“Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! While I live I will praise the Lord; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. Do not put your trust in princes, Nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help. His spirit departs, he returns to his earth; In that very day his plans perish. Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, Whose hope is in the Lord his God, Who made heaven and earth, The sea, and all that is in them; Who keeps truth forever, Who executes justice for the oppressed, Who gives food to the hungry. The Lord gives freedom to the prisoners. The Lord opens the eyes of the blind; The Lord raises those who are bowed down; The Lord loves the righteous. The Lord watches over the strangers; He relieves the fatherless and widow; But the way of the wicked He turns upside down. The Lord shall reign forever— Your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the Lord!”
Psalms 146:1-10 NKJV
Give thanks!
We are in the week of thanksgiving, a time of reflection and acknowledgement of all that God has done. This has been a year filled with blessings, as the Lord has given me His holy visitation through the word of God, day after day. The Holy Spirit has illuminated His word for me like never before, and given me inspiration to write and reflect on all the great things He has done.
With the blessings, there have been cursing, as I have had some health concerns, moments of emotional darkness, and interruptions in my life. But He has been there through it all.
I have found that God has many divine appointments for those who love Him, as my reading of Psalm 146 was more than fitting at this time, on this day, nearing the eve of Thanksgiving. Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, oh my soul! I am praising the Lord from a heart of deep gratitude, marveling at His great love for me, and even more so for His love for this world.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
John 3:16 NKJV
We are living in time when the message of the Gospel is essential, as life has become more vaporous, passing all too quickly. All of humanity seems to be careening toward oblivion with increasing velocity, and we are all bracing for impact.
The only surety we have in these perilous times is the certainty that God is sovereign. Many are putting their trust in princes, or presidents, or political parties, only to see them fail. Sadly, few have bothered to test the Lord to consistently take things to Him in prayer, or even prayerfully consider the actions that a are to be taken.
“It is better to trust in the Lord Than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord Than to put confidence in princes.”
Psalms 118:8-9 NKJV
I have heard of those who have downplayed the power of prayer in favor of action. They often cite David when he faced Goliath. They forget that it was David’s faith in God, fostered by prayerful dependence, that gave Him the courage to face the giant. He had seen the Lord give Him victory of over the lion and the bear, and He knew that the Philistine would fall too. Every action he took was preceded by prayer and relationship with God Almighty.
“Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.” Moreover David said, “The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!””
I Samuel 17:36-37 NKJV
In these difficult times, we must have the heart of David, seeking the God of Jacob as our help. Let us run to the Lord with our thanks, for all that He has done, and for all that He will do.
As we give thanks to the One who has provided, let us ask the Lord to give us HIs heart, that we glorify Him. Jesus came to save us from our sins, taking on human flesh, walking amongst His creation, being rejected. Not only did He come to die for our sins, but He came to personify the heart of the Father.
I am so sad when hear brothers and sisters, saved from hell, condemning the poor and the down trodden, forgetting that we are no better, if not for grace. Jesus loved the sinners, opening their hearts to the saving Good News. What better way to give thanks, than to pay that love forward.
““The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn,”
Isaiah 61:1-2 NKJV
God has given us the ministry of reconciliation, drawing sinners to salvation. Let us be on mission, passionate to share the Good News that has saved us.
For many, this will not be a time of thanksgiving, but a time of difficulty. Let us be faithful to pray for those who are suffering this year. Let us especially pray for those who will be going into the holidays without loved ones. I have many that I am praying for who have lost family this year.
The Lord looks after the broken hearted, the refugee, the stranger and the widow. Let us reflect the Lord as we have the same heart demonstrated by our actions and our words.
Let us go forth with a heart of gratitude, praising the Lord and telling of His greatness in all the world!
THE PRAYER CHAIR IS OPEN! Send me your requests!
Musings from an idle mind 
Psalms 100:1-5 (ESV) 1 A Psalm for giving thanks. Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth! 2 Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! 3 Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! 5 For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.
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He is worthy to be praised and adored!
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