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

His Kindness in Little Things

My soul, praise the Lord! Every part of me, praise His Holy Name! My soul, praise the Lord and never forget how kind He is! – (Psalm 103:1-2, ERV)

 

God knows what we need, and in His kindness, gives unto us. For whatever reason, I just did not sleep well last night. Normally, when I wake, I get up and get moving. This morning, I opted to lay there for an extra moment or two. Those moments ended up being hours, and my total sleep resulted in a full eight hours. Because I will be driving over a snow-covered mountain pass this afternoon, being rested is certainly a helpful blessing. At first I was a bit dumbstruck about getting out of bed so late, but then realized how kind God had been to me to grant my body the rest it really needed, in order to be alert for my drive. My head, my heart and my now rested body, can give Him praise as I go love toddlers in the nursery at church and then travel over the pass with my family. Let every part of us praise the Lord, for He is kind and cares about even the smallest things.

 

Let my soul give praise,

mind, heart and my soul;

lift praise to the Lord,

His Name, let’s extol.

Help me not forget,

His kindness and love;

all grace that He gives,

our great God above.

Sing out to the One,

with all that we are;

Who remains with us,

the bright Morning Star.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You are holy and kind and loving. Thank You that all praise and honor belong to You. Thank You that You see and care about even the little things in our lives, because You love. Forgive us for forgetting how personal and near You are. Teach us to trust all to You, and show us how to place everything in Your hands. Lead us to love others as You so lavishly and practically love each of us. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we praise You with all that we are, and never forget Your kindness to us. Amen.

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

He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy. – Job 8:21