Praising through the Bible

This week in the Bible in 90 Days I read two of my favorite books: Ecclesiastes and Isaiah.

I love the down-to-earth viewpoint of Ecclesiastes. It's full of doom and gloom and real life. It's a book to read when you feel like Eeyore. Yet every once in awhile the author looks up to get His creator's viewpoint and expresses a sheer enjoyment of life:

So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God. For who can eat or enjoy anything apart from Him? (Ecclesiastes 2:24-25 NLT)
...People should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God. (Ecclesiastes 3:13 NLT)
...To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life---this is indeed a gift from God. God keeps such people so busy enjoying life that they take no time to brood over the past.
(Ecclesiastes 5:20 NLT)

Isaiah, too, has its share of doom and gloom. The nation of Israel had turned from God, and it was Isaiah's job to tell them of their coming troubles. Yet within the prophecies of judgment are God's promises to always love and care for His people, and to rescue them when they turned back to Him.
For the mountains may move
and the hills disappear,
but even then my faithful love for you will remain.
My covenant of blessing will never be broken,”
says the Lord, who has mercy on you. (Isaiah 54:10 NLT)

I praise You God today
for avocado on my soup
for children giggling in the playroom
for snow on the mountains
and for Your faithful love.

Check the sidebar to the left to download a free chapter from my book: Sacred Signposts, Exploring the Prayer Paths of St. Paul and St. Patrick.

Praising through the Bible: Day 43

The book of Psalms is full of triumphant praise and joyful hope. I used these verses in my prayer today:

But the Lord is my fortress; my God is the mighty rock where I hide. Psalm 94:22
Come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. Psalm 95:1
Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart I will praise His holy name. Psalm 103:1
May all my thoughts be pleasing to Him, for I rejoice in the Lord. Psalm 104:34

I'm reading the NLT version with notes by Warren Wiersbe. Today I read that "Praise means looking up, but worship means bowing down."

Bible in 90 Days: thoughts on Day 40

The Book of Psalms is like a hot bath with lavender scented bubbles after a long day. Ahhhhh. I really struggled with the books of the Law and the books of History. Reading at this fast pace, without time to research what I'm reading, makes it difficult for me to find strength for the day within those readings. This is not my first time reading through the Bible, so I'm not in search of the Big Picture. I'm just in search of a word from God to bring me closer to Him. Obviously there are lessons in the law, and pictures of the Lord's redemption within it. Of course if you study the lives of the kings you can see God's guidance of the nation of Israel. But at this fast pace it's easy to miss those lessons and I wasn't feeling fed and nourished by the Scriptures. I kept remembering hearing Kings and Chronicles read at the breakfast table when I was growing up. I could almost taste the really boring oatmeal my mom made.

Then the book of Job came along. I love that book. Job is so honest with God, his friends are so annoying, and then God speaks to them and they are all amazed at His wisdom and majesty. I want to be that honest and that amazed.

And then Psalms. Ahhhhh. If I could only have one book of the Bible, this would be my choice. Here we see every human emotion expressed as prayer. God wants to hear my voice, whether I'm grieving, complaining, rejoicing, or worshipping. I stopped using the Bible in 90 Days NIV version, and switched to an NLT with notes by Warren Wiersbe. I don't read all the notes (they would have been helpful in the earlier books) but it's nice to know they're there. They make me feel like I'm discussing and fellowshipping with another Christian while I read. Warren Wiersbe says the theme of Psalms is "Intimacy with God." He suggests that in times of trouble we should read Psalms, searching not for an answer but an attitude.

One of my favorite verses in today's reading was Psalm 32:8: The Lord says, "I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you."

I praise You, Lord, for Your guidance today.

Check the sidebar to the left to download a free chapter from my book: Sacred Signposts, Exploring the Prayer Paths of St. Paul and St. Patrick.

