Growing up in church, every week our entire congregation would sing a song of praise and worship call “The Doxology.” It went like this:
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him all creatures, here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
I can’t believe that I just typed that in from memory from all those years ago. But I guess that singing the same thing every week for YEARS makes an impression! I’m glad it did, but it’s likely something that we should all remember, every day!
Lately, I’ve been really compelled, or, rather, led by the Holy Spirit, to make sure that each and every day I must be thankful for what the Lord has provided, and praise Him for it all. And it’s a long list…
My wife, our home, food, two cars, two cats!, trips to Israel, friends, and a church family. I’m also thankful for Him, for the sacrifice and salvation of His Son Jesus, for the gift of the Holy Spirit, for His presence, for eternal life, for His kindness, grace, and mercy, for His forgiveness, for His tolerance with me, for His desire to know me and for me to know Him. I am thankful for all of these things.
When I really think about it, there is nothing for which I am grateful that I cannot connect to God. There are many things that I have accomplished in life, but I have come to realize that HE has led me to all these things, and equipped me to excel in many of them.
I’m NOT trying to brag here, but I do want to provide some perspective regarding what I’m talking about. I graduated with a degree in Ministry Leadership and a masters in Leadership at the head of my classes. I have been to all fifty states and about 15 foreign countries. I have a pilot’s license. I have a motorcycle endorsement on my drivers license. Except for a mortgage and one car payment, I am debt free (and could pay off the car today).
And the question is, how much of those accomplishments did I do ALL ON MY OWN? The answer… NONE OF IT!
I praise God that HE opened my mind and led me through my studies. I praise God that HE has allowed me to experience different places with different people so that I can know how to present Him to more diverse cultures today. I praise God that He brought me through thirty years of self-doubt by teaching me how to fly an airplane. I praise God that my son and I could find new camaraderie learning to ride motorcycles together. I praise God that He taught me financial responsibility after decades of heavy debt and bad money practices. I praise God.
When you think of what you have, how you got it, and who you are, do you congratulate yourself or do you praise God, from whom all blessings flow?
Psalm 104 is a song of Praise for God and the world that He has created… for us! If you want to wrap your head around the simply JOY of praising the greatness of God, please read Psalm 150. It is the last Psalm and it is very short. And the very last verse (v.6) wonderfully sums up how God is the Center, the Focus, of creation, and that we should regard Him as such. It says,
“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord.”
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him all creatures, here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
God bless you all, and we hope to see you Sunday!
