rejoice
Up to this point, we’ve spent time thinking about:
- The place we pray,
- The time we pray,
- And we’ve prayed through the Lord’s prayer several days in a row
- We’ve practiced “pausing” by using the breath prayer.
This week, we want to practice “rejoicing” together. The first line of the Lord’s Prayer can be so easily taken as perfunctory. Before long we forget what we are saying and who we are talking to.
“Our Father, Who art in Heaven, Hallowed be thy Name!”
The way we view God affects everything about everything and our primary purpose according to the Westminster Shorter Catechism is to glorify Him!
The invitation this week is to spend time each day rejoicing in who God is. Here’s how we can practice together:
- Begin by pausing. Continue in the practice that you started last week.
- Rejoice in who God is by using the names of God in praise & adoration. For 2-3 minutes, after you pause, pray through a portion of these names. Praise God for each name, each attribute. Rejoice, for example, in the fact that He is Creator and Sustainer. Lift Him high for being an ever present help in time of trouble. Speak the names out loud to the Lord. Some times we feel ready to praise but other times we don’t. Often when we don’t, faith comes by embodying praise.
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A faithful God—Deut 32:4 A forgiving God—Neh 9:17 A fortress of salvation—Ps 28:8 A refuge for His people—Joel 3:16 An ever-present help in trouble—Ps 46:1 Creator of Heaven and earth—Gen 14:19 Eternal King—Jer 10:10 God Almighty (El Shaddai)—Gen 17:1 God my Rock—Ps 42:9 God my Savior—Ps 18:46 God of all comfort—2 Cor 1:3 God of grace—1 Pet 5:10 He who blots out your transgressions—Is 43:25 Holy One—Rev 16:5 The Lord Who Provides—Gen 22:14 The Great I Am—Ex 3:14 Judge of all the earth—Gen 18:25 My confidence—Ps 71:5 My counselor—Ps. 16:7 My Helper—Heb 13:6 My hope—Ps 25:5 |
My light—Ps 27:1 My song—Ex 15:2 One to be feared—1 Chron 16:25 Only wise God—Rom 16:27 Our Redeemer—Is 47:4; 63:16 Righteous Father—John 17:25 Consuming Fire—Isa 33:14 The God who saves me—Ps 88:1 The God who sees me—Gen 16:13 The One who sustains me—Ps 54:4 The only God—Jude 1:25 The spring of Living Water—Jer 2:13 Bread of Life—John 6:35 Chief Cornerstone—Eph 2:20 Alpha and Omega—Rev 1:8 Author of Life—Acts 3:15 Friend of “sinners”—Matt 11:19 Great High Priest—Heb 4:14 Our Passover Lamb—1 Cor 5:7 The way, truth and life—John 14:6 Our Ransom—1 Tim 2:6 |
3. Rejoice by thanking God using the Psalms as a resource. Spend a few minutes either using a) lifting one of the Psalms of Thanksgiving up to the Lord or b) using the list below to help you begin to thank God for what He does and what He gives to each of us. Thank Him out loud if possible with the knowledge that every good and perfect gift is from His hand. Pause where you feel led to pause. Express your gratitude genuinely and specifically when you can. As you practice this each day pay attention to what you notice either across the ticker of your mind or throughout the day as you come back to God in praise.
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Thank God for what He Does & what He Gives •His splendor and majesty (Psalm 8:1; 104:1) •Giving us salvation (Psalm 96:2; Luke 1:68; 1 Peter 1:3-6) •Bearing our burdens (Psalm 68:19; Matthew 11:29-30) •Hearing our prayers (Psalm 66:20; Revelation 5:8) •Giving us His strength (Psalm 59:17; 68:35) •His marvelous deeds (Psalm 9:1; 26:7; 52:9; 72:18) •His guidance (Psalm 16:7) •His compassion (Psalm 28:6; 2 Corinthians 1:3) •His righteousness (Psalm 48:10) •His enduring love (Psalm 106:1) •His enduring faithfulness (Psalm 117:1-2; Isaiah 25:1) •His comfort (Isaiah 12:1; 2 Corinthians 1:3) •His wisdom (Daniel 2:20) |
•His spiritual blessings (Ephesians 1:3-6) •Forgiving our sins (Hosea 14:2; Ephesians 1:7) •He made us (Genesis 1:27; Psalm 139:14; Revelation 4:11) •He is worthy of praise (2 Samuel 22:4; Psalm 48:1) •He keeps His promises (1 Kings 8:15, 56) •He is in control (1 Chronicles 29:11-12) •He is powerful and mighty (Psalm 21:13) •He is eternal (Nehemiah 9:5) •He is sovereign (Psalm 47:7; 66:4; Acts 4:24; Revelation 6:10) •He is trustworthy (Psalm 56:4) •He is holy (Psalm 99:3; Revelation 4:8) •He is preparing a glorious future for us (Isaiah 61:11; 62:7-9; Revelation 21-22) |
Psalms of Thanksgiving
8; 18; 19; 29; 30; 32-34; 40; 41; 66; 103-106; 111; 113; 116; 117; 124; 129; 135; 136; 138; 139; 146-148; 150.