Bible in 90 Days: thoughts on Day 31

I have come to the conclusion that following someone else's Bible reading schedule is not my preferred method of study. Reading the Bible in 90 Days is too rushed, and keeping up with it keeps me from following cross references and checking commentaries...the things that bring me joy and nourishment while studying. I think I will stick with this...Psalms and the Prophets aren't too far ahead, but I won't repeat it next year. It is too easy to just read to check off the little box on the schedule rather than reading to hear God's voice. I had the same feeling when I read through the Bible in a year several times. I miss my usual routine of reading just one chapter and meditating on it perhaps coming across an interesting subject and following it across the Scriptures.

I think this 90 Day plan is a great Bible reading plan for a person who lives in a quiet house and has three hours every day to look up cross references and read commentaries. I can easily read the daily reading in half an hour, but I need more time than that to meditate and seek connections in other parts of Scriptures.

It would also be a good plan for someone who isn't seeking nourishment from the Scriptures but just wants to get a quick overview of the whole Bible--perhaps someone who is studying the Bible as a textbook.

Or maybe I am a fast reader and a slow thinker.

Praising through the Bible: Light in the Darkness

As I continue reading the Bible in 90 Days, I am especially noticing the dark periods in the history of Israel. First there was the time of the Judges, then of course the brighter times of David and Solomon, and now I'm reading about the wicked kings like Ahab. Yet what encourages me are the Judges and the Prophets--those servants of God who carried His light and proclaimed His word. How good God is, to continually send those messengers to point the way to Himself.

I praise You, Lord, for those who shine Your light into my life on dark days!

Praising through the Bible

I'm keeping up with my scheduled reading to get through the whole Bible in 90 Days. The last week has been difficult reading--I felt as if I were just reading so I could put a little check mark on my chart, rather than meeting with God. It didn't help that I was taking a lot of Advil to cope with back pain, and feeling very foggy. I think part of what's missing is my prayer before reading, asking God to speak to me. Today I read Samuel's prayer: "Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening." That is the way I need to approach God's Word every day!

Thank You, Lord, that Your Word is living and powerful, full of comfort and encouragement.

Praising through the Bible: Encouragement in Deuteronomy

Today's reading (Deut. 23:12-34:12) was full of comfort and encouragement.

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified...for the Lord your God goes with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. (Deut. 31:6)

Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in Him for He shields Him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between His shoulders. (Deut. 33:12)

The eternal God is Your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. (Deut. 33:27)

I praise You today, Lord, my strength, my rest, my refuge, my support.

Praising through the Bible in the Desert

This verse jumped out at me in today's reading (Deuteronomy 8:1-23:11):
Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep His commands. (Deut. 8:2)

I'm not exactly wandering the desert and living in tents like the Israelites, but I do live in a desert, and I praise God for bringing me and my family here seven years ago. Here, away from the landscape we love, away from our friends and family, we have had to depend on God and grow ever closer to Him. And through surrendering to the Lord's plan for us, we have found a deep contentment and joy here.

This week Praising through the Bible

Back pain interrupted my week and I haven't blogged since last Thursday. I've kept up with my Bible in 90 Days readings, though, and I'm now reading Deuteronomy. The readings this last week haven't been the sections of the Bible in which I find the most encouragement for my daily life. But over and over again I saw a Holy God making it possible for humans to have a relationship with Him. I also saw God's people experiencing great victories and then complaining when they run into more difficulties. I asked God to give me a long memory when it comes to His blessings! And I praised God for this age of grace.

Praising through the Bible Exodus 29-40

As I read today, I thought of the Israelites tramping through the wilderness, and I found it very interesting that they didn't just march straight from Egypt to the Promised Land. I thought they'd be in a rush. But they stopped for quite awhile while Moses went up the mountain and met God, and then they built the tabernacle, which must have taken a bit of time. Worship and obedience were first on God's travel plan.

Thank You, Lord for Your guidance. Thank You for Your wisdom. I can trust Your long-term planning.

Praising through the Bible Exodus 15:19-28:43

Lord, I was so tired when I was reading this morning. I kept falling asleep in the middle of Your commands to Moses. This afternoon I read in Hebrews:

This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord:
I will put My laws on their hearts, and I will write them on their minds. (Hebrews 10:16)

Oh Lord, as You put Your word in my heart, help me to be constantly awake to You! And thank You Lord, for Your Spirit, whispering Your commands to me.

