Know that the LORD is God.” Psalm 100:3a

This verse above is a command. We are to willfully accept this truth, to grasp it and internalize it.  This calls for bowing our intellect to Scripture, for we can only know God through revelation.

Praise be to you, Lord God, for giving this information to your tiny creatures, limited by this natural world, unable on our own to see the supernatural. There are hints, but we guess wrongly without your specific revelation.

We praise you for your great love that makes your person knowable. You have revealed yourself as Lord, Yahweh, the holy One, great and glorious, powerful and pure, the righteous Judge and Hater of sin. You are God, Elohim, the powerful and faithful One, showing your power in creation and your faithfulness in fulfilling your promise to provide salvation.

What a God! what a Lord! You are without fault, without lack, without sin, totally sufficient in your triune self, complete in full-orbed wisdom, complete in everlasting love. Help us to  consistently  seek shelter in your mighty power, your perfect love and your rich wisdom. amen.

The following was written in 2011 following an unsuccessful attempt to resolve a conflict on one of our teams, a painful event with a sad outcome.

Psalm 34:1 “I will extol the LORD at all times;”

[Even now, in the midst of this painful failure, in darkness and despair, I will extol you, Lord, I choose to praise you, the great and sovereign God who is at work doing what is right, bringing good out of every situation. You, Lord God, are worthy of worship even in the worst of circumstances, humanly speaking–for you do not abandon us. You press on in spite of this pain you suffer with us. You are faithful to the end, and therefore worthy of all exaltation.]

“his praise will always be on my lips.”

[Always, no matter what happens, in every difficulty, every hardship, every form of suffering, failure and evil, I can praise you and I choose to do so. You, Lord God are good, through and through. Therefore what you do is good, what you allow you will use for good for your children, bringing breaking and transformation. Lord God, do good in this situation. Have us suffer as long as is necessary; may we learn what we need to and go through what you know is necessary, with your power and strength.]

Psalm 34:2 “My soul will boast in the LORD;”

[If I am honest, there is nothing to boast about in myself, I can only boast in you, Lord Jesus, the perfect One, the pure One, the holy One who never makes a mistake, never fails. To you certainly belongs honor, praise and worship. You are the One to boast in, not myself.]

“let the afflicted hear and rejoice.”

[In this case I am afflicted, beaten down, a failure, but as I think on you, Lord, I can, with my will, rejoice in you.]

Psalm 34:3 “Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together.”

[This is the purpose for which I was created, Lord: to bring you honor, praise and exaltation. In this situation, I honor you by faith, clinging to you and to your truth, praising you for what you are doing–what I can’t see or understand yet. To trust you in the darkness brings you glory. Thank you for the light of your Word in this darkness, as illustrated in the picture here.

I will focus on this now, Lord, giving you praise for how you are working things out. At present, from my perspective, there is only total failure and loss, but in reality, there also is the opportunity for giving great glory to you as, by faith, I rest in your wisdom and grace, offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving.]

This post is an example of nurturing my first love for Jesus.

You Lord Jesus, are far better than anything we could imagine, for in you there is no flaw—we have never experienced anything like that here on earth, where everything has weaknesses, problems, faults and lacks.

But in you there is no lack, no end of supply, no failure, no loss. You are all that is good; you are void of what is bad. I praise you that you cannot sin, you cannot lie, you cannot be tempted with evil, you cannot do any wrong–for these are the opposite of your beautiful nature.

You are unchangingly pure, persistently positive, absolutely powerful and unceasingly consistent in protection. Therefore, we can call you our Rock, our Fortress, our Defender, our Shield, our Strength, our Stronghold.

You are glorious beyond our conception, you are great beyond comprehension, you are good beyond understanding and you are gracious beyond measure.

In you is found all we desire, for we were made to live in you, with you, by you, for you. In you we are complete, with you we are protected, by you we are empowered, for you we can live and work, love and die.

Help us all to live in the light of your beautiful, fullorbed character, Lord Jesus.

“and my hope is in you all day long.”

[In what else, in whom else can we hope? There is no one else powerful enough, big enough, loving enough, wise enough, long-lived enough to hope in. And there is no one else who is faithful, gracious, good and great like you, who cares for your sheep, protects your lambs, leads your flock.

You are the God of hope who desires to fill us with all joy and peace, if we will only trust in you. Then our lives will overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Rom. 15:13)

I praise you, Lord Jesus, for what you will do in this day, in the large situations before me as well as the small details. I praise you that you will do this in your goodness and grace, in your wisdom and love. I praise you for the need to wait, for the opportunity to trust before seeing your help, for the chance to give the sacrifice of thanksgiving, for the privilege of giving you honor by responding in faith rather than in fear.

You are worthy of our trust, our worship, our obedience, our praise. May you be exalted in my life today, O Lord God, King of glory, Ruler of all.

Psalm 25:1 “To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul;”

[It is wonderful that I can freely, transparently tell you, Lord, everything I am thinking, wanting and feeling. You know it all anyway; nothing shocks you; and you are “good and ready to forgive, and plenteous in mercy and truth to all those who call upon you” (Ps. 86:5). I don’t need to fear being transparent, for you are not out to punish but to protect, to nurture, mature and guide. You are the God of Goodness, so I can be fully open to you.]

Psalm 25:2 “in you I trust, O my God.”

[Your Character, your Word, and your Acts all give far more than ample reason for trusting you. You are perfect in Mercy and Justice; you are Lavish in Love and Kindness; you are consistent in Goodness and Grace, you are unwavering in Presence and in Power.

Your Word is living and strong, shining the light of wisdom on our way. Your actions, both in history and in the present, show your careful planning, persistent follow-though and sacrificial love in dealing with us. You are utterly trustable, and to trust you is a great opportunity to give you glory; you are totally worthy of our confidence in you. Help me to rest in your goodness today.]