You Have Turned My Mourning into Dancing! – Psalm 30

 

Dennis Edwards

Psalm 30:1 “I will extol Thee, O Lord; for You have lifted me up, and have not made my foes to rejoice over me.”

David is giving God thanks that his enemies, including his father-in-law, the former King who sought to slay him, have not been victorious over him.

Psalm 30:2-3 “O Lord my God, I cried unto You, and You have healed me. O Lord, You have brought up my soul from the grave: You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.”

David is thanking the Lord that he is alive. The Lord answered him when he cried and healed him from his depression or from his sickness, in so much, that he did not die. He is thankful.

Psalm 30:4 “Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of His, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holiness.”

A common thread throughout the psalms is thanksgiving and praise to God for His goodness unto the children of men. It is good for us to give thanks and praise unto the Lord. The last verse in the last psalm gives the main messages of the Psalms.

Psalm 150:6 “Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD:”

Or like we know it in the New Testament,

1 Thessalonians 5:18 “In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

Psalm 30:5 “For His anger endures but a moment; in His favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.”

The Old Testament tells us that God is slow to anger and merciful. When God appeared before Moses the Lord proclaimed to him,

Exodus 34:6b-7a “(I) The Lord, The Lord God (am) merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.”

The same idea is paraphrased in the psalms.

Psalm 134:8-9 “The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The Lord is good to all: and His tender mercies are great over all His works.”

Some 44 times in the Psalms is repeated the phrase, “His mercy endures for ever.”

Psalm 118: 1-4 & 29 “O give thanks unto the LORD; for He is good: because His mercy endures for ever. Let Israel now say, that His mercy endures for ever. Let the house of Aaron now say, that His mercy endures for ever. Let them now that fear the LORD say, that His mercy endures for ever…O give thanks unto the LORD; for He is good: for His mercy endures for ever.”

Psalm 136:1 “O give thanks unto the LORD; for He is good: for His mercy endures for ever.”

Psalm 136 has 26 lines and each line ends with “for His mercy endures for ever.”

Contrary to the idea that the God of the Old Testament is a monster, God proclaims that He is good and merciful and slow to anger. When He does get angry at us for our rebellion or sin, it lasts but for a moment. We may end up with a serious problem because of our sin, our health may be damaged, or a relationship may be broken, but as we cry out to God with our tears, His compassion fails not. We are once more brought back into harmony with Him and our problem is resolved whatever it may have been. Joy comes flooding back into our lives.

The prophet Jeremiah confirms what we have been saying.

Lamentations 3:22-23 "It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, Because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: Great is thy faithfulness."

Psalm 30:6 “In my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved.”

God warned the children of Israel, and He warns us to beware of prosperity.

Deuteronomy 9:11,12,14,17,18,19 “Beware that you forget not the Lord your God, in not keeping His commandments, and His judgments, and His statutes,…Lest when you have eaten and are full,…Then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God,… And you say in your heart, My power and the might of mine (own) hand has gotten me this wealth. But you shall remember the Lord your God: for it is He that gives you power to get wealth…And it shall be, if you do at all forget the Lord your God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish.”

Psalm 62:10b “If riches increase, set not your heart upon them.”

Apostle Paul, admonished us, also.

1 Timothy 6:6-10 “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”

In our prosperity we have the tendency to forget God. David is confessing that he, too, forgot God in His prosperity He sinned grievously in the incident with Bathsheba. God’s anger was upon him for a moment. David confessed and truly repented and found forgiveness in God’s mercy.

Psalm 30:7 “Lord, by Your favour You have made my mountain to stand strong: You did hide Your face, and I was troubled.”  

It is only God’s mercy that we are able to stand. If we were rightly judged for our sins, no one would stand. When our relationship with God becomes cloudy through neglect or sin, we sense his lack and anxiety comes in and we are troubled.

Psalm 30:8 “I cried to thee, O Lord; and unto the Lord I made supplication.”

When we are troubled, when that cloud over shadows us, we cry unto the Lord once again. Apostle Paul gives the same solution to our moments of anxiety.  He tells us, if we cry unto the Lord in prayer and in supplication with thanksgiving, God will hear our prayer and send peace of heart and mind unto our souls.

Philippians 4:6-7 “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

Psalm 30:9 “What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? Shall it declare Your truth?”

David questions whether in death we will be able to praise the Lord and speak of his truth.

Psalm 30:10 “Hear, O LORD, and have mercy upon me: LORD, be my helper.”

Again, he calls upon the Lord for mercy. He calls upon God to help him.

Psalm 30:11-12 You have turned my mourning into dancing: You have put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness. To the end that my glory may sing praise to You, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto You for ever.”

When God’s joy is taken from us, we are weak, downcast, and discouraged. After we spend time pleading with God, pouring out our heart and soul in prayer, seeking His face; God answers and renews or restores our joy. It is the joy of the Lord that is our strength. Once again, we are able to sing and to praise and to give thanks. We enter into His presence with praise, and with thanksgiving, and we cannot be silent for His mercy endures for ever.

