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"No matter where I am, your teachings fill me with songs." - Psalm 119:54 (CEV)

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

When Self Lets Go and All You See is Him


I seem to always be struggling with this -

With the enemy of myself -

The idolatry of my self-centeredness,

My inability to let it go.

Last week was the worst week I'd had in awhile.

Monday seemed to be taking me even farther down that path,

Until I randomly selected a sermon from a (very long) list on my computer,

Not realizing it was God's way of reminding me of all these things I already know -

Reminding me of who He is,

And that smile?  The one that makes my face hurt?

It's been back for three days now.

Still struggling.

Still failing.

Still hanging onto Him

Because I know -

Especially in the midst of all this -

He's my only hope.

But I'm smiling.

With as awesome as He is,

How could I not?


Because I'm exploding with gratitude this week,

Thanking Him for:

     ~The sunset today.  So beautiful!
     ~All the words speaking to me lately.
     ~Beautiful Christmas music!
     ~Homework with friends
     ~Muscles sore from smiling.  Can't think of a better reason!
     ~His grace to find me in the midst of my mess.  Again.
     ~His grace to give me more joy in Him than I've felt in months!
     ~So much more that there simply isn't room here!

And, of course, thanking Him for who He is,

Counting these reasons today,

Reasons 2463-2580 today,

Utterly in awe of who He is,

And rejoicing that He's allowing me to see it:
  1. The earth is His, and everything in it (Psalm 24:1)
  2. The world is His (Psalm 24:1)
  3. The world is His, and all who live in it (Psalm 24:1)
  4. He founded the earth on the seas (Psalm 24:1-2)
  5. He established the earth on the waters (Psalm 24:2)
  6. The one who has clean hands may ascend His mountain (Psalm 24:3-4)
  7. The one who has clean hands may stand in His holy place (Psalm 24:3-4)
  8. The one who has a pure heart may ascend His mountain (Psalm 24:3-4)
  9. The one who has a pure heart may stand in His holy place (Psalm 24:3-4)
  10. The one who does not trust in an idol may ascend His mountain (Psalm 24:3-4)
  11. The one who does not trust in an idol may stand in His holy place (Psalm 24:3-4)
  12. The one who does not swear by a false god may ascend His mountain (Psalm 24:3-4)
  13. The one who does not swear by a false god may stand in His holy place (Psalm 24:3-4)
  14. The one who has clean hands will receive blessing from Him (Psalm 24:4-5)
  15. The one who has a pure heart will receive blessing from Him (Psalm 24:4-5)
  16. The one who does not trust in an idol will receive blessing from Him (Psalm 24:4-5)
  17. The one who does not swear by a false god will receive blessing from Him (Psalm 24:4-5)
  18. The one who has clean hands will receive vindication from Him, their Savior (Psalm 24:4-5)
  19. The one who has a pure heart will receive vindication from Him, their Savior (Psalm 24:4-5)
  20. The one who does not trust in an idol will receive vindication from Him, their Savior (Psalm 24:4-5)
  21. The one who does not swear by a false god will receive vindication from Him, their Savior (Psalm 24:4-5)
  22. He is the King of Glory (Psalm 24:7-8)
  23. He is Strong and Mighty (Psalm 24:8)
  24. He is mighty in battle (Psalm 24:8)
  25. His people trust in Him (Psalm 25:1)
  26. No one who hopes in Him will ever be put to shame (Psalm 25:2)
  27. His people hope in Him (Psalm 25:5)
  28. His people hope in Him all day long (Psalm 25:5)
  29. His great Mercy is from of old (Psalm 25:6)
  30. His great Love is from of old (Psalm 25:6)
  31. He is Upright (Psalm 25:8)
  32. He is Good and Upright (Psalm 25:8)
  33. He instructs sinners in His ways (Psalm 25:8)
  34. He guides the humble in what is right (Psalm 25:9)
  35. He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them His way (Psalm 25:9)
  36. All His ways are loving (Psalm 25:10)
  37. All His ways are faithful (Psalm 25:10)
  38. All His ways are loving toward those who keep the demands of His covenant (Psalm 25:10)
  39. All His ways are faithful toward those who keep the demands of His covenant (Psalm 25:10)
  40. He instructs those who fear Him in the ways they should choose (Psalm 25:12)
  41. Those who fear Him will spend their days in prosperity (Psalm 25:12-13)
  42. The descendants of those who fear Him will inherit the land (Psalm 25:12-13)
  43. He confides in those who fear Him (Psalm 25:14)
  44. He makes His covenant known to them (Psalm 25:14)
  45. He releases the feet of His people from the snare (Psalm 25:15)
  46. His people proclaim aloud His praise (Psalm 26:7)
  47. His people tell of all His wonderful deeds (Psalm 26:7)
  48. He is the light of His people (Psalm 27:1)
  49. He is the salvation of His people (Psalm 27:1)
  50. He is the stronghold of His people's lives (Psalm 27:1)
  51. He keeps His people safe in His dwelling (Psalm 27:5)
  52. He hides His people in the shelter of His sacred tent (Psalm 27:5)
  53. He sets His people high upon a rock (Psalm 27:5)
  54. Though a person's father and mother may forsake him or her, He will receive that person (Psalm 27:10)
  55. His people see His goodness (Psalm 27:13)
