PraiseAndThanksgiving | Kristi's Morning Devotional

Dave and I are big NASCAR fans! There’s just something about watching a race with 50,000 of your closest friends that fills the air with excitement!

“Gentlemen, start your engines” brings a roar from the crowd and when the cars take the green flag at the start of the race everyone is standing and cheering on their favorite driver! You can tell who most everyone is hoping will win by the shirt or the cap they are wearing.

The shouts that rise from the grandstands is deafening with the most popular driver takes the lead…and it’s just a sport. No eternal significance to the outcome, no monetary or physical benefit to those in the stands but the fans seem to be intimately involved in the outcome.

When the winning driver crosses the finish line and takes the checkered flag, more shouts of victory arise.

Shouts of praise!

This morning there are shouts of praise arising all over the world. From every corner, every nation, fans are young and old, from all demographics, shouts can be heard in the heavens.

“Shout praises to the Lord! With all that I am, I will shout his praises. ²I will sing and praise
the Lord God as long as I live. ³You can’t depend on anyone, not even a great leader. ⁴Once they die and are buried, that will be the end of all their plans.

⁵The Lord God of Jacob blesses everyone who trusts him and depends on him. ⁶God made heaven and earth; he created the sea and everything else. God always keeps his word. ⁷He gives justice to the poor and food to the hungry.

The Lord sets prisoners free ⁸and heals blind eyes. He gives a helping hand to everyone who falls. The Lord loves good people ⁹and looks after strangers. He defends the rights
of orphans and widows, but destroys the wicked.

¹⁰The Lord God of Zion will rule forever! Shout praises to the Lord!‘ Psalm 146 CEV

If you were thinking these verses were only for the nation of Israel or that they are Old Testament and no longer valid, listen to what Jesus said:

“‘The Lord’s Spirit has come to me, because he has chosen me to tell the good news to the poor. The Lord has sent me to announce freedom for prisoners, to give sight to the blind, to free everyone who suffers, ¹⁹and to say, ‘This is the year the Lord has chosen.’

²⁰Jesus closed the book, then handed it back to the man in charge and sat down. Everyone in the synagogue looked straight at Jesus. ²¹Then Jesus said to them, ‘What you have just heard me read has come true today.’” Luke 4:18-21 CEV

The writer of Psalms says “God always keeps his word” and Jesus said “what you have just heard me read has come true today”.

What we have just heard is better than any individual or team winning the championship. These are the words of the Lord and they are for us because of Jesus!

Shout praises to the Lord! Shout praise!

or in my case, the cactus flowers.

The other day I stopped throughout the park to admire the beauty of the cacti in bloom. Everything from the smallest wildflowers to the mighty Saguaro are bursting with color. This is just one of the many things I love about living in the desert.

There are so many bees working the mesquite trees, you can hear them hum as they work. It’s at times like this that my thoughts go to Romans 1 where the Apostle Paul said that all men would have a witness of God through His creation.

“God’s eternal power and character cannot be seen. But from the beginning of creation, God has shown what these are like by all he has made. That’s why those people don’t have any excuse.” Romans 1:20 CEV

Looking at these resilient cacti, their brilliant blossoms and the magnificent hills that surround me, I wonder; what is it that you see each day that reminds you of God’s eternal power? Is it the way a mare cares for her newborn colt or a cow nursing a baby calf, the rush of the waves on the seashore, the majesty of the mountains, the course of travel of the clouds in the sky or the way the air smells clean after a rain? All are evidence, in nature, of the glory and power of God!

“The heavens tell about the glory of God. The skies announce what his hands have made.
²Each new day tells more of the story, and each night reveals more and more about God’s power. ³You cannot hear them say anything. They don’t make any sound we can hear.
⁴But their message goes throughout the world. Their teaching reaches the ends of the earth. The sun’s tent is set up in the heavens. ⁵It comes out like a happy bridegroom from his bedroom. It begins its path across the sky like an athlete eager to run a race. 6 It starts at one end of the sky and runs all the way to the other end Nothing can hide from its heat.” Psalm 19:1-6 ERV

Jesus was criticized by the religious leaders for letting the crowds line the pathways and praise Him. He gave this answer:

“Some of the Pharisees said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, tell your followers not to say these things.’ 40 But Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, if my followers didn’t say them, these stones would shout them.’” Luke 19:39-40 ERV

Today I choose to sing praise to the Father – all nature gives evidence of His glory and majesty, but I want it to be my voice the Father hears giving Him praise and honor.

Father, to You belongs all honor, glory, power and praise. I love you!

Tag: PraiseAndThanksgiving

Shout Praises!

Stop & Smell the Roses