“Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” – 2 Corinthians 9:7

In Dothan, Alabama, several churches joined together to make sure every family had a Thanksgiving meal. On November 23, 2013, the ministry called "Feeding the Multitudes" had churches from all denominations come together to provide a bag of unprepared food to feed a family of five during the Thanksgiving Holiday. Most importantly the church shares the Gospel of Jesus Christ and offers hope through prayer and encouragement. Contents of the bag may include a ham, green beans, rice, sweet potatoes, a bible and other goodies. The ministry will help more than 18,000 people in the local area.

"We have hunger issues in our own states, own neighborhoods, in our own backyards," said Tonjha Thomas, a volunteer for the event.

"They don't know if they are going to get this meal and when they do, how thankful is that," stated Tonjha.

The feeling hits close to home for Tonjha. Although she is helping with feeding others, she herself has been in the very shoes where she needed the helping hand.

"If it wasn't for someone else helping me, I don't know what me and my family would have done," she said.

Let your gratitude and praise to the Lord be expressed in your giving. Today in prayer, give thanks to the Lord for all that He has given you.

“The basis of thanksgiving is a recognition that everything comes from God.” – Curtis Hutson

God’s Word: “A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.”  – Proverbs 11:25

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2013, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS OF PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING

“I will give thanks to you, LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.” – Psalm 9:1-2

In 1619, the English ship "Margaret" sailed for Virginia and landed on the banks of the James River. It brought thirty-eight settlers to a site known as Berkeley Hundred. Instructions to Captain Woodleefe, First Governor of Berkeley Hundred was on the day the settlers arrived was "to be yearly and perpetually kept holy as a day of Thanksgiving to Almighty God."

The settlers kept their promise and celebrated a Thanksgiving, more than a year before the Massachusetts pilgrims.

Today on the Berkeley Plantation, located near Charles City, there is a monument to that event. Berkeley Plantation continues to be the site of an annual Thanksgiving event.

President George W. Bush gave his official Thanksgiving address in 2007 at Berkeley saying "In the four centuries since the founders of Berkeley first knelt on these grounds, our nation has changed in many ways. Our people have prospered, our nation has grown, our Thanksgiving traditions have evolved - after all, they didn't have football back then. Yet the source of all our blessings remains the same: We give thanks to the Author of Life who granted our forefathers safe passage to this land, who gives every man, woman, and child on the face of the Earth the gift of freedom, and who watches over our nation every day."

Starting on this Thanksgiving day, resolve to be a thankful person. Today in prayer, thank Jesus for all that you have and all He is making you to be.

“The basis of thanksgiving is a recognition that everything comes from God.” – Curtis Hutson

God’s Word: “Sing the praises of the LORD, enthroned in Zion; proclaim among the nations what he has done.” – Psalm 9:11

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2013, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS OF PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.” – Psalm 100:4

Pastor Charles Stanley wrote the following entitled "The Benefits of Gratitude."

"Thanking God glorifies and magnifies Him, but did you know doing this also benefits us? The Lord doesn't need our thanks, but we need to give it so we can become what He wants us to be: unselfish, encouraged, and confident. Giving thanks...

Refocuses our attention: Life is filled with situations and distractions that keep us from seeing all that God has done for us. Instead of getting out of bed with the weight of the world on your shoulders, try refocusing on the Lord by thanking Him for His past provisions, guidance, and faithfulness.

Relieves anxiety: Since our fast-paced society has lots of pressure, expectations, and responsibilities, many people live in constant anxiety. But when we bring our concerns to the Lord with thanksgiving, the burden shifts to Him, and His peace comes to us (Phil. 4:6-7).

Refreshes our relationship: Gratitude keeps us from thinking that the Christian walk is all about us and our needs. Our fellowship with God is enhanced because we're focused on Him instead of ourselves.

Reinforces our faith: When we thank the Lord for His past faithfulness, our confidence in His present faithfulness soars.

Rejoices our spirit: Thanksgiving is the best way to dig ourselves out of the doldrums of discouragement.

Although gratitude is always beneficial, it's not always easy. When you're discouraged or overwhelmed, it's probably not on your radar to thank God. But I've learned from experience that shifting focus and thanking the Lord for all He's done is the fastest way to change one's attitude and reenergize."

Don’t just be thankful on Thanksgiving Day. Today in prayer, give thanks to the Lord and praise His name.

