“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.

“He makes peace in your borders, and fills you with the finest wheat.  He sends out His command to the earth; His word runs very swiftly.”  (Psalm 147:14-15)

The ones who follow the Lord are
blessed when they walk in His counsel. 
Apart from the Lord, the people are destructive.  In the Lord, there is goodness and
mercy.  Walk in the ways of the Lord and
be blessed by His presence and guidance. 
Know that in the Lord there is always hope, grace and goodness.  His Word will strengthen you now and always
in His ways.

Lord, guide Your Word into my heart that I may abide in the goodness of
Your mercy.  Lead me to learn Your ways
and be guided by Your goodness.  Grant me
hope and a future in You.  May I now and
always be found in You and the hope You give for all who trust in You.  Fill me with Your presence and purpose that I
may abound in You and the goodness You provide.

Holy Spirit, show me the
abundance which You have already given. 
Guide me according to the Father’s will to see that in You is the hope
of every generation.  Fill me with the
eternal bread of heaven.  Quench my
thirst with the living water.  Teach me
to run swiftly in the power of Your Word that I may now and always abide in the
truth You reveal for all people.  Lead me
in the way of Your salvation.  Amen.

“Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem!  Praise your God, O Zion!  For He has strengthened the bars of your gates; He has blessed your children within you.”  (Psalm 137:12-13)

The children of promise are
blessed.  The Lord sees all who come and
go.  Those who come to Him and seek Him
are blessed.  He will strengthen the ones
who trust in Him.  He will guard the ones
who look to Him.  The Lord knows those
who are His.  The Lord watches over our
going out and coming in.  Come unto the
Lord and walk in His blessing.  Praise
Him for His goodness.

Lord, bring my eyes to see through the mess of this world.  Guide me according to Your goodness to know
that in You is the hope for all people. 
You are the Maker and Redeemer of all. 
Teach my heart to know that in You and You alone is all that I can ever
hope for.  Lead me into Zion that I may
dwell in Your house forever.  Help me to
be a person of praise now and forever.

Lord Jesus, You said that there
are many rooms in the Father’s house. 
You promised that as many as believe would be redeemed.  Count me among Your followers that I may now
and always learn to praise and give thanks for all of the goodness in this
world.  Lead me, O Lord, in the way of
truth that I may abide with You as You abide with me.  Strengthen my self-control that I would
always remain with You.  Amen.

“He does not delight in the strength of the horse; He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man.  The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who hope in His mercy.”  (Psalm 147:10-11)

The Maker of all things is not impressed with the strength of what He has made.  All strength is a reflection, small in measure, of His own.  The Lord does not want you to impress Him.  Such a thing is not possible.  The Lord wants you to love Him; for that is what He has come to accomplish for as many as believe.  Our God takes pleasure in those who turn to Him and trust Him above all things.

Lord, turn my heart to trust You above all things.  Help me to not play games with Your
affections, nor seek anything other than what delights Your heart.  Guide me in love and teach me to love You
above all things.  Guide me in the way
You know I need to go that I may now and always abide in the fullness of Your
promise and purpose.  Keep me in Your
grace and mercy.

Lord Jesus, Love Incarnate, guide
me now and always in the way You would have me go.  Lead me according to Your goodness to know
that only in You is there hope and a future. 
Show me how, according to the Father’s will, to live life as You have
created it to be lived.  Keep me in Your
grace and always close to You.  Help me
this day to focus upon what is important and let other things go.  Amen.

“Who covers the heavens with clouds, who prepares rain for the earth,
who makes grass to grow on the mountains. 
He gives to the beast its food, and to the young ravens that cry.”  (Psalm 147:8-9)

Have you stopped to think of all
the living things that are provided for. 
They do not toil, nor are they concerned for their needs, yet they are
all provisioned.  If the Lord cares for
the creatures in the wild, will He not do the same for you?  Trust in the provision of the Lord and know
that His goodness is always present.  He
who knows your needs has provided for them in abundance.

Lord, help me to see through the unreality of feelings in order to see
the simple truth that You always provide. 
You are good and all that is needed has been provided for.  Lead me, O Lord, in the way of understanding
that I may simply see the truth of Your provision and mercy.  Guide me to be thankful that You are mindful
of all that You have created.  Lead me into
a life of praise.

Thank You, Lord Jesus, that You
have provided the way of salvation.  Lead
me in the way of truth that I may now and always abide in You as You abide in
me knowing that You are creating Your image in me.  Help me to be thankful in every circumstance,
trusting in all that has been provided. 
You have given all that I need. 
Guide me to be thankful for all that You have given.  Amen.