A Young Lady's Heart: Praise the Lord!

Have you praised God today?

The word for today seems to be Praise. One of our missionaries - a church planter's wife - has a blog that I have started reading. I also signed up for her emails on Mondays. As I read the email this morning, I found it really interesting that her word for the day was praise.

Just this morning I was studying out how God spoke to his servants, kings, and prophets. I was in Isaiah and I came upon this verse: "O LORD, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth" (Isaiah 25:1). I chose that as my verse for today, and then I saw that it was our friend's word of the day. Is it a coincidence that more than one person was encouraged to praise the Lord? It is amazing how God can speak to different people in different places about the same topic. It is a good reminder for all of us. Sometimes it is easy to spot the negative things in life, but if we will just think about who God is and what He has done for us, there is much to have joy about.

I have heard it said that thanksgiving is all about what God has done and praise is all about Who He is.

God is worthy of praise, honor, and glory because of Who He is. He would not do the things He does if He was not the God He was and is. Let's take some time to dwell on Who God is, shall we? Not too long ago as I was reading in the book of Psalms, I did a study on Who God is. In this book alone, I found that God is a Shield, King Forever, Most High, Refuge, Helper of the Fatherless, Portion of my inheritance and cup, Strength, Rock, Fortress, Deliverer, Buckler, Horn of my salvation, High Tower, Stay, Redeemer, Shepherd, King of Glory, Light, Salvation, Hiding Place, Health of my countenance, Exceeding Joy, Guide, Defence, God of my mercy, Shelter, Strong Habitation, Hope, Trust, Judge, Sun, Father, Almighty, My Song, and much more. That is quite a lot, isn't it? And yet, that is just the beginning!

I could not hope to be able to discuss all who God is, what He is like, and what He has done. It is more than can be fit inside a book, more than even the internet can handle. He is so much bigger than this world, yet He takes time to love each and everyone of us.

We just have time to focus on a few of my favorites. I will try to keep it short and share a verse, definition, and how it is a blessing to me in one, or two, or three sentences... 😊

God is...

1. My Refuge

Psalms 9:9,10 says, "The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee."

The definition given by Webster's 1828 dictionary defines it as "That which shelters or protects from danger, distress or calamity; a strong hold which protects by its strength, or a sanctuary which secures safety by its sacredness; any place inaccessible to an enemy." (Note: all definitions taken from www.kingjamesbibledictionary.com)

Whenever I am going through a hard time, I can trust Him to always be there for me. I have no need to fear when He is with me. He gives me strength and protection in stormy times - physically, spiritually, and emotionally.

2. My Shield and 3. My Buckler

These two go together. Psalms 91:4-6 says, "He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee."

Easton's dictionary says a shield is something "Used in defensive warfare, varying at different times and under different circumstances in size, form, and material" and according to the Webster's dictionary it was used to "cover, as with a shield; to cover from dasnger; to defend; to protect; to secure form assault or injury." A buckler is similar, but from what I gathered from the Strong's Concordance and Easton's dictionary, the buckler in this verse "surrounded" or covered the whole body.

God wants to be our protector and provide protection from the enemy. He covers us with His wings or surrounds us with strength to protect us from the wicked. This shield and buckler, like the shield from Ephesians 6, deflects the fiery darts of the wicked. We take His Truth by faith to defeat Satan and ward off his attacks.

4. The Portion of My Inheritance

Psalms 16:5,6 says, "The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and my cup: thou maintainest my lot. The lines are fallen to me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage."

The definition I found off of

kingjamesbibledictionary.com defines it as "The part of an estate given to a child or heir, or descending to him by law, and distributed to him in the settlement of the estate."

As children of God we are heirs to all Heaven holds, and we are joint-heirs with Christ. That is the Heavenly Portion, yet the greatest inheritance we can get is God Himself. The best inheritance we can get from our parents is their God, but we have to make Him ours. Have you made the God of your parents your God?

5. My King

Psalms 44:4a says, "Thou art my King, O God" and Psalms 44:6 says, "Thy throne, O God is for ever and ever."

I don't think I need to define this for you, do I? :)

Every little girl dreams of being a princess. Did you know that you can be? God wants to be the King of your life. Do you remember that song that says "I'm a child of the king"? Jesus is the King of kings and a Prince of Peace while we are children of a Heavenly Father. It is one God in three persons. I do not know how it all works, but I have always loved the thought that I am a child of the King. Another verse in Psalms 45 says "The king's daughter is all glorious within" (v.13). If you are a daughter of God, God wants to be your King and make your inside all glorious within.

I could go on and on with a big list of His names, but it would take too much time to go through it all. That is just a list of a few of His names - it doesn't begin to describe His characteristics. Before you go, I want to share this acrostic. When you give God praise, simply praise Him for being: