Psalms 148:1-14 NIV
“Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights above. Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his heavenly hosts. Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars. Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies. Let them praise the name of the Lord, for at his command they were created, and he established them for ever and ever— he issued a decree that will never pass away. Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding, you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds, kings of the earth and all nations, you princes and all rulers on earth, young men and women, old men and children. Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his splendor is above the earth and the heavens. And he has raised up for his people a horn, the praise of all his faithful servants, of Israel, the people close to his heart. Praise the Lord.”
INSIGHT
-There are seven words and ways of praying God according to the Hebrew language and origin. They are as follows, Yadah means to lift hands and proclaiming our love to God, Barak means to bow down and give reverence to God in recognition of His holiness and sovereignty over everything that lives, Towdah means to sacrifice as expressed in Mosaic Law offerings, to offer our lives as a living sacrifice to God. Shabach means to shout and praise God, Zamah means to play instruments to express joy in God’s presence, Halal means to celebrate or express praise for God through physical motion, Tehillah means to sing or dance in praise to God in many ways. The psalmist considers that God deserves all praise by all heavenly and celestial beings, all the earth and every created being, the young and the old, men and women should exult and praise the Lord.
PRAYER
We give thanks to You Lord our God for You are good, and Your love endures forever. We give thanks to You God of gods, for Your love endures forever. We give thanks to You Lord of Lords, for Your love endures forever. To You alone does great wonders, Your love endures forever. To You who by Your understanding made the heavens, Your love endures forever. To You who spread out the earth upon the waters, Your love endures forever. You who made the great lights, Your love endures forever. The sun to govern the day, Your love endures forever. The moon and stars to govern the night, Your love endures forever. The heavens declare Your glory Oh Lord. The skies proclaim the work of Your hands. We praise You Lord and give You glory and praise. May You guide us and protect us by Your outstretched right hand. May Your favor and grace be upon us. We love You Lord and bless Your name, and it is in Jesus mighty name we pray believing and trusting. Amen
Further reading: Psalms 19:1-4, Psalms 136:1-10
Psalms 107:1-16 NKJV
“Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy, And gathered out of the lands, From the east and from the west, From the north and from the south. They wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way; They found no city to dwell in. Hungry and thirsty, Their soul fainted in them. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, And He delivered them out of their distresses. And He led them forth by the right way, That they might go to a city for a dwelling place. Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness. Those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, Bound in affliction and irons— Because they rebelled against the words of God, And despised the counsel of the Most High, Therefore He brought down their heart with labor; They fell down, and there was none to help. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, And He saved them out of their distresses. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, And broke their chains in pieces. Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He has broken the gates of bronze, And cut the bars of iron in two.”
INSIGHT
–The writer of this psalm passionately pleads with the people to give thanks and praise to God, for He is good. His goodness is revealed throughout the rest of this psalm. Specifically, the psalmist invites us the redeemed of the Lord by His Grace to thank to God and declare that we are indeed redeemed. It would be ungrateful and wrong to be silent about so great a work. The psalmist describes four distinct aspects of God’s redemption rescue, to the lost, to the guilty, to the sick, to the storm-tossed and therefore healed, and saved from eternal condemnation. The redeemed of the LORD should forever give praise to God.
PRAYER
We give praise to You Lord for You are Good and Your mercies endures forever. We give praise to You Lord for only You are our God and there is none besides You. You have redeemed us from the curse of sin and saved us from eternal condemnation, we thank You dear Lord Jesus and give You honor and praise. May You save all Your people and deliver us from every evil. May You break every chain and level every mountain. We pray for all our school going children that You may be with them and protect them from every evil and shield them with Your hedge of fire. May You cover all roads, railways and airways with Your precious blood and preserve them from accidents and incidents. May You bless the work of our hands and enhance our productivity that we may produce a hundred-fold. May You grant us all our requests and hearts desires. We honor You Lord and give You praise, and it is in Jesus mighty name we pray. Amen
Further reading: Psalms 91:1-16
Psalms 103:1-13 NIV
“Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits— who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel: The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;”
INSIGHT
–We are called to celebrate the Lord for who He is and what He has done for us all through the years. The Lord has been good to us. He has done so much for us that we cannot tell it all. The Lord has protected us from sicknesses and healed our diseases for by His stripes we were healed. Jesus has forgiven us our sins by His death on the cross and resurrection, and has redeemed our lives from the pit by giving us the precious gift of salvation. The Lord is merciful and compassionate, and does not punish us as our sins deserve for His mercies are new each morning. We have a lot to thank God for and celebrate His goodness and mercy upon us.
