"Upon a Life" a Hymn

"Upon a Life I have not lived,
Upon a Death I did not die,
Another’s Life; Another’s Death,
I stake my whole eternity."

I had the privilege to lead worship this weekend, and because we were focused on the belt of truth as discussed in Ephesians 6, took the opportunity to introduce to the church a song we'd not sung together before. Our whole set was focused on singing back many truths of our faith ("O Church Arise," "The Church's One Foundation," "This I Believe [The Creed]"), and especially singing of and to Jesus ("In Christ Alone," "Cornerstone"), who is Himself our ultimate Truth. The rich lyrics of this updated hymn seemed to fit well.

For those curious, this song was originally written by Horatius Bonar as part of a longer Communion hymn. You can download music and read additional commentary from the Indelible Grace artists who updated this tune on their Hymnbook page. Their work on this song, as so many, is much appreciated. Please enjoy a listen.

30 DoW: Day 30!

Wow, it's the last day of 30 Days of Worship. But it doesn't have to end here.

If you're just tuning in, scroll down to June 1/Day 1 and start your own 30 days, focusing on the various attributes of God.

If you're playing along at home, keep going! As I said, you've only got 150 psalms to choose from. Try using other portions of the Bible. See how many attributes you can come up with. I'm fairly sure this effort is inexhaustible.

Hope you enjoyed/enjoy this as much as I did. I ebbed and flowed as I went, sure. Schedules happen. If you miss a day, just catch back up. Trust me, it's definitely worth it.

Now, for my final post...

I chose Psalm 1501 Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary;
Praise Him in His mighty firmament!2 Praise Him for His mighty acts;
Praise Him according to His excellent greatness!

3 Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet;
Praise Him with the lute and harp!

4 Praise Him with the timbrel and dance;
Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes!

5 Praise Him with loud cymbals;
Praise Him with clashing cymbals!

6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord!

attribute & reaction:
Great. Last day. Last psalm. Makes sense. Actually, I almost did this one the other day but chose to wait.

But check it out. Look at all the celebrating. I can practically hear the music, all those instruments, and see the dancing. Strings and flutes and percussion. And voices for sure. This isn't the reserved, stone-still, lackluster "worship" many of us are used to in this era. It's not a wild and pointless display either. This is an expression of excitement and rejoicing and, most of all, praise because of the greatness of God. If that's not something to get excited about, what really is?

People get all worked up about everything else—sports, rock bands, television, the internet, etc. ad nauseum—but can't move in many church settings without motives being judged? That is a ridiculous problem.

I say we get serious and lighten up. Praise Him! Don't hold back. Don't act stupid. And, whatever you do, don't judge the motives of anyone else. This is your Creator you're worshiping here, the One who gave us life and every good thing. If you know Him, He asks for your worship. So be humbled and give Him what He asks.

He is Great. He is worthy. Praise Him!

30 DoW: Day 29

I chose Psalm 51

1 To the Chief Musician.
A Psalm of David when Nathan the prophet went to him,
after he had gone in to Bathsheba.

Have mercy upon me, O God,
According to Your lovingkindness;
According to the multitude of Your tender mercies,
Blot out my transgressions.

2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
And cleanse me from my sin.

3 For I acknowledge my transgressions,
And my sin is always before me.

4 Against You, You only, have I sinned,
And done this evil in Your sight--
That You may be found just when You speak,
And blameless when You judge.

5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
And in sin my mother conceived me.

6 Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts,
And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.

7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

8 Make me hear joy and gladness,
That the bones You have broken may rejoice.

9 Hide Your face from my sins,
And blot out all my iniquities.

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.

11 Do not cast me away from Your presence,
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.

12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.

13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
And sinners shall be converted to You.

14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
The God of my salvation,
And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness.

15 O Lord, open my lips,
And my mouth shall show forth Your praise.

16 For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it;
You do not delight in burnt offering.

17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
A broken and a contrite heart-- These, O God, You will not despise.

18 Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion;
Build the walls of Jerusalem.

