“They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, ‘Hosanna!’ ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ‘Blessed is the king of Israel!’” (John 12:13).
Can you imagine what it must have been like to be in an environment where crowds were shouting praises to Jesus and worshipping God? It must have been amazing to see Jesus riding on the colt and people humbling themselves by laying down their clothes and palm branches. Although Jesus is not on Earth in the flesh right now, there are still many opportunities for us to gather together and shout praises of adoration to God. More importantly, there are many reasons for us to humble ourselves and worship Him. God has endless traits that make him worthy of our praise, so I am only going to share six of them. Think about how God has shown you these characteristics and make sure to take time to thank Him for all that He has done for you. As important as it is to bring our needs to God, we should first bring our praises.
- God Loves Us
“Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” – 1 John 4:8
There are many verses in the Bible that speak of God’s love. There are a plethora of songs that describe His love. Love is the very nature of God and is the reason why I am able to praise God for the other five traits on this list. The ways He provides, the blessings He showers upon me, and the redemption He offers are all proof of His love.
- God Comforts Us
“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:7
In my own life, I find that I praise God most often for the peace that He brings me. There have been times in my life when everything is chaotic and the only reason I feel peace is because God provides it. The peace that God provides is unexplainable, and I am so grateful that we have the Holy Spirit to guide us.
- God Is Faithful to Us
“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” – Hebrews 10:23
I love looking back on all of the ways that God has been faithful to me in the past. Even when God doesn’t answer prayers in the way that I want Him to, He always answers my prayers. He works things out to be better than I could have ever imagined and provides exactly what I need.
- God Chooses Us
“What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off?” – Matthew 18:12
Even when I am not actively pursuing God, I know that He is actively pursuing me. He never gives up on me. When I start to ignore His presence in my life, He shows up and reminds me that He still loves me and wants a relationship with me.
- God Forgives Us
“Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” – Luke 23:24
The Father sent Jesus to this earth to teach about forgiveness, but also to die on the cross so that all of our sins could be forgiven. The way that Jesus prayed to the Father to ask Him to forgive the sins of the very people who were making Him suffer emphasizes the love and forgiveness that is the essence of God’s character.
- God Disciplines Us
“My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, because the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.” – Proverbs 3:11-12
I know it may seem crazy that I believe we should be praising God because He disciplines us, but God really does discipline us out of love. God wants us to draw nearer to Him and become more like Him. We can’t become more like Christ if we aren’t disciplined to help teach us what is wrong. I am thankful for the ways God has corrected my behaviors and thinking and believe my relationship with Him is stronger because of the discipline.
So proud of my Granddaughter Mollie and her wonderful messages by way of her blogs!