If you’re downcast, don’t stay there, fight for joy. The joy of the Lord, His happiness, your praise to Him, your thankfulness to Him, will give you the strength to carry on. Don’t mettle in discouragement, for the devil is as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. He devours and smothers our joy in sadness, despondency, and depression. Don’t go there. Fight for joy, it’s your lifeline. It’s God’s strength in you and a gift of the Holy Spirit. Fight for happiness. In everything give thanks. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord, who is the author and finisher of our faith.

Praise ye the Lord, ye children of men, for God is worthy of our praise. He will bless us and help chase the clouds away, as we praise and give thanks to Him for whatever He allows in our lives. We know all things will work together for good, if we continue to love God and are thankful. A merry heart is as good as a medicine, so be happy! It’s part of our spiritual armour. Use it. Amen!

Originally published 06-08-2024.

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The Joy of the Lord is Your Strength!

 

Dennis Edwards

“The joy of the Lord is your strength, Dennis. You’ve got to fight for joy.” So said my friend who asked me to call her when she noticed how down and discouraged I was after the death of my 45 year old son. I was suffering condemnation. I was under a cloud of darkness; a despondent depression was starting to grip me. I knew I shouldn’t feel condemned for my son’s death. Yet, I also knew his death might have been avoided had I been more a tune to his psychological condition. I never thought he would commit suicide. But he did, and it rocked the world of my family.

The attacks on me were constant and unrelenting from both flesh and spirit. It was your fault, the fault of the religious community you had been involved in, the fault of your poor parenting. You tried to save the world and weren’t even attentive to the condition of your own son. What kind of father are you? What kind of a Christian are you? Where are your priorities? It’s finally time to wake up and forsake that religious nonsense.

I knew those accusations weren’t true completely. But even lies have some truth to them or they would not be so easily believed. I knew I had missed the mark. I knew I hadn’t made that phone call that might have made a difference in my son’s final decision. I myself had avoided suicide because, as I prepared to drive my car off the bridge into the river below, I saw the face of my favourite aunt, Aunt Ida. She loved me. Therefore, if love existed, and I had felt it in Ida’s arms that summer as a confused disheartened 20 years old; if love existed, life must have purpose. I decided to continue my search for truth. If love existed, there must be something more. Ending my life by my own hand to stop the suffering I was experiencing at that time was not the solution. Ida’s holding me in her arms, reminded me that love was real. Had I called Mike, maybe he would have not made that decision.

Those were the thoughts running through my head constantly. Why, God, why? Why Mike? He said he was searching for You and reaching out to You. Why didn’t You keep him, Lord? How could You let this happen? Why didn’t You let me know he was at that state? Lord, a second, son, lost. What have I done wrong? Why have I failed so miserably?

That was the state I was in when my friend asked me to call her. So, I called. “Dennis, it’s not your fault. It’s the enemy who is trying to condemn you and cause you to be discouraged. But you need to fight for your faith. You need to fight for joy, because the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

When she said that about “joy,” it rang with my soul. It was like God was talking to me. I needed to fight for my faith by fighting for joy, because the joy of the Lord is what strengthen us. Without His joy I would be weakened and fall by the wayside of faith, like I had seen happen to so many others. When hard situations arose, they had lost their faith. They weren’t able to say with Job, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him.” I decided to fight for joy. Instead of walking around in discouragement, I would praise the Lord in spite of my not feeling happy. I would trust and praise the Lord.

What would others think if they saw me happy? Hadn’t my son died? Shouldn’t I be in mourning? Wouldn’t it be offensive to my family and disrespectful to my son that died if I walked around happy? I decided it didn’t matter what they thought. The enemy was fighting my faith and trying to extinguish it. I would fight back with praise and regain the joy of the Lord. I would not be passive.

Thirteen years before I had benefitted from doing Becky Harling’s 30 Days of Praise Challenge. Martin, my 27 years old son had died in a strange accident in the Bermudas where he had gone to work. It was Saint Patrick’s Day. He had celebrated with a few beers with his friends that led to some joints of hashish. For some reason he went down to the dock and jumped in the water. He left his clothes on the beach. The police asked me if it could be suicide. I didn’t think so. He had been preparing for a triathlon athletic event of running – biking – swimming. Maybe he went for a practice. Could it have been suicide?

At that point, once I got back to Europe, I came across Becky Harling’s 30 Day Praise Challenge. She had been diagnosed with cancer of the breasts. She called her friend and mentor asking her if she would do a 30 fast and prayer vigil with her for healing. Her mentor and friend responded, “Why don’t we do a 30-Day Praise Prayer Vigil together instead?” “I’ve just been notified that I have cancer and you want me to praise God for 30 days. I don’t feel like praising right now.” Her mentor responded, “But it might be the very thing God wants you to do. He says, “In everything give thanks.” Becky told her friend she would think about it and within a few days they were off on the 30-Day Praise Challenge together.