19 Then You shall be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness,
With burnt offering and whole burnt offering;
Then they shall offer bulls on Your altar.

attribute & response:
Cleanser. I chose this psalm because this morning's sermon was built around it, with a focus on sin. We talked about this a bit throughout the week too. It's amazing how much we cover up, ignore, deny, laugh off all the evil we do—and anything less than God's perfection is evil. It's sin.

Without this realization, we can see no need for a savior. We don't think we need, or think we don't need, a savior at all.

But with this realization, we begin to see how horrible we really our in everything we do. We see that all our so-called righteousness is nothing more than "filthy rags." This angers God. And there truly is nothing we can do to help ourselves out of our dilemma.

When I finally realized this, I knew I was in trouble. I knew I needed to be saved from or bear the wrath of God. And I soon realized that nothing and no one but Jesus Christ alone could help me. Certainly I couldn't. But what He did in His death and resurrection could.

Thank God that He is the one who can cleanse us from all sinfulness, unrighteousness, evil, impurity and all the very things that otherwise make Him angry and would bring down His wrath. I thank Him for doing so for me when, by virtue of His own Law and judgment, He had every right to take me out.

30 DoW: Day 28

I chose Psalm 65
1 To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. A Song.

Praise is awaiting You, O God, in Zion;
And to You the vow shall be performed.

2 O You who hear prayer,
To You all flesh will come.

3 Iniquities prevail against me; As for our transgressions,
You will provide atonement for them.

4 Blessed is the man You choose,
And cause to approach You,
That he may dwell in Your courts.
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house,
Of Your holy temple.

5 By awesome deeds in righteousness You will answer us,
O God of our salvation,
You who are the confidence of all the ends of the earth,
And of the far-off seas;

6 Who established the mountains by His strength,
Being clothed with power;

7 You who still the noise of the seas,
The noise of their waves,
And the tumult of the peoples.

8 They also who dwell in the farthest parts are afraid of Your signs;
You make the outgoings of the morning and evening rejoice.

9 You visit the earth and water it,
You greatly enrich it;
The river of God is full of water;
You provide their grain,
For so You have prepared it.

10 You water its ridges abundantly,
You settle its furrows;
You make it soft with showers,
You bless its growth.

11 You crown the year with Your goodness,
And Your paths drip with abundance.

12 They drop on the pastures of the wilderness,
And the little hills rejoice on every side.

13 The pastures are clothed with flocks;
The valleys also are covered with grain;
They shout for joy, they also sing.

attribute & response:
Enabler. I was drawn here to the statement about "the man you choose, and cause to approach you." There are many other things God enables to happen listed here too, throughout all creation. But to choose and enable His people to come to Him, that's something many don't even want to consider as they wish a full autonomy that can never have been, or we could all choose when/where/to whom we were born and so on.

Personally, I'm thankful we're enabled by Him and not our own will. He lets us do enough damage on this earth as is, all of it yielding an allowed consequence along with a lesson each time, whether or not we're willing to learn.

30 DoW: Day 27

I chose Psalm 134
1 A Song of Ascents.
Behold, bless the Lord,
All you servants of the Lord,
Who by night stand in the house of the Lord!

2 Lift up your hands in the sanctuary,
And bless the Lord.

3 The Lord who made heaven and earth
Bless you from Zion!

attribute & reaction:
Blessed. This psalm stood out because it’s so brief, but it also brought to mind a question I've had in the past: How can we bless the LORD? I mean, He's God. He's the Creator of the universe. He's the Blesser. So to say "bless God" seems so utterly impossible. But some of that is due to a wrong understanding of blessing.

We usually think of blessing as some kind of physical gain, and often it is. But it's a lot of other things as well, and the big question is not so much "how has the LORD blessed you" as "what are you doing with the blessing?"

When we bless God, we're not necessarily "giving Him something" in the physical sense, though we can give our time, talent, treasure and physical self to serve Him. We're not giving Him something that can actually help Him, because He has everything and enables everything. But this is more to do with giving thanks, praise or worship in all their forms. That is a blessing to God.

I like some of what John Piper wrote on this. "If God is the primal and inexhaustible 'blesser,' then he must be above all others in a 'blessed' state—the fullness and source of all 'blessing.'" Truly, He is blessed above all.

