31 Days of 5-Minute Free-Writes

Day 12: Praise

Psalm 33:1 says, “Rejoice in the LORD, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright.”

Comely.

This word has been around since the 14th Century, and it means ever so much more than “beautiful.” It means, “well pleasing, suitable, appropriate, becoming.” I like the word becoming. What traits are becoming of a Christian woman? Praise is one of them.

Today, on Day 12 of my book-baby shower for Reflections of a Mother’s Heart, I would like to praise the Lord for His many blessings. Come, praise the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.

Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!

Oh, that’s beautiful singing! Thank you so much for joining me on that chorus.

Now, while I tell you of the great things God has done for me, I want you to think of what He has done for you, and then share them in the comments below.

First, I praise God for my family. He gave me a loving husband when I thought I would be single all of my days. He gave us three strong, healthy children after a miscarriage rocked our world. He has always provided our needs, blessed us with opportunities to serve Him in various capacities, and He has given me a passion to write and create artistically, as well as the freedom to do so.

But that’s not all. Our gracious Father has blessed me with a wonderful extended family and the dearest of friends—friends who encourage, who rebuke lovingly when necessary, who lift me up when I’m down, who weep when I weep, and rejoice when I rejoice, who allow me to do the same for them. And He gave me a community of fellow writers with whom to mingle, share encouragement, and grow.

But the best thing of all: He gave me new life, new hope, and a new name. Not everyone remembers the exact day they came to know the Lord as their Savior, but I do. It was December 27, 1989. I’ve been in the family of God nearly 29 years, and in some ways I still feel like a child. But God is patient with me, ever teaching me, ever turning me back toward Him, ever transforming me into His likeness. How can I help but praise Him?

Psalm 147:1
Praise ye the LORD:
for it is good to sing praises unto our God,
for it is pleasant,
and praise is comely.

Now it’s your turn. What comely praises do you have to offer up to our great God?

Kate Motaung, host of Five-Minute Friday, has challenged us to 31 Days of Five-Minute Free Writes, in which we will explore the telling of our story. This isn’t the first such challenge of hers, but it is the first for me. Thank you for sharing it with me.

For a list of links to all my posts for this challenge, click here.