Praise be to you, Lord, for how you will guide, direct and protect us today, as well as take us through the difficulties before us, events you will use for good and growth in us. It is so wonderful to know that you have a plan, that you have gone before and know the way out of each situation you have allowed. We can rest in your wisdom, your power, you goodness, your knowledge, your insight, your love. This world will be full of twists and turns, ups and downs, failures and successes. But in each event you are not only there, but you have gone before us, know the outcome and have arranged a way for us through it all. It is up to us to follow you so we can come out to the pleasant place you have prepared. To you be praise, glory and honor, for you are totally worthy of it. I thank you now for what you will do today.
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God's loving guidance
The Promises of Jesus
Praise be to you for your great promises, Lord Jesus, fastened at one end to your plans laid out before the foundation of the earth, then stretched over time as a canopy of protection, and fastened at the other end in the conclusion of history when all evil and sin will be swept away and confined to Hell and the lake of fire.
Your faithfulness is our shield and rampart, throwing back the attacks of the enemy. We live every day under your powerful, pure and persistent protection. And you give us a part in this, equipping us with the ever-present and portable protection in the spiritual armor (Ephesians 6:10-18). I praise you especially for the shield of faith, which we can choose to raise with praise to quench all the fiery arrows of lies and accusations the enemy shoots at us.
–From the devotional book, EDIFIED!
The Beauty of our King
Praise be to you, Lord, for your being gracious, kind, good, wise, powerful and persistent. Your heart is one of pure motives, positive desires and great goodness. In you is rejection of all wrong, judgment of all evil, repudiation of all that is harmful, destructive and negative.
In you there is no evil, no iniquity, no sin. You are Light that overcomes the darkness; you are Life that overcomes death; you are Love that overcomes hatred; you are Truth that banishes lies; you are the Way that ends confusion and lostness.
You are the perfect One: perfect in power, in potential, in persistence and provision. In you there is no error, no ignorance, no confusion, no failure.
You are the Victor, the Conqueror, the Champion, the Overcomer, our King. And you have shared with us the end of the story so we can live in the light of the outcome, knowing that you will triumph over all falsehood, destruction, darkness and death. You will lock up evil and rule in holiness and happiness.
You will usher in a reign of righteousness and joy, of goodness and grace, of purity and power. You, Lord God–Father, Son and Holy Spirit–are worthy of worship, deserving of praise, entitled to obedience. To you be honor, glory and exaltation in my life today. Amen.
The Privilege of Prayer
Praise be to you, Heavenly Father, for your faithfulness and desire to answer prayer. I praise you for the concept of prayer, the idea that you want us to come to you and ask for things, to interact with you on a personal level. Thank you for wanting us to be a significant part of your great plan through prayer, that you are willing to tie your actions to our participation.
You are so much better able to do things on your own, yet you stoop to include us, even though it hampers you. You are the ultimate Father, full of love and goodness, concerned for the development of your children, including them, taking them with you, wanting to work with them more than to get things done quickly and efficiently. Relationships are of the utmost value to you, and I praise you for that. You are so patient, so kind, so gracious, so firm and consistent. You are certainly worthy of worship and praise, of surrender and obedience. May I give you all of those today.
–Worship Journal entry
Security
You, Lord Jesus, know every single detail of what will come today and you have already made provision to protect me from what is evil, for you are all-knowing and all-wise; you are strong and faithful, trustable and good. I praise you ahead of time for what you will bring into my life today, both in challenges and in the grace to meet them.
–From the devotional book EDIFIED! (www.edifyingservices.com)
Reconciliation
I praise you, O Lord God, that you, in your greatness, rise far above our ability to comprehend. How could One who hates sin so profoundly, provide, against all human logic, a pardon for your creatures who are so thoroughly evil, rebellious and contrary to you? Yet, in your wonderful, rich grace you opened the way, providing reconciliation, crushing your Son without mercy that mercy might flow to your enemies. You do this because you are faithful to your character: you are Light, you are Life, you are Love and you are lovely.
—From the book EDIFIED! (www.edifyingservices.com)
God the Great One
You, Lord God, are the Most High, the Wise Creator, the Mighty King, the Successful Savior, the Righteous Redeemer, the Faithful Father, the Perfect Planner, the Powerful Protector, the Beginner and Ender of time. Therefore it is right to submit to you in joy, it is right to rise up in obedience, it is right to live in the light of your presence, it is right to exalt you in all we do. Yes, praise belongs to you forever and ever! –from the book “EDIFIED!”
Worthy is Our God
“Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.”
Psalm 145:3
Yes, praise be to you, Lord God, the Triune One, Breather of the stars, Lighter of the sun, Spinner of the earth, Bringer of the dawn. We glorify your name, for you are the Holy One, sparkling in purity, shining truth into our lives, spreading light with every act. We exalt you, the totally good One, pouring grace upon your creation, watering the garden of our souls with your love, planting seeds of good desire in our hearts. You are the mighty One, towering far above all creation, powerful in every good work, filling the universe with your majestic, gracious Presence.
–From the book EDIFIED!
Valentine's Day
Praise be to you, O Triune God, the great Lover of the universe and beyond. Your love flows without beginning and without end down through the ages. From before the foundation of the world you planned the greatest act of love that will ever exist: the Holy One, Jesus, becoming sin and being crushed under the just wrath of the Father so that mercy might triumph over justice. And you did this, not for your friends or family, but for your bitter, destructive, dangerous enemies! What a wonderful and powerful love is yours.
In the light of this Love, we can today love those around us, passing on the grace you have given. Help us to do that especially today. Praise and glory be to your Name, in your honor, for your worship.
Stability in Jesus
Lord God, I praise you for your majestic and glorious character. You are full of wisdom and understanding. You never panic, never worry, never are restless or fearful.
You are perfect, meaning you are always, gloriously the same: stable, faithful, unwavering, immutable, without error, failure or misstep. You are absolutely trustable. In your perfection you are perfectly good, completely loving, totally gracious, fully righteous and unceasingly wise. You can never get better and will never be less.
In you lies the stability I need in this warped world where my inner and outer situation is constantly fluctuating: unexpected events flood my day, triggering emotional highs and lows that swing me back and forth. But you are my stability, my rock, my fortress, my stronghold. My soul finds rest in you alone.
