Father God,
For each beat of my heart,
For each breath I do take,
For each blink of my eyes,
I give You thanks.
For this world You did make,
For the wonder You are
For this life You sustain,
I give You praise,
For the love You have showed,
For my Lord Christ Jesus
For my sins forgiven,
I worship You.
For my hope that’s secured,
For the peace I now have,
For the joy in my heart,
I love You.
Psalm 145:1-3 ESV
[1] I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever. [2] Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever. [3] Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable.
Worship trumps any pain or anger, disappointment or frustration. No matter the situation, worship turns one’s heart to the One who is greater than any disappointment or frustration, pain or anger. But what if I do not feel like worshiping? Then do it any way. Satan would love nothing more than for you to turn away from God. Satan wants you to extol what he is doing to you. He wants you to remember and ruminate on the pain your feeling. He wants you to dwell in disappointment, frustration, anger, and despair. In short, Satan want you to worship him. But do not give in.
Extol GOD’S name instead. And when you do, truly looking at and dwelling with the Father, that which Satan is trying to hold you captive will become weaker and lose its power over you. Begin by recalling what God has done for you right now. You opened your eyes this morning. That is a gift from the Father. You took a breath. That is a gift from the Father. Jesus has died for the forgiveness of your sins. That is a gift from the Father. And you get my point.
Extol GOD’S name and His name alone, for HE is a great Lord, and HIS greatness is unsearchable.
“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14)
Amen
It is a presumptuous thing for a sinner, on their own, to think they can speak to a holy God in an acceptable way. The Jews believed this, so much so, that not even the name of God dared to pass their lips, lest they risk offending or angering God.
Even now, we do not give the praise and worship God is due, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). And since that is the case, you and I need help. But do you want to know something – God is pleased to help; at least those who WANT to give acceptable worship and praise. You see, God wants the glory and so He will see to it that His children give Him the glory He desires. You just need to want and then ask for help.
So let Psalm 19:14 be your prayer as you seek to worship God. Let it be your prayer as you seek to sing His praises. Let it be your prayer as you seek to make God known. God is the Rock and Redeemer, so let us seek to give Him what is acceptable in His sight.
Raise your hands to the Lord,
and all that is in you.
Raise your hands to the Lord,
for He is faithful and true.
He has redeemed your life from the pit.
He has saved you from death.
The Lord is mighty to save.
So praise Him with your every breath.
In Jesus you have a new family.
In Jesus you are not cast away.
In Jesus all hope is secure.
So raise your praise on this day.
Why wait? Why wait, to praise the Lord?
For He is worthy of praise now.
Look into His Word and know,
I promise that you will say “Wow!”
Raise you hands to the Lord,
and all that is in you.
Raise your hands to the Lord,
For all praise to Him is definitely due.
My eyes are closed yet the sun is shining through;
My fleshly barrier cannot hold back the light.
This reality proclaims the truth of the Light – and I smile.
As I smile, I listen.
I listen to the nature chorus.
Birds of all kinds contribute.
A dog barks wanting to join the chorus.
Soon an insect offers their voice and the chorus grows.
The music is unique – nothing like it will ever be heard.
The music is rhythmic – no practice was required.
The music is lively – singing praises to the Creator.
Oh God, You have ordained praise and nature sings.
You have given me Life, and my heart rejoices.
The Light shines in the darkness and the darkness will never overcome.
I listen
I rejoice
I smile
Let us join our song together in praising our awesome God…
Holy God and Father, it is right to give You thanks and praise at all times, in all places and in all circumstances. Yes, it is always right to give You thanks and praise. For You are sovereign over the heavens and the earth. You are the Creator. You reign on high – high above all gods. You are our Rock. You are our Fortress. Through Jesus Christ, You are our salvation. Oh God, praise and worship is indeed befitting You. Our souls sing for joy at the mere thought of You. Holy and mighty God you are glorious and thus we long to magnify our song by joining with the Church on earth and the hosts of heaven in singing Your unending praise…
May our song of praise to God never, ever diminish.
Here’s some liturgy I wrote for Holy Communion this morning.
Is it right to give You thanks and praise? Of course it is, oh God. You are our Loving Father,
God almighty,
Creator,
Sovereign Lord and King,
Redeemer and
our Strong Fortress.
You came down at Christmas time and flooded Your creation with Love.You dwelt among us in Jesus Christ, died and rose that our sins would be forgiven. You have obliterated the reign of the Father of Lies; smashing his head as You promised. You have washed us clean with the blood of the lamb and through faith, have clothed us with Christ’s righteousness. Oh God, there is much to thank and praise You for and so we continue our efforts by joining with the Church on earth and the hosts of heaven in singing Your unending praise…
To God be the glory, always and forever. Amen!
Praise the Lord ! Praise the Lord , O my soul! I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
[Psalms 146:1-2 ESV]
Praise is befitting You for You are glorious.
Your beauty is beyond words,
for when I gaze at Your creation I stand in silent awe.
And that is just the tip of the iceberg,
for to see Your full glory and beauty would short-circuit my brain;
not to mention that as a sinner I can’t see You face to face and live.
Your beauty is beyond words,
and,
Your holiness is perfect.
And thus as a sin-stained creature I am nothing in Your sight.
But You, Oh Lord my God, are full of
Mercy
Grace
Compassion
Forgiveness
Yes, praise is befitting You for You do not give to me as I deserve.
But You gave me Jesus.
Oh wow, You gave me Jesus.
Your beauty is beyond words.
Your holiness is perfect.
and Your love is amazing.
Yes, Lord, Your love; for You are love.
Ohhhh,
I am at a lose for words as I meditate on You.
May even my groanings and sighings be praise befitting You.
Praise to You, oh Lord!
Praise to You!
Great majesty
Wide and Deep love
Awesome grace
Unending faithfulness
Amazing mercy
Perfect timing
Steadfast ways
WOW!
Holy God and Father,
There are not enough adjectives to describe you,
but it sure is fun thinking them up.
Copious forgiveness
Mighty power
Magnificent appearance
Creative Creator
Beautiful Lord
Caring Father
Outstanding God
Etc, etc etc…
The Pastor -|—
Holy, holy, holy, is Your awesome name, oh God.
Holy, holy, holy are You above all others.
You created with a word,
You save us by Your Son.
You sustain us with Your Spirit.
Oh God,
there is no god that can do that.
There is no god like You.
But yet we insist on trying to find another.
We insist on seeking a savior that can not save.
Oh God,
convict our hearts to see, that You and You alone are the One.
Convict our hearts to hear Your Word of life, Jesus Christ.
Convict our hearts to turn and run away from our sin.
Speak to us Life.
Show us Your glory.
Forgive us our sins.
Send us by Your Spirit.
Heal us that we may live.
All praise, glory, honor and worship be unto You,
holy Father,
through Christ Jesus our Lord,
Amen.
The Pastor -|—
The Heart of a Pastor 