Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I stand up; You understand my thoughts from far away. You observe my travels and my rest; You are aware of all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue, You know all about it, Lord. You have encircled me; You have placed Your hand on me. This extraordinary knowledge is beyond me. It is lofty; I am unable to reach it. Psalm 139:1-6
My words…
A Prayer of Praise to the One Who Encircles Me
You know everything about me, Lord. You know the number of times I have sat and risen. You know all the places on earth where my feet have touched. You know the number of my words from my very first to the ones I am writing now. You know the final word of this prayer before I have even written it. Those I love here on earth, those closest to me, do not fully understand me (nor I them), but You know all my ways. You get me. As You know, I spend a lot of time wondering about You. I don’t know all Your ways. I don’t get You. What You know is beyond what I can know. Like David, I can stretch and reach for it my whole life and never grasp it. It is lofty. Then, when I am tired and sore from stretching, Your Spirit says, “It is enough.” And I grow calm and at peace, and I rest in the truth that what I know of You is enough. You are not an intricate machine that I need to take apart and reassemble to know how You work. That’s not my job. It is enough that I know You encircle me. If my spiritual eyes were opened, I would see Your circle of provision around me, for You have blessed me with much more than just daily bread. I would see Your circle of protection around me, for Your heavenly armies fight for me. I would see Your circle of comfort around me, which soothes my spirit and dries my tears. And I would see Your circle of love around me, the circle from which all other circles originate. The circles spin; they bathe me in perfect light – Your light. This doesn’t come close to capturing how You encircle me. I know that. But for now, it is enough.
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 2 Corinthians 3:17
My words…
Praise
Lord, wherever You go, freedom follows. When You walked the earth, You were surrounded by enslaved people, enslaved by a law that had been so stretched and twisted over the centuries that the beautiful intent dropped to the ground. You couldn’t even pluck grain from a stalk and put it in Your mouth on the Sabbath without being called out by a teacher of the law. You, who watched Moses receive the law on Sinai, getting called out by a Pharisee. (No wonder they got on Your nerves.) Then You died. Then You rose. And freedom overpowered the law that had become so onerous. Some people cried, “Freedom! Hallelujah!” Others clung to their shackles, refusing to take the key freely given them. That must hurt You. But that was then, and this is now. Your freedom still follows You wherever You go. I have embraced this freedom because it is the only true freedom. As an American, I am free. But when I die, I am only a dead American. As a Christian, I am free. And when I die, I am still free. Now that’s true freedom.
Forgive me
There are days – dark days – when I put on the shackles of guilt, sin, or fear when I have already been freed of them. You forgive to free me of guilt. You died to free me of sin. And You indwell to free me of fear. Forgive me for forging more shackles when You suffered so much to destroy them.
Thank You
How does a freed slave find the words to thank her Liberator? The debt can never be repaid. So I worship You, I listen to You, I love You, and pray You will accept that as an offering of thanksgiving.
More praise
Because of Your freedom, Lord, I am empowered by You to chuck from my life anxiety, fear, despair, and guilt, which leaves a whole lot of room for hope, peace, and confidence. I can say to death, “Welcome, friend,” because I know what waits on the other side is a more glorious level of freedom. And that’s all because of You, my Liberator.
Shining morning star, how you have fallen from the heavens! You destroyer of nations, you have been cut down to the ground. You said to yourself: “I will ascend to the heavens; I will set up my throne above the stars of God. I will sit on the mount of the gods’ assembly, in the remotest parts of the North. I will ascend above the highest clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” Isaiah 14:12-14
My words…
Praise
These ancient words, spoken through your intrepid prophet, Isaiah, allow me a glimpse of an ancient, heavenly scene, an attempted coup gone terribly wrong. I learn so much about my enemy from this scene. He thought he could be like You. What gall! What boundless arrogance! He had his throne all picked out, among Your assembled, in the highest heavens. Too bad for him he never got to sit in it. I can’t fathom the rapturous fulfillment Your heavenly hosts enjoy by being in Your presence, yet Satan threw it all away because of his weighty pride. I am angered by the way he treated You, like a spoiled brat whose father gave him everything, but it wasn’t good enough. You created him and gave him the name Morning Star, but he reasoned the created could be just as great as the Creator. He is evil, plain and simple. And evil cannot stand against the Name of the Most High God. I praise You for the order You keep in the heavens. You hold all authority. I often wonder if Satan regrets his decision of long ago, to stand against You. Probably not – too much hubris. I see Satan’s tracks all around me, traces of where he has been. He leaves a trail of broken people, a trail of tears. It’s because of You that I know I can remove him from my presence – You did it, and I have Your Spirit living in me. I am looking forward to being with You in the place You are preparing for me – a place without Satan.
