Praise Him! by Maria Hartman

Easter is here. The calendar tells us so, but more importantly His creation proclaims that new life is upon us. The grass is greener, the air is sweeter, and the flowers bloom before our eyes, declaring that what once appeared dead and useless is now gloriously alive! That was me too. He paid my debt and died my death, that I might live! And as creation points to Him, my new life can also point to Him as well.

What can I give Him for what He has done for me? What can I bring Him that would in some way tell Him how thankful I am for His indescribable gift? My praise. All my praise.

But how can we praise Him in a world with so much suffering? The answer is not a complex one. Our focus must be on Him and our eyes must remain at the cross, not just at Easter but every day of our lives. It is wonderful to see what He did for me, and there are more precious promises in His Word than my mind can wrap around. One of my favorites is found in Romans 8:18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Our difficulties or sufferings aren't being minimized; instead the rewards that accompany our faith are far more than the pain of what we experience in life. And yet despite all of what He promised me and you, and all of those reasons to praise Him, the very best reason to praise Him is this. He is to be praised for WHO HE IS. His character, His righteousness, His power, His sovereignty, His compassion, His onmipotence, His glory, His truth, His unfailing love, His tender mercies, etc. etc. etc. The list can go on and on. There is a line of a hymn that comes to mind now: 'To write the love of God above would drain the ocean dry, nor could the scroll contain the whole, though stretched from sky to sky.' There are not enough hours of the day to praise Him. Yes right now the very best reason is that He is Risen from the grave and has conquered sin and death FOREVER. But when Easter has passed, remember it is never over, nor are the reasons to praise Him.

Oh Dearest Father, Lover of our souls, how we praise You for the Gift of Your Son; Your precious Holy Son! You are our Hope in a world without hope; You are our joy though our days are filled with trials; You are the Voice of Truth in the midst of lies and compromise; and You are the One who has done the 'impossible' in paying for my sins. Father You are my reason for living, the Beauty I see when I look outside and when I look into Your Word. You are worthy. You are the gentle Lamb of God who never focused on Your own pain and suffering, but was unwilling to let go of the ones who brought You to it. I praise You that the cross and the nails and the soldiers and the workings of the evil one could not hold You in the grave. I praise You that You will forver be the Almighty Ruler, the King of Kings, and that one day, EVERY knee will bow, and EVERY tongue will confess that You are Lord. Oh that more knees and tongues will do that today, while Your grace is still available. You are RISEN, and we want all the world to know it, that they might too receive the Gift of Life.

May our hearts be completely devoted to Your praise; be honored Lord Jesus in our praise.