“Thanksgiving was never meant to be shut up in a single day.” – Robert Casper Lintner

God’s Word: “All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.” – 2 Corinthian 4:15

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2013, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING

“give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:18

In early November 2013, Typhoon Haiyan battered the Philippines. The storm killed more than 4,500 people and left about more than 4 million homeless. The typhoon - which had some of the strongest winds ever recorded on land - mostly flattened the port city of Tacloban.

Following the storm, donations from all over the world began streaming into the Philippines. And though most people are appreciative for the material help, many thank the Lord for surviving the storm.

The local churches have become the hubs of activity, both as evacuation centers and refuges for spiritual help.

Belen Curila, a parishoner who was left homeless, said: "I wish to thank the Lord. We asked for his help for all the people who survived this typhoon to be able to eat and continue a life that is hopefully more blissful. The Lord has strengthened our faith and made us stronger in order for us to survive and start off all over again."

Though you may be hurting, give thanks to the Lord and He will honor you. Today in prayer, give thanks to the Lord for He is good.

“Remember God's bounty in the year. String the pearls of His favor. Hide the dark parts, except so far as they are breaking out in light! Give this one day to thanks, to joy, to gratitude!” – Henry Ward Beecher

God’s Word: “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe” – Hebrews 12:28

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2013, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING

“You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever.” - Psalm 30:11-12

On July 12, 2013, 6-year old Nathan Woessner was enjoying a summer afternoon with his father and a friend on the shores of Lake Michigan. He scampered up a sand dune and then he suddenly vanished. Nathan was buried under 11 feet of sand on Mount Baldy, a 126-foot sand dune at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.

He spent more than three hours trapped below ground, but somehow survived until rescue workers were able to pull him to safety. They rushed him to University of Chicago Medicine Comer Children’s Hospital, and he made a full recovery.

“We’re just very, very grateful for everything they did for Nathan,” his mother, Faith Woessner said. “We can’t express our gratitude enough for the rescuers, and the nursing staff and everyone that’s helped bring Nathan back to us, and we’re thankful to God for being there with us and bringing Nathan back to us.”

So often in life, life hangs in the balance. Today in prayer, give thanks to Christ and to any rescue worker who has helped you during perilous times.

“The thankful receiver bears a plentiful harvest.” - William Blake

God’s Word: “The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.” - Psalm 28:7

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2013, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING

“Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.” – Psalm 95:2

Matthias Claudius was an eighteenth century German poet who was the son of a Lu¬ther¬an pas¬tor. His poetry was written in pure and simple German, and appealed to the popular taste. In 1779, Claudius had a severe illness in the course of which he came to see his youthful folly, and from that time, he was a humble sweet-spirited Christian, reflecting his faith in the poems he wrote. In 1782, he wrote the poem “We Plow The Fields.” It was inspired by German farmers he heard singing while they worked. This hymn is part of a much longer poem that sketched rural country life, in the course of which the country people sang a harvest song of devotion to God.

Years later, the hymn was translated by Jane Campbell, a British music teacher. It was added to a new hymnal in 1861.

The hymn gained renewed popularity when it was included in the 1970 musical “Godspell.” 

Thanking the Lord never goes out of season. Today in prayer, give thanks to Jesus for all that He has done.

“All good gifts around us 

Are sent from Heav’n above, 

Then thank the Lord,

O thank the Lord, For all His love.” – Matthias Claudius

God’s Word: “I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.” – Psalm 69:30

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2013, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING

“O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures for ever!” – 1 Chronicles 16:34

Sydney Smith was born in Essex, England in 1771. He was ordained at Oxford in 1796 and became curate of the village of Netheravon. He did much for the people including providing elementary education, as well as being a tutor. Smith also preached in the Anglican chapel, attracting large audiences.

He is remembered as a clergyman who had a sense of humor. Long after his death, he is often quoted in English literary life and is remembered by American homemakers through his rhyming recipe for salad dressing.

One day Sydney received a basket of strawberries from one of his parishioners. He sent the following note in return: "What is real piety?" it read. "What is true attachment to the Church? How are these fine feelings best evinced? The answer is plain: by sending strawberries to a clergyman. Many thanks."

Are you thankful for the smallest things in life? Today in prayer, give thanks to the Lord and to others for some of the smaller things in your life.

