Write It Down

If you are like most Christians, you no doubt enjoy reading the Psalms. These verses, most of which were put to music, were used as expressions of praise to God for His love, His goodness and His mercy.

 I will sing the LORD’s praise, for he has been good to me. Psalm 13: 6

The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God my Savior!  Psalm 18: 46

 Praise be to the LORD, for he has heard my cry for mercy.Psalm 28: 6

But many of them, written by David when he was experiencing persecution from his enemies, were songs of lament, hardship and the wrath of God.

Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. Psalm 42: 5


Arise, LORD, in your anger; rise up against the rage of my enemies. Awake, my God; decree justice. Psalm 7: 6

You exalted me above my foes; from a violent man you rescued me. Psalm 18: 48

The prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Micah and others also wrote about God's faithfulness, wisdom and His willingness to forgive.


For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. Isaiah 41: 13


For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. Hosea 13: 11


Take words with you and return to the LORD. Say to him: “Forgive all our sins and receive us graciously, that we may offer the fruit of our lips. Hosea 14: 2

What about you? What has God done for you? What do you have to be thankful for? Has God forgiven you, blessed you, comforted you in times of distress?  Why don't you do what the Bible writers did? Why not write it down? This will help you in a number of ways:

It will help you recognize what you have to be thankful for.
It's something you can refer back to when things might be rough and you tend to forget what God has done for you.
You can write some verses of praise and memorize them. Use them to comfort you when you are feeling down.
It will help you identify those areas of your life that you need to pray to God about, either because you are weak in those areas, or you simply don't know what to do.

By now I think you know what I'm talking about. I'm talking about journaling. You can use a simple spiral notebook, or if you prefer something fancy you can click on the link below. If you do, I will receive a small commission.

When You Can't Pray

Have you ever had one of those moments when you just couldn't pray? It may be that

you were so overwhelmed, tired or maybe just not feeling well. This happened to me a few mornings ago. I woke up, sat on the bed, wanting to pray, but I just didn't feel well. I had a migraine and there was a heaviness on me that prevented the words from coming. But I was determined to communicate with my God in some way.

After sitting quietly for a few minutes, I began to hum. I finished the first song, then went to another, then another and another. Before I knew it, I was singing, lifting my hands and praising God. By the time I'd finished praising, I was able to pray and read my Bible. I didn't realize when my headache and the feeling of heaviness left me. But when I got off my bed, I felt better, and I had not taken a pill.

The Psalms make numerous references to the importance of praise. I state just a few of them here:

But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.22: 3

And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear , and shall trust in the LORD. 40: 3

 Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. 63: 3

Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a twoedged sword in their hand; 149: 6

Look at what David said in Psalm 42: 5. "Why art thou cast down , O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance."

The next time you feel "cast down", heavy, oppressed, try praising God. Praise changes the atmosphere, lifts your spirits and restores your ability to communicate with your Maker. In fact, Psalm 100: 4 says we are to "Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name."

Here are some of my favorite worship songs to get you started:



 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6WexG9uAJI&list=RDld1cXry5nyM&feature=share&index=2

What Do You Do While Driving?

Woman applying cosmetics to her lips. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

One of the cards in the game Outburst has a header that reads Things People Do While Driving. Players have to come up with ten things that people usually do while driving. Answers range from listening to music to putting on makeup. (Texting was not yet invented.) Recently, while on my way to work, my lips felt dry. I never have time to put on much makeup before leaving the house on mornings, so I reached into my purse for my lip gloss. Before I could find it, the light changed and I had to move on. Okay, I thought, next light. Once again, the light changed before I could find my lip gloss. After that, I had the green light all the way.

Then it occurred to me, when was the last time I praised the Lord outside of church. I began to sing praise songs. Soon I was enjoying myself so much, I forgot about my lips being dry. My praise continued even on to the highway. I did not feel stressed as I usually do about the traffic and I arrived at work feeling calm and refreshed.

Praise is mentioned many times in the Bible. From the Old Testament to the New, God's people have known the value of praise. They praised God when He delivered them from their enemies (Deuteronomy 10 : 21) and they praised Him before they faced their enemies (2 Chronicles 20 : 21).  In the New Testament, when Paul and Silas were captured and thrown into prison, the Bible says, "And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed , and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.  And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken : and immediately all the doors were opened , and every one's bands were loosed" (Acts 16: 25 - 26) .

Are you in need of deliverance? Are you seeking God's guidance or help in something you are about to do? Do you need power to fight your spiritual battles? Or, are you simply thankful for all He has done for you. Then open your mouth and praise Him. The psalmist said, "I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth" (Psalm 34:1).

So, what do you do while driving? If you have a long, boring or stressful drive everyday, try praising God and see what happens. He will come alongside you, remove the stress and take you safely to your destination. Below is a video to help you get started.



And you can order it here:

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