Praising God from A to Z

Do you ever have trouble knowing how to praise God?

Try a simple idea ~ one that works for adults and kids.

List the letters in the Alphabet from A to Z.

Write down any word that comes to mind that describes who God is, His character or what He does. For Example:
A Awesome
B Beginning
C Creator
D Deliverer
E Everlasting
F Forgives
G Good
H Hears
I Infinite
J Just
K Kind
You get the idea. Hint: when you come to the letter X ~ you can use the word Excellent, etc.

Use those words to praise Him during your quiet time or anytime during the day.

Alphabet Praise is a great tool to use with your kids to help them know who God is. Set a timer for 3-5 minutes and see how many words they can come up with. Put the list on your refrigerator or a place where they will see it. Use those words to help your children praise God and thank Him for who He is and how He always provides for our needs.

Something else that has helped is to read a Psalm each day and list all the words you find that describe God. For example, here are a few words that describe God from Psalm 18:
strength, rock, fortress, deliverer, refuge, shield, horn of my salvation, worthy of praise.
Put the words beside the appropriate letter.

Using Alphabet Praise is a great way to be reminded on a daily basis who our mighty God is and what He promises.

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"As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him." Psalm 18:30

"Soul" Satisfaction

Ever felt like you were in a desert? Aimlessly going from place to place, looking for someone or something to quench your spiritual thirst and fill the emptiness deep within your soul? Wandering day in and day out. Searching, but nothing satisfies. Thirst increases. Emptiness swells. Relationships are affected. Weak, unchanged, there's no end in sight.

David must have felt the same way when he cried out in Psalm 63. "O, God, You are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for You, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water." David longed for spiritual nourishment, but he was far from the temple. But in the stillness of the desert, he remembered God's faithfulness in the past and he went on to say, "I have seen You in the sanctuary and beheld Your power and Your glory. Because Your love is better than life, my lips will glorify You. I will praise You as long as I live, and in Your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of food; with singing lips my mouth will praise You. On my bed I remember You; I think of You through the watches of the night. Because You are my help, I sing in the shadow of Your wings. My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me."

In a comment by Chuck Swindoll in the Living Insights Bible, he says, "About the time we are ready to give up, Jesus comes alongside and whispers, 'Don't quit; keep going; keep your eyes on Me.' In Matthew 11:28, Jesus said, 'Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from, Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.'" Take Him at His word, for He who formed you, knows you and He will fill your deepest longings.

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Lord, I ask You to restore my soul.

"The LORD is my shepherd . . . He restores my soul."

Psalm 23:1,3

Forgive me for looking to others or things to fill the empty places in my life.

"You are forgiving and good, O LORD,

abounding in love to all who call to You."

Psalm 25:11

Lord, I also choose to look to You and Your Word to satisfy my needs, not to anyone or any thing else, regardless of where I am, my position in life or my circumstances. Let Your Word penetrate the deep recesses of my soul. Keep my eyes fixed on You, the author and perfecter of my faith.

(See Hebrews 4:12 and 12:2.)

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Claim His Promises

"Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken."

Psalm 62:5-6

"Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy name. Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits. He forgives my sins and heals all my diseases; He redeems my life from the pit and crowns me with love and compassion. He satisfies my desires with good things, so that my youth is renewed like the eagle's."

Psalm 103:1-5

"For He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things."

Psalm 107:9

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"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

for they will be filled."

Matthew 5:6

Reflect His Glory ~ Bring Him Praise

Anna was a young girl whose life truly reflected God's glory. She was a vivacious, energetic nine year old who had given her life to Christ when she was only five. She loved the Lord and expressed her love in her attitude, her speech, and her actions. Anna wasn't perfect by any means but, despite her young age, she always tried to live in a way that brought glory and praise to God. She was a bright little girl who had taught herself to read by the age of three and had read the entire Bible by the time she was seven; even writing notes in the margin of her Bible so she would remember what she had learned. In the book of John, when it described how Jesus was mistreated before His death, she had drawn a face with tears coming down. She said it made her so sad to think what had happened to Him.

English was not the common language in the city where Anna and her family lived. But in spite of this language barrier, she had met four girls her age and had become their friend. Anna longed to share Christ with these friends and had often asked others to pray that God would show her how. Eventually, Anna did share Him with her friends, but not in the way anyone would have expected...

Two weeks ago, Anna and her Mom had gone for a bike ride, just like they had done on many occasions. While on a path they had traveled over and over, an accident occurred and, as Anna's Daddy said, there is no good way to say this other than "Anna went home to be with her Lord."

After she died, there were two Memorial Services held in the town where she lived. One of the service's was held in her home. At this service, Anna's four young friends came. During the service the gospel was presented through an interpreter and her friends heard the Truth. Only God knows how the friends responded. But what we do know is that Anna's life brought glory to God and, even in death, her testimony lives.



How can our lives, like Anna's, reflect God's glory?

1. We have to know the One who is the true reflection of God's glory.
   Jesus, the Son of God "is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful Word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven." (Hebrews 1:3)
   
   Have you received God's forgiveness for your sins? God offers eternal life as a free gift. It isn't something we earn or deserve. (Ephesians 2:8-9) You can receive eternal life by believing in Jesus alone. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16
   
   
2. In order to reflect God's glory we need to know who God is.
   We find out who He is by reading His Word. His Word has given us everything we need for living a godly life that will bring Him glory and praise. In 2 Peter 1:3-4 it says, "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that we may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires."
   
   
3. We need to daily live in a way that reflects or represents God's glory well. He deserves nothing less.
   In the video series, "Living Beyond Yourself", Beth Moore said, "Lord, let your glory so fill me that you push out my old nature." May that be our prayer today.

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Bring God praise

• How does your attitude, your speech, your actions, your thoughts, what you watch, and the way you treat others, etc., reflect God's glory and bring Him praise?


• Read Colossians 2:6-7 and Colossians 3:1-17


• Underline or write down everything you find about godly living.


• Ask God to show you if there is any sin in your life that would hinder you from living a godly life. "Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires." Romans 6:12


• Confess any known sin to Him and thank Him for His forgiveness. (1 John 1:9)


• Write down the verse below on an index card and place it where you will see it often as a reminder.

"You are worthy, our Lord, and God

to receive glory and honor and honor and power,

for You created all things,

and by Your will they were created and have their being."

Revelation 4:11