Becky has since written a book about the experience and made it into a 30-Day devotional program to follow. A 30-Day Praise Challenge. I had done the challenge when my son Martin had died those 13 years ago. A friend had put the 66 songs she had recommended on my new phone so that I was able to listen to it throughout the day and have those lovely praise song running through my mind. They did wonders to me, even more than the devotional readings and suggested prayers. By listening to the praise music, I fought through the discouragement I was feeling as a failure father. The songs of praise transformed my life and helped me to be more praiseful and thankful. I consider obeying the command “In everything give thanks” to be one of the keys to my being able to walk in victory today. I am thankful for my friend who bought an extra chip for my phone, downloaded the songs onto it, and placed it in it for me. Becky was thankful for her friend, also, and to Jesus who healed her supernaturally through praise.

God has done it again. I have redone the 30-Day Praise Challenge. I shared the individual devotional readings and suggested prayers and the 2/3 songs a day on a WhatsApp group that I participate in. During that month of redoing the Praise Challenge, and posting the songs on my blogspot, I had some 24,000 visits. I usually have around 3-5,000 visits a month. There seems to be a vacuum for praise, or a need to hear those types of songs. “Let everything that has breathe praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord.” [Psalm 150:6] I have also made a good friend of a woman who lost her two daughters in a car crash many years ago. God does work everything together for good, if we trust Him and are able to praise Him in spite of the seeming difficult situation.

The joy of the Lord is indeed our strength. God commands us not to be dismayed or discouraged. The enemy is in the business of discouraging us. Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. Joy is God’s presence with us. His presence, His joy, gives us strength to face life’s difficulties with courage and resilience. We can bounce back from devastating events because we are trusting in Him. We are believing that He ultimately has everything in control and therefore we can in everything give thanks. By giving thanks, we enter into the joy of the Lord and are strengthened spiritually, physically, emotionally, psychologically. “Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” [Nehemiah 10:8b]

Here are some more Bible verses to reflect on the importance of joy, praise, and thanksgiving.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” NIV

Psalm 103:1-4 “Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy name. Praise the LORD. My soul, and forget not all His benefits – who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion.” NIV

Colossians 2:6.7 “As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving,” NKJV

Isaiah 12:4-5 “And on that day you will say, “Give thanks to the LORD, call on His name. Make known His deeds among the people: make them remember that His name is exalted. “Praise the Lord in song, for He has done glorious things; let this be known throughout the earth.” NASB

1 Chronicles 16:34 “Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever!” ESV

Hebrews 12:28 “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our ‘God is a consuming fire.’”

Psalm 95:1-4 “Oh come, let us sing to the LORD! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. For the LORD is the great God, and the great King above all gods.” NKJV

Philippians 4:4-7 “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” NIV

Psalm 118:24 “This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” ESV

Colossians 3:15-17 “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” NIV

Ephesians 5:18-20 “Be not drunk with wine, but be filled with Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your hearts to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to our God and Father. NASB

Hebrews 13:15 “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.” KJV

Psalm 5:11 NKJV “But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You. Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; Let those also who love Your name be joyful in You.” NKJV.

Psalm 32:11 “Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart.” NKJV

James 1:2-3 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” NIV

Romans 15:13 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” NIV

Zephaniah 3:17 “The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.” KJV

John 15:11 & 16:24 “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.” “Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, so that your joy may be full.” NKJV

Romans 12:12 “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” NIV

Habakkuk 3:17-18 “Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.” KJV

Proverb 15:23 & 17:22 “A man has joy by the answer of his mouth: and a word spoken in due season, how good is it.” “A merry heart does good like a medicine: but a broken spirit dries the bones.” KJV

Isaiah 61:10 “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my souls shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.” KJV

1 Peter 1:8-9 “Whom having not seen, ye love, in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.” KJV

Psalm 9:2 “I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High.” KJV

Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” KJV

Psalm 16:11 “Thou will show me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” KJV

Psalm 144:14b-15 “…that there be no complaining in our streets. Happy is that people, that is in such a case; yea, happy is that people, whose God is the LORD.” KJV

Psalm 145:2 “Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.” KJV

Psalm 146:1-2 “Praise ye the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul. While I live will I praise the LORD: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.” KJV

Psalm 147:1 “Praise ye the Lord: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely (appropriate).” KJV

Psalm 149:5-6 “Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword [Hebrews 4:12] in their hand.” KJV

Psalm 30:4-5,11-12 “Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. For his anger endures but for a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. Thou has turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou has put off sackcloth, and girded me with gladness; to the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever. KJV

Originally published April 2023. 

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Psalm 100 - Make a Joyful Noise unto the Lord!

 

Dennis Edwards

If there is any psalm in the Book of Psalms that tells us how to enter into God’s presence, it is Psalm 100. It is truly one of the most concise yet enlightening or informative psalms of PRAISE or of THANKSGIVING in the Bible. Let’s go through it line by line.

Psalm 100:1 “Make a JOYFUL noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.”

God wants us to be HAPPY in Him. He says “the JOY of the Lord is your strength,” Nehemiah 8:10b. Elsewhere in the psalms we read, “That there be no complaining in our streets. HAPPY is that people, that is in such a case: (in other words, HAPPY are the people who aren’t complaining), HAPPY is that people whose God is the Lord,” Psalm 144:14b-15.

