PRAISE:RECOUNTING GOD'S WORK
By Suzanne Benner
"I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High" (Psalm 7:17).
There is a great passage of praise to God in the book of Nehemiah. It begins with praising Him for creation:
"Blessed be Your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. You alone are the LORD. You made the heaves, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you" (Nehemiah 9:5, 6).
Then, the rest of the chapter portrays details of God's work throughout Israel 's history.
The realization came upon me that this passage provided the framework of how to offer praise.
Praise is a recounting of who God is and what He has done. It is an acknowledgement that God is at work all around us.
Listen to the verbs that are used in Nehemiah chapter nine to describe God's involvement in the Israelites' lives:
You made...
You saw...
You sent...
You hurled...
You led...
You gave...
You brought...
You made known...
You did not desert...
You did not abandon...
You did not withhold...
You sustained...
You subdued...
You heard...
You warned...
God is aware of your situation. He sees; He hears; He knows.
God is intimately involved in your life. He makes; He leads; He gives; He warns.
God powerfully interacts with His creation (us!). He sustains; He subdues; He does not abandon.
I encourage you to read Nehemiah chapter nine and use it as a guide to write your own history as an offering of worship to God.
~Holy God, You alone ARE God. You HAVE SEEN my distress and ANSWERED my prayers. You HAVE PROVIDED all that I need.
Amen?
Tekoa
By Suzanne Benner
"I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High" (Psalm 7:17).
There is a great passage of praise to God in the book of Nehemiah. It begins with praising Him for creation:
"Blessed be Your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. You alone are the LORD. You made the heaves, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you" (Nehemiah 9:5, 6).
Then, the rest of the chapter portrays details of God's work throughout Israel 's history.
The realization came upon me that this passage provided the framework of how to offer praise.
Praise is a recounting of who God is and what He has done. It is an acknowledgement that God is at work all around us.
Listen to the verbs that are used in Nehemiah chapter nine to describe God's involvement in the Israelites' lives:
You made...
You saw...
You sent...
You hurled...
You led...
You gave...
You brought...
You made known...
You did not desert...
You did not abandon...
You did not withhold...
You sustained...
You subdued...
You heard...
You warned...
God is aware of your situation. He sees; He hears; He knows.
God is intimately involved in your life. He makes; He leads; He gives; He warns.
God powerfully interacts with His creation (us!). He sustains; He subdues; He does not abandon.
I encourage you to read Nehemiah chapter nine and use it as a guide to write your own history as an offering of worship to God.
~Holy God, You alone ARE God. You HAVE SEEN my distress and ANSWERED my prayers. You HAVE PROVIDED all that I need.
Amen?
Tekoa