“I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” – G.K. Chesterton

God’s Word: “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever.” – Psalm 136:1

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2013, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING

“For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.” – 1 Timothy 4:4-5

The author, August Storm, was born on October, 1862, in Motala, Sweden. As a young man, he gave his live to the Lord in a Salvation Army meeting. Soon afterward, he joined the Salvation Army Corps and rose to become an officer. He wrote the hymn text “Thanks To God For My Redeemer” for the Army publication, “The War Cry” on December 5, 1891.

The original Swedish version had four stanzas, with each verse beginning with the word ‘tack’, the Swedish word for ‘thanks’, having a total of thirty-two thanks in all. The gratitude expressed to God ranges from the dark and dreary Autumn to the pleasant, balmy Spring time, pain as well as pleasure, thorns as well as roses.

At the age of thirty-seven, August Storm suffered a back ailment that left him crippled for life. He continued, however, to administer his Salvation Army duties until his death.

A year before his death on July 1, 1914, he wrote another poem in which he thanked God for the years of calm and quiet as well as the years of pain.

Give thanks to the Lord for He is good. Today in prayer, remember all the Lord has done and give thanks to God.

“Thanks to God for my Redeemer,

Thanks for all Thou dost provide!

Thanks for times now but a memory,

Thanks for Jesus by my side!

Thanks for pleasant, balmy springtime,

Thanks for dark and dreary fall!

Thanks for tears by now forgotten,

Thanks for peace within my soul!” – August Storm

God’s Word: “always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” – Ephesians 5:20

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2013, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING

“I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus.” -  1 Corinthians 1:4

In the early 1970's, a pastor began his ministry at First Presbyterian Church in Aberdeen, Mississippi. During his first year there he was visited by three men who inquired about one of his members. She was a widow who lived by herself. Was she getting out? Were her friends in Aberdeen keeping in touch? Was there anything they needed to know? The three shared their reason for asking with the pastor and gave him their cards. One lived in New Jersey, another in Oklahoma, the other in California. He was told to call them if there was anything they could do to make her life happier or easier.

The same three men arrived each year as they had since 1946. They brought presents their wives had picked out in the shops of San Francisco and New York. They'd also hired a local family who mowed the woman's yard, trimmed the bushes, and checked on tree branches and gutters. One of the men prepared the woman's tax returns each year. Another contracted repairs on her house or made them himself. Sometimes they helped her shop for a new car. They were meticulous in checking on everything and trying to anticipate every difficulty the woman might face.

Why such kindness to this widow?

Well soon after the Normandy Invasion, the three men, who were soldiers, were huddled in a basement with their platoon. Suddenly, a German grenade came bouncing down the stairs. A soldier, the woman's husband, immediately threw himself on the grenade. He absorbed most of its impact. He died but the rest of the 18 men lived because of his death.

After the war was over, these three men made a pact to forever show their gratitude to the soldier's widow who lived in Aberdeen.

We need to be grateful for the people the Lord has placed in our lives. Today in prayer, show your appreciation and God’s love to a widow or an orphan.

"Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude. Gratitude is the completion of thankfulness. Thankfulness may consist merely of words. Gratitude is shown in acts.” – Henri Frederic Amiel

God’s Word: “I thank my God every time I remember you.” – Philippians 1:3

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2013, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING

“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” – Colossians 3:17

Johnson Oatman, Jr. was born near Medford, New Jersey, on April 21, 1856. His father was one of the best singers in their small town and soon young Johnson became interested in church singing.

At the age of nineteen he joined the Methodist Church and several years later was granted a license to preach in local Methodist congregations.

At age 36, he found he had a talent for writing hymns, and for the next 30 years he wrote 4 to 5 hymns each week. He wrote over 5,000 hymn texts, but he only accepted the sum of $1 per song.

He wrote the hymns “Higher Ground, and “No, Not One!” But it is “Count Your Blessings” that he wrote in 1897 that is considered his finest hymn. It is a song of thankfulness to God that brings joy to all who hear it.

The Lord has blessed us with so many wonderful things. Today in prayer, give thanks to the Lord for all of your blessings.

“Count your blessings, name them one by one,

Count your blessings, see what God hath done!

Count your blessings, name them one by one,

Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.” – Johnson Oatman, Jr.

