“Praise the Lord!  Sing to the Lord a new song, and His praise in the assembly of saints.  Let Israel rejoice in their Maker; let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.”  (Psalm 149:1-2)

Those who are living in the
redemption of salvation are called to learn to live a life of praise and
thanksgiving.  Come into the presence of
the Lord and offer your life as a thank offering to Him for all of His goodness
and mercy.  Know that it is the Lord who
has redeemed you and thank Him for all that He does for what He has
created.  Assemble with others and offer
praise to the Lord.

Lord, as a sinful human I am often contentious.  Lead me O Lord in the way of truth that I may
now and always gather with those who praise You and offer my praise.  Teach me what I need to know that I may be
guided by Your Spirit to live a life that is filled with Your grace, mercy and
peace.  Lead me to praise You at all
times, giving thanks for all that You have done for Your creation.

Lord Jesus, You have come into
the world that through You we may have life and have it abundantly.  Lead me in the way of Your salvation that I
would live this day giving thanks and praise to You.  Help me now and always to gather with those
whom You appoint and live together in community as You shape and form us into
Your image.  May I learn to be faithful
to Your calling.  Amen.

“Let them praise the name of the Lord, for His name alone is exalted;
His glory is above the earth and heaven. 
And He has exalted the horn of His people, the praise of all His saints
– of the children of Israel, a people near to Him. Praise the Lord!”  (Psalm 148:13-14)

No matter the circumstances in
this world, the Lord is still the One who has made all things.  No matter what people say, the Lord is still
the One who has put all things in their proper order.  No matter what people do, the Lord is worthy
of all praise and honor.  Look to the One
through whom all things have their being and be led by Him in a life filled
with praise and thanksgiving.

Lord, teach me to worship.  Let
me not be carried away with the opinions of men, but led by Your Word of
truth.   Guide me in a proper life of
praise that I may humbly walk in Your presence. 
Guide me according to Your purposes that I may now and always abide in
You and You in me.  Lift me up out of the
noise of this world to stand now and always in Your presence.

Lead me, Holy Spirit, throughout
the day to ponder and reflect upon the goodness and majesty of all that has
been created.  Then lead me to worship
the One who has caused all things to be. 
Teach me to worship in spirit and truth and guide me according to Your
eternal purposes.  Show me the way of
everlasting life that I may now and always abide in Your guidance and
presence.  Amen.

“Kings of the earth and all peoples; princes and all judges of the
earth; both young men and maidens; old men and children.”  (Psalm 148:11-12)

The Lord God made them all.  He created us to be a people of praise and
thanksgiving.  Many spend their time on
other pursuits, but we all praise that which is important to us.  Come into the presence of the Lord and praise
Him above all things.  No matter who you
are or what your ability, you have the ability to praise the Lord.  Lift up your hearts and worship the Lord your
God.

Lord, You know that I do not need to learn how to praise.  I do it all the time with things, people and
circumstances that are important to me and move me.  Lead me to see that in You alone is my praise
made complete.  Guide me, O Lord,
according to Your purpose that I would now and always praise You above all
things and walk in the way for which I have been created that I may now and
always abide with You.

Lord Jesus, You have taught us that
it is not just the place of worship that counts, for the Father desires us to
worship in spirit and in truth wherever we are. 
Guide me, O Lord, to learn to praise and worship You always wherever I
am.  Guide me to use this gift You have
given in the way it was meant to be used. 
Lead me in a life of praise and thanksgiving that I may be a person of
faithful and willing praise of You. 
Amen.

“Mountains and all hills; fruitful trees and all cedars; beasts and all
cattle; creeping things and flying fowl;” (Psalm 148:9-10)

In season, each of the trees God
created bear their fruit.  In season,
each of the plants and animals follow what the Lord has created for them to
do.  Each has their part in the created
order of things.  In the simplicity of
what we see every day, what the Lord has created brings continued life into our
world.  Be amazed at all the Lord has
done and be one of His creatures who lives according to His will.

Lord, open my eyes to see what is plainly visible.  Nature follows Your created order of
things.  Keep my eyes on what You have
done to see the overwhelming evidence of what creation has been from the
beginning.  Guide me to see things as
they are and then to see Your hand upon all that You have made.  Teach me to give thanks for the marvels of
Your creation and its order.

Lord Jesus, You have come to lead
the way in living the godly life.  Guide
me according to Your Word to do what is right and fitting.  Help me to see that Your grace is to enable
me to get back on track when I fall away, but that my first call is to simply
be whom You have made me to be according to the Father’s will.  Lead me, O Lord, in the way of goodness and
truth.  Amen. 

“Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all the
depths; fire and hail, snow and clouds; stormy wind, fulfilling His word;”
(Psalm 148:7-8)

Those things created by the Lord
do as they have been instructed to do. 
The creatures of the deep listen to the One who made them.  We also are created beings but we rebel
because we do not do as the Lord has commanded. 
The invitation to all is to be whom the Lord made us to be and to join
in praising the One through whom all things have their being.  The Lord is worthy of being praised.

Lord, teach me the part You desire I play in living this life You have
given.  Guide me to do things the way You
would have them done.  Help me now and
always to see that in You alone is there hope for all living.  Help me to join in giving You praise by doing
those things You give me to do willingly and with joy.  You are worthy of all praise and honor now
and forever.

Come, Holy Spirit, and lift my
spirit to join with You in praise and thanksgiving.  Guide me according to what is written by You
in my heart that I would now and always abide in the goodness of Your
being.  Teach me to be thankful and full
of praise now and forever.  Teach me to
both lift up my voice and proclaim with my life the goodness of Your grace and
mercy.  Amen.

“Let them praise the name of the Lord, for He commanded and they were
created.  He also established them
forever and ever; He made a decree which shall not pass away.”  (Psalm 148:5-6)

In the beginning was the Word
and the Word was spoken and it was so. 
The Word of the Lord proceeds and it will not come back void.  Come into the truth and walk according to the
Word which endures forever.  Know that
all else will pass away, but that what the Lord has determined will be as He
says.  In the Lord is life and
truth.  It is He who establishes things
and they shall be as He so determines.

Lord, teach me to love Your Word. 
Guide me through Your Word that my life may be illumined by truth.  Help me now and always to see that in You is
hope and an eternal future.  Lead me
through all of the false teachings of this age to rely on the truth of Your
Word ringing in my ears.  May I now and
always rest in the truth of Your Law and Gospel knowing that You alone are the
giver of life.

Lord Jesus, You have come that we
may have life and have it abundantly. 
Guide me in the truth of all of the words that You have spoken.  Guide me to know that You have come that we
may have life, liberty and an abundance of grace that comes through faith.  Guide me, O Lord, according to the Father’s
will to seek first the kingdom knowing that all else will be added as
needed.  Amen.

“Praise Him, sun and moon; praise Him, all you stars of light!  Praise Him, you heavens of heavens, and you
waters above the heavens!”  (Psalm
148:3-4)

What is praise but to
acknowledge, and with your being, proclaim the truth.  God is the Creator of all things.  He is the One who holds all things
together.  In Him is light and life.  That which He has created reflects who He
is.  The creation is not the Creator, but
the creation reflects the One who made it. 
Praise the Lord above all things and know that it is He who has made all
these things.

Lord, there are many things in creation which impress me, yet I often
forget to praise You, the Maker of all things. 
Lead me, O Lord, in the way of truth that I may praise You always for
the goodness which I see every day. Guide me that I may now and always abide in
the truth which is evident to my eyes, ears, nose and hands as I experience
each day what You have created.

Lord Jesus, You teach us to
rejoice in the goodness and mercy of the Father.  In the prayer You taught us to pray, You
taught us to express that each day we are given what we need.  Help me to have a thankful heart, giving
praise where it is due for all good things. 
Teach me to appreciate what is around me and reflect Your grace that
speaks truth in my life.  Let me be one
who gives praise and thanksgiving. 
Amen. 

“Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise Him in the
heights!  Praise Him, all His angels;
praise Him, all His hosts!”  (Psalm
148:1-2)

We were created to live a life
of praise.  We do praise.  There are those things that are the focus of
our lives and we center our activities around them.  We say that we love this or that.  Do you love the Lord and praise Him at least
as much as your favorite things?  We do
praise, but do you praise the Lord?  Come
into a life of praise and give thanks to the One who has created all things.

Lord, You know me and there is no falsehood I can convey to You.  Teach me to learn to praise You above all
things in this life.  Lead me in the
faith You have given me that I may place things in their proper priority.  Let me be among those who praise You now and
always.  Let me be among the faithful who
understands that You are to be praised above all things.

Lord Jesus, You have come to make
the path clear and You alone can lead the way. 
Guide me, O Lord, in the way of praise and thanksgiving.  Teach me to know that in You I may find the
fullness of life and its meaning.  Help
me now and always to be one who is thankful, knowing that You are guiding me in
accordance with the Father’s will.  Lead
me, Savior, in the way of Your salvation. 
Amen.

“He sends out His word and melts them; He causes His wind to blow, and
the waters flow. He declares His word to Jacob, His statutes and His judgments
to Israel.  He has not dealt thus with
any nation; and as for His judgments, they have not known them.  Praise the Lord!”  (Psalm 147:18-20)

The Lord’s Word will come to
pass just as He has spoken it.  He sends
out His Word and it accomplishes what He speaks.  Do not trust in the words of men which speak
to us today and change tomorrow.  Trust
in the One who made all worlds and knows the plans He is bringing to
fruition.  Come then into the realm of
the Lord and live according to His never-failing promises.

Lord, You know the plans You have made. 
Guide me according to Your Word that I may now and always abide in You
and You in me.  Lead me in the Word You
have given that I may be guided according to Your Word and not by the vanity of
this world.  Help me now and always to
hear Your Word clearly and abide as You would have me abide according to Your
purpose.

Lord Jesus, Word made flesh, You
have spoken the words of everlasting life. 
Guide me now and always to see that in You is the hope of every
people.  Lead me in Your will to know
that apart from You there can never be hope, but that in You is nothing but
hope.  Teach me, O Lord, that I may learn
from You, become like You and walk with You in all of Your ways.  Amen.

“He gives snow like wool; He scatters the frost like ashes; He casts
out His hail like morsels; Who can stand before His cold?”  (Psalm 147:16-17)

We are subject to creation.  Cold, hot, wind, rain, snow and tempest
affect us.  The One who created these
things is not affected.  He made these
things that we may live and know Him, but He does not need them.  Look to the One through whom all things were
made and by Him alone be moved.  Do not
be moved by the things of this world, but by the Creator of all worlds.

Lord, my humanity has me bouncing around more that I care to
admit.  I am impressed by small things
and not by You, the Maker of all things. 
Lead me in the way of truth that I may understand more fully Your
goodness and mercy.  Guide me in the way
of life that I may be led into the salvation You have prepared in the sight of
all people.  Lead me, O Lord!

Lord Jesus, You have come in
flesh and know our weakness.  You know
how we become afraid in storms and have doubts when we do not see that You are
with us.  Lift me up in faith that I may
fulfill the first great commandment and love You above all things.  You alone can stand up to all things and You
have stood before all things for our sake that we may have life in You now and
forever.  Amen.