Three Things to Remember for Hope

Everything I'm knowingly facing today can be summed up in this Psalm. I'm so grateful for God's Word (the Bible) because it brings me such great hope when my physical eyes cannot see a good plan.

May I never loose sight of these things;

1. God is greater. There is NOTHING over Him. 

2. He sees me and my circumstance, He knew about it a long time ago, and He still allowed it to happen for my good and His glory. 

3. God loves me completely. I will never know a deeper love than His. 

My prayer is that as He reminds me of these truths and I share them, that your heart will be encouraged as well!

Here is my anthem for today: 

Psalm 33

Let the godly sing for joy to the Lord; it is fitting for the pure to praise him. 

Praise the Lord with melodies on the lyre; make music for him on the ten-stringed harp. 

Sing a new song of praise to him; play skillfully on the harp, and sing with joy. 

For the word of the Lord holds true, and we can trust everything he does. 

He loves whatever is just and good; the unfailing love of the Lord fills the earth. 

The Lord merely spoke, and the heavens were created. He breathed the word, and all the stars were born. 

He assigned the sea its boundaries and locked the oceans in vast reservoirs. 

Let the whole world fear the Lord, and let everyone stand in awe of him. 

For when he spoke, the world began! It appeared at his command. 

The Lord frustrates the plans of the nations and thwarts all their schemes. 

But the Lord ’s plans stand firm forever; his intentions can never be shaken. 

What joy for the nation whose God is the Lord, whose people he has chosen as his inheritance. 

The Lord looks down from heaven and sees the whole human race. 

From his throne he observes all who live on the earth. 

He made their hearts, so he understands everything they do. 

The best-equipped army cannot save a king, nor is great strength enough to save a warrior. 

Don’t count on your warhorse to give you victory— for all its strength, it cannot save you. 

But the Lord watches over those who fear him, those who rely on his unfailing love. 

He rescues them from death and keeps them alive in times of famine. 

We put our hope in the Lord. He is our help and our shield. 

In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. 

Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in you alone.

How to Win Every Day

Several months ago I had the privilege of talking with my friend who struggles greatly with a painful (and sometimes debilitating) illness.  She shared several creative ideas God gave her for raising her (now grown) children despite her illness, but one of them made me smile big!

"Crystal," she said, "every morning, I would sit down at the piano, and we would sing praise songs.  That way, if we got nothing else done that day, we would at least praise God."

What wisdom!

Over and over and over again, we are told in scripture to praise the Lord!  It matters not if you wake up and play a piano, play a song on your mp3 player, or make up a praise song of your own. What matters is this: that you praise God.

Praise can take on a lot of different forms (and that is an entirely different topic), but know this: when you start your day out praising God, placing Him as leader of your life, you win.  Immediately, you win.  You've put up a sign on your heart that says, "God is worth praise today, despite everything I lack."

Soon after my conversation with my sweet friend, I heard the song "You Are Good", sung by Kari Jobe on Gateway Worship's album Wake Up the World.  With lyrics like "Everyday I'll awaken my praise and pour out a song from my heart", I recommend this one for any morning routine.

Winning starts now.  Are you ready?

If you'd like more information on the benefits of praise, in great detail with scriptural references, I recommend this article by Watchman Nee.

**Leave me a comment below with your favorite praise song!**