God’s Word: “In that day you will say: "Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted. – Isaiah 12:4

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2013, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING

“Sing to the Lord a new song;
 sing to the Lord, all the earth.” – Psalm 96:1

Folliott Sandford Pierpoint was born in October 1835 in Bath England.  He was educated at Queens' College, Cambridge. Folliott taught the classics at Somersetshire College. He chose teaching as a profession and traveled from place to place throughout his life, teaching in various schools. He eventually retired from academics to become a writer settling in Bath.

He is remembered as a poet and hymnist, with his most popular hymn being “For the Beauty of the Earth,” first published as The Sacrifice of Praise in 1864.

“For the Beauty of the Earth” is mostly commonly sung as a praise hymn for communion in Anglican services. It has since become a favorite for Thanksgiving services, and for Sunday School Children. It was sung in the 1994 movie version of “Little Women”.

Folliott wrote eight stanzas in the hymn, thanking the Lord for a different kind of beauty. Each stanza concluded with the words “Christ our God, to Thee we raise / This our sacrifice of praise.”

There is so much beauty that our Lord has created. Today in prayer, praise Jesus for all of His beauty and the beauty of the earth.

“Receive every day as a resurrection from death, as a new enjoyment of life; meet every rising sun with such sentiments of God's goodness, as if you had seen it, and all things, new-created upon your account: and under the sense of so great a blessing, let your joyful heart praise and magnify so good and glorious a Creator.” – William Law

God’s Word: “Sing to the Lord, praise his name;
 proclaim his salvation day after day.” – Psalm 96:2

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2013, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING

"The LORD is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him." - Exodus 15:2

A Hasidic story tells of a tailor named Mendel who approaches his rabbi and says, "I have a problem with my prayers. I am a tailor, and from time to time people compliment me on my skills. It is very satisfying to hear their praise. One kind word can keep me going for a week. But if people came to me all day every day saying, "Mendel, you are a wonderful tailor", "Mendel, you are a wonderful tailor", "Mendel, you are a wonderful tailor" it would drive me crazy. It would get to the point I wouldn't want to hear another compliment every again! I would tell everyone to go away and leave me to work in peace. And this is what bothers me about prayer. If just once a week we told God how wonderful he is, and just a couple of us did this each week, that is all God would need. Is God really so insecure that he needs us all to praise him morning, noon and night? Hundreds, thousands, millions of people praying, all praising him. Surely this would drive God crazy?!"The rabbi smiled and said, "Mendel, you are absolutely right. You have no idea how difficult it is for God to listen to all our praises, day in, day out, 24 hours a day. But God knows how important it is for us to offer our praise, and so, because of God's great love God tolerates all of our prayers."

Mankind was created to bring praise to the Lord. We need to praise God, however, He doesn't need our praise. Today in prayer, praise the Lord because it delights both God and ourselves.  

"The happiness of the creature consists in rejoicing in God, by which also God is magnified and exalted." - Jonathan Edwards

God's Word: "I called to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I have been saved from my enemies." - Psalm 18:3

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2013, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING

"Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever." - Psalm 107:1

In 1987, Pastor Walt Harrah was having a quiet time at his home in California. He was reading Psalm 107, when he came across verse 43, which reads: “Let the one who is wise heed these things and ponder the loving deeds of the Lord.” After meditating and praying over the verse, Walt wrote down some ideas for lyrics. Walt admits, “I don’t remember a single song that I have written that came to me instantaneously. So, true to my customs, I took my ideas then began my usual process of writing and rewriting, tweaking and changing parts of the song here and there. It is a process of refining and improving my work. With this particular project I must have gone through fifteen or twenty rewrites – often coming back to it and looking it over very carefully. The whole process took several days.”

The result was the praise song “Think About His Love.” It was first sung at Newport Mesa Christian Center in Costa Mesa, California and it soon became a popular worship song worldwide.

Think about God’s love and then praise the Lord. Today in prayer, praise the Father that His love endures forever.

“Think about his love

Think about his goodness

Think about his grace that's brought us through

For as high as the heavens above

So great is the measure of our Father's love

Great is the measure of our Father's love” – Walt Harrah

God's Word: “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.” – Psalm 118:1

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2013, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING

“I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; before the "gods" I will sing your praise.” – Psalm 138:1

Pastor Mark Rice from Kingman, Arizona has developed an “Alphabet Praise.”  To start Alphabet Praise, you simply say,

O God, you are . . .

