Thanksgiving, Prayer, Praise, and the Face of God

This morning in my quiet time with God I was thinking about how we are faced every day with options for good and for evil. It seems that a part of the daily battle we face is in somehow actively choosing the good. If this is true, then God must have a plan and a method for us to do this. As I considered this, I thought of several scriptures that included the word thanksgiving. It seems there is a relationship between victory, prayer, thanksgiving, the face of God, and praise.

In Psalm 95:2 in the Hebrew it says we come before His presence (face) with thanksgiving (hands extended as if throwing or giving something actively). In Psalm 100:4 we enter the gates (opening) with thanksgiving (hands extended) and courts (walled in space) with praise (songs with instruments). In Psalm 147:7 we Sing (pay attention) to the Lord with Thanksgiving (hands extended).

Moving to the New Testament the word “thanksgiving” appears in places like Philippians 4:6 where it is tied to the requests we make to God through prayer with thanksgiving, Colossians 2:7 as a grounding to our faith, and in Colossians 4:2 where it is tied to prayer and watching. The word here in the Greek means actively grateful. Since these were written by Paul, a Jew well versed in the Hebrew scriptures and language, it is possible he chose this word because he knew about raising his hands. But what about a practical application?

In Exodus 17:11 there is a battle between Israel and Amalek. As long as Moses hands were up, Israel prevailed. As long as his hands were down, Amalek prevailed. It seems possible that Moses was giving thanksgiving for a battle that he knew God would fight along side them, and be victorious. If we will have faith and ask God for the victory by prayer and petition with our hands extended in thanksgiving, then we too can have God with us in the battle to prevail, even for something as simple as the battle for our thoughts in our minds.

Prayer
Father, thank you for the victories in our lives. Thank you for giving us the power over sin and death through the sacrifice of Your Son. We want to be Your people, and we hold out our hands to You to actively say, thank you. We praise You. In Jesus name. Amen.

Life Will Have Battles

As I awoke this morning I thought of upcoming challenges that are before me. It gave me an opportunity to be afraid, because they are real events. It also gave me an opportunity to pray and ask God how to get through these events. As I thought of these things, it occurred to me that God has not said that we would not have battles with the enemy. He has said that He would deliver us. I was trying to understand what that meant and thought of some of the great battles in scripture where God fought either along side or for His people.

In II Chronicles 20 Jahaziel the prophet stood up and said the battle was God’s, not to fear. This is the only record of Jahaziel prophesying. Jehoshaphat put the musicians out front to sing and praise God. They believed what God had spoken through the little known prophet. The result: by the time they arrived, the enemies had killed and destroyed each other. What is interesting to note is that the troops, armed to the teeth and ready to enter into the battle to the death, were there as well right behind the musicians – they were serious about warfare. This is an example of God fighting for us.

In Joshua 5 and 6 we see that the Commander of the Army of the Lord appeared to Joshua at the time of the battle of Jericho. They were instructed to march around the city for six days blowing the trumpets, and on the seventh day the same with shouting. The Commander said the walls would fall and the city would be theirs to take. They did as directed, and when the walls fell, the heavily armed warriors ran forward and killed everything in front of them. This is an example of God fighting along side us.

The point here is, God has declared us the winner, before the battle begins. We only need to serve Him and seek His face and direction. Praise God!

Prayer
Father, King of the Universe, I ask that You send Your Commander today to fight on behalf of our people. Let the whole world know, as said Solomon at the dedication of the temple, that You are God, You alone are God, through the deliverance of Your people. We are Your temple on the earth today. Give us the faith to trust in You. To God be all glory and honor and power! In Jesus name. Amen.

Life is a lot about choosing. I get this from reading the scriptures, and of course from life itself. In the scriptures we find choices by people who did well, like Abraham, Moses (eventually), Jesus of course, and others. These choices serve as an example to us. Others, not so much, like Saul king of Israel, Lot (and his wife), Judas and others. Their choices also teach us something. But what?

