Praise the Lord. Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty heavens. Praise Him for His acts of power; praise Him for His surpassing greatness. Praise Him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise Him with the harp and lyre, praise Him with tambourine and dancing, praise Him with the strings and flute, praise Him with the clash of cymbals, praise Him with resounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Psalm 150 – New International Version
I did not leap out of bed giving glory and praise to God this morning. As a matter of fact, I didn’t want to get out of bed at all. I felt today would have been a perfect stay-in-bed-and-do-nothing day. I slept through the alarm, woke up on my own, got out of bed on my own yet never contemplated Psalm 150 for a moment.
As I raced around the house trying to catch up on the lost time it began to dawn on me that I had not spent any quality time with God let alone given praise to Him. I was more consumed with getting my day on track than I was with starting it out the right way. It’s not always convenient to spend quality time in His presence but it should never have been about convenience in the first place!
I have breath. That qualifies it. It always seems easier to find the time to ‘ask, seek and knock’ than it is to find time to praise. I can zip through the day on my own schedule trying to catch all the deadlines or I can start my day with Him. Time spent is His presence is time well spent.
How did you start your day this morning? Did you leap out of bed with a song of praise? Are you still trying to figure out whether to get up or pull the covers over your head? I cannot guarantee you that if you start with a praise your day will be perfect but I can assure you that starting off your day with Him is the very best start you can have!! It’s never too late for a start over, either. The next move is yours 🙂
Father, thank You for Your faithfulness. I praise You for all You have done for me and for all You have in store today. I repent of taking matters into my own hands and running off without checking in with You. I ask that You would be with me today as I go through each process. When things are going well, remind me to praise You. When things are not going well, remind me to praise You as well. I praise You with all I have and with all I am. I thank You for life and breath. Be glorified in my life today. Amen
Tonirand's Blog 
Ann
Reblogged this on Tonirand's Blog and commented:
Hello Friends
The next seven weeks will be crucial for me as I close off this final semester. I may not be able to share a new post every week, but I will do my best! Here is an entry I shared in June 2010. May God bless you as you read.
Faithfully His,
ann
joseph elon lillie
I loved the reblog Ann. I was just having this conversation with my son last night and I reminded myself this morning as I awoke to move quickly into His presence. Thank you for the reinfircement.
Ann
Blessings to you and Joe, Pastor J
I am thankful for the way God continues to amaze us ! 🙂
May He make Himself very visible in your circumstances today!
For His glory,
ann
Debbie
Thank you for reblogging this! I often ask Him to wake me early so I have time to be with Him .. especially if it’s going to be an early day anyway, when I might not have time before taking off. He’s really faithful at this for me! God bless you and keep you these weeks ahead!
Ann
Thanks again, Dear Friend
Asking Him to wake you early to spend time in His presence is a great thing! A friend mentioned some time ago that no time spent with Papa is wasted… can you imagine what would happen if we spent all our ‘spare’ moments in communion with Him? All those minutes in line-ups and long commutes? Oh wow!!
Praying His peace over you as you move deeper and higher in Him!
(Sometimes the steps at end of the journey are the hardest to take, but still, I trust Him)
Blessings,
ann
meetingintheclouds
Do I ‘bounce’ out of bed? Well, physically, not as I used to, but mentally, yes. I wake refreshed and ready for a new day . . . but that day will NOT be a good one if I don’t spend my early time “alone” with my Lord.
I know that you will experience the peace, joy and strength in the Lord that you need in the hectic weeks ahead.
Ann
Ha!
Dear Angela,
Your comment made me think of the law of diminishing returns … after a while your investments yield less than what you put in. I think that is exactly what happens when I run off into my day without checking in with Papa. I can put in all the effort I want, if He’s not a part of my day, my successes will be hollow!
Thanks for your prayers. May Papa return to you a hundred-fold!
Blessings,
ann
Pat
Good evening Ann,my days of leaping out of bed is almost over,this thought did put a smile on my face.I cannot complain about these old knees that seem to do as they please,I try hard to praise God before I hit the floor 🙂 because he is so worthy,lovely post.
Love you 🙂
Ann
Sister Pat!!
Good to see you. I’m so grateful that we can visit without all that walking 🙂
May the joy of our Lord be your strength as you take on each day. Keep on praising!
Blessings
ann
Ann
Thanks to all those who stop by and leave ‘footprints’.
I will head over to visit with you as soon as time permits.
Blessings,
ann