When I was discouraged through the death of my forty-five-year-old son, a friend of mine called me on the phone. She told me that she noticed that I wasn’t HAPPY. She said that though I was talking victory, and how everything would work together for good, it seemed as if I was under a cloud of discouragement. She told me that I needed to fight to regain the JOY of the Lord. I needed to fight for JOY, because the enemy was trying to defeat me. When she said that, it seemed like the light went on in my head and the Holy Spirit was speaking through her. From that point on, I made fighting for JOY my goal. Suddenly, I couldn’t read the Bible without coming across the many verses that talk about JOY, HAPPINESS, GLADNESS, PRAISE and THANKSGIVING.

After David had committed adultery and murder in the case of Uriah the Hittite, and was exposed for he deeds by the Prophet Nathan, David prayed, “Make me to hear JOY and GLADNESS; that the bones which You have broken may REJOICE….Restore unto me the JOY of Your salvation,” Psalm 51:8 & 12a.

David’s spirit had fallen into darkness through his sin. Unconfessed sin separates us from God. On being found out, though he was physically, and mentally broken and emotionally discouraged with his failings, he asked God to “renew a right spirit” within him. He asked God to bring HAPPINESS and JOY back into his life. He had first experienced that JOY in his relationship with God through the Holy Spirit on being anointed by Samuel to be the new king of Israel. Samuel’s anointing of the young David with oil was symbolic of the Holy Spirit coming upon him. In 1^st Samuel we read, “and the spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward,” 1 Samuel 16:13b.

One of the characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit, and the second mentioned by Apostle Paul in his list of nine characteristics, is “JOY.” “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, JOY, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance; against such there is no law,” Galatians 5:22-23.

Rather than murmuring and complaining, God wants us to be JOYFUL, HAPPY, and THANKFUL.

Apostle Paul warns us against murmuring when he says, “Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come,” 1 Corinthians 10:10-11.

Apostle Paul was talking about the children of Israel who had come out of Egypt and had complained at every stage of their journey, and who were finally destroyed because of their complaining. In Romans, he gives a classic example of what happens to a believer who does not maintain a THANKFUL and JOYFUL heart.

Romans 1:20 “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were they THANKFUL: but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.”

In Ephesians, we see something similar. “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, (no murmuring and complaining), but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby you were sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice. And be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake has forgiven you,” Ephesians 4:29-32.

If we turn away from THANKFULNESS and JOY, we can easily fall into murmuring and complaining. Like Nick Vujicic said, “You’re either going to be a THANKFUL person or a bitter person, one or the other. I’ve never met a THANKFUL person who was bitter, or a bitter person who was THANKFUL.” Let us strive therefore to be THANKFUL.

Apostle Paul wrote elsewhere, “In everything give THANKS, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you,” 1 Thessalonians 5:18.

Apostle James warns us. “But if you have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descends not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace,” James 3:14-18.

Then in Hebrews we see, “Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; and make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed,” Hebrews 12:12-13.

The author of Hebrews is reminding us that when we go through a period of chastisement or what seems like correction from the Lord, we should not let discouragement defeat us. We need to fight discouragement, straighten up our posture, lift up our hands in PRAISE to God, and get back into following Jesus once again. PRAISE and THANKSGIVING bring victory and defeat discouragement. That is why we need to make a JOYFUL noise unto the Lord.

Psalm 100:2 “Serve the Lord with GLADNESS: enter into His presence with SINGING.”

In Psalm 22:3, it says that God, “inhabits the PRAISES of Israel.” In Hebrews 13:15, we read, “therefore let us offer the sacrifice of PRAISE to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving THANKS to His name.” In Psalm 32:11, the psalm finishes, “Be GLAD in the Lord, and REJOICE ye righteous: and shout for JOY, all you that are upright in heart.”

There is something powerful about giving PRAISE and THANKSGIVING to God. The Holy Spirit dwells in our songs and words of THANKSGIVING and PRAISE. Apostle Paul admonishes to, “REJOICE in the Lord, and again I say, REJOICE,” Philippians 4:4. He goes further and teaches us how to offer our prayers to the Lord.

Philippians 4:6-8 “Be careful (or anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with THANKSGIVING let your request be known unto God. And the peace of God which passes all understanding, shall fill your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any PRAISE, think on these things.”

Apostle Paul is reminding us to bring our supplications to God in the spirit of THANKSGIVING, similar to what we see a bit further down in Psalm 100.

Psalm 100:3-4 “Know ye that the Lord He is God: it is He that has made us and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with THANKSGIVING, and into His courts with PRAISE; be THANKFUL unto Him and bless (or PRAISE) His name.”

The proverbs tell us that the beginning of knowledge or of the understanding of life is, “the fear of the Lord,” Proverbs 1:7. By starting with God as our initial assumption in all our thinking and being, we are starting with a “fear of the Lord.” God is the prerequisite necessary to understand life. It is not, “I think, therefore, I am,” but rather, “God thinks. He is the great I am. Therefore, I am able to think, having been created in His image.” That is why Saint Augustine said, “Seek not to understand that you might believe, but rather, seek to believe that you might understand.” It’s belief in the invisible God known through Creation, and the revelation of Himself in Scripture, and through life experiences, that gives us understanding.