In Psalm 119 – don’t worry, I will not cover it line by line – there are numerous messages. One that stood out to me this morning when I read it was this idea of choices. The Psalmist is calling out to God, telling Him that he is clinging to those things which God has spoken, His words. He tells God that he is glad for the affliction that he has suffered because it caused him to learn the statutes (ways and things of God) which he has learned is better than gold. So why are the these words of God valuable. There are two reasons. The first is they teach him the way to life, both now and forever (in verse 85, for example, the proud are oppressing the Psalmist which is not allowed by the law). The second is the One that spoke them – God. If God promises something, it never goes astray but always…ALWAYS comes to pass.

Prayer
Father, Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. I am so blessed to have You watching over me, ready to make a way where there is no way. Thank You for the life You have given to me. Please now deliver deliver me from those that are proud and do not keep Your word, that I may declare Your word and Your testimonies before kings and rulers, and that the poor, the afflicted, and the fatherless might be delivered from the wicked one. May Your name be praised forever more! In Jesus name. Amen.

In the days of the Psalmists they were able to communicate with words very intense feelings, emotions, and thoughts that others to this day can still identify with in everyday life. In Psalm 88 the writer is lamenting their particular lot at that moment. We have to ask ourselves, why? Why is it that in a many of the Psalms the writers cry out to God. Could it be that they expected Him to answer and to raise them up? Think for a moment of the heritage – they were delivered by signs, wonders, and miracles from the evil in Egypt. They had this in their memory. They knew that God could and would deliver them. In Psalm 139 the writer asks God to destroy his enemies. He also asks for God to search him and let him know if there is any evil withing. He wants God to help him change to be a better person.

Me too. These words are a great encouragement to me.

Prayer
Father in heaven, King of the Universe, I thank you for all You do for us. I thank You that You can search me and help me to be better. I thank You that even thought I make mistakes, You never give up on me. You are my strength and my shield. I will not fear what man can do to me because I know that You are on my side.

Today I awoke very early while it was dark out. I felt God’s presence and began to pray. He reminded me of a scripture that gave me great comfort, Psalms 103:7-8. God showed His was to Moses and His acts to the children of Israel. He is slow to anger and full of mercy. I was comforted to know that even early in the morning while it is yet dark out, God was thinking of me.

Prayer
Father, thank you for your words that light our path. Thank you for your comfort and mercy. In Jesus name. Amen.

Another day of rest is upon us. Our God was wise to make certain that we took time away from the daily grind of life to simply rest and spend time with Him, our families, and our fellow believers. This morning as I was reading Psalm 111 and 112 I was greatly encouraged. In 112 it says that God blesses the house of those that serve Him. Their descendants live long on the earth. They lend to the poor, there is food in their house, and they are not afraid for their heart is set on God. The wicked see this and are troubled. In 111 it says that His covenant is forever, that He has sent redemption to His people. God’s works stand forever; they are holy and just. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and those that do His commandments have a good understanding. God’s praise will endure forever.

As I consider these wonderful blessings, I am blessed to realize that one of God’s commandments is to rest, to keep His sabbath. If we do, we have good understanding. If we desire to do something that is eternal, we can praise our God. Can it be that our singing, our praises to God, never stop rining in the heavens? So it would seem. Praise God!

Prayer
Father, I praise and exalt You as the Most High God. Above You there is no other. Thank You for this, yet another day of rest. Thank You for the amazing blessings You send. I praise You that we have an abundance and can give to the poor. I praise You that we can have an impact for good in the earth. I praise You for this rest. In Jesus name. Amen.

Have you ever been in a situation where you felt pressured by something in life an you just needed God to come through for you? Maybe it was something in a relationship, or financial, or even a physical healing. If so, then this is for you. Always remember, and say out loud to yourself as often as you can, we serve a very great God! Hebrews 11 tells us faith is what we feel when we are expecting something, that eager anticipation, or elpis in the Greek (verse 1). This is defined as believing that there is a God and that He is on our side to do us good (verse 6). James 2 tells us that faith without works is dead, which I interpret to mean what I am acting like is what I really believe. If I am having trouble maintaining that feeling of eager anticipation, and my actions and my beliefs are not the same, then likely I am having difficulty with my faith. Some may express this as “wavering”. In the days of the Exodus they protested to Moses that he must have brought them out into the desert to die. Doesn’t sound like they thought God was on their side, right? Or that they eagerly anticipated something good? So how do we move towards having faith, that trust in God to be on our side?

