and everything He does is reliable and right. – (Psalm 33:4, TPT)

 

Yesterday was a shining example of the faithfulness of God. As teachers across the state went live for day one, I imagine many shared the crazy roller coaster that carried us through ups and downs, highs and lows, and unexpected turns as we navigated the new. After several weeks of preparing, and the last-minute checking prior to activating everything to go live according to schedule, all seemed to be ready and running according to plan. Shortly after activating my webpages, I received a panicked email from one of my students who was unable to access her account. I followed protocol and forwarded her information to our tech guy who is wonderful about resetting passwords, and returned a message to her to let her know that she should be ready to access everything, shortly. There were more emails to answer and issues to trouble-shoot, yet all seemed to be going well. Then, I received a very kind email from the father of one of my fantastic students, letting me know that she was struggling to access the assignments on Canvas. I shifted gears and accessed the site, wracking my brain to discover why the assignment would not be visible to scholars. Not two minutes after I had sent a message to tech support, inquiring what minute detail I might be missing, did I discover the mystery click that had been missed. Though every page, assignment and task had been published, if the top “unit” bar did not have the circle clicked, assignments that appear below it are inaccessible. Who knew? Anyway, problem solved, Thank You Jesus, and I was able to email the father back and thank him for his help as I learn this new technology, and for his grace, as his kindness was appreciated more than words can express. Though my Zoom office hours were attended by only a few, it was so good to see and hear my kiddos, and I am encouraged that Thursday’s will go far better. The day flew by, far more quickly than days in the previous several weeks, especially now that there is ongoing interaction with students and families again. Though it is not the same as in the classroom, I am grateful for a way to make this work during this season of time away from one another. Human connection is essential in the classroom before learning can take place, and we now have tools to reconnect and engage, so that all of us can learn and grow together. Though things did not go as I anticipated, it was still a good day. God is faithful and we are moving forward in our present season, and I can already see the good that is coming.

 

The word of the Lord,

Is right and is true;

He’s faithful always,

His grace sees us through.

Through uncertain times,

Ever He is near;

To help and give hope,

And take away fear.

For God is faithful,

Through everything;

Our strength to press on,

And reason to sing.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You are faithful forever. Thank You that You go before us, walk beside us, and remain with us; always. Thank You that You equip and strengthen us to do difficult things. Forgive us for our frustrations and doubts when we cannot see how things could possibly work out. Teach us to trust You more, for You are far greater than any situation or circumstance that could ever come our way. Show us how to persevere, even when things don’t make sense. Help us to love, encourage and support those around us, so that they may grow and thrive in every season. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we trust in the truth of Your word, as You are faithful forever. Amen.

 

© Shannon Elizabeth Grabrick and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present

 

The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and He helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise Him. – Psalm 28:7

Be Glad, Lovely Sky

Shout for joy, you heavens; rejoice, you earth; burst into song, you mountains! For the Lord comforts His people and will have compassion on His afflicted ones. – (Isaiah 49:13, NIV)

Heavens and earth, be happy! Mountains, shout with joy! The Lord comforts His people. He is good to His poor people. – (Isaiah 49:13, ERV)

Oh joy! Be glad – sky! Take joy – earth! Burst into song – mountains! For the Eternal, moved to compassion, has comforted and consoled His people. – (Isaiah 49:13, VOICE)

 

Though we may not feel it in the midst of our struggles, God is moving with compassion and supplying His comfort. Perhaps that is the “why” to rejoice, for when we do, it further comforts us, despite our circumstances. Additionally, even if we do not choose to rejoice and be glad, “…the very rocks would start to shout!” (Luke 19:40, VOICE) The truth of who God is will be made known, with or without us. We are in a unique position to demonstrate joy, despite our circumstances; rejoice in the truth that we know, and hold fast to the hope of all that is yet to come. It does not mean that we will be “Miss Susie Sunshine” all the time, but what it does mean is that there is an underlying joy and hope, deep-rooted within us, that shines forth somehow, even on the most difficult of days. May we set our sights on He who is good to His people and has compassion and comfort for those in need. Let us take joy in the truth that we know and be glad in ways that spread goodness to those around us.

 

Be glad, lovely sky,

Take joy, all the earth;

For God sees us each,

With infinite worth.

In His holy love,

Comfort He does bring;

Full of compassion,

Our reason to sing.

So, sing out with praise,

All the earth rejoice;

Lift praise to the Lord,

One heart and one voice.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that all of heaven and earth has reason to rejoice and be glad, as You bring comfort and compassion to the afflicted and those in need. Thank You that You hear every prayer and see every need. Forgive us for our lack of praise in spaces of struggle. Show us how to rejoice and hold hope in tangible ways that spread joy to those around us. Help us to love all those whom we have contact with in ways that encourage and strengthen them with joy and hope. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we praise You with grateful hearts, full of hope, as You are our Comforter, full of compassion in every season of our lives. Amen.

 

© Shannon Elizabeth Grabrick and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present

 

“I tell you,” He replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” – Luke 19:40