“When the house of Israel came to the nations where they went, they profaned my holy name because it was said about them, ‘These are the people of Yahweh, yet they had to leave His land in exile.’ Then I had concern for My holy name, which the house of Israel profaned among the nations where they went. Therefore, say to the house of Israel, this is what the Lord God says: It is not for your sake that I will act, house of Israel, but for My holy name, which you profaned among the nations where you went. I will honor the holiness of My great name, which has been profaned among the nations – the name you have profaned among them. The nations will know that I am Yahweh” – the declaration of the Lord – “when I demonstrate My holiness through you in their sight. For I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries, and will bring you into your own land. I will also sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your impurities and all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will place My Spirit within you and cause you to follow my statutes and carefully observe my ordinances.” Ezekiel 36:20-27
My words…
Praise
Oh Lord, Your name is precious, pure, and perfect, like fine crystal. Father, Savior, Comforter, King! Your words and Your works proclaim the holiness of Your great name. You act according to Your righteousness and Your will, which are founded in love. You love Your creation, the whole of it, and the venerable name of Yahweh is magnified by all those who love You back. I raise my voice, my hands, my life in worship to the name above all other names.
Prayer for me
I need to be reminded that my life as a follower of You is a direct reflection of Your name, Your reputation. Like the moon reflects the light of the sun, so my life reflects You. And it should matter to me, really matter to me, what other people think of You through my life.
Forgive me
Sometimes, I drop the crystal, Lord, and Your name shatters on the cement. Your reputation suffers because of my actions, or inaction. So forgive my sinful treatment of Your name.
Prayer for others
I pray for those who treat Your name with contempt. They view Your reputation like that of a silent, uncaring, vindictive god. “Look at all of the suffering in the world. What kind of god would let that happen?” they say. They don’t know You. They don’t want to know You. Because knowing You means change. So I pray that You will change them, Lord! Soften their hearts to accept Your Comforter. Then they will hold Your precious name in their hands.
More praise
Your words through Your prophet, Ezekiel, written so long ago, were written to me, weren’t they? For I once profaned Your name, yet You cleansed me with water and gave me a new heart, a heart where You placed Your Spirit. I thank You and exalt You for being the God whose name I am humbled and honored to hold.
Five times I received 39 lashes from Jews. Three times I was beaten with rods by the Romans. Once I was stoned by my enemies. Three times I was shipwrecked. I have spent a night and a day in the open sea. On frequent journeys I faced danger from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my own people, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the open country, dangers on the sea, and dangers among false brothers; labor and hardship, many sleepless nights, hunger and thirst, often without food, cold and lack of clothing. 2 Corinthians 11:24-27
Therefore, we do not give up. Even though our outer person is being destroyed, our inner person is being renewed day by day. For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory. So, we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
My words…
Lord, You knew when You interrupted Saul’s journey to Damascus, that he would suffer in Your name. You chose a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee, one who had reclined at the best tables with the choicest foods at every holy day and festival. He probably hadn’t suffered a day in his life. Then You gave him a mission, and off he went, into the clutches of persecution. Paul’s hardships were in direct correlation to his compassion for blanketing the world with Your gospel. The harder he preached, the harder he was persecuted. His body bore the bruises, welts, and scars of a man intensely focused on his radical mission – Your mission. In my mind, I see him, clinging to a piece of driftwood on the open sea, his muscles quivering with weakness, his tongue longing for fresh water. His body was slowly being destroyed, but all the while, his spirit was being renewed. I consider his affliction heavy, but he considered it light. He kept his spirit focused on what he could not see, for he knew – he knew – that all of the searing pain, all of the degradation would weigh as much as the tip of one strand of one feather in comparison to the weighty glory with which You would reward him in eternity. And that was all he needed to know.
Prayer for others
When I read this passage, my mind fills with images of everyone I know who is afflicted. Their cells are being radiated or poisoned in response to cancer. Their medicine cabinet is filled with what they need to live with a bearable amount of pain. Their eyesight and hearing diminish by the day. They bear the exhaustion of caring for a special needs child. Their affliction is heavy. So I pray that each of them, You know them by name, will not give up, but will focus on what is unseen, on what is eternal, and know that although their bodies are being destroyed, their spirits are being renewed each day! Their afflictions are a whisper compared to the shout of Your glory they will experience one day.
