Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 113:1-9
Ps 113:1-9
Praise the Lord. Praise, O servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord. Let the name of the Lord be praised, both now and forevermore. From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised. The Lord is exalted over all the nations, his glory above the heavens. Who is like the Lord our God, the One who sits enthroned on high, who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth? He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes, with the princes of their people. He settles the barren woman in her home as a happy mother of children. Praise the Lord.
Heb 13:15-16
Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise — the fruit of lips that confess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
The more we recognize the goodness of God, the glory of God, the faithfulness of God, the more we will praise him. When we see him working in our lives, even in the smallest of things, it is a natural response to praise him. We praise him with thanksgiving for all of the blessings he showers down on us. And there is so much for each of us to be thankful to God. On our worst day, we are truly blessed.
I have said it before, but one of the things on the top of my list for which to be thankful is the time and place where I was born. If not for the grace of God, I could have been born into poverty in some place where most of the people do not recognize God or Jesus as his Son. Instead, I was born in a land of freedom and in a time when my life has been peaceful instead of filled with persecution.
I am so thankful for my family. God put me in a family with parents who loved him and who wanted each of us to know and serve God. My mom was born in Africa, to parents of missionaries. From the earliest age, both of my parents instilled in me a love for the Lord and a desire to study and know his word. God answered their prayers and gave me a wife who loves the Lord and has been with me for more than 56 years. I am thankful for my son and his family, for my siblings and their families, my cousins, my aunts and uncles, with one aunt still living.
O Lord God, I praise you for your goodness in so many ways. No matter how hard I try, I cannot count the many blessings you have showered on me and have put into my life. I thank you for allowing me to be your child and to know Jesus as my Savior and my Lord. Thank you for being so merciful to me, even though I do not deserve it. Help me be like you and be compassionate, merciful, tender-hearted, kind, and forgiving. Give me greater faith. I pray in the name of Jesus.
Robert
