Praise Him with Boldness

Blessings to all in the Joyful Noise community. We are praying that you are staying blessed in the presence of the Lord today.

This first blog of 2025 has been delayed until this moment. During a recent 21-day fast with our church, the Lord refreshed us in many ways. Our faith was one of the areas of our walk that has been reignited by seeing all the Lord has done this past year. The many testimonies that have been built throughout our entire lives also prove His faithfulness. The view of the tapestry of our lives seen through His eyes make us worship Him even more than before. What a loving God we serve!!

The word for today is: praise Him with boldness. I have been meditating on the following verses in Psalm 37,

Trust in the Lord and do good;

Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.

Delight yourself also in the Lord,

and He shall give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 37: 4-5 (NKJV)

The act of praise itself is a demonstration of our trust and surrender to the One who holds our world in His hands. Place your hands in the air in surrender and sing to Him right now. It does not matter what praise song, how you sing, or anything else. What matters to God is that we are emptying our hands and raising them to Him saying, "I trust You Lord". This action truly blesses His heart.

Take a moment right now and praise Him and thank Him for ALL of His benefits towards you.

Selah.

Trust must be applied throughout every corner of our lives because in reality, we can do nothing without Him. Even if we are brilliant, resourceful, know so many amazing and connected people, and can solve any problem quickly, this is our flesh. We get irritable, stressed, and exhausted. We cannot rest because we are choosing to strive instead of trusting God. It is our dependence on Him that He wants to rest in. Remember that Matthew 11:29 (NIV) says, "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."

We can rest in Him while we are working. The yoke of God is a protection, keeping us from turning to the right or to the left and getting into trouble. When I surrender my work life and home life to Him, I see Him opening doors of favor and providing in ways that are supernatural. My praise and thanksgiving gets even louder ...

You are worthy Abba!! Thank you Jesus!!

I just know that when I surrender, the outcome is so much better because it is the Omniscient God, the Author and Finisher of my faith, who is at work. Situations can be avoided because God sees the end from the beginning. Trust is the best choice.

My brothers and sisters, resist the urge to step out from under His covering and do what you know that you have the ability to do. After all, His covering provides protection and blessing. Instead, seek Him and lay everything before Him. Run to your Abba Father with the boldness as a child of God. Watch Him take your abilities and magnify awareness of Him because of your surrender. For Hebrews 4:16 (KJV) says to "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need."

Finally, I am reminded of Psalm 84:10 (AMP) which reinforces that,

"For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD bestows grace and favor and honor; No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly."

So I choose to praise Him with boldness for the victories already won, seen and unseen, and surrender my all to Him.

What do you choose?