It is through our THANKSGIVING and PRAISE and humility of heart that we enter into His presence.

James 4:6b & 10 “God resists the proud, but gives grace unto the humble….Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up.”

Psalm 100:5 “For the Lord is good, His mercy is everlasting; and His truth endures to all generations.”

God’s truth is not beyond our grasp. It endures to all generations. It is up to each of us to seek it out. Jesus said, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you,” Matthew 7:7.

In the Old Testament, we read, “And you shall seek Me, and find Me, when you shall search for Me with all your heart,” Jeremiah 29:13. In Deuteronomy 30:11-14 we find, “For this commandment which I command you this day, it is not hidden from you, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it?’ Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?’ But the word is very nigh unto you, in your mouth, and in your heart, that you may do it.”

God has put a moral guide, our conscience, within each human being, the “Light, which lightens every man that comes into the world,” John 1:9b. He has revealed Himself in His creation, if we look for Him with an open heart. Apostle Paul has warned, “For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things which are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,” Romans 1:20.

King David, likewise wrote, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day (they) utter speech, and night unto night (they) show knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard….and their words to the end of the world,” Psalm 19:1-4b.

God’s truth is out there. We just have to be open and look for it and we will find it. His truth endures to all generations. We all are without excuse. Like Pascal has written, “God has willed to make Himself quite recognisable to those who sincerely seek Him, and thus, willing to appear quite openly to those who seek Him with all their heart, and to be hidden from those who flee from Him with all their heart, He so regulates the knowledge of Himself that He has given signs of Himself, visible to those that seek Him, and not to those who seek Him not. There is enough light for those who only desire to see, and enough obscurity for those who have a contrary disposition.” Pensées by Blaise Pascal under “Morality and Doctrine.”

Originally published September 18, 2025

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Praise and Thankfulness are Attributes of a Christian’s Life

Dennis Edwards

One of the most important attributes of a Christian character is that of thankfulness. God’s word admonishes us to have a thankful and grateful heart. God expects and wants us to be thankful. The Psalms are full of commands of thankfulness. In Psalm 100:4 we read,

“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: Be thankful and bless His name.”

Why should we be thankful? The next verse Psalm 100:5 gives the answer.

“For the Lord is good; and His mercy is everlasting and His truth endures to all generations.”

We see that familiar theme in the Scriptures. We should be thankful because God is merciful and loving. We should be thankful because God’s truth is available to all generations.

In Proverbs 3:3-4 we read, “Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about your neck; write them upon the table of your heart: So shall thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.” As Christians we should be merciful and truthful. If we are, God will bless us because those are His attributes. Proverb 16:6a says, “By mercy and truth iniquity is purged.” It seems mercy or love and truth are what help us overcome sin.”

Where else do we find the imagery of mercy and truth? None other than the figure of the Nazarene. In the Gospel of John 1:17 we read, “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.”

What is grace but God’s mercy and love. The law condemns us because none of us are able to fulfill its commandments. But we can overcome our sinful nature by accepting God’s grace, His mercy, His love and His truth found in Jesus Christ. When we find salvation in Jesus we should overflow with thankfulness.

“For the Lord is good; and His mercy is everlasting and His truth endures to all generations.” His mercy and truth is none other than Jesus Christ. God is love and God is truth. Truth and love are the pillars of our Christian faith. Because we have found God’s truth and mercy and love in Jesus, we should be thankful. We should be overflowing with praise and thanksgiving.

“For the Lord is good; and His mercy is everlasting,” in other words, we can always find forgiveness in His arms if we confess our faults or sins; and turn from them and towards God. “His truth endures to all generations.” God’s truth is available to all that seek for it with all their heart. If we seek for Him with all our heart, we will find Him.

God wants us and expects us to be thankful. He offers us His mercy and truth in Jesus. By accepting Jesus into our hearts we have overcome the wicked one, we have overcome death, and overcome sin’s control over our lives. We have eternal life, therefore, we should offer unto God thanksgiving. In Psalm 95:2 we read, “Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving.” In Psalm 50:14a we are advised to, “Offer unto God thanksgiving.”

In the New Testament we find the same admonitions. In his letter to the Ephesians 5:18-21, Apostle Paul writes, “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess,” in other words, we should not end up drinking too much and relying on drink to make us happy, instead of relying on God’s Holy Spirit. In a sense we are worshipping the wine rather than God if we do. Paul continues, “but be filled with the Spirit; speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

We should be giving thanks always unto God and be filled with song and praise. If we are full of thanksgiving and praise it is a lot easier to fulfill the last section of Paul’s thought where he writes, “Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.” He then reminds the wives to submit to their husbands and the husbands to love their wives, as if they needed to be reminded.

In Paul’s letter to the Colossians 3:14-19 we see the same message. “And above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.” Paul tells us to be thankful. He continues, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him.” We should be continually thankful.

In 1st Thessalonians 5:18 we see the same theme again. Paul says, “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” Are we as thankful as we should be? Are we daily entering into God’s presence with thanksgiving and praise?

Throughout the New Testament we are reminded that we should be content. In Philippians 4:11 we read, “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have leaned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.” In Paul's 1st letter to Timothy 6:6-8 he writes, “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.”

