Wednesday, February 27, 2013

And the countdown begins!

This past Sunday was approximately 150 days until I leave. Thanks to a friend, I will be counting down not using a countdown clock but the book of Psalms! There are 150 chapters (yes when I get to 119 I will have to get up a bit earlier) but I am excited to have begun!

Today is Psalm 147

Praise the Lord.

How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him!
The Lord builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the exiles of Israel.
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name.
Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.
The Lord sustains the humble but casts the wicked to the ground. 

Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; make music to our God on the harp.
He covers the sky with clouds; he supplies the earth with rain and makes the grass grow on the hills.
He provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call.

His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor his delight in the legs of man; the Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.

Extol the Lord, O Jerusalem; praise your God, O Zion, for he strengthens the bars of your gates and blesses your people within you.
He grants peace to your borders and satisfies you with the finest of wheat.

He sends his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly.
He spreads the snow like wool and scatters the frost like ashes.
He hurls down his hail like pebbles.
Who can withstand his icy blast?
He sends his word and melts them; he stirs up his breezes, and the waters flow.

He has revealed his word to Jacob, his laws and decrees to Israel.
He has done this for no other nation, they do not know his laws.

Praise the Lord.

Our God is amazing and I love that the Psalmist wrote down what God delights in, not in strength or in appearance but rather in fear of Him. The Psalmist goes on to explain what God's strength looks like, how powerful He is, and therefore why we should fear Him. That fear leads to one thing, Praise. I love that so many of the Psalms begin and end with Praise the Lord. As I read 1 Peter 1:1-12 this morning, I was reminded that we are going to face trials, there is going to be grief and suffering, but it is our faith proved genuine during those times that brings Him praise, glory and honor. Faith alone in our Savior, praising Him during the storms of life, is what He delights in.

In every circumstance we face, we shall enter it with Praise to the Lord and as He brings us through it we should Praise the Lord and when He has brought us out of it, we should Praise the Lord.

How do you begin your morning? Is your day surrounded by Praise to the Lord? When you rise and when you lay down do you Praise the Lord?

Psalm 147 says he delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love. The word hope in the Greek can be translated here to wait or expect. What do we wait for and expect? His unfailing love. He loves us so much, He delights in us when we fear Him, and therefore we Praise Him.


Everything that has a breath, everything that takes a step, everything from up above, here on this earth sing of his love.
Anyone who's on a mountain. anyone in the driest place.
praise him praise him.
Praise Him in the morning when the feelings gone, praise Him in the evening when your all alone.
Praise him in the noonday when you're moving along, praise Him while you have another moment to sing this song.
Let the praise roll on...
Let the countdown begin!



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