gratitude and praise

 Wednesday, October 25, 2023 (5:34 a.m.)

Blessed, Holy God,

How grateful we are Lord. You are good. Gracious. Glorious. Great (Psalm 145:5-8). You do not change.

(6:05 a.m.)

Mm, yes. You do not change. You stay the same. Always. Oh, thank You Lord.

Yes. Thank You for Who and ALL You are!

Turning first to Malachi 3:6. Then Hebrews 13:8. I come back to Psalm 100 A psalm of thanksgiving.

Thank You for Your Word dear Lord. Your Truth. Your promises. All the reminders of Your eternal, unchanging presence in our lives.

Father, I want to “Shout with joy in the LORD, all the earth! Worship the LORD with gladness. Come before Him, singing with joy” (Psalm 100:1-2).

Thank You that You keep changing us. All the while staying completely unchanged Yourself.

“Acknowledge that the LORD is God! He made us, and we are His” (v.3a). Right here I take another sidetrack. Over to alternate versions. All proclaim You having made us. 

It’s The Message that reminds “we didn’t make Him.” The Voice points out, “we have not made ourselves.” How important it is for us to remember this Truth Dear Lord!

We are Your people. The sheep of Your pasture (3b). How grateful we are.

Turning to The Living Bible I smile contently as I imagine ‘Going through Your open gates with great thanksgiving; entering Your courts with praise’ (4a). Reading Your Truth using different words gives me pause to consider how blessed we truly are.

Oh! Look. Right here. The ending of this very verse (4b). “Give thanks to Him and bless His name.” Yes Lord. Thank You.

“For the Lord is always good. He is always loving and kind, and His faithfulness goes on and on to each succeeding generation” (5). Thank You that You are all that Your Word claims You are.

I come before You this morning with gratitude and praise. Asking (Matthew 7:7) You to lead. Guide. Direct. And empower me as You know is necessary.

Use me as You alone know is best. I love, need, trust and want You. How truly I thank and praise You for being our good and perfect God. Amen.

(374 words ~ 7:06 a.m.)