The Old Testament is not void of the same instruction. Proverbs 15:16-17 tell us, “Better is little with the fear of the Lord, than great treasure and trouble therewith. Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith.” In the book of Job 1:21-22, after Job has lost everything, he refuses to curse God, but instead says, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. In all this, Job did not sin or charge God with wrongdoing.” In other words, Job was trusting God and trying to walk in thankfulness in spite of his troubles.

God doesn’t want us to take our blessings for granted. In Psalm 68:19 we read, “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loads us with benefits, even the God of our salvation.” In Psalm 103:2-5 we see, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: who forgives all your iniquities; who heals all your diseases; who redeems your life from destruction; who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies; who satisfies your mouth with good things; so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”

Even Jesus expected those that were healed to show thankfulness to God. In Luke 17:12-18 we read, “And as He entered into a certain village, there met Him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: and they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when He saw them, He said unto them, Go show yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving Him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory (or thanksgiving) to God, save this stranger.”

We should always remember to thank God for our blessings. When David was delivered from the hand of Saul and the hand of all his enemies he gave thanks unto the Lord. 2 Samuel 22:50 we read, “Therefore I will give thanks unto Thee, O Lord, among the heathen, and I will sing praises unto Your name.” In 1 Chronicles 16:8-10 David prays, “Give thanks unto the Lord, call upon His name, make known His deeds among the people. Sing unto Him, sing psalms unto Him, talk of all His wondrous works. Glory ye in His holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord.” In Psalm 136:1 we read again, “O give thanks unto to the Lord; for He is good: for His mercy endures forever.” In Psalm 107:21-22 we see, “Oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! And let them sacrifice the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and declare His works with rejoicing.”

In Psalm 22:3 we learn that God inhabits the praises of His people. In other words, God dwells with us when we are walking in praise and thanksgiving. In Psalm 67:1-7 we are encouraged to praise the Lord for the Lord will bless us for our praise. “God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause His face to shine upon us; that Your way may be known upon the earth, Your saving health among all nations. Let the people praise Thee, O God; let all the people praise Thee. O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for You shall judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon the earth. Let the people praise Thee, O God; let all the people praise Thee. Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our God, shall bless us. God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear Him.”

In Psalm 150:6, the last verse in all the psalms, Lord says, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.” In Hebrews 13:15 we read, “Offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name.” Apostle Peter likewise reminds us in 1 Peter 2:9, “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvellous light: which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.”

Let us finish up with Psalm 34:1-4: “I will bless the Lord at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name forever. I sought the Lord and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.” Do you want the Lord to hear you and deliver you from your fears? Then bless Him at all times and continually have praise on your lips. Having a thankful and praiseful attitude will let God’s presence dwell with you and assure His blessing upon your life. “In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you!” 1 Thessalonians 5:18

When thanksgiving and praise dominate our lives we are more likely to be able to commit our lives completely to the Lord. The Bible tells us that everything that happens to us in our lives can work together for good if we continue to trust and love God in spite of what has happened. If our lives are full of thanksgiving and praise, Romans 8:28 can become a reality. Thanksgiving and praise show our love and trust in the Lord and are keys to a strong relationship with the Lord and a happy life. Let us rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, rejoice! Philippians 4:4

Originally published December 13, 2022

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Relearning the Lesson of Thankfulness

 

Dennis Edwards

I was trying to decide if I should accept an invitation to join a Christian work in Boston, or go north to Canada. Some of my fellow students had decided to go to Canada where they could sit out the Vietnam War period free from the arm of the American Military machine. I had just finished and had graduated from a three month intensive missionary training course in Ellenville, upstate New York in February 1972. I had been awarded with the certificate of Ministry Training and Evangelism and was ready to put all I had learned into practise. However, decision making was not my greatest quality.

My friend Jebaz, who had graduated with me and knew the struggle I was having, came up to me and said, “Dennis, Do you want to know what the will of God is for you?” Puzzled, I answered, “Sure.” My friend, with a screwd smile on his face, said, “Look up 1st Thessalonians 5:18.” I opened my pocket sized New Testament used when witnessing and found in black and white the verse that has stayed with me ever since. “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

Even though I had a serious problem with the military, as I had refused to submit to the pre-induction military examinations and later had refused to appear for induction, I decided not to go to Canada, but to remain in America and accept the position being offered me in Boston. However, the verse that Jebaz shared with me, along with Romans 8:28 which says, “All things work together for good to them that love God to them that have been called according to His purpose,” have been key principles or attitudes that have helped me to face the difficulties of life. Being thankful in all things is a lesson that I have been recently relearning which I wanted to share with you.

For different reasons, I had stopped being thankful in all things, even though I hadn’t noticed it. God's word says, "Be ye doers of the word, not hearers only, deceiving your own selves."[1] We are often oblivious to our own failings, while we are quick to notice the failings of others. The association I had been working in for twelve years just didn’t seem to be going in the direction I felt it should. My wife was also tired of much of the fund-raising work. We also felt we didn’t have much voice in the decision making of the association. We had lost respect for our fellow workers in the association and only saw the problems and not the benefits. But the Lord has a way to point our own problems out to us, if we are attentive to His voice.

