Journey to the Cross
Take a moment to set this time apart. Light a candle, turn on some quiet music, get comfortable in your space, or simply take some time in quiet before you begin.
The one who enters in theĀ Lordās name is blessed; we bless all of you from theĀ Lordās house. The Lord is God!Ā He has shined a light on us! So lead the festival offering with ropes all the way to the horns of the altar. You are my GodāI will give thanks to you! You are my GodāI will lift you up high! Give thanks to theĀ Lord because he is good, because his faithful love lasts forever.
Psalm 118:26-29
The entirety of Psalm 118 is framed in thanksgiving for what God has done. It begins and ends, āO give thanks to God for God is good, Godās faithful love lasts forever.ā The whole psalm is a litany of thanksgiving for all the things God has done.
We often think that praising God is singing songs or writing beautiful prayers (and those are ways to praise), but often praising God begins with simple gratitude. It begins with taking notice of all the things we have to be grateful for and seeing that many of them are outside of our control. It can begin with something as small as the sun rising each morning, the beginning of a new day, or a small piece of beauty in the world.
In gratitude we find joy, mystery, wonder, and more. As we delight in those things, we give praise to God.
Nick Carson
Question to Ponder:
How can you practice gratitude as an act of praise?
Thank you, God, for the simplicity of gratitude. Thank you for so many beautiful, wonderful things around me. Thank you for me, and the people around me.
Amen.
Go and sing loud and dance wild,
speak truth and stand strong,
hold beauty in your heart,
love hard and be soft,
make mistakes and say youāre sorry,
and try always to be you,
because all of life is a hymn singing Godās praise.