PRAYER
We appreciate You dear Lord Jesus for Your great love we are not consumed and Your compassions never fail, they are new every morning. Great is Your faithfulness. We thank You dear Lord Jesus for Your love upon us. Thank You for Your mercy and grace upon our lives. Thank You for the benefits that we have received and continue to receive from You. We count our blessings and name them one by one. You are so Faithful and Holy dear Lord Jesus. You are our God and none can compare to You. Thank You for the forgiveness of sins and reconciling us to the Father. May You wash away our iniquities and make us whiter than snow. Thank You for healing all our diseases, by Your stripes we are healed. Thank You for Your love and compassion upon us. We pray for Haiti and the people of this nation that You may liberate them dear Lord Jesus from oppression. We pray for our soldiers who are there for a peace keeping mission that You may do them good and protect them. May You bless all our leaders and those You are preparing for the next season. May You bless all children as the go back to school and provide for all their needs. We honor You dear Lord Jesus and worship You, and it is in Jesus mighty name we pray. Amen
Further reading: Lamentations 3:22-23
Romans 12:1 NKJV
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”
INSIGHT
-Declaring our praises to God is an act of submitting an offering to God. Micah 6:6 discloses the importance of venerating and praising God with burnt offerings, a calves one year old as per the Old Testament regulations. A priest ministered daily and offered sacrifices repeatedly yet could not take away sins, but Jesus offered one sacrifice for our sins forever. Through this one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified (Hebrews 10:11-14). Jesus Christ then calls each one of us to offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to Him which is reasonable service. Since He died on the cross for our sins and has united us to the Father and when we were far away from the commonwealth of Israel He brought us near. Let us then follow His word and obey Him which is the foundation of wisdom.
PRAYER
Let the morning bring us words of Your unfailing love Lord, for we have put our trust in You. Show us the way we should go, for to You we entrust our lives dear Lord Jesus. All our hope and trust is in You. Lord Jesus we praise You and honor You. You are our God and Savior, our Shield and Master, our King of kings and Lord of lords, our All in All. We surrender our hearts to You that You may mould us and form us as You desire. May You remove every evil thing from our hearts and shine Your light of salvation upon us to expose every darkness, and bring us to a place of total surrender to Your will. May You take charge of our lives, families, ministries and nation and teach us to obey Your word, for we put our trust in You. May Your salvation power reach the unreached and cause Your face to shine upon us. May You heal the sick among us and comfort the broken hearted. May You deliver justice to all those who are oppressed and accomplish Your promises unto us. Lord You are Good and Your mercies endures forever. We honor You and exult Your name and it is in Jesus mighty name we pray. Amen
Further reading: Psalms 143:8, 1 Samuel 15:22
1 Chronicles 16:25 ESV
“For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and he is to be feared above all gods.”
INSIGHT
–God is worthy of all our praise, and deserves to receive glory, honor and power for He created all things (Revelation 4:11). Our God is great and greatly to be praised; and deserves to be feared above all gods (Psalm 96:4).
SUMMARY
There are numerous reasons for us to praise God. Reasons that we cannot exhaust for our God and only God deserves praise. Some reasons are: God is the King of kings and the Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16). The Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End (Revelation 22:13). The Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). The Great I AM (Exodus 3:14). The heavens, heavenly host, animals and all creation praise the Lord (Psalms 148:1-14). God is good, He has redeemed us and forgiven us (Psalms 107:1-16). God deserves to be praised with all our souls (Psalms 103:1-13). God heals the brokenhearted (Psalm 147:3). God sets the captives free (Luke 4:18). God is our Healer (Isaiah 53:5). God rescues us from our enemies (Psalm 18:48). The Lord sets us high upon a rock (Psalm 27:5). God comforts you in all our troubles (2 Corinthians 1:4). God gives us an abundant harvest (Genesis 27:28). God restores what the enemy has stolen (Deuteronomy 30:3). God hides us in the shadow of His wings (Psalm 91:4). The Lord delivers us from evil (Psalm 91). God rescues us from every trap (Psalm 25:15). Our God is the Rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). He is the Name above all names (Philippians 2:9). God is our Defender (Proverbs 22:23). The Lord is our Provider (Genesis 22:14). God is Mercy (Deuteronomy 4:31). Our God is the Lord of justice (Isaiah 30:18). God never changes (Hebrews 13:8). He makes all things new (Revelation 21:5). Jesus calls us friends (John 15:15). He is our Savior (John 3:16). God is the Perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). He gives us the desires of our heart (Psalm 37:4). God wants to give us exceeding, abundantly above all we could hope or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). God rebukes the devourer on our behalf (Malachi 3:11). God takes pleasure in our prosperity (Psalm 35:27). Jesus delivers us from our distresses (Psalm 107:6, 19). God always causes us to triumph (2 Corinthians 2:14). Jesus is the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6). God is so worthy, if we do not praise Him, the rocks will cry out (Luke 19:40). Our God is the joy of our strength (Nehemiah 8:10). God is Love (1 John 4:8).
PRAYER
We praise You our Great and Mighty King Who deserves all our praise. We praise You every day and forever and ever. Lord You are Great and worthy of our praise, no one can understand how great You are. Your greatness transcends high above the heavens and the earth. We praise You and enthrone You for You are great and mighty. Thank You Lord for who You are and all Your great works. Father we thank You and honor You, may You receive our thanksgiving. We repent for the many times we have not given thanks to You and we have not glorified Your Holy and mighty name. May You forgive us for all our complaints and murmuring. We surrender all unto You and give You all our burdens. We take up lay upon us Your yoke which is light and easy to carry. We believe and declare that You are able and will surely do exceedingly above all we have asked for or thought of from You. Thank You Lord for Your constant love and mercies that are new every morning. We pray that You bless us and keep us. May You make Your face to shine towards us and be gracious unto us. May Your countenance shine towards us and grant us peace. Amen.
Further reading: Psalm 150:1-6