The first place where I started to hear His sweet soft voice speaking to me about “thankfulness in all things” was a testimony I read from a blind Christian writer. He was sharing his personal testimony and how he had fell into depression over two failed relationships. He finished up with how the Lord had showed him the importance of giving thanks in all things and quoted, “In everything give thanks for this the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” In another article by a different author the main lessons was from Philippians 4:4-7.

“Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful (or anxious) for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

“Are you giving thanks in everything, Dennis?” The voice of conscience, the Lord’s voice questioned me. I started noticing that when my wife and I ended up talking about the association, we would usually end on a wrong note, criticizing our friends who lead the organization. I noticed we weren’t giving thanks and mentioned it to my wife that we had better be careful with our words. It seemed an evil root of bitterness was springing up. God’s word specifically states to not let an evil root of bitterness spring up. We had experienced the same problem some years before in another similar situation and had learned to not talk negatively among ourselves about the problem, but to bring it to the Lord in prayer instead. We decided to do that.

A few days later, I watched an Anchor post by Steven Furtick on YouTube, even though he’s not my style of preacher. But again, the Lord used him to speak to me. Furtick mentions how the children of Israel were murmuring when they were down in Egypt. Yet, when they got their freedom and escaped on their journey to the promised land, the were still murmuring. They murmured in the situation they had been in Egypt. When they got free from that situation, they murmured about the new situation. My wife and I were murmuring about the situation that we were in. Yet, how were we to know that a future situation would be any better? I said to my wife, “We are not happy with the situation in the association, but how do we know if a new situation will be any better. It may very well be worse.”

The next thing that happened was a new friend we have made through the association, who is a professor at a local university, asked me to prepare a presentation about the association and how it formed. I agreed and thought I would have time to work on it. I thought I would start off with my life story and end up with the association. I tried to work on the powerpoint but ended up getting nowhere. Then the professor moved up the date for the presentation by a week. Suddenly, I was stressed and every time I would try to sit down to prepare the presentation, I would end up with a headache and accomplish zero.

Then the Lord spoke to me. “Remember what the professor asked you to do? The presentation is not about you, it’s about the association. Forget about presenting yourself and present the association.” I remembered what a friend of mine had shared with me, she said, “Dennis, I like your classes, but I kind of feel it’s more about what you want to share with your students, than really what the students need.” I had once gotten a failing note in speech class because I had not followed the professor’s directions and corrections, but had done it my way. It seemed like I was doing the same thing again. I decided to forsake my story and concentrate on presenting the association in the presentation to the class.

In the process, I had to review all the beautiful and extra-ordinary activities we as an association had done together. We had gone to Bosnia with humanitarian aid with nine cars and two vans and had received an award from the local government. We had organized a trip to Mozambique and distributed humanitarian aid there. We had gone twice to the Saharawi refuge camps in south west Algeria participating in cultural programs in the schools and delivering humanitarian aid. We had faithfully given 200 free hot-meals to the homeless once a week for twelve years in the largest city in our country.

We had organized charity events to give food and clothing to poor families in the poorest metropolitan areas. We had helped fellow association members in Angola with the project they have with the poor children of their neighborhood. Some 200 children received a meal daily during the pandemic while close to 50 had been attending our after school activities which included an evening meal for over a year before the pandemic hit. We still are distributing food baskets weekly to lower income families and helping innner city soup kitchens with fresh vegetables and fish in our home country.

How could I have been murmuring about all that? The enemy gets our minds on the little details, on the negative things, and we lose sight of all the good that has been accomplished through our working together. Yes, working together is difficult, but if we apply 1st Thessalonians 5:18 to those difficult situations, we can find that maybe things aren’t as bad as we may think.

When the Lord wants you to get the point, He brings it to you in many different ways, so you won’t miss it. Yesterday, I sat down to read from the YouVersion Bible App. I wanted to show a friend how she could find small Bible reading plans in the app. Lo and behold, when I looked for a plan, what plan did I find? None other than, How to Be Grateful for Your Life. I read to my friend the first two days of the devotional with the assigned verses and she was overjoyed. I had just finished sharing her the bulk of this writing before opening up the app. We laughed how God had such a sense of humor to bring to me once more the importance of being thankful, a lesson she needed to remember likewise.

Maybe we all need the reminder to walk in thanksgiving. We can find a multiple verses in the Bible on the topic of giving thanks. The Book of Psalms, the longest book in the Bible, is essentially a book of thanksgiving, songs of thankfulness. Apostle Paul, writing to the Ephesians, encouraged the believers that they should be, “Speaking to themselves in psalms, and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in their hearts to the Lord; giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”[2]

To the Colossians he says the same thing. “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body: and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.”[3]

Here are a few verses from the Psalms on thanksgiving.

Psalm 69:30 I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving. 

Psalm 95: 1-2 O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.

Psalm 100:4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

 

Psalm 106:1 Praise ye the Lord. O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. (See Psalm 118:1 also) 

Psalm 107:21-22 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! And let them sacrífice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing.

