Holston Daily Devotional February 4, 2021

Focus Scripture

Psalms 147: 1-11 NSRV

Praise for God’s Care for Jerusalem

1 Praise the Lord!
How good it is to sing praises to our God;
    for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting.
2 The Lord builds up Jerusalem;
    he gathers the outcasts of Israel.
3 He heals the brokenhearted,
    and binds up their wounds.
4 He determines the number of the stars;
    he gives to all of them their names.
5 Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;
    his understanding is beyond measure.
6 The Lord lifts up the downtrodden;
    he casts the wicked to the ground.

7 Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
    make melody to our God on the lyre.
8 He covers the heavens with clouds,
    prepares rain for the earth,
    makes grass grow on the hills.
9 He gives to the animals their food,
    and to the young ravens when they cry.
10 His delight is not in the strength of the horse,
    nor his pleasure in the speed of a runner;[a]
11 but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him,
    in those who hope in his steadfast love.

Devotion

Recently my husband and I kept three of our grandsons. They made thank you cards for my friend who had given each one a gift for Christmas. I encouraged them to be creative and to use their imagination; and then they began to sort through the colorful pompoms, squiggly eyes, colored paper and pencils, and of course the all-important glue and tape.

After much thought and lots of work, the cards were finished. I expect a call from Hallmark soon.

Each card had a written note thanking my friend for their Christmas presents and each card reflected the personality of its designer. When the cards were presented to my friend, a smile came across her face. The gifts were a thoughtful act of kindness and the cards were the boys’ way of responding to that kindness.

Praise is an expression of appreciation raised up to God for all that He has done. Praise happens when our inward gratitude becomes an action of thank you for the gift of grace received from God. God’s grace comes in the form of healing, knowing all of his children by name and loving each one enough to seek those who are lost, and standing with someone who is hurting due to sadness or an act of injustice that has been committed against them.

God’s grace may seem small to one, but to another it may be a life changing experience.

When we declare the greatness of God we acknowledge His strength and power above any other source in the universe. God knows the needs of every living thing that He created; something that humans will never fully understand or comprehend. God wants us to believe in what He does and to show our faith as He continually provides our daily needs. Letting God take total control of our lives shows our trust in Him and that He will do the best thing for us, otherwise our weak attempts at solving conflict separates us from God.

We have experienced painful and rough seasons during our lives; some may even say that there is nothing to thank God for. It is sad to think that a relationship with God may suffer due to a lack of faith and trust because every day we have much to be thankful for. If we consider ourselves as Christians that means that we believe in and remain near to Christ.

Our lives would be different without the birth of Christ Christmas, the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross, and His resurrection at Easter. The forgiveness of our sins is the ultimate gift of grace, love, and the promise of eternal life - that alone deserves a thank you from us, every day.

When we enter into a place of worship many people may be present offering praises and thanksgiving. It is a time to be reverent and to show an attitude of humility. It may not always be a quiet time, but it is our time to focus on the God who makes things better; the God who has endless love for us.

Regardless if our thank you comes through music, a silent praise in our heart, or a card with colorful pompoms and squiggly eyes, it makes God happy, and I would like to think that there is a big smile on His face when we acknowledge that God is indeed an awesome God.

Prayer

The prayer comes from the refrain of a familiar hymn. Let us:

Praise Him! Praise Him! Tell of His excellent greatness;

Praise Him! Praise Him! Ever in joyful song!

Amen