More praise
You, the absolutely incomparable eternal God, hear each anguished cry of the afflicted. You see the hidden and visible scars of those who have suffered trauma. You know the number of their tears. And it is because of Your love that You hold an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory far heavier than all of the afflictions of Your children combined since creation. Hallelujah!
You are Yahweh, the God who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans and changed his name to Abraham. You found his heart faithful in Your sight and made a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites, and Girgashites – to give it to his descendants. You have kept your promise, for You are righteous. But they were disobedient and rebelled against You. They flung Your law behind their backs and killed Your prophets who warned them to turn back to You. They committed terrible blasphemies. So you handed them over to their enemies, who oppressed them. In their time of distress, they cried out to You, and You heard from heaven. In Your abundant compassion You gave them deliverers, who rescued them from the power of their enemies. You were patient with them for many years, and Your Spirit warned them through your prophets, but they would not listen. Therefore, You handed them over to the surrounding peoples. However, in Your abundant compassion, You did not destroy them or abandon them, for You are a gracious and compassionate God. Nehemiah 9: 7-8, 26-27, 30-31
My words…
Praise
Lord, I praise You for Your wisdom in selecting one man in whose ancestors would make up Your chosen people. What a privilege to be chosen by You! Supernatural exhibitions of Your power unfolded before this people. Their sandals were not caked in mud as they walked across the Red Sea bed, for the ground was completely dry even though a wall of water stood on their right and left. Wafery bread appeared on the ground each morning as they traveled through a land without a ready food source. Fortified stone walls crumbled at the sound of trumpets and shouting. A giant fell down dead at the hands of a teenager with a sling. I could go on and on, but I don’t need to. You were there! You loved this people. You instituted a set of rules for them and promised, “If you follow these rules, I promise to bless you.” These rules – this law – was intended to set Your people apart from those living around them. You have always been devoted to the concept of Your people being set apart – being wholly identifiable as Yours. And when they were – good stuff happened. More often than not, however, they weren’t, and You watched Your law being flung behind their backs as they adopted the reprehensible lifestyle of their pagan neighbors. They flung away the opportunity to be blessed by You. How foolish. And they paid for that decision. Every time. When they returned to You, bruised and contrite, You opened Your arms of compassion and welcomed them in. Every time. You are the God who is really good at showing Your people compassion – You had to do it often enough. And that is why I praise You today. You are the God of compassion. I can’t think of what the world would be like if You weren’t.
Prayer for me
So, I give the chosen Israelites a lot of grief. They witnessed firsthand the manifestations of Your power – all of the mighty works of Your hands I read about in the law and prophets. And still, they did not feel compelled by awe, by love, or by duty to “just say no” to hedonism. “If I would have seen what they saw,” I say to myself, “I would never have turned away from God. Never!” But in truth, I have no idea what I would have done. Knowing me, I would have grown tired of all of the sacrifices and just left all that up to the Levites. In time, I would have forgotten about the Red Sea and the crumbling walls, and the conquered enemies. I would have been the one needing Your compassion. How do I know this? Because You have given me a much simpler, straight forward set of rules to follow (love Me, love others), and I still live through times when I fling those behind my back and do what I want. You’re really good at showing me compassion. You’ve had to do it often enough. And I greatly desire it.
Forgive me
By showing me compassion, You are teaching me how to be compassionate to others. Your Spirit is the best teacher! But I am an unwilling student at times. Forgive me when I bask in the warmth of Your compassion then turn around and coldly refuse to offer it to others.
Thank You
Thank You for extending Your arms of compassion around Your wayward, repentant sons and daughters. You’ve been doing it over and over since creation. I thank You, especially, that You do not tire in doing so.
More praise
Oh God, you wear compassion like a cloak, ready to drape it over the shoulders of Your beloved. This cloak is not scratchy or thin or ill-fitting; it is soothing and ample and custom-made. I have worn it many times. I worship You, the tailor of compassion.
