DATE WRITTEN: Saturday, 2021-01-30
WRITTEN AT: Paul B Johnson State Park, Hattiesburg, MS

BIBLE REFERENCE: Psalm 9:1-2
TRANSLATION: The Passion Translation (TPT)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹ Lord, I will worship you with extended hands
as my whole heart explodes with praise!
I will tell everyone everywhere about your wonderful works
and how your marvelous miracles exceed expectations!
² I will jump for joy and shout in triumph
as I sing your song and make music for the Most High God.

OBSERVATION: I’m thrilled that you didn’t pass over this devotional, thinking that you cannot sing, nor write a song. For you see, I want us to reflect on the goodness of our God today, like you’ve probably not done in a while. After reading this, it might be best to go for a short walk, or find a shade tree to sit outside, with no other agenda on your mind, but to communicate with the Master of this universe.

APPLICATION: Why would someone see the need for praising the Lord? I know, that sounds like a dumb question, but I believe that you can easily think of 10 people who never take time to count their blessings and sing praise to the Lord? Since this is a time for us to personally reflect on our blessings, let’s start by ashamedly looking deep inside and acknowledging how often we enter a new day, walk through a full day, and retire at the end of the day, all without acknowledging the God who gave us life, strength, health and the will to maneuver a day successfully? Why is that? Perhaps we just take for granted that another day is provided for us to enjoy, and that we will be able to arise, walk, talk and move about. But for the innocent who wish they could achieve the heart of David, let me suggest a few things that may help:
~ Physical – Acknowledge that it’s God who created you, and everything that you could possibly encounter today. Yes, He created you; He created the sun that should rise to begin your day and to provide nutrients to yourself and the plants; He created other human beings that you may encounter and who may cheer you up, or provide opportunities for you to be a blessing to; He provides plant and animal life that will provide food for your nutritional purposes; etc, etc. There’s a lot to praise God for, dear friends!
~ Spiritual – When you recognized the existence of God, I believe you will want to know about Him, and know more about what He might desire for you. In addition to His Holy Spirit that God left to indwell the believer, He also gave us His Holy Word – the Bible. In general, if we want to know more about a subject matter, we will do research and we will read up on everything about that matter. It is no different with God. Make it a part of your daily routine to read His Word and It will fill your heart and soul with more about God and also more about what He wants of you, so that you may be more like Him. In fact, He has a work for each of us to do – share the wondrous love and work of God with everyone that we come into contact with. To do this, we must know and experience Him personally.
Friends, when we are so filled with Jesus Christ, His love will exude from us in every walk of life. Additionally, we will explode unless we take time to release our praises to our King. Like David, I pray that we will find time alone with God and share our innermost and heartfelt love for Him. As appreciation for all who Jesus is, we will want to return our thanks and deepest appreciation to Him as often as we could. It won’t be the words of David, but God will recognize the deepest expression of our heart as we worship Him and sing our own love songs of praise to Him.

PRAYER: Thank you Lord for your blessings on me. As I lay down You relax my mind and ease any pain so that I may rest comfortably in the bed You provided, and I thank You and praise You with all that I am dear Lord! You give me strength to arise each morning and greet the beauty of the day You provided, and I thank You and praise You with all that I am dear Lord! You bless me with companionship and with friends who remind me of the Great I Am, and I am eternally thankful dear Lord! To open Your precious Word and be reminded of the sacrifice You made at Calvary for even me, is way more than I could imagine or clearly understand, but I thank You Lord for Your unconditional love for me. I praise You Lord for who You are, and especially for how perfect You are to me in every way. May my grateful heart sing Your praises each and every day, so that others may believe and look to You as their Lord and Savior. I pray that my readers will also take on this challenge, for the world needs to see more of Jesus here on this earth, so that they might seek Him while there is time. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog at https://NuggetsFromGodsWord.org that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading or listening to this devotional, please go to the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and see all of my posts, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!