Praising through the Bible Exodus 1-15:18

Lord, as I read today I remembered reading that You told Jacob his family would be in Egypt for a long time, but that You would eventually bring them out. All through the story of the plagues I could see that You already knew how it would end. The reading closed with Miriam's triumphant song--a song we sang often as teenagers at Bible Camp: "I will sing unto the Lord for He has triumphed gloriously, the horse and rider thrown into the sea!"

I thought of the two decades since those fun times at Bible Camp, and all the adventures You have brought me through, and even now the contentment and joy You are giving me in the desert.

As a New Year begins, and my prayer list is long, I can trust You. You see. You know.

Praising through the Bible Genesis 41-50

I cannot do it...but God will. (Joseph, to Pharoah, in Genesis 41:16)

Lord,
Today I must return to non-holiday routine.
So many tasks on my to-do list
and I began today exhausted.
I trust You, Lord
to empower and encourage me today.
You are great
You are strong
You are able.

Praising through the Bible Genesis 28:20-40:11

When I was little I went to Sunday School
and I heard Bible stories at home
and I learned about those great heroes in Genesis:
Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and Jacob's 12 sons.
Eventually I read Genesis for myself
and I was shocked to find it was more like a soap opera
than a heroic history.
Yet You loved these flawed people, Lord!
You talked with them and guided them and cared for them.
This encourages me today
when I don't feel heroic.

Praising through the Bible Genesis 17:1-28:19

Thank You
Eternal God
that You keep Your promises
no matter how impossible
or laughable
they seem at times.

Praising through the Bible Genesis 1-16

Creator of stars and sunrise,
You are my light
my guide through the coming year.
Thank You that
as in Eden
on my darkest day
Your promise of salvation
gleams brightly.
Thank You for the Scriptures
showing me that You
choose and illuminate
bumbling doubting humans.

This is the first in a series of daily posts as I praise through the Bible in 90 Days.

Praising through the Bible I Thessalonians 1 - Philemon 25

Loving Father
Your grace gives me
eternal encouragement and certainty,
protecting me
and strengthening me
to serve You.

(2 Thessalonians 2:16-17)

I'm praising through the Epistles as a preview of reading the whole Bible in 90 Days.

Praising through the Bible Galatians 3:26-Colossians 4:18

I praise You, Father God!
I am overwhelmed by Your blessings
and Your lavish grace.
I approach You freely and confidently
asking You to show me
the work You are calling me to accomplish.

(Ephesians 1:3, Ephesians 1:7-8, Ephesians 3:12, Ephesians 2:10)

I am praising my way through the Epistles as a preview of reading the entire Bible in 90 Days, beginning January 1.

Praising through the Bible I Corinthians 15:1-Galatians 3:25

Lord Almighty
I dare to call You Father
because Your light shines in my heart,
Your grace abounds,
and Your comfort overflows.
Thank You
Great and Mighty God
for victory
for hope
for glory and transformation
and for love.

(2 Cor. 6:18, 2 Cor. 4:6, 2 Cor. 3:5, 2 Cor. 9:8, I Cor. 15:57, I Cor. 15:54, 2 Co4. 1:10, 2 Cor. 3:18, Gal. 2:20)

I am praising my way through the Epistles as a preview of reading the entire Bible in 90 Days, beginning January 1.

Praising through the Bible

I'm reading through the Epistles to get a little preview of what my reading routine will be when I read through the Bible in 90 days. Today I read Romans 15-I Corinthians 14. As I read I looked for reasons to praise God.

O Savior Jesus Christ,
Power and Wisdom of God,
I praise and thank You
for clothing me with Yourself
and Your armor of light.
You have made me a temple for Your Spirit
filling me with Your power
and Your overflowing hope.
Thank You that Your kingdom is not
a collection of inspiring words
but a powerful force.
Empower me today, Lord,
to follow Your way of love and peace.

(I Cor. 1:24, Rom. 13:14, Rom. 13:12, I Cor. 3:16, Rom. 15:13, I Cor. 4:20, I Cor. 14:1, Rom. 14:19)