Personally, based on poor interpretations of "blessing" from the past, I'm still having a hard time wrapping my head around this, but I'm trying to clearly understand. And as I do, it further humbles me that God wants my blessing, praise, thanks, service or anything else from me.

30 DoW: Day 26

I chose Psalm 47
1 To the Chief Musician.
A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples!
Shout to God with the voice of triumph!

2 For the Lord Most High is awesome;
He is a great King over all the earth.

3 He will subdue the peoples under us,
And the nations under our feet.

4 He will choose our inheritance for us,
The excellence of Jacob whom He loves. Selah

5 God has gone up with a shout,
The Lord with the sound of a trumpet.

6 Sing praises to God, sing praises!
Sing praises to our King, sing praises!

7 For God is the King of all the earth;
Sing praises with understanding.

8 God reigns over the nations;
God sits on His holy throne.

9 The princes of the people have gathered together,
The people of the God of Abraham.
For the shields of the earth belong to God;
He is greatly exalted.

attribute & response:
Awesome. In our Sunday morning Bible study we're watching a video on The Greatness & Glory of God. While I haven't agreed with some of the teaching, I'm excited it enhances the 30 Days of Worship in it's focus on the LORD. Similar to this, they pick and concentrate on an attribute of God each session. Last Sunday, it was this word, "awesome."

The presenter went so far as to say He doesn't even like to use this word to describe anything other than God, because the true meaning of the word refers to a reverent fear. I felt that's a bit extreme because a) the secular meaning isn't anywhere close to that, and b) you could never use words like "good" or "great" or "excellent" to describe anything else, because truly only God is those as well.

But I do appreciate the reverent fear the original text has in mind. He is the all-powerful, all-knowing King of the universe. He can choose to take any or all of us out whenever He likes. He could destroy this planet and create it again with a thought. There is something to be said for a true understanding of who He is in this way, and the fear and reverence that should logically follow.

30 DoW: Day 25

I chose Psalm 20
1 To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David

May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble;
May the name of the God of Jacob defend you;

2 May He send you help from the sanctuary,
And strengthen you out of Zion;

3 May He remember all your offerings,
And accept your burnt sacrifice. Selah

4 May He grant you according to your heart's desire,
And fulfill all your purpose.

5 We will rejoice in your salvation,
And in the name of our God we will set up our banners!
May the Lord fulfill all your petitions.

6 Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed;
He will answer him from His holy heaven
With the saving strength of His right hand.

7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses;
But we will remember the name of the Lord our God.

8 They have bowed down and fallen;
But we have risen and stand upright.

9 Save, Lord!
May the King answer us when we call.

attribute & response:
Strength. A friend recommended this psalm today because of recent circumstances in our lives. It's rather militant, but he especially cited the first portion, where God is seen as defender, and one who helps us in the day of trouble, sending us help from "the sanctuary." The historic references here refer to the ark of the covenant, but the personal application is that while the world may actively try to work against us, there is a place we can go for help that they know nothing of. What we see as an end, for the Christian, is not the end. It's a new beginning in our lives as God provides.

I chose strength because God is our strength to get us through the difficult times, whatever they may be. The world may trust in many other things, but we can trust in the strength of the LORD. Again, he proves Himself only worthy of our complete trust and loyalty.

30 DoW: Day 24

I chose Psalm 8
1 To the Chief Musician. On the instrument of Gath.
A Psalm of David.

O Lord, our Lord,
How excellent is Your name in all the earth,
Who have set Your glory above the heavens!

2 Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants
You have ordained strength,
Because of Your enemies,
That You may silence the enemy and the avenger.

3 When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,

4 What is man that You are mindful of him,
And the son of man that You visit him?

5 For You have made him a little lower than the angels,
And You have crowned him with glory and honor.

6 You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands;
You have put all things under his feet,

7 All sheep and oxen--
Even the beasts of the field,

8 The birds of the air, And the fish of the sea
That pass through the paths of the seas.

9 O Lord, our Lord, How excellent is
Your name in all the earth!

attribute & response:
Excellent. "Birds" drew me right to this one. Of course, I hear this psalm a lot, usually with a particular focus. But I notice again that it talks about His creation, those birds and other creatures, and man's dominion (stewardship and care, not destruction) over them. It talks about an almighty God caring enough to care about the mankind He made. It talks about the simple confounding the strong.