A – awesome, almighty, able, Abba, all-powerful, advocate, my all in all, author and finisher, alpha and omega, Ancient of Days, the Amen

B — branch, bread from heaven, big, bright

C — compassionate, cornerstone, Creator, Comforter, Christ, Captain of our salvation, close to me

D – deliverer, Dayspring, the door to heaven

E — excellent, everywhere, eternal

F — father, faithful, friend, forgiver, my fortress, Christ the fullness of God, Fountain of Living Water, Firstborn of All Creation

G — good, great, generous, gracious, glorious

H – holy, my help, heavenly, hiding place, high priest, healer, Holy Spirit

I — I AM, Immanuel, infinite, invisible, immortal, indwelling

J — just, judge, justifier, jealous, source of my joy

K — king, kind, keeper of Israel

L — love, life, light, Lord, Lamb, Living Stone, Lily of the Valley

M — merciful, maker, Most High, Messiah, Morningstar, Mediator, Man of Sorrows

N — near, never far away, never-failing God,

O — overwhelming, omnipotent, only begotten Son

P — Prince of Peace, provider, perfect, pearl of great price, the ultimate promisekeeper

Q — quick to hear our prayers, the one who quiets my heart

R — radiant, Redeemer, righteous, ruler, restores my soul, rewarder, rock, refuge, Resurrection and the Life

S – sovereign, Savior, Sanctifier, Son, strong tower, shepherd, shield, silent

T — true, trustworthy, the teacher

U — unchanging, unequaled, ultimate

V — vast, victorious, the vine

W — wise, way, wonderful, Word of God, water of life

X — excellent, have true x-ray vision of every heart

Y – Yahweh, yearns for us

Z — zealous, the A to Z of all creation

Jesus Christ is the beginning and the end, the Alpha and Omega. He deserves all of our praise. Today in prayer, praise the Lord for all that He is!

“I have never committed the least matter to God, that I have not had reason for infinite praise.” – Anna Shipton

God’s Word: “For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods.” – Psalm 95:3

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2013, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING

“There is no one like you, LORD, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears.” – 1 Chronicles 17:20

In 1989, Dennis Jernigan was working at a church in Oklahoma City leading worship. One morning, while meditating on God’s Word at the piano, he was struck by the fact “that He bore the punishment for my sin, paid my debt fully with the first drop of His blood.” In that moment, the line came to him, “seeking You as a precious Jewel, Lord, to give up I’d be a fool.” It was to be the first line he wrote for the popular Christian song “You Are My All In All.”

The rest of the song came in similar pieces during prayer times. Reflecting on Jesus, Dennis said: “He is the source of my very existence. The source of my life, the source of my freedom. He is the source of everything I am. He’s my all in all.”

Dennis recorded the song the next year and it quickly became a favorite praise song.

There is no other god like our God. Jesus is our all in all. Today in prayer, praise the Lord that He is Lord of all.

“You are my strength when I am weak


You are the treasure that I seek


You are my all in all


Seeking You as a precious jewel


Lord, to give up I'd be a fool


You are my all in all” – Dennis Jernigan

God’s Word: “Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord; neither are there any works like unto thy works.” – Psalm 86:8

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2013, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING

“Praise the Lord, my soul. Lord my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty.” – Psalm 104:1

Robert Grant was born in 1779 in India, the son of Charles Grant, chairman of the Directors of the Honourable East India Company, and younger brother of Charles Grant, later known as Lord Glenelg. Returning home with their father in 1790, the two brothers were entered as students of Magdalene College, Cambridge, in 1795.

Robert became an attorney and eventually was elected to the British Parliament. He led the fight for civil rights for Jewish People.

In 1834, he was appointed Governor of Bombay. He died in India four years later in 1838.

Robert was the author of a volume of sacred poems, which was edited and published after his death by his brother, Lord Glenelg. This volume includes some beautiful hymns, which have found their way into modern collections. His most well known hymn, still in common usage in most hymnals today, is "O Worship the King", based on Psalm 104. It is a praise hymn that declares in Jesus we have “Our Maker, Defender, Redeemer and Friend.”

The Lord is worthy of our praise. Today in prayer, O Worship the King and praise Jesus with all of your soul.