On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came to the tomb, bringing the spices they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb. They went in but did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men stood by them in dazzling clothes. So the women were terrified and bowed down to the ground. “Why are you looking for the living among the dead?” asked the men. “He is not here, but He has been resurrected! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, ‘The Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men, be crucified, and rise on the third day’?” And they remembered His words. Returning from the tomb, they reported all these things to the Eleven and to all the rest. May Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them were telling the apostles these things. But these words seemed like nonsense to them, and they did not believe the women. Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. When he stooped to look in, he saw only the linen cloths. So he went home, amazed at what had happened. Luke 24:1-12
My words…
Praise
The Eleven were together, each one miserable, burdened with heartache, guilt, and hopelessness. The “remember when” stories were not enough to extract the anguish from the room. The image of their pummeled and bloodied Lord lay seared on their minds. “It wasn’t supposed to happen this way,” they surely said to each other. There was only one event powerful enough to sponge away the stifling memory and paralyzing guilt. But this event was beyond belief, outside the limits of reality. It was nonsense, according the Apostles. But not according to the guards posted at the tomb, too scared to move. Not according to the terrified women, their faces to the ground, the oil and spices scattered about them. They were witnesses of the aftermath of You retrieving Your Son from the place that was never meant to hold Him. The most holy reunion in heaven or on earth was the only event powerful enough to cleanse the believers’ hearts of terror and grief and guilt and replace it with amazement, joy, and the peace of forgiveness. The beloved Son of God has risen! Joseph could have his tomb back.
Prayer for others
Father, my heart aches for the many who believe the resurrection is nonsense. They do not experience the joy of Resurrection Sunday as I do. What a pity. I pray for a formidable revelation of Your Spirit on those who have been beguiled into dismissing this most astounding expression of Your love for all.
Thank You
Centuries and centuries of prayers of heart-felt gratitude have been lifted in thanksgiving for the sacrifice of Your Son dying, and You having to watch. I am adding mine to that reverent collection. My thankfulness motivates me to raise my hands and my voice to You, and my indebtedness causes me to fall to my knees. Thanks be to God the Son who suffered because of me, and thanks be to God the Father who turned sorrow into joy.
More praise
When You burst into Hades and defeated death, all of heaven cried for joy! The heavenly hosts would be in the presence of the Lamb once again! Some believe this act makes no sense. You are The Holy Grave Robber! It’s makes perfect sense to me.
Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and who depend on horses! They trust in the abundance of chariots and in the large number of horsemen. They do not look to the Holy One of Israel, and they do not seek the Lord’s help. But He also is wise and brings disaster. He does not go back on what He says. He will rise up against the house of wicked men and against the allies of the evildoers. Egyptians are men, not God; their horses are flesh, not spirit. When the Lord raises His hand to strike, the helper will stumble and the one who is helped will fall; both will perish together. For this is what the Lord said to me: As a lion or young lion growls over its prey when a band of shepherds is called out against it, and is not terrified by their shouting or subdued by their noise, so the Lord of Hosts will come down to fight on Mount Zion and in its hill. Like hovering birds, so the Lord of Hosts will protect Jerusalem – by protecting it, He will rescue it, by sparing it, He will deliver it. Isaiah 31:1-5
My words…
Praise
Through Your prophet, Isaiah, You reveal Yourself as a fighter, a protector, a rescuer. What a comfort! You are a lion and a hovering bird, protecting those who fear You and call on Your name. Your love comes with a protection plan. You love me, so You pierce the ear drums of my enemies with Your growl. Their impotent shouts cannot withstand Your roar. You hover over me when I am wounded, Your thundering wings melt the hearts of my attackers. As I would guard my own children from danger, so You guard me. You are the Holy One, and I am whole in body and spirit because of You.
Prayer for me
I strive each day to trust in Your wisdom and might as I tread this earthly path with You. But You have seen me stray from the path and jump into my chariots. Chariots are powerful vehicles, difficult to control. I’ve seen Ben-Hur. My bootstrap chariot is well-used, for that is the one I drive the most. In that chariot, I say, “Watch me! I can do this all by myself.” Something a four-year-old would say. Then there’s my denial chariot. I ride this one when I reason nothing is wrong. I have pillows in that one for extra comfort on those long rides. I usually end up steering this one right into a hole, then I figure out something is indeed wrong in my heart. Through the love and guidance of Your Spirit, I have not used my possessions chariot in a while. You have taught me that my stuff is just…stuff. I can’t depend on it for anything. I look to Your strength and wisdom, so I will burn my chariots and set the horses free.
Forgive me
Forgive me when I depend on men and not You, God, and what is flesh and not Spirit. These times always follow periods of weak faith and times of waiting on You. Forgive me for turning my back on You and heading to the chariot stable.
Prayer for others
I pray for those who stand alone, or as a church, or as a nation, that they will look to the Holy One of All Earth for help. Hover over the weak churches where Your Son is the Head – the churches in oppressed nations where the enemy terrorizes and scatters. Growl at those who shout intimidating messages of impotent gods in order to infect Your church with doubt. Your protection emboldens Your church and frustrates it enemies. Never stop!