The excellencies of God are upside down and backward compared to the way the world thinks. Thank God He doesn't let any of us run the universe, but that He controls it all beyond our understanding.

30 DoW: Day 23

I chose Psalm 29
1 A Psalm of David. Give unto the Lord, O you mighty ones,
Give unto the Lord glory and strength.

2 Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name;
Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

3 The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
The God of glory thunders;
The Lord is over many waters.

4 The voice of the Lord is powerful;
The voice of the Lord is full of majesty.

5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars,
Yes, the Lord splinters the cedars of Lebanon.

6 He makes them also skip like a calf,
Lebanon and Sirion like a young wild ox.

7 The voice of the Lord divides the flames of fire.

8 The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
The Lord shakes the Wilderness of Kadesh.

9 The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth,
And strips the forests bare;
And in His temple everyone says, "Glory!"

10 The Lord sat enthroned at the Flood,
And the Lord sits as King forever.

11 The Lord will give strength to His people;
The Lord will bless His people with peace.

attribute & response:
Majestic. This is another psalm showing the LORD's awesome power over all His creation. It really stands out to me at the moment, because so many people are talking about crazy weather and earthquakes and things going on with the planet, but instead of giving God the credit, they talk about "man made climate change" or "mother nature" or today a guy even said "old man river." I replied, "I'm pretty sure God had something to do with it."

The LORD sat enthroned at the Flood. He was in control of that global disaster. He's in control of a deer giving birth. Death and life. He is in control now. Yet everyone in His temple says, "Glory!" The angels around His throne say, "Holy! Holy! Holy!"

Stop denying God and give Him the credit due. He is in control of it all. Everything. Worship Him in His majesty.

30 DoW: Day 22

I chose Psalm 131
1 A Song of Ascents. Of David.
Lord, my heart is not haughty,
Nor my eyes lofty.
Neither do I concern myself with
great matters,
Nor with things too profound for me.

2 Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul,
Like a weaned child with his mother;
Like a weaned child is my soul within me.

3 O Israel, hope in the Lord
From this time forth and forever.

attribute & response:
Hope. I was drawn to this psalm because it talks about not being concerned with great things and being calmed and quiet. But that is because his hope was in the LORD. He trusted Him. I know many Christians who continue to express fear. But God says He has given us a spirit of power, love and a sound mind. We don't overcome fear on our own. We get these things as we hope in the LORD. Thank you, LORD, for being our only Hope.

30 DoW: Day 21

For days 21-30 of 30 Days of Worship, pick your own psalm and choose an attribute of God to ponder. There are only 150 psalms to choose from, and since we only did portions of many you could also look at different sections of some already covered.

Remember, all this should help you get closer to God and know Him better. If you're taking part, with friends, it can also help you become closer to them and learn from their points of view as you share.


I chose Psalm 40
1 To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
I waited patiently for the Lord;
And He inclined to me, And heard my cry.

2 He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,
Out of the miry clay,
And set my feet upon a rock,
And established my steps.

3 He has put a new song in my mouth--
Praise to our God;
Many will see it and fear,
And will trust in the Lord.

4 Blessed is that man who makes the Lord his trust,
And does not respect the proud,
nor such as turn aside to lies.

5 Many, O Lord my God, are Your wonderful works
Which You have done;
And Your thoughts toward us
Cannot be recounted to You in order;
If I would declare and speak of them,
They are more than can be numbered.

attribute & response:
Rescuer. I initially picked this psalm because of the U2 song "40." It's one of the few psalms I know partially from music. (I'm also using New King James now. Previously, we used NIV.)

I love the imagery of being pulled out of a pit, establishing footing and putting a new song into the mouth of the individual. I love it because I feel I was pulled out of that pit (my old sinful lifestyle), He changed my direction and planted me firmly in God (new faith, new life, new behaviors) and even changed what I care about, what I praise and what I sing about—now primarily Him. I thank Him for saving me from my sin in such a dramatic and clear way.

