Count Blessings
Psalm 24:1 ESV
Deuteronomy 10:14 ESV
Psalm 95:1-7 ESV
Exodus 9:29 ESV
I Samuel 2:6-10 ESV
I Chronicles 29:11-13 ESV
Psalm 47:6-9 ESV
Psalm 89:11 ESV
I Corinthians 10:26 ESV
Psalm 150:6 ESV
Numbers 6:24-26 ESV
During the 1970’s there was a saying that went around church circles that said we need to, “Praise the Lord Anyway.”
The point was that regardless of the circumstances of life we need to praise God.
To be quite honest I thought that was a little much. I didn’t understand how we can pretend things are great when they are terrible. I kind of refused to say it.
While I did praise God for the good things, I couldn’t see praising God for things that God did not do (sinful things). I was entrenched in dualistic thinking that there are two worlds, good and evil and I thought we need to give credit where credit is due. If Satan caused something bad to happen we need to blame Satan.
I was wrong.
At that time some people thought everything was pretty much fifty fifty. It’s not.
After I started studying scripture, really studying it, I came to realize that scripture tells us, “The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers. (Psalm 24:1)
It’s not a fifty-fifty deal. It’s not even ninety-ten. Everything was created by God and God still has holding rights.
Satan has no power over us. The only power Satan has comes from those who give him power by not trusting God.
We make the choice. When we turn to God, we are in Gods protection.
Moses knew it when he told Israel in Deuteronomy 10:14, “Behold, to the Lord your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it.”
Psalm 95:1-7 says, “Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.”
Moses told Pharaoh the real deal in Exodus 9:29, “As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will stretch out my hands to the Lord. The thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, so that you may know that the earth is the Lord's.”
Pharaoh didn’t believe and he was defeated.
Hannah (Samuel the Prophet’s mother) knew it when she prayed in I Samuel 2:6-10,
“The Lord kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up. The Lord makes poor and makes rich; he brings low and he exalts. He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord's, and on them he has set the world. “He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness, for not by might shall a man prevail. The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; against them he will thunder in heaven. The Lord will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.”
In I Chronicles 29:11-13 David prayed, “Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name.”
The Sons of Korah knew it when they wrote in Psalm 47:6-9, “Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name.”
Ethan the Ezeahite knew it when he wrote in Psalm 89:11, “The heavens are yours; the earth also is yours; the world and all that is in it, you have founded them.”
And the Apostle Paul certainly knew it when he wrote I Corinthians 10:26, “The heavens are yours; the earth also is yours; the world and all that is in it, you have founded them.”
In to Psalm 150:6 we read, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!”
In turn, God responds to our love forever and always.
Numbers 6:24-26 says, “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.”
God is gracious and keeps us in His peace.
In 1680 Joachim Neander wrote the hymn, Praise to the Lord Almighty.
In the first stanza, he wrote, “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of Creation. O my soul praise Him for He is thy health and salvation. All ye who hear, now to His temple draw near, Sing now in glad adoration!”
Everything was created by God, and when we turn to God we choose God’s protection. Even Satan cannot stand against us.
Spiritual Practice: Turn
Turn to God and receive God’s love and protection.
In God, Deborah
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