praise

God’s Attributes as Praise

This prayerful list of God’s attributes draws directly from Scripture and turns His character into worship. Each declaration is rooted in biblical truth and offered as praise to God for who He is.

  1. THE ONLY GOD. God, I praise You because, “You are the LORD, and there is no other; apart from You there is no God” (Isaiah 45:5).
  2. GOD THE CREATOR. Creator God, I praise You because “You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship You” (Nehemiah 9:6).
  3. THE ALMIGHTY GOD. “O Lord God Almighty, who is like You? You are mighty, O Lord, and Your faithfulness surrounds You” (Psalm 89:8).
  4. THE EVERLASTING FATHER, THE ANCIENT OF DAYS. I praise You, Lord, as the “Ancient of Days” (Daniel 7:9) and the “Everlasting Father” (Isaiah 9:6), who lives forever and ever.
  5. A LOVING GOD. I praise You because “You are a loving God, whose very nature is love” (1 John 4:16).
  6. A GOD OF JUSTICE. “Lord, I praise You and magnify You, who are just, and the One who justifies those who have faith in Jesus” (Romans 3:26).
  7. A FAITHFUL GOD. Heavenly Father, I give You my praise and adoration because “You are a faithful God, keeping Your covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love You and keep Your commands” (Deuteronomy 7:9).
  8. A MERCIFUL GOD. “You are a gracious and merciful God,” and I praise You for Your great mercy (Nehemiah 9:31).
  9. GOD, MY REFUGE AND MY FORTRESS. I praise You, Lord, for “You are my rock, my refuge” (Psalm 62:7).
  10. A PATIENT, PERSEVERING GOD. Father, I praise You because “You are patient toward us, not wanting any to perish, but for all to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). Thank You for Your patience with me.
  11. THE ONLY GOD AND OUR SAVIOR. I give praise to You, Father, “the only God our Savior. To You be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore” (Jude 1:25).
  12. THE HOLY ONE. “Holy, holy, holy, are You Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come” (Revelation 4:8).
  13. A PERSONAL GOD. I praise You, God, because You are a personal God who gives me the honor of knowing You personally, even inviting me to feast at Your kingdom table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Matthew 8:11).
  14. A GIVING GOD. All praise and honor be Yours, O God, because “You are a generous God, who did not even stop short of giving Your own Son” (John 3:16).
  15. A PROVIDER GOD. I praise You today, Lord, as my “Jehovah-Jireh” (The Lord Will Provide), who makes all grace abound to me and generously provides all I need (2 Corinthians 9:8).
  16. GOD, MY SHEPHERD. I bless Your Name and praise You as my “Jehovah-Rohi” (The Lord My Shepherd), who will shepherd me and guide me in the paths of righteousness for Your Name’s sake (Psalm 23:1–3).
  17. GOD, MY VICTORY. Praise to You, my God, because You are my “Jehovah-Nissi” (The Lord My Banner), my victory, who “always leads me in triumph in Christ” (2 Corinthians 2:14).
  18. GOD, MY PEACE. I praise You with all my heart, Lord, because You are my “Jehovah-Shalom” (The Lord Our Peace), the “God of peace” who will soon crush Satan under my feet (Romans 16:20).
  19. THE GOD WHO HEALS. Father, I praise You because “You are the Lord who heals me” (Exodus 15:26).
  20. THE GOD OF ALL COMFORT. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort” (2 Corinthians 1:3).
  21. A FORGIVING GOD. I bless You with praise, Father, because “You are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love” (Nehemiah 9:17).
  22. THE BURDEN BEARER. Praise be to the Lord, to God my Savior, who daily bears my burdens (Psalm 68:19).
  23. A FAITHFUL GOD. I praise You because “Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, Your faithfulness to the skies” (Psalm 36:5), and “great is Your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:23).
  24. KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. All honor and praise be to You, my God, “the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who dwells in unapproachable light” (1 Timothy 6:15–16).
  25. GOD THE LIBERATOR. I will praise You because “You are my help and my deliverer, O Lord” (Psalm 70:5).
  26. THE LIFTER OF MY HEAD. Father God, I praise You because “You are a shield around me, O Lord. You bestow glory on me and lift up my head” (Psalm 3:3).
  27. GOD OF LIGHT. I praise You, Lord, because “You are my light and my salvation” (Psalm 27:1) and because “You know what lies in darkness, and light dwells with You” (Daniel 2:22).
  28. GOD OF JOY. I give You praise, O Lord, because “You have granted me eternal blessings and made me glad with the joy of Your presence” (Psalm 21:6).
  29. THE GOD WHO ANSWERS PRAYER. I praise and honor You, Father, because “You are a God who loves to answer prayer and who begins to answer even before I pray” (Isaiah 65:24).
  30. THE GOD OF ALL THE EARTH. I praise and adore You, Lord, as “the Holy One of Israel, the God of all the earth” (Isaiah 54:5).