Many have seen this in me. It has caused conviction for some. I pray that many more people do see and fear and truly come to know the LORD.

30 DoW: Psalm 23

Psalm 23
1 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,

3 he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.

4 Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

6 Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

attribute & response:
Shepherd. God as Shepherd is a picture we see often throughout Scripture. One to Guide and comfort us, even when we, like sheep, have no real idea what we're doing or the way to go.

I thank Him as I see in hindsight ways he steered the course of my life, even before I knew Him, protecting me from my own desires, things I wanted to do, which would have yielded serious if not deadly consequences.

As I read this, it also struck me how in the past I missed His actual purpose behind all this—to do so "for His name's sake." To glorify Him. That is the ultimate purpose of existence to which I was blind for so many years. Thank you, LORD, for opening my eyes, heart, mind and soul to your Truth and Wisdom.

30 DoW: Psalm 139

Psalm 139
11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,"

12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.

13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.

14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

16 your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!

18 Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.
When I awake,
I am still with you.

attribute & response:
Maker. The God who made the very universe, every star, planet, nebula, also made me, a tiny, finite creature, even sinful and rebellious to Him. I am thankful and ponder "why" all at the same time. But He is not finite. He is infinite, and He knew the plans He had for me even before my body was formed—plans to call me out of rebellion and to Himself in order that my life would be used for His glory. I know how unworthy of this I am, and I thank Him for His mercy.

30 DoW: Psalm 13

Psalm 13
1 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?

2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
and every day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?

3 Look on me and answer, O Lord my God.
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death;

4 my enemy will say, "I have overcome him,"
and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

5 But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart
rejoices in your salvation.

6 I will sing to the Lord,
for he has been good to me.

attribute & response:
Good. Even in the midst of doubt, sorrow or attack, we can trust in God's goodness. I'm thankful for the many ways He shows that goodness every day, even beyond circumstance, but in His grace, mercy and unfailing love.

30 DoW: Psalm 16

Psalm 16
7 I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;
even at night my heart instructs me.

8 I have set the Lord always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.

9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,

10 because you will not abandon me to the grave,
nor will you let your Holy One see decay.

11 You have made known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

attribute & response:
Counselor. God's counsel gives wisdom. It's only from His wisdom that we learn any true thing. It's only from an understanding of His Word that we understand Him and His ways. We see "Counselor" in Isaiah 9:6 as one of the names of the then coming Immanuel—and a Wonderful one at that.

Praise the LORD for His graciousness in listening to the prayers of His people, and the ways He reveals His wise counsel to us.

30 DoW: Psalm 31

Psalm 31
1 In you, O Lord, I have taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame;
deliver me in your righteousness.

2 Turn your ear to me,
come quickly to my rescue;
be my rock of refuge,
a strong fortress to save me.

3 Since you are my rock and my fortress,
for the sake of your name lead and guide me.

4 Free me from the trap that is set for me,
for you are my refuge.

5 Into your hands I commit my spirit;
redeem me, O Lord, the God of truth.

6 I hate those who cling to worthless idols;
I trust in the Lord.

7 I will be glad and rejoice in your love,
for you saw my affliction
and knew the anguish of my soul.

8 You have not handed me over to the enemy
but have set my feet in a spacious place.

attribute & response:
Trustworthy. If we are to take refuge in something, it needs to be something we can count on or the effort is useless. The LORD is worthy of our trust as protector, leader, guide, redeemer. I think often we go through things in order to be able to build up that trust and really see it for all He's worth. We can trust Him with our very lives and spirits—even when He decides to pull us out of the race here.

A human companion one can fully trust is rare indeed, and even then comes up lacking by their own sin nature. I thank you, LORD, that where all else and all others fail, I can trust you without doubt.

30 DoW: Psalm 27

Psalm 27
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation--
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life--
of whom shall I be afraid?

2 When evil men advance against me
to devour my flesh,
when my enemies and my foes attack me,
they will stumble and fall.

