An alarming text on my phone before 6:00 am, read, “MRI
showed a very significant acute traumatic brain injury causing a severe
concussion plus an older brain injury/concussion that we didn’t even know
about!”
I stopped to pray: “It’s early Lord
and the needs of your people cry out to you, to me and others who will stop and
pray. Here we are Lord as pitiful as can be, but seeking your face in this
desperate cry for a woman and her son.”
It is difficult to
think of praising the Lord or showing praise to Him when one of your children
or your husband suffers a sickness or freak accident OR whatever is outside the
normal day, isn’t it? God hasn’t instructed us to jump up and down with
happiness when things go wrong, but we can stop and observe Him as He works
through everything behind us, beside us and in front of us.
Ps 145:1-3
¶ David's Psalm of praise. I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will
bless thy name for ever and ever. Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise
thy name for ever and ever. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be
praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.
Ps 145:21
My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD: and let all flesh bless his holy
name for ever and ever.
C. H. Spurgeon has
written one of the neatest little books on praise and praising the Lord. I
found it this week while looking for another book. I think I threw it away in
one of my moments of cleaning out old books, picked it back up and put it on
one of my many bookshelves. I’m glad I did! Whether you agree with C. H.
Spurgeon on some matters is your choice and I certainly don’t like to think of
him with a cigar, but folks, let’s face it, “God will use all of us if we are
willing to be used.” His little book just sent me into a spin of thoughts
especially on observing God’s goodness. If we don’t observe what is going
around us, thanking Him for His creation, goodness and many blessings, we’ll
not have a memory of all that He has and is doing!
Ps 145:7
They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of
thy righteousness.
Utter the MEMORY…….think on
that for a minute.
We cannot remember
what we never knew! In order to recall something, there first must be a memory.
What a great opportunity to build a positive memory bank by just observing
everything around us as God’s reminder that He is here, RIGHT HERE AND THERE
WITH YOU, dear friend!
Between 4:45 and
5:30 am in the morning, a screech owl can be heard (quite often….too often!)
right outside our home. Usually, I am studying by then, but the sound always
catches me off guard. Sometimes, there may be two calling back and forth to one
another. Only God can create such a bird and although they are somewhat frightening,
I finally began thanking the Lord for His handiwork. They are His blessings to
me each and every day. The birds and squirrels get involved with the other
critters that come from the forest of trees next to our property. Folks,
whether it is a screeching owl or a melodic bird, they are from God. Observe to remember because we can’t praise suitably
without a good positive outlook that God is in control. Our lips should be open
and speaking the Words of God back to Him who wrote them in the beginning. I adore the idea that God enjoys hearing what He has written coming from us, his
children, don't you?
Consider jotting
down some “stuff” to remember. You may not remember as much as you need if you
don’t write it down. Several ideas come
to my mind: pencil and pad by the bed, pen and pad in the car as you listen to
sermons on the radio, and then of course, pen and pad as you observe God’s
creation while driving, sitting, or just enjoying a few minutes of peace and
quiet. A journal with your Bible is an absolute must if you have the privilege
of going to church and receiving the sweet message God has given to your
Pastor.
As we speak the
praise of our Lord, others are blessed! Don’t you want others to remember YOU
for praise rather than a critical and complaining spirit! This is by far better
than speaking nonsense wrapped with a cantankerous obnoxious tongue which gives
nothing back to God but dung! I didn’t mean for that to rhyme and for certain
do not write IT down to remember!
Observe what God
has provided and then PRAISE Him for it!
Ps 71:8
Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honour all
the day.
Until next time, Lord willing..
Sharon
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