Paul said that the change in us is what we say with our mouth and believe in our heart (Romans 8:8-10). In this same area he quotes Moses who said the power was in our mouth and in our heart. In verse 17 he says faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. The word for word here is rhema in the Greek and means human utterance. Back to our question: how can we move towards faith if we feel ourselves struggling? Talk out loud to ourselves, saying the good things of God. Say the scriptures to ourselves. Sing a song that encourages us. Pray in the spirit. In short, hear through our ears things that build up our faith, and we can do that from our own mouth.

Prayer
Father, thank you for being the King. Please help me today to say Your good things out loud where I and others can hear them. Help me to choose to listen to the good. Help me to say the good. And please give these same things to all who struggle today with believing You are on their side. In Jesus name. Amen.

It is easy for us, or at least for me, to quickly see all of life’s trials and tribulations. There are many, this is a challenging world to live in, and it can be overwhelming. When I begin to be overwhelmed, I force my mind to stop thinking about what I do not have and begin to think about what I do have. Today I am very thankful to God for so many things.

It turns out that God has given me a most wonderful mate in life. When there are times that I am concerned about the day to day demands of life, my wife smiles and says, “It will be okay. God is taking care of us, and the rest doesn’t matter.” Yes, I am very thankful to God for my wife. I am thankful that I can share thoughts with people around the world. I am thankful that God cares for every one of the people on this planet. I am thankful that he can provide for us all. The sun came up, my family is going about their routine, and God is watching over us. No matter what our trials are, God is bigger, and He can overcome them. Praise God!

Prayer
Father, thank you for being our God, the King of the Universe. Thank you for those that read these words today and are seeking You for answers in their lives. God, I ask that You bless those that are seeking You with their provision for today. Touch their lives in a way that they know that it is You watching over them. Do not let them be harmed. Thank you for protection, for provision, and for life itself. In Jesus name. Amen

Darkness does not care for the light. We are children of the light. When life’s struggles become overwhelming, we can take our ball and go home, or choose to fight. The fight I am referring to is not with flesh and blood. It is with the dark spiritual forces that attempt to overwhelm us. The Psalms contain many spiritual songs that tell tales of battling the evil one. They did it then, we are called to do it now.

This morning as I awoke from a dream God gave me a scripture. I was praying about certain seemingly harsh battles I am facing, and harsh battles others I know are facing as well. The scripture was Psalm 118:13 Thou hast thrust sore at me [or pushed me hard] that I might fall: but the Lord helped me. We must resist the devil and he will flee.

Prayer
Father, I ask in Jesus name that You now rise up for us as You did for the children of Israel in the desert, and even before that, at the first passover. God, rise up and smite the gods of Egypt as in the scriptures. Strike down those that oppress. Deliver us from there evil plans to blot out Your name and take our land and our homes. Grind them to powder and send them in a whirlwind. In Jesus name, Father, do this quickly. Amen.

Have you ever had someone say just the right thing to you at a time when you needed it most? It can be easy for me to get very caught up in the day-to-day struggles of life. Issues with work, with family, with bills – they can be overwhelming. Today as I was letting these run through my mind, I read a short message someone sent me. He said “God has a calling on your life. Be at peace and ask Him to reveal His way.” Somehow reading that message from another human being caused me to pause and see God in His words.

God uses us in each others’ lives, if we will but let Him.

Prayer
God, thank you for reaching out to me through others. Thank you for letting me say something that builds up another brother or sister. Thank you for planning our future and providing light to our feet. Thank you for just being in charge and loving us every step of the way. Amen.