3 Though an army besiege me,
my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
even then will I be confident.

4 One thing I ask of the Lord,
this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
and to seek him in his temple.

5 For in the day of trouble
he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle
and set me high upon a rock.

6 Then my head will be exalted
above the enemies who surround me;
at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make music to the Lord.

7 Hear my voice when I call, O Lord;
be merciful to me and answer me.

8 My heart says of you, "Seek his face!"
Your face, Lord, I will seek.

9 Do not hide your face from me,
do not turn your servant away in anger;
you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
O God my Savior.

10 Though my father and mother forsake me,
the Lord will receive me.

attribute & response:
Savior. This speaks so strongly to the protection of the LORD and the fact that we who know Him have no one to fear, man or spirit, except Him alone.

It makes me think of all those who are experiencing their own "day of trouble" as we see natural disasters, financial crises, food shortages, various wars and many other difficulties arising around the world. Yet we who know God see Him protect and provide in ways we could not imagine.

Since this was written before Christ's coming, it is a slightly different flavor than the way we tend to use Savior for Him now—as the Savior who is the sacrifice for our sin. But He is Savior from all these things, and for all this He is to be praised.

30 DoW: Psalm 103

Psalm 103
1 Praise the Lord, O my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

2 Praise the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits--

3 who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,

4 who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,

5 who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

6 The Lord works righteousness
and justice for all the oppressed.

7 He made known his ways to Moses,
his deeds to the people of Israel:

8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.

attribute & response:
Benefactor. Look at the benefits to truly knowing the LORD: sin forgiven, physical healing, life redeemed, uplifted, desires satisfied rightly, youth restored, righteousness and justice for the oppressed... and this isn't even close to a complete list. He truly is generous. We may have to wait to see some of this, but I praise Him for all I see right now, at this very moment. What wonders are to come?

30 DoW: Psalm 138

Psalm 138
1 I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart;
before the "gods" I will sing your praise.

2 I will bow down toward your holy temple
and will praise your name
for your love and your faithfulness,
for you have exalted above all things
your name and your word.

3 When I called, you answered me;
you made me bold and stouthearted.

4 May all the kings of the earth praise you, O Lord,
when they hear the words of your mouth.

5 May they sing of the ways of the Lord,
for the glory of the Lord is great.

6 Though the Lord is on high, he looks upon the lowly,
but the proud he knows from afar.

7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you preserve my life;
you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes,
with your right hand you save me.

8 The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me;
your love, O Lord, endures forever—
do not abandon the works of your hands.

attribute & response:
Praiseworthy. He is the only God who is, the only Being worthy of praise. He alone can cause us to be bold and save us from trouble. He looks upon those of us who bow before Him, and He is the one who fulfills the purposes for which He created us. That is amazing. We desire so much autonomy, yet the only true and living God enables our every move. For this and so much more we sing to Him, we praise Him, we bow down before Him.

I love the fact that He loves music, and I love to sing to Him. I'm amazed and humbled by the fact that He even cares about my worship, cares to draw me to Him, wants to use me in any way for His service. My only logical response is to praise Him for it all.

30 DoW: Psalm 19

Psalm 19

1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.

3 There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard.

4 Their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun,

5 which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion,
like a champion rejoicing to run his course.

6 It rises at one end of the heavens
and makes its circuit to the other;
nothing is hidden from its heat.

7 The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.

8 The precepts of the Lord are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.

9 The fear of the Lord is pure,
enduring forever.
The ordinances of the Lord are sure
and altogether righteous.

10 They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the comb.

attribute & response:
There are so many to choose here, but I picked "Glorious," primarily because of the sheer glory shown in creation as described in so much of this psalm. It ties right back to the first attribute we looked at, "Creator." The beauty of the earth and sky and sun declare His glory, and even non tangible things such as His Law are listed. Creation shows us His glory externally, and our reaction to His Law in fear and reverence—the Law written on every heart—that can show us His glory internally. Both leave everyone without excuse in calling out to Him.

He is glorious, and our purpose in life is to glorify Him, which everyone will one way or another. I pray I can do His will to glorify Him for the rest of my life, choosing to serve and respond to Him now.