Thank You
Thank You for fighting for me. I know the battles take place in a realm I cannot see, but I know they occur. It is You who fights my battles against forces I could not withstand on my own. I lay down at your feet my most sincere gratitude.
More praise
You created me with a will of my own, to make my own choices, for that is the only way for praise to be real. So I praise You as my God and my Protector because I want to, because I choose to. And isn’t it just like You to desire my praise and my worship because You know that in praising You, I am blessed, I am filled, I am changed. And it just makes me want to praise You more!
Many signs and wonders were being done among the people through the hands of the apostles. By common consent they would all meet in Solomon’s Colonnade. None of the rest dared to join them, but the people praised them highly. Believers were added to the Lord in increasing numbers – crowds of both men and women. As a result, they would carry the sick out into the streets and lay them on cots and mats so that when Peter came by, at least his shadow might fall on some of them. In addition, a large group came together from the towns surrounding Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were healed. Then the high priest took action. He and all his colleagues, those who belonged to the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. So they arrested the apostles and put them in the city jail. But an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail during the night, brought them out, and said, “Go stand in the temple complex, and tell the people all about this life.” In obedience to this, they entered the temple complex at daybreak and began to teach. Acts 5:12-21
My words…
Praise to the God of wonder
I just stepped off a jet. While flying and looking at the patchwork ground below, I always wonder, “How does this big bird stay in air?” I should wonder, “How did You create the air?” Now that’s a wonder. When my friend described her intricate brain surgery, I wonder, “How do surgeons do that?” I should wonder, “How did You create the body to heal?” Now that’s a wonder. Wondering is a fulfilling past-time. I wonder about most everything. But the best things to wonder about are Your wonders. I wonder what it would feel like to be lame then be whole once Peter’s shadow passed over me. I wonder how Satan felt when his demons came back into his presence as failures. I wonder what an angel looks like while in the process of a jail-break. I wonder how the Sadducees could stand by and watch Your wonders and still have hearts like stone. Lord, Your wonders still abound! You may not send angels to open jailhouse doors, but You still protect Your disciples. You still heal. You still battle Satan’s forces, and win. You still draw the lost and lonely to You. Although I do a lot of wondering, I never wonder whether or not You love me. I never wonder about where I will live after this life is over. I never wonder where my hope comes from. So, this travel-weary daughter of Yours praises You as my never-ending source of wonderment. You are wonderful!
The Lord told Aaron, “You will not have an inheritance in their land; there will be no portion among them for you. I am your portion and your inheritance among the Israelites.” Numbers 18:20
Lord, You are my portion and my cup of blessing; You hold my future. Psalm 16:5
I say: The Lord is my portion; therefore, I will put my hope in Him. Lamentations 3:24
My words…
Praise
God, in Your wisdom, You allocated specific regions of land to each of the tribes of Israel…except one. The Levites were not given a land inheritance to pass along to their children and their children’s children. They were to live among the other family tribes and lead them in worship and guide them through Your law. And it was enough for the Levites that they had no earthly inheritance, for You gave them one that is imperishable, one that cannot be destroyed by war, gambled away, or lost to a money-lender. Their inheritance was I am – You! They did not spend their time tilling, sowing, and reaping. They spent their time with You, with Your law, for that is what they treasured and passed down to their children. And now, generations upon generations have passed away, but Your claim to be a portion remains, and it is offered to everyone. And so I praise You for giving Yourself as my portion, my inheritance, my cup of blessing. You hold my future, and You have provided a secure place for me to lay my hope.
Prayer for me
I dwell on the future too much. With You as my portion, my future is well in hand – Your hand. Remind me, Lord, that with You as my portion, I must live as Your heir each day, not wasting time and energy on what will be, but doing Your will where I am – today.
Forgive me
Forgive me when I succumb to believing the lie that You are just too big to know, too great to understand. I have asked You to impart to me the meaning of these verses, the understanding of what it means to have You as my portion. Then I say to myself, “This is a difficult passage. I will never fully grasp what it means.” Forgive my impatience. Forgive my prideful spirit.
Thank You
Just as You provided Aaron and his family with everything they needed, so You provide for me. I thank You that I have never gone hungry, never gone without shelter or clothing. I have enjoyed years of bounty, good health, and happiness. I deserve none of it. It is the pleasure You have bestowed on me, Your child. I offer my inadequate words of thankfulness and pray Your Spirit will gild them with purest gold and make them worthy to come before Your throne.
More praise
Lord, You are the cup where I pour my praise. You are made of perfect love. It gushes from You like a fountain, and covers the earth. It covers me. Praise to You, Lord, my portion!
