I Will Praise Him

    Yesterday, my husband introduced our family to a hymn from the nineteenth century by Margaret J. Harris titled, “I Will Praise Him”.   Our life is to be full of praise to Jesus Christ for setting us free from sin, for cleansing our hearts within.   All praise to God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Three in One God.  My prayer is that our life be lived to the praise and honor of God.

    I am thankful for the life God has granted us in Christ Jesus.  I am thankful for the Father’s love as He gently leads us in ways of righteousness and truth.  I am thankful for the Holy Spirit that dwells within us, who counsels us and comforts us during our earthly sojourn.  Our life in Christ is full of God’s purpose, to shed the love of God to those God brings into our life.  What a privilege to be a vessel for God to work in and through to spread His love to people everywhere.  We can be vessels for honor if we stay connected to Christ, the King; God can make the soil of our heart fruitful as we abide in Christ.  Without Christ, we are empty and useless, but with Christ, our lives take on a noble purpose.  All praise be unto God!

    How do we daily praise God?  We praise Him through thanksgiving for all He gives us, which includes every breath He grants.  And even when our breathing ceases, we can go to God in confidence of His everlasting love and kindness.  We thank Him for the hope of life eternal with Him.  We thank Him for this earthly sojourn, and the work He grants to us.  We thank Him for the people He brings into our life to love and be loved.  We thank Him for the ability to share love through Jesus Christ working in our hearts.  We thank God for the lessons He teaches us as we walk in the Light of the Lord.  How can we ever stop thanking Him?  Every good thing we experience comes from the Father of Light.  Thanksgiving and praise go hand in hand.  So let us proceed to give God all praise from the depths of our hearts!

   I love the Psalms, and I also love the people from East Africa with whom we lived among for a year and a half.  So this month I thought of a way to combine these two loves by committing to memory some of the Psalms in Swahili and English.  By learning the Psalms in Swahili, I am enabled to remember the national language of our loved ones.  I am able to identify with our East African family by continuing to use their language in praising the Lord.   I started this endeavor with the most familiar and shorter Psalms – Psalms 113, 117, and 121.  I love these three Psalms.  The first two I learned are all about praise to God.  And Psalm 121 reminds us that God is our helper, our keeper; He shall preserve us from all evil.  We are safe in His hands.

Praise the Lord, all you nations; laud Him, all you peoples. For His His merciful kindness toward us is great, and the truth of the Lord endures forevermore. Psalm 117

Enyi mataifa yote, msifuni Bwana; enyi watu wote mhimidini. Maana fadhili zake kwetu sisi ni kuu,  na uaminifu wa Bwana ni wa milele.  Zaburi 117