A Magnolia's Heart Beats

Praise!

“I love you, O Lord, my strength.The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,and I am saved from my enemies.” ~ Psalm 18:1-3 (ESV emphasis. Iris')

Welcome to Thankful Thursday, hosted by Iris at Grace Alone... What a wonderful day to praise the Lord for the blessings He has given us and just to praise His holy name!

I love looking at the Hebrew definitions for Scripture. It helps me go deeper into the Word He has provided for us and I find it fascinating. It enables me to know Him more.

When the Psalmist acknowledged God as His rock he was saying that the Lord was His security. Fortress means, in part, fastness, stronghold. One of the definitions of deliverer is "to bring into security, bring to safety." There is so much we can praise God for!

This week, I'm choosing to be praise Him for letting me put my trust in Him.

At 5:30 a.m. on December 15, my uncle is having brain surgery. He is having malignant melanoma removed from the same exact spot it was removed from in May of this year.

Trust. That's a heavy word in a crisis like this, but we know that God is able.

The Hebrew word used in the verse above for trust is chacah, which means:

1) (Qal) to seek refuge, flee for protection
a) to put trust in (God), confide or hope in (God) (fig.)

I am trusting God for His good, pleasing and perfect will to be done in Jimmy's life. I'm praising Him for how well the surgery went last time and praying that his recovery is as quick as it was then. Jimmy had the surgery on a Wednesday last time and was home by Friday. He woke up from surgery able to talk and hold up the appropriate number of fingers. His coordination was great, his speech clear. He spent less than 24 hours in ICU. It was only by the grace of God that this happened. The neurosurgeon had prepared us that he might not regain his speech and motor skills for a couple of weeks! Susan, his wife, went to the hospital with flash cards in her suitcase to help him! She never had to pull them out, praise God's Holy Name!

"Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. Selah" ~ Psalm 62:8 (NIV)

The Hebrew word for trust in this verse is batach, which means:

1) to trust
a) (Qal)
1) to trust, trust in
2) to have confidence, be confident
3) to be bold
4) to be secure
b) (Hiphil)
1) to cause to trust, make secure
2) (TWOT) to feel safe, be careless,

I praise God that Jimmy is a man of strong faith. He is so humble and would never tell you himself, but he's an awesome uncle, brother, son, husband and father. He's a teacher and a deacon in the church, active in his community, and is a volunteer fireman. Jimmy's heart praises God and trusts Him for the outcome in this, and I do, too. May the Lord's will be done.

Jimmy will tell you quickly that it's not about him at all, but about the One who holds him in the palm of His hand. Please join me in praying for him and praising the Lord in advance for the work He will do through him and for him - and most of all, for God's glory!

P - Put your complete trust in God as you sing His praises. "He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD." ~ Psalm 40:3 (NIV)

R - Remind yourself to lift God up in praise, even when things look down in your life. "Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God." Psalm 43:5 (NIV)

A - Announce God's praises before others. "I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples." ~ Psalm 57:9 (NIV)

I - Incorporate praise into all aspects of your daily life. "I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips." ~ Psalm 34:1 (NIV)

S - Sing your praise to the Lord. "Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him." ~ Psalm 33:1 (NIV)

E - Eagerly praise Him in the morning; it sets the tone for your whole day! "In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation." ~ Psalm 5:3 (NIV)

For more Thankful Thursday posts, please visit our hostess Iris at Grace Alone...