Praise Without End

I will praise you every day; I will praise you forever and ever. The Lord is great and worthy of our praise; no one can understand how great he is.

Psalm 145:2-3

Creation praises God. Angels praise God. Infants praise God. One day every knee will bow as the whole world praises God. Scripture is filled with examples of praise, especially throughout the book of Psalms. Every one of those verses has a lesson to teach about honoring the Lord of the universe. The specific portion of Psalm 145 is significant because it is like a mini-primer on praise. It tells the who, what, when, where, and why of giving God glory.

The who explains God is the One most worthy of your praise. He is so deserving that it is impossible to run out of reasons for praising him. You can praise God for his gifts, but praise is broader than thanksgiving. What praise does is honor God for who he is, not just what he does. By honoring God through your prayers and actions you bless him. giving him pleasure. This alone is a great reason why you should praise God (along with the fact he deserves it!). Praise benefits the one giving it, as well as the one receiving it. Praise cultivates contentment by helping you develop a right view of God and yourself.

As for when to praise God, Psalm 145 tells you that it is appropriate to praise God every day. The psalm says that you will praise God forever, which means your praises will reach beyond the borders of this earth right into your eternal home in heaven. That's a where that you can look forward to.

The Hebrew word for praising God means "to celebrate his perfections". Put what you've learned into practice by taking time to do that right now.

Source: The 100 Most Important Bible Verses

Pray to God and give him praise. Praise him during the good times, during the sad times, especially during the confusing and hurting times. We may not understand the events of our daily life but God does and if we praise him daily all events serve purpose to glorify God. ~ MME Team

Ever by Your Side

Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascent into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me.

Psalm 139:7-10

Like all the other psalms, Psalm 139 voices honest, human emotion in a vibrantly beautiful, truthful, and poetic way. In this one, the psalmist asked rhetorical questions. He was not expressing a desire to get away from God. Quite the contrary. He was emphasizing that if people who wholeheartedly try to escape God's presence have absolutely no possibility of doing it, it would be even more unlikely for a person who is actively drawing close to God to wind up separated from him.

In other words, God is with you everywhere - whether you want him to be or not. This truth is wonderful news for those who long for God. God is always right by your side. His Spirit transcends the limitations of physical space.

This means that you will experience God's presence in a different way than you would the presence of other people. God's Spirit is kind of like oxygen. Once you learn about God's Spirit, you know he is there by his positive effects. Even though you can't see him, hear him, or feel him, you know that as long as you're breathing, God's Spirit is present. God's Spirit is the oxygen that allows you to be fully alive spiritually. You can see God's Spirit move through answred prayer. You can hear his voice through words of Scripture. You can feel his touch through his gifts of comfort, peace, and joy.

Jesus is often referred to by the name Immanuel, meaning "God with us." Psalm 139 shows that God always has and always will be "with us."

Source: The 100 Most Important Bible Verses

Pray to the Lord and give thanks for the Spirit of God that flows around us, within us, always attentive to our needs and never hidden. Let us take daily time to pray; give thanks, and ask for forgiveness from sin so that the goodness of the Lord be respected, glorified and honored. ~ MME Team

Stop , Look, Listen, and Trust

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and through the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea... "Be still, and know that I am God."

Psalm 46:1-2

          The Psalms are a tapestry of human emotions. The poetry of prayer weaves together anger, fear, joy, longing, despair, praise, and passion. These verses sum up God's response to those prayers. Their truth is the thread of peace and comfort that runs through he entire book of Psalms, as well as the rest of the Bible - and the life of every individual who walks with God. God's answer to those who are emotionally troubled is brief and straight forward: stop and remember who is on your side.

          Psalm 46 talks about earthquakes falling mountains, cities being destroyed, nations being in an uproar, kingdoms crumbling. It talks about the final destruction of the world itself. The overall tone of the psalm is anything but quiet and still. One sentence, however, says to "be still," and the focal point of emotion changes from outside chaos to internal rest. That's why this psalm was written as a song. It proclaimed a message everyone needed to hear.

          Let the truth of these verse find a home in your heart today. When  life gets busy or chaotic, it's easy to get distracted. You wind up focusing on problems instead of the One who holds the answer to your problems in his hands. When that happens, stop. Focus on who God is and how much he loves you. Share your own heartfelt psalm of prayer with the God of power and compassion. Be still and know God is near.

          The words in Psalm 46 hold incredible power when it comes to knowing God is near in any and every situation. Memorize them. Meditate on them. Keep them close at heart for when you need them most.

          Pray to God to be still and know that he is in control at all times. ~ MME Team