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[1] James 1:22

[2] Ephesians 5:19-29

[3] Colossians 3:15-17

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God's Promises of Newness of Life

By Maria Fontaine

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When the Bible says, “Behold, I make all things new,”1 it truly means that everything is new.—Our whole outlook and lives, as we don new robes for the new person to walk in newness of life as “new creatures in Christ Jesus”2 with new motives and new goals and new ways of doing things. It’s truly wonderful!

Whenever we yield our hearts, our lives, and our future to Him, surrender everything to Him, He has promised to make things new—to use us and shape us and re-create our ministries, outlooks, and lives as He sees fit. He has given His promise to any of us who are discouraged and disheartened that there’s always hope and that you can arise from the ashes of loss or defeat to a new beginning, new ministries, new opportunities, and new fulfillment in the Lord.

It’s wonderful to think that no matter how old you are, how tired you are, how despairing you’ve been, the Lord promises to refill your spirit with faith and hope. No matter what condition you are in and how difficult it’s been, you can look to the future with anticipation and trust that there will be happy new days ahead and newness of life. Thank You, Jesus!

To enter into that newness of life, we just have to be willing to forget the past, drop the old, let go of it and say yes and reach out to the new that is before us.3 There’s an old hymn that says,

When I come to the river at the ending of day,
When the last winds of sorrow have blown;
There’ll be somebody waiting to show me the way,
I won’t have to cross Jordan alone.

I won’t have to cross Jordan alone,
Jesus died all my sins to atone;
When the darkness I see,
He’ll be waiting for me,
I won’t have to cross Jordan alone.

Often times I’m weary and troubled and sad,
When it seems that my friends have all flown;
There is one thought that cheers me and makes my heart glad,
I won’t have to cross Jordan alone.

Though the billows of trouble and sorrow may sweep,
Christ the Savior will care for his own;
Till the end of my journey my soul he will keep,
And I won’t have to cross Jordan alone.
—Thomas Ramsey

Jordan is apparently representative of death, and the Bible says, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.”4 We usually think of this as meaning physical death, but I believe it can be used just as appropriately for death to self, which is just as difficult and sometimes more so. But the Lord has promised to keep you through it, as you trust in Him no matter what the circumstances may be.

There is a beautiful verse that says: “And I will give you the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I, the Lord, who calls you by your name, am the God of Israel.”5

Sometimes the new things the Lord wants to bring into our lives require us making major changes and undergoing a “retooling” as He prepares us for new challenges, new callings, and new beginnings. Retooling is changing from what something was into something else, to produce something that it didn’t produce before. The factory that used to make tanks now makes trucks, or it’s retooled to do something different. Likewise, the Lord retools each of us at different points in our lives and reshapes us into new vessels—so the vessel can be used differently, with a new anointing, to be used in a new way by the Lord for whatever purpose He has.

The Lord Himself doesn’t change, neither does His Word, but He can change us and our methods and our circumstances and ministries, and our habits, attitudes, and outlook. He can give us new hearts, new minds, new anointings, new blessings, new challenges, new people to work with, new friends, new families! He promises to renew our spirits and our faith, and He can give us new enthusiasm and enjoyment of life. Isn’t it wonderful just how much the Lord loves us? Praise the Lord!

The Bible says to “lift up your hands in the sanctuary and bless the Lord.”6 It also says, “Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens,”7 and “So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands.”8 In another verse Paul said that he wanted “men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands.”9 The Bible says to do that, so there must be something significant and important about it.10

Lifting your arms up to the Lord is a sign of surrender. It’s also a sign of desire. When you haven’t seen someone for a long time and they’re coming to greet you, you put your arms out to them. In like manner, lifting your hands to the Lord is a sign of desire and reaching out to Him. If we are worried about the opinions of others and what they’ll think of us when we lift up our hands, the Lord says not to fear or worry about what others think about us, but to just go ahead and do what we know pleases Him. Thank You, Lord!

Thank You for Your words to us, Jesus—beautiful words of wonder, love, blessing, and all that we need. How good You are to us! You’ve not called us servants but friends, and You’ve told us of the great things that You have in store for us, and the wonderful future ahead and how beautiful it’s going to be.

We can’t pay You back, so we want to do what we can to love You, because You’ve given Your life for us. You died for us and came to serve us and to love us, and we want to do the same for You. You said, “As My Father hath sent Me, even so send I you.” Your Father sent You to love us so much that You would even die for us, and that You would not stop with Your death on the cross, but You would continue to give Your love. And that’s what You said we should do for others.

Please help us to receive the gift of Your love with open arms, that we may be filled to overflowing with Your Spirit of love, so that we’ll in turn overflow on others. We want to be Your servants and serve each other in love and serve Your people and the world.

Originally published February 1995. Adapted and republished January 2020.

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1 Revelation 21:5.

2 2 Corinthians 5:17.

3 Philippians 3:13.

4 Psalm 116:15.

5 Isaiah 45:3.

6 Psalm 134:2.

7 Lamentations 3:41.

8 Psalm 63:4.

9 1 Timothy 2:8.

10 See also Psalm 28:2; 119:48; Lamentations 2:19.

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