A holy cheer poured from their lips when He rode into Jerusalem on top of the clothes lavishly laid in the way. They had seen his glory; they were witness to the miracles. They had experienced transformation at His hand. It was a free flowing praise that was lifted high. Unashamed, they cried out his name, that He would be glorified.
And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” Matthew 21:9 ESV
When I come before His throne, it isn’t so easy to for a holy cheer to flow from my mouth. I have tasted and seen that He is good, yet I forget. Days and weeks are full, and I forget his hand in my life. I don’t readily recall the miraculous working of his faithfulness in my vicinity.
Just as if I were asked to make a list of what I am thankful for, I would have to pause and ponder to find them all. Although I’m grateful, rattling off my appreciation of obvious and “hidden” gifts would not readily flow off my tongue.
Praise the LORD! Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! Psalm 106:1 ESV
*So I close my eyes and awaken the recesses of my memory, and thankfulness crawls out of repose. I begin to recall the recent ways He has mended my problems, bringing salve to my frustrated soul. Weariness has been transformed to fresh energy, when in my finite thinking I could see no end.
And then I begin to remember His hand moving on my behalf in years past. My heart begins to swell with His goodness. Could I now give a holy cheer to my magnificent God?
A few recorded instances of mothers in the Bible rejoiced in Him after they had seen His evident faithfulness first-hand. I want to be a voice lifted in thankful praise as well because I have seen His faithfulness in my midst.
Mary, mother of Jesus, Elizabeth, mother of John, Hannah, mother of Samuel…and Kelly, mother of four lively, precious souls. He has given me children—my first disciples.
A holy cheer now escapes my once silent tongue. His hand has moved in my life. Let Him now be glorified!
Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness! Psalm 115:1 ESV
How has God moved on your behalf? Think of a time He showed His faithfulness in your life. Can you also give Him the glory He is due?
*This is linked with Five Minute Friday and the star indicates when the timer stopped.
Imparting Virtues: a New Resource for You to Teach Your Kids
Your kids need guidance. Almost any Bible lesson for adults can be taught to children when you simplify it for them by using vocabulary that is on their level, and keeping the class to the length of their attention span.
Seeing kids grow from the seeds of the Word being planted in their hearts is very rewarding. When I teach my kids from the simple lessons I put together, it’s definitely the highlight of my day!
What would you do with lessons teaching virtue? Simply defined, virtues means moral excellence. What do you think about taking a few minutes to impart biblical truths into your kids? Take the opportunity with these printable Imparting Virtues lessons:
- Slicing Up Bad Thoughts from the adult version How to Control Your Thoughts
- Who Do We Worship? from the adult version Who Does the Bible Instruct Us to Worship?
- Why We Worship God from the adult version 4 Reasons I Will Worship God
Kate Motaung says
May 27, 2016 at 5:04 pm“I want to be a voice lifted in thankful praise as well.” I love your perspective, and your heart, Kelly! Thank you for writing and linking up with FMF!
KellyRBaker says
May 27, 2016 at 8:53 pmOh, thanks so much, Kate! It’s an honor to have you stop by my blog! Thank you for hosting. 🙂
Andrew Budek-Schmeisser says
May 28, 2016 at 2:33 amWhat a lovely post, Kelly!
I too ant to be a voice…and also, in spite of terminal illness, hands as well.
And today I got my chance, in the arrival of a baby Bullmastiff. Abandoned and alone, she had been used for target practice, and was too weak to stand.
Tonight she is resting is a sleeping crate not three feet from where I write this, having taken some food and some strawberry pedialyte (hence her name, Strawberry Hill).
She brought a lesson with her, that no matter how hard our own fights may be, we are still constrained and required to fight for the hurting and the lost. When so much has been taken from us…we still have something to give.
And we are compelled t give it, for such is the Kingdom of Heaven.
KellyRBaker says
May 28, 2016 at 9:54 amAmen. Thanks for your thoughts, Andrew! I hope y’all feel better soon!
Carol says
May 30, 2016 at 8:50 amHow sad that I have to sometimes be prodded to shout out my praise, when I was a Hannah, praying for a child. Then as Bathsheba wept for the loss of her son, so did I…. BUT, the Lord is faithful and I rejoice in the love of two grown children, Jacob and Christina, and two wonderful grandchildren, Julian and Carly. I am living near my sisters, son, daughter, and cousins, etc, have lots of friends, and daily see the blessings of the Lord. I have friends I left when I moved to another state that love me and I love them and left one wonderful church family to be reunited with a former church family so that I can find love when the world shuts me out or beats me down. My Savior lives! He loves me ALWAYS even in the storms. I could not imagine life without my Lord and my God around me or without the wonder of Holy Spirit to guide me or comfort me when I go amiss or awry.. Thank you for my prodding. Your words always delight me and get me up and running the race when I have tried to sit on the sidelines. You are so open and confessional and that allows me to be the same. I am not easily open to people. I tend to hold all my hurts inside so that no one will see the real me… hateful and nasty at times, but I know I can always run to the Lord for He is my safety and shield, my redeemer, my friend … my PRESENT help. No matter when, no matter where, He is always there. Luv u.
KellyRBaker says
June 1, 2016 at 10:01 amYes, He is faithful! I’m so glad my writing is helpful. I love your heart. Thanks so much for sharing. Love you much!
Steven Sawyer says
May 30, 2016 at 10:24 amWonderful post, Kelly. And, oh, how many times this happens to me: “Days and weeks are full, and I forget his hand in my life. I don’t readily recall the miraculous working of his faithfulness in my vicinity.” You give me pause to shout a holy cheer today. Thank you for sharing. And God bless.
KellyRBaker says
June 1, 2016 at 8:35 pmSo glad! Thanks and God bless you, too. 🙂