“O worship the King, all glorious above,

O gratefully sing His power and His love;

Our Shield and Defender, the Ancient of Days,

Pavilioned in splendor, and girded with praise.” – Robert Grant

God’s Word: “Sing praises to God, sing praises;
sing praises to our King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise.” – Psalm 47:6-7

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2013, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING

“Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together. I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.” – Psalm 34:3-4

In July 2012, Evangelist Louie Giglio, speaking during the last day of the Hillsong Conference in Sydney, Australia, shared about how he was lifted by God's grace from a more than two-month struggle with the physical and emotional symptoms of stress and depression.

"Almost four years ago, I woke up in the middle of the night and I felt like I was dying. I literally thought, 'this is it, my heart is going to blow open and I am going to die right here, right now,'" Louie said before thousands of people at Allphones Arena and an online audience. "I could not breathe."

For a long time, doctors were unable to properly diagnose the problem, the founder of the highly successful, youth-orientated Passion Conferences said.

"It started a journey for me - the worst part of it lasted about two months - and it was the darkest time of my life … I didn't know what to do and every day was a different symptom, every day was a different manifestation of something … I was going crazy," he explained.

He said there was one particular night, after waking up night after night at 2 a.m. in a "dark cloud" of panic and anxiety that he said a simple prayer, "God, please help me."

Louie said he then remembered a passage of Scripture that says "God gives songs in the night."

"When you get in the dry and weary land you need to know that there is a God who has a song for that moment, too," he said during his passionate message.

"A little song started bubbling up in my heart. Just four lines: Be still my soul there is a healer. His love is deeper than the sea. His mercy is unfailing. His arms a fortress for the weak," he said. "And then this little phrase, 'I lift my hands to believe again.' I'm thinking that from two o'clock to 4 o'clock that night I sang that song."

He said he eventually did receive help from a doctor, but it was praise that got him on the road to wellness.

Louie said: "It was a weapon of praise that led me out of the darkness and back into the land of the living. It was praise that ripped open that cloud and allowed the light of God's love to shine in and draw me back up into the symphony of all creation."

When we praise Jesus, He delivers us from all darkness. Today in prayer, praise the Lord that we are His people and He is our Deliverer.

"I thank God for the mountains. I thank Him for the valleys. I thank Him for all He’s brought me through. For if I never had a problem. If I had never had to worry. I’d never know what faith in God could do! Through it all, through it all. I’ve learned to trust in Jesus. I’ve learned to trust in God.” – Bill Gaither

God’s Word: “Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. Our God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign Lord comes escape from death.” – Psalm 68:19-20

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2013, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING

“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.  – Psalm 42:1

Curtis Finch Jr. is a St. Louis, Missouri native who made his appearance on "American Idol" singing competition with his rendition of the gospel song "God Is Able." He managed to bring the judges to their feet and praising God after singing "I Believe I Can Fly".

Keith Urban, an "American Idol" judge and country music singer, said: "You ooze everything good and light and godly and whole and positive and ... you just have so much hope in you, and we need so much of that man."

Randy Jackson, music producer and judge, exclaimed: "Praise God . dude, listen, I felt the competition just started with you right now," he told the gospel singer, whose performance was toward the end of the show.

Curtis has been vocal about his desire to sing gospel music since his first audition in front of the show's judges.

"I was raised in a church," Finch said during his audition for the singing competition. "My family sings gospel music, I grew up singing gospel music. I communicate most with an audience when I'm singing gospel music."

We need to desire the Lord with all of our heart and to worship Him. Today in prayer, confess any distractions that keep you away from the love of Jesus and desire Him with all of your heart.

“You alone are my strength my shield To You alone may my spirit yield You alone are my heart's desire And I long to worship Thee” – Martin Nystrom

God’s Word: “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?”  – Psalm 42:2

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2013, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING

“I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws.” – Psalm 119:7

Bob Kilpatrick is a composer, musician and presents a regular devotional "Time Out With Bob Kilpatrick" on K-Love Radio.

In 1977, Bob and his wife, Cindy, were just beginning their full time music ministry. They sang together as a duo. Bob remembers: "One evening at my mother-in-law's house I got the idea of writing a private prayer song for Cindy and me to sing before we would go on stage. While the rest of the family was in the family room, I sat alone in the living room with my guitar and Bible and the song 'In My Life Lord Be Glorified' began to come. I had composed all of the melody and most of the counterpoint when Cindy came in. I told her about what I was writing and that it would be just for the two of us. It was Cindy that strongly suggested to me that I sing it publicly. I think she knew from the start that other people would want to sing it, too.”

He played it at church and Pastor Jack Hayford was ministering with Bob. After the song, Pastor Hayford leaned over and said "That song has It!”

Within a matter of years, "Lord, Be Glorified" was on millions of albums, in millions of hymnals, and had made its way around the world.

Is your desire to give glory to the Lord? Today in prayer, let everything you do today glorify Jesus Christ.

“Christ himself wrote nothing, but furnished endless material for books and songs of gratitude and praise.” – Philip Schaff

God’s Word: “Accept, LORD, the willing praise of my mouth, and teach me your laws.” – Psalm 119:108

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2013, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING

“‘But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? ‘Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’” - Romans 9:20

In a Sermon entitled "Are You Criticizing God?" Pastor R.A. Torrey said the following: "I had two friends in England, very dear friends, who were beautiful Christians. They had a lovely daughter. She grew to maidenhood and was said to have been an unusually beautiful girl in both face and character. Some said she was the most beautiful character they had ever met. When this lovely daughter was seventeen or eighteen, she was taken with rheumatic fever, and, after awful suffering, died. The father and mother never complained. They kissed the hand that smote.

Some time after this sorrow had befallen them, I was talking with them about it. They told me how God had sustained them in that trying hour. Only a little while after this conversation, their second daughter, now grown to womanhood, was also taken down with precisely the same malady, rheumatic fever. Her fever ran up to 107 and stayed there day after day, and she seemed beyond all hope. Then the mother's faith gave way, and she said, "God is cruel to take my second daughter when I never complained about the first, and not only to take my second daughter, but to take her in just the same way He took the first." But God spared the child. She is well now, a devoted Christian woman in very active Christian work. And that mother has repented of her wickedness.

Oh, friends, it was wicked, very wicked. Our hearts were almost broken in sympathy during the days that child hung between life and death. Telegrams kept coming to me telling of her condition, and my heart bled for my friends. But, nonetheless, I say that was wicked on the mother's part to say "God is cruel." That was exceedingly wicked, that was desperately wicked, to call God cruel. That same mother lost all three of her sons and her husband in the late war, but she has never again whispered that God is cruel. I had a letter from her only the other day that was full of trust and hope."

The opposite of praise is criticism, and we should never doubt God’s goodness towards us. Today in prayer, confess any sin of criticism and praise the Lord for He is good.

“The most insanely daring thing that any man can do, the most exceedingly foolish thing any man can do, the most desperately wicked thing that any man can do, is to reply against God, to enter into controversy with God, to criticize God, to condemn God. Yet that is what many people are doing.” - R.A. Torrey

God’s Word: “You turn things upside down, as if the potter were thought to be like the clay! Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘You did not make me’? Can the pot say to the potter, ‘You know nothing’?” - Isaiah 29:16

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2013, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING

"For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened." - Romans 1:21

Chris Patten is a British public servant who was the last Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Hong Kong. He oversaw its smooth handover to the People's Republic of China in July 1997.

Following that assignment, Patten served as one of the United Kingdom's two members of the European Commission.

It was during that assignment that he successfully promoted Croatia into the European Union.

Officials in the Croatian city of Dubrovnik decided to recognize Patten as an "honorary citizen" for this work as "one of Europe's foremost politicians."

But a survey by local media in the southern coastal city had Croats listing him as a footballer, actor, or singer. None recognized him as a politician.

The Croatian daily "Jutarni List" asked hundreds of locals and found none could say who Patten was or what he did.

When citizens were asked if the city should honor Patten as an honorary citizen, the paper reported the people’s ingratitude: "Locals apparently questioned whether or not he had done enough for Dubrovnik, claiming he had much to live up to in comparison with another of its honorary citizens -- Pope John Paul II."

We need to be grateful for all the Lord has given us. Today in prayer, confess any sin of ingratitude and be thankful to the Lord.

“Ingratitude is always a kind of weakness. I have never seen that clever men have been ungrateful.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

God's Word: "People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy" - 2 Timothy 3:2

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2013, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING