Tag: Thanksgiving

1 Chronicles 16:28-34 (ESV)

“Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength! Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name; bring an offering and come before Him! Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness; tremble before Him, all the earth; yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved. Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice, and let them say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!” Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord, for He comes to judge the earth. Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever!”

Reflection:

What strikes me so much in this passage is that praising God is something that not only we as humans were created to do, but all of creation. Everything God has created declares His splendour, His majesty, His greatness. He is so worthy of praise and adoration that even the rocks would cry out if we stayed silent (Lk. 19:40). We see God revealed through His creation as it sings and testifies of His goodness and favour. What a God is this, that everything His hands have made declares His glory?! And this God chose you and me to be the crown of His creation. This God chose you and me to be vessels of His love, peace, joy, righteousness, hope, glory. Let us declare, along with all of creation, that “The Lord reigns!”

Prayer outline:

God, You are truly worthy of all the power and the glory and the majesty forever and ever. Creation sings of Your splendour. In this time of turmoil all around us, help us to choose to declare Your praises, along with the works of Your hands. Holy Spirit, raise up a song among the nations that “The Lord reigns!” Thank You for Your faithfulness and Your goodness toward us. Thank You for the strength that is found in Your joy. May Your joy abide in us at this time so that “our joy may be complete” (John 15:11). Let Your joy be made known through us at this time, oh God. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Find the whole Words of Life series here

1 Chronicles 16:23-27 (ESV)

“Sing to the Lord, all the earth! Tell of His salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the nations, His marvellous works among all the peoples! For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and He is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the Lord made the heavens. Splendour and majesty are before Him; strength and joy are in His place.”

Reflection:

These verses have various action words in them: “Sing”, “Tell”, “Declare”. Praising God isn’t something we can do passively or (only) on the inside. It isn’t meant for us; it is meant for God and – as we read above – for those around us to know His glory. Praise is a declaration of who God is and what He has done. It proclaims truth and hope. In these times when our hearts may feel weary or at war, afraid or anxious, overwhelmed or utterly helpless, praise announces to our soul, our neighbours, the spiritual forces of evil, that God is the LORD. There is none higher than Him, none more worthy of praise, none to be feared but Him. What can this declaration of praise look like in our personal lives in this season? In our homes, but also in our communities? Is my daily declaration one of fear and complaint or of trust and truth of who God is?

Prayer outline:

Father God, You are the great I AM. You are the LORD and “greatly to be praised”. Though the earth may give way and the mountains may be shaken, You, oh God, are unshakeable. Your covenant with Your people is everlasting. Your promises are true and will come to pass. Holy Spirit, stir a new song of praise in our hearts in this time of uncertainty. Guide us to make Your glory known in all the earth. Jesus, be magnified, we pray. Amen.

Find the whole Words of Life series here

1 Chronicles 16:8-13 (NLT)

“Give thanks to the LORD and proclaim His greatness. Let the whole world know what He has done. Sing to Him; yes, sing His praises. Tell everyone about His wonderful deeds. Exult in His holy name; rejoice, you who worship the LORD. Search for the LORD and for His strength; continually seek Him. Remember the wonders He has performed, His miracles, and the rulings He has given, you children of His servant Israel, you descendants of Jacob, His chosen ones.”

Reflection:

Praise is a powerful weapon. It shifts our focus away from ourselves and our circumstances and onto the Almighty God. It reminds us of His character, His faithfulness, His love. He is unfailing and unchanging, even when everything around us is not. There is such security to be found in that; a steadiness that cannot be shaken as our feet are placed upon the Solid Rock.

In the piece of scripture, David is encouraging the people to “proclaim His greatness”. For David, we see this is the overflow of his heart; he cannot keep quiet about all that the Lord has done. In the Psalms we see that, no matter what the situation, David always resorts to praising God for who He is. God’s worthiness of praise is not dependent on our circumstances; He is and forever will be worthy of all honour and glory.In this challenging time, the world around us needs to hear about our God and all that He has done. As we have this time to draw closer to God and know more about who He is, let’s find ways to share that truth with those around us. “Let the whole world know what He has done.” Let’s find ways to declare the greatest truth ever known: our God saves.

Prayer outline:

Holy and sovereign God, You are worthy of praise. You are unchanging. You are the Alpha and the Omega. You are Creator God. You are all-powerful, all-knowing, ever-present. You are magnificent and majestic. Your glory fills the earth. Jesus, as Easter draws near, help us remember all that You have done for us. May the overflow of our hearts still be a song of praise to You. In this time of desperation around us, and even within us, may our voice be a voice that declares Your greatness, Your unfailing faithfulness, Your sovereignty, Your eternal hope, Your salvation. Jesus, You are what we need and what the world around us needs so desperately. Holy Spirit, stir our hearts towards praise, towards declaring Your truth. Help us point the world to You, God. Amen.

• Write a psalm of your own declaring “God’s greatness” and His “wonderful deeds” in your own life.
• Listen to the song “Indescribable” by Chris Tomlin to help put God in perspective of how magnificent He is.

Find the whole Words of Life series here