Day 7: Psalms of Praise & Thanksgiving

"Search me, oh God and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." (Psalm 139:23,24 NIV)

What a wide-open invitation the psalmist presents to God here. "Go ahead," he seems to be saying. "Poke around in my mind and heart and let me know what kind of ugliness you find there."

Only with such a loving and tenderhearted God can we invite this kind of scrutiny without shrinking back. Praise the Lord that He is that kind of God. We do not boldly approach Him because we have confidence in who we are on our own; we boldly approach Yahweh because we have confidence in the Holy One who has gone before us. 

We can freely invite God to show us our offense, because Jesus has already jumped to our defense.
 
Great God, 

We praise and thank you that you reset, refresh, refocus, and renew us with yourself.

We praise and thank you that you know us fully and love us faithfully. 

We praise and thank you that there is nowhere in this life we can be present apart from your presence.

We praise and thank you that when we look at who you are and who we are in you, we are filled with gratitude, peace, and joy. 

We praise and thank you that you know our days and order our steps. 

We praise and thank you that victory is ours when we allow you to do the fighting. 

And we praise and thank you that we can ask you to show us our offensive ways because we have confidence in the defense of the Way, Truth, and Life. 

Amen.

-Elizabeth

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