“Let everything that has breath praise the LORD”. – Psalm 150:6
As readers of the Bible, we often get caught in the mindset of reading the Bible to find ourselves. It is true that the Bible is full of the ways that God loves us, the beautiful ways that God created us, and how He longs to be invited into our lives. These are beautiful truths; however, if we are only trying to find ourselves in the Word and striving only to apply it to our lives, we are missing the biggest part of Scripture - Who God is.
When we read the Bible instead to find God, our eyes open to a whole new way of finding out who He is, why He did what He did, and why he does what He does. When we understand who God is and why He loves and cares for us so much, it gives it much more depth and penetrates our hearts at a deeper level. Not just “God help ME,” but “God, be who you ARE; that will help me.”
We often go looking in the Bible for ways that God can help us; that is what it is there for, YES. But there is so much more to it when we really seek it out. I often find myself flipping through the Psalms. This is my favorite book in the Bible as it is filled with prayers from people, real hurting and confused people seeking guidance and truth from God. We find prayers of praise, lament, and oftentimes confusion and anger about what is going on in the writer's life.
We find that over one-third of the prayers in Psalms are of lament or mourning. The writer is hurting and looking to God for comfort. But on the flip side, we find that in the entirety of the Bible, we see the phrase Praise God an astounding 6,892 times! God is worthy of our praise! The list of things that we suffer from seems endless. But let us remember that God IS endless. His capacity to care for us and love us is something we cannot comprehend.
Paul says in Ephesians 3:18, “And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is." When we list out our grievances to the Lord, we can rest assured that God’s character will have the perfect antidote for our suffering.
Dear Lord,
We live in a fallen world full of suffering. We hear of tragedies taking place all over the world. We know there are people struggling to survive in indescribable hardship. I don’t understand why you allow for so much destruction, but I do trust that you are bigger than anything anyone will ever face in this world. Thank you, Jesus, that we have the hope of perfection in heaven and that this world is not all there is.
Thank you, Lord, that for everything we suffer through in this life that you have a perfect attribute to cure us with simply being who you are.
When I am weak, you are STRONG (2 Cor 12:10)
When my soul is hungry, you feed me. (Matthew 4:4)
When I am thirsty, you give me something to drink. (1 Cor 10:3-4)
When I turn from you, you remain FAITHFUL (2 Tim 2:13)
When I sin, you are GOOD (Psalm 34:8)
When I am worthy of punishment, you are MERCIFUL (Titus 3:5)
When I am at the end of myself, you are OMNIPOTENT and INFINITE (Matthew 19:26) (Romans 11:33)
When I am undeserving, you are GRACIOUS (Psalm 145:8)
When I am hurting, you are my COMFORTER (Matthew 5:4)
When I am confused, you are my SOURCE OF TRUTH (John 3:33)
I praise you, Lord, for all your perfect attributes. You call me your child and beckon me to behold your glory. Help me to focus on who you ARE when I struggle. Help me to see you move in my circumstances even when I don’t understand but help me to trust you because you are SOVEREIGN (Col 1:17) over all things.
Thank you, Lord, for your love for me, even when I fall short. There is nothing I can do to change that. Help me to live in these truths and remember to call on your name, praising who you are when I forget or when the world distracts me with lies. I know that you are with me; you promise in your Word.
“The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” - Deuteronomy 31:8
Thank you, Jesus, Amen
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Heidi Vegh is a writer, speaker, and ministry leader living in Western Washington. She is a remarried mother of four, navigating the blended family life after the loss of her first husband to cancer in 2013. She longs to use her writing as a way to encourage others who have experienced loss and guide them on the road to healing. She contributes to her blog found at www.mrsheidivegh.com , sharing stories and devotionals of faith stemming from her loss and healing, mothering, and her blended and complex family. She graduated from Southern New Hampshire University with a degree in Creative Writing and English and is working on her first book. Heidi is the Women’s Ministry Director at her local church and has a deep heart for sharing Jesus with women and encouraging them in their faith walk. When she is not writing, she loves to travel, read, craft, and experiment in the kitchen. Visit her Facebook and Instagram (@mrsheidivegh) to learn more.
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