Embraced

May 2011

O God, my joy, my glory and my confidence; highest, best, most far and yet most near; fairest and yet strongest; fixed yet incomprehensible; unchanging yet the author of all changes; never new, never old; O Lord, I love thee!
—Augustine, Confessions

Most every prayer in the Bible contains praise and adoration. Why? Because it’s through praise that our hearts most deeply connect with the heart of God. Praise puts our problems in perspective because our focus shifts from us to him. Praise is the throttle of the heart that empowers the rest of our prayer time. We rehearse his names: Refuge, Strong Tower, Shepherd, Lover, the God of Hope, the God of All Comfort, to name but a few. Even writing them out now brings joy to my heart!

How are you growing in the area of praise? There are plenty of tools that can help us expand our worship of God: Try writing some key verses of praise on a 3x5 card and carrying them with you to review when you have a moment, or listen to worship songs that point to the character of God and not merely to our experience with God. I find music to awaken something beautiful within. Do you? Even praying prayers of adoration written by others, such as those found in Jonathan Aitken’s Prayers for People under Pressure, can enhance our expressions of praise.

But what if you’re experiencing dark days and discouraging seasons? There are more than a few believers who think belonging to Christ should automatically eliminate morose times. Not so. They are simply a part of our lives. Every individual chronicled in the Bible had flat, desert days. This is when praise is the hardest but the most needed. Are you in such a gloomy spot today? Stop; open the Word to Psalm 27, 1 Timothy 1:17, and Jude 24. Read these passages slowly, worshipfully, honestly. Tell God about the low condition of your heart, and ask him to enliven you through praise. He will.

I would love for you to share how God is using praise in your life. So, let’s connect…

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Embracing Him,
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