“Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.” Psalm 145:3

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All around us we see the hand of God; in the sky above and upon the Earth below. Our eyes behold Him in the intricate details of color, our ears hear Him in the musical notes of sound, and our hands feel Him in the overlaying textures of His creation. Everywhere we turn there is God before us demonstrating just how much He loves us and provides for every aspect of our lives. Even in the moment our heart first began to beat, He was there masterfully forming us according to His plan.

“I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.” Psalm 139:14

Day by day He continues to be there, in the darkest of nights or the brightest of days, God is there as our guide maneuvering us through the challenges we face. His help is ever present even when we are unaware of the unseen dangers lurking about us, He watches over us shielding us from harm.

“The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.” Psalm 28:7

In the moments of sadness, God is there to comfort us and raise us above our Earthly sorrows. He lifts us up that we might see Him in all of the magnitude of who He is, the one in whom our song is found.

“Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness; To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.” Psalm 30:11-12

In thankfulness of heart we come before Him, for He is greatly to be praised.

“Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness.” Psalm 48:1

The God of my salvation . . . Psalms 27:9

The God of my strength . . . Psalms 43:2

The God of my righteousness . . . Psalms 4:1

The God of my life . . . Psalms 42:8

The God of my joy . . . Psalms 43:4

The God of my defense . . . Psalms 59:9

The God of my mercy . . . Psalms 59:17

The God of my praise . . . Psalms 109:1

He is “My God”, though there be over 7.7 billion people in the world, He is “My God”; not because of anything I am or anything I might be, but because He chooses to be personally connected to me through my acceptance of the work His Son did on Calvary. My relationship with Him is intimately personal, nothing I do will ever change His love for me. Regardless of how many others might call upon Him as their God, He in His infinite power possesses the ability to be God to each and every one that accepts the finished work of Calvary.

“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” Titus 3:5-7

So it is that I come before Him, praising Him as My God, the hope of all I am or ever will be in Him. “Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy: yea, upon the harp will I praise thee, O God my God.” Psalm 43:4

Above my coffee bar I have the following saying framed, “Make time for the quiet moments as God whispers and the world is loud.”

My greatest discovery was finding my quiet in the early morning before the world seems to wake up and the hustle of life begins. Each morning my ritual is to spend a little time with my husband over coffee before he heads off to work and then I have my quiet time with God. During those quiet morning moments I find my balance. I find the inner filling of God’s strength and renewal of my soul.

“My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord ; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.” Psalm 5:3

“Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.” Psalm 143:8

In the quiet of the morning I find Him, in His Word I am able to hear Him speak to my heart directing my thoughts and my path for the day ahead. In those quiet moments I am renewed and refreshed with inner peace to greet the new day.

“And be renewed in the spirit of your mind” Ephesians 4:23

“And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7

In the quiet moments, I find Him waiting. In those moments I find peace in the midst of a world that is oh so loud.

Have you ever had to give yourself a pep talk? Maybe you were facing a Monday morning with a week ahead that was so much more than you could handle; or maybe it was much more than that, maybe you found yourself in a deep darkness from which you had no hope of recovery.

David found himself in this situation, his heart within him was overwhelmed, seeing no hope in sight. He had to remind himself of the source of his hope.

“Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.” Psalm 42:5

And then again . . ,

“Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.” Psalm 42:11

And yet again . . .

“Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.” Psalm 43:5

Three times we find David in the same place of discouragement reminding himself that his hope was not within himself, but it was in God. When we look for hope within us or within the world around us things can look hopeless; but like David we need to keep our eyes on the one who gives us hope. We need to return to the Holy Word where our hope is found in God.

“Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word.” Psalm 119:114

“I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.” Psalm 130:5

He is our hiding place when things around us are frightening. He is our shield when things are coming at us faster than we can respond. In His word we can find the hope that is the answer for every situation we might face, we need only to be reminded.

“This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.” Lamentations 3:21-24

Everything we are, everything we need, it all comes from Him. In compassion and mercy, He is faithful to be our source of hope.

“Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope” Acts 2:26

I never grow tired of hearing the squeals of delight that come from young children. Thinking back to when my children were young, one of my greatest joys came in surprising them with a special treat that brought them pleasure. The sounds of their delight expressed through laughter, the joy I could see in their face; always resulted in an extreme sense of happiness within me.

Now I experience that joy through the lives of my grandchildren, watching them as they find delight in the simple experience of a carrot discovered in the garden or the discovery of a dinosaur’s roar in a birthday toy; the sound of their delight brings such a feeling of overwhelming happiness.

In God’s Word I find that our lives bring delight unto God when we are following after the truths of His Word.

“Lying lips are abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his delight.” Proverbs 12:22

“They that are of a froward heart are abomination to the Lord : but such as are upright in their way are his delight.” Proverbs 11:20

“The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord : but the prayer of the upright is his delight.” Proverbs 15:8

The thought that my life could bring delight to the Creator of all Creation, the Master of the Universe, the God of All, brings an overwhelming sense of wonder. How could this be so? My heart can not comprehend the depth of what that means, the extinct of the love of my Heavenly Father that it portrays; but delight doesn’t stop there. In Psalms I find that I too can know delight in and through the Lord. I can experience the fullness of joy. Delight: high degree of gratification or pleasure : joy. (Merriam- Webster, 1828)

“The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord : and he delighteth in his way.” Psalm 37:23

“He trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.” Psalm 22:8

“Praise ye the Lord. Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in his commandments.” Psalm 112:1

“But his delight is in the law of the Lord ; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.” Psalm 1:2

“Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.” Psalm 37:4-5

Sometimes this verse is taken completely out of context and the focus is on God giving us the desires of our heart as that pertains to this present world; however, that is completely reversed from the intent of the verse. When we truly find our delight in the Lord, our desire will be unto Him. Our desire will be to experience more and more of Him in and through our lives. When we come to the place where we find our delight in Him, our desire will be such that we long for so much more than this world could ever provide. We develop a hungering desire to experience God living through us as a far greater need than any fleshly need we might possess. This is the desire that God will answer, this is the desire that He will fulfill.

“Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.” Psalm 37:4-5

I always enjoy visiting new places and seeing new things. Many times in my travels I find that I must take a series of avenues to reach the destination I seek; these avenues are often lined with beautiful trees or elements of the surrounding city or town giving testament of times, customs, or people instrumental in the historical past of the town. Careful consideration is often given to the naming of avenues, as the names themselves often serve as characteristic descriptors.

In a recent time of reflection and prayer, God brought a thought to my mind. If I were an avenue by which others might gain access to God, what type of avenue would I be? If others that were seeking God were to use my life as a means by which to travel closer to God, would they see characteristic descriptors of God that would serve as a means by which they would find their way to Him? Or would my life be more of an avenue under construction, without evidence of a clear path toward the saving power of my Lord Jesus Christ?

“But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak.” I Corinthians 8:9

“For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light.” Ephesians 5:8

“Let you light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16

“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people, that ye should shew forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvellous light.” I Peter 2:9

“But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.” Proverbs 4:18

I want my life to be an avenue of light, the avenue by which others can see God. The avenue by which they find their way to Him, to the saving power of my Lord Jesus Christ. The avenue by which those that are struggling find hope, those that are hurting find healing, and those that are broken are made whole again. I want to be the path (avenue) of shining light that shines more and more.

Avenue: a way of access; a route. A channel for pursuing a desired object. (Merriam-Webster, 1828)

Let my life be the avenue, by which others gain