This list is intended to be used as a guide for praise, reflection, and worship in both personal and corporate prayer time.

List provided by Dan Dahlman – Source unknown.

Lamentations 5 and Psalm 36

Today I finished reading Lamentations 5, the last chapter of the book. This is the first time that I really have understood a little of what the book of Lamentations is about. My exercise to record my daily reading of the Bible and write a few thoughts in this online journal has caused me to spend more time in reflection and thought about what I have read. I have included a small excerpt from D. A. Carson’s devotional book, For the Love of God, Volume Two, that shares such a wonderful understanding of my thoughts this morning:

“In this information-rich age, many of us have learned to be as brief as possible. …Efficient managers learn to be brief; computer programmers are rated on how briefly they can write precise code to do what needs to be done. Only a few contemporary authors (e.g., Tom Clancy and James Michener) get away with long, rambling books—and even then the editors have drastically trimmed them.

“Yet here we are, quietly reading through Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, with Ezekiel to go, and we find ourselves circling around the same handful of themes again and again: sin in the covenant community, threatened judgment, then enacted judgment, first for the northern tribes, then for Judah. …But haven’t you caught yourself saying to yourself more than once, “I know this is the Word of God, and I know it is important, but I think I understand now something of the history and the theology of the exile. Couldn’t we get on to something else?” …So we scan another chapter as rapidly as possible because we already “know” all this.

“But that is part of the problem, isn’t it? Read through this chapter again, slowly, thoughtfully. …But listen to the depth and persistence of the pleas, the repentance, the personal engagement with God, the cultural awareness, the acknowledgment of God’s sovereignty and justice, the profound recognition that the people must be restored to God himself if return to the land is to be possible, let alone meaningful (5:21). Then compare this with the brands of Christian confessionalism with which you are most familiar. In days of cultural declension, moral degradation, and large-scale ecclesiastical frittering, is our praying like that of Lamentations 5? Have the themes of the major prophets so burned into our minds and hearts that our passion is to be restored to the living God? Or have we ourselves become so caught up in the spirit of this age that we are content to be rich in information and impoverished in wisdom and godliness?” 1

The first few words of the author are “Remember, O Lord…” (Lam. 5:1). Could God forget? Obviously the answer is “no”, but the author is expressing the repentant heart and pleading heart that proceeds suffering.

One verse that literally jumped off of the page this morning was Lamentations 5:15. It literally is the inverse of Psalm 30:11, “You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,”. God indeed, has power over our deepest emotion and He alone can take ruin, suffering, and pain and redeem it for His glory.

Lam. 5:19 acknowledges the eternal rock-steady power of God over all things. Lam. 5:21 is a prayer and request for restoration from the only One who can restore us. It is my prayer this morning.

Psalm 36 is a short psalm that begins with a description of the wicked (Ps.36:1-4). The balance of the song teaches us about the steadfast (enduring) love of God. I think it is the text of a song by the group Third Day, “Your Love Oh Lord”. I could hear that song while I read these verses. References to God’s “steadfast love” are repeated three times in Ps. 36:5, Ps. 36:7, and Ps. 36:10.

1 Carson, D. A. For the Love of God: a Daily Companion for Discovering the Riches of God’s Word. Vol. 2. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1998. Print.

Lamentations 4 and Psalm 35

Lamentations 4 provides some answers to why this great judgment on Israel and more specifically Jerusalem has happened. The chapter also ends with a glimmer of hope.

The first illustration is the comparison of gold that was once bright and valuable but has now been cheapened to “earthen vessels” or simple clay pots (Lamentations 4:1-2).

The second is the dire circumstance of starvation where mothers can no longer provide for their children; where even the jackals do a better job providing for their offspring (Lamentations 4:3-4).

Whereas the city of Sodom experience quick judgment of utter destruction (Lam. 4:6), for Jerusalem, the judgment is long and drawn out.

The reason for the judgment lies with the sins of Israel’s leadership. Everyone was culpable and each person faces judgment for their own sin, however the greatest condemnation is for the ones who should have led the people to truth (Lam. 4:13).

The small glimmer of hope for Israel lies in the promise of Lam. 4:22 that the judgment has been accomplished and there is hope for peace and rest.

God does not wink at sin or ignore the consequences of our actions. The hope for believers, however, lies with the effective sacrifice of Jesus for our sins. Our High Priest will lead us in the path of righteousness and He will cover our sins with His own blood. We can find forgiveness in repentance and prayer with Him (1 Jn.1:9).

Ps. 35 is David’s cry to the Lord for protection from those who were his enemies. He cries out to God to hold back the mockers and the scoffers. Ps. 35:3 acknowledges to God that He alone is the salvation of my soul. Ps. 35:28 repeats the truth that the one who praises the Lord the most is the one who recognizes the Lord’s deliverance.