Not was.  Not will be.  Not past only.  Not future only. 

Already.  Here.  Now.  He is exalted forever.  

What does it mean to you that God is already exalted, has been exalted all along, and will be beheld as exalted for all eternity?  How can you exalt Him in your heart today?

In John 14:1 we read, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.”

What do we do when confronted with things that worry us, concern us, or make us afraid?  Do we dwell upon the very things that bring fear, or do we take our troubles to the One who is greater than any trouble?  Do we automatically grab the quickest, smartest, most technologically advanced option or do we evaluate things with an undergirding of faith in God?

While I know that Angelina Jolie is receiving much public acclaim for raising awareness about alternatives for women who MAY get breast cancer someday and for her courage in pursuing a solution to it, it’s important to reassure the many women and men out there who have elected not to be pre-emptive in that way that their stories are every bit as valid.

She wrote her story.  I am a cancer survivor and I have written mine differently.  If you’ve written yours differently, too, here’s my little shout out to you.  Write your story of courage and faith in God with a personal flourish that flows uniquely from your hand.

Arguably, it is just as courageous–if not more so–to face a diagnosis with an unshakable trust in God.   In an age of increasingly successful treatment options for every conceivable illness, heroes of the operating room can be a dime a dozen.

The Courageous Heroes of Faith are of great worth in the eyes of God.

Do you thirst for Him?

God observes the plight of the most helpless among us and He will arise!  He will defend those who are least able to help themselves!  While we do not understand the mysterious workings of God and how He will accomplish this, we can be assured that He will set everything right in the end.

What a reassurance to know that when we seek Him, He will never forsake us.  We should endeavor to know Him, to trust Him, and to seek Him in all things and at all times.

A refuge.  A place of security and safety.  A haven where your adversaries can’t find you and can’t get at you.  A solid house that your troubles can’t topple.

The persecuted church is probably more aware of the need for this than those of us in comfortable and complacent congregations.  Yet, it’s the persecuted church that has the greater understanding of what it means to call the LORD our refuge, our stronghold.

Could you say that if everything fell apart around you that you would still know God as your refuge and that you could trust Him with your eternal well-being?

When is the last time you sang praises to God?  I mean really singing with all the passion you could muster…?

Are they just words on a screen or in a hymnal?  Or are they words swelling with thanksgiving, rising up from within your heart?  Rejoice in Him!  He is the Most High God.

A wholehearted praise notices everything!  The Lord has blessed us so abundantly and all the little things combine together to reflect God’s wonderful works.

The color of the sky.  The flowers.  The birds.  Butterflies. Creatures of all types.  A baby’s smile and giggle.  The tender arms of a mother and the strong arms of a father.  The twinkle in the eyes of laughter or in the stars in the sky.  The grandeur of the mountains and the peaceful ripples on a lake.

Each and every one is worth telling as among His wonderful works.

The Scripture pictured below articulates a question that is eternal in its significance.  Why does God even care what happens to us?  Why did God make humans alone in His image?  We are so small and unimpressive and yet God–the sovereign Creator of the universe–cares for us.  This is beyond humbling.  His mindfulness of our helpless estate is worthy of our praise.

Sometimes adults think they’re too smart.  We become too proud.   We think we’ve outgrown our need for God.  We call Him a crutch for weaklings and only suitable for intellectually deficient people who can’t figure out life on their own.  We say the spiritual equivalent of “Me do it!” as if we’re 2 years old all over again, throwing a tantrum.

Isn’t it ironic, that God ordains praise from the lips of babies and that’s how He chooses to silence the proud?