  56. His people see His goodness in the land of the living (Psalm 27:13)
  57. He is the Rock of His people (Psalm 28:1)
  58. He will tear down those who have no regard for His deeds (Psalm 28:5)
  59. He will tear down those who have no regard for what His hands have done (Psalm 28:5)
  60. He will tear down those who have no regard for His deeds and never build them up again (Psalm 28:5)
  61. He will tear down those who have no regard for what His hands have done and never build them up again (Psalm 28:5)
  62. He hears His people's cry for mercy (Psalm 28:6)
  63. He helps those whose hearts trust in Him (Psalm 28:7)
  64. His people's hearts leap for joy and they praise Him with their songs (Psalm 28:7)
  65. He is a fortress of salvation (Psalm 28:8)
  66. He is a fortress of salvation for His anointed one (Psalm 28:8)
  67. Glory is due His name (Psalm 29:2)
  68. He is to be worshiped in the splendor of His Holiness (Psalm 29:2)
  69. His voice is over the waters (Psalm 29:3)
  70. He is the God of Glory (Psalm 29:3)
  71. He thunders (Psalm 29:3)
  72. He thunders over the mighty waters (Psalm 29:3)
  73. His voice is powerful (Psalm 29:4)
  74. His voice is majestic (Psalm 29:4)
  75. His voice breaks the cedars (Psalm 29:5)
  76. He breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon (Psalm 29:5)
  77. He makes Lebanon leap like a calf (Psalm 29:6)
  78. He makes Sirion leap like a young wild ox (Psalm 29:6)
  79. His voice strikes with flashes of lightning (Psalm 29:7)
  80. His voice shakes the desert (Psalm 29:8)
  81. He shakes the Desert of Kadesh (Psalm 29:8)
  82. His voice twists the oaks (Psalm 29:9)
  83. His voice strips the forests bare (Psalm 29:9)
  84. In His temple all cry, “Glory!” (Psalm 29:9)
  85. He sits enthroned over the flood (Psalm 29:10)
  86. He is enthroned as King forever (Psalm 29:10)
  87. He gives strength to His people (Psalm 29:11)
  88. He blesses His people with peace (Psalm 29:11)
  89. He lifts His people out of the depths (Psalm 30:1)
  90. He does not let the enemies of His people gloat over His people (Psalm 30:1)
  91. He heals His people (Psalm 30:2)
  92. He brings His people up from the realm of the dead (Psalm 30:3)
  93. He spares His people from going down to the pit (Psalm 30:3)
  94. His anger lasts only a moment (Psalm 30:5)
  95. His favor lasts a lifetime (Psalm 30:5)
  96. He makes the royal mountain of His servant stand firm (Psalm 30:7)
  97. When He favors His servant, He makes the royal mountain of His servant stand firm (Psalm 30:7)
  98. He turns wailing into dancing (Psalm 30:11)
  99. He removes sackcloth and clothes with joy (Psalm 30:11)
  100. He makes people's hearts to sing His praises and not be silent (Psalm 30:12)
  101. He sees the affliction of His people (Psalm 31:7)
  102. He knows the anguish of people's souls (Psalm 31:7)
  103. He does not give His people into the hands of the enemy (Psalm 31:8)
  104. He sets His people's feet in a spacious place (Psalm 31:9)
  105. The times of all people are in His hands (Psalm 31:15)
  106. He has stored up good things for those who fear Him (Psalm 31:19)
  107. He has stored up an abundance of good things for those who fear Him (Psalm 31:19)
  108. He has stored up an abundance of good things for those who fear Him, that He bestows in the sight of all (Psalm 31:19)
  109. He has stored up an abundance of good things for those who fear Him, that He bestows in the sight of all on those who take refuge in Him (Psalm 31:19)
  110. He hides those who take refuge in Him in the shelter of His presence (Psalm 31:19-20)
  111. He hides those who take refuge in Him from all human intrigues (Psalm 31:19-20)
  112. He keeps those who take refuge in Him safe in His dwelling (Psalm 31:19-20)
  113. He keeps those who take refuge in Him safe in His dwelling from accusing tongues (Psalm 31:19-20)
  114. He shows people the wonders of His love (Psalm 31:21)
  115. He shows people the wonders of His love when they are in a city under siege (Psalm 31:21)
  116. He hears His people's cry for mercy when they call to Him for help (Psalm 31:22)
  117. He preserves all those who are true to Him (Psalm 31:23)
  118. The proud He pays back in full (Psalm 31:24)


(Sylvia's already made it to - past - 10,000!  So amazing to think of who He is like this!)

<a href="http://maryschieferstein.blogspot.com/search/label/10000%20Reasons" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitidrfBKBWTHSBiWyh3WMRKjHFgYKk-RxjYB9-uePQb1-uI3t3bjysPnR65zloJJ0LgTqhT5kW70Rk8VOC2utXFUWhGRPIxNCqzZ_9YQryYPMJdj2XpiX0oawLUiMnmxFOeMkmjk3IIA/s320/10000ReasonsButton.jpg" /></a>

Counting in community:

I know it's not Monday, but linking up here,
 
Partially because I miss link-ups,
 
Partially because I'm just so joyful and grateful I have to share!
 
Visit some other bloggers' posts at the bottom of this one?
 



 

2 comments:

CynthiaJSwenson said...

So happy to see you linked up with Ann & REJOICING in our Savior. I am looking forward to coming back here to listen to the John Piper sermon & read the reasons to worship Him s.l.o.w.l.y. Love & prayers, in Jesus, Cynthia

Mary said...

Thank you, Cynthia! It made me happy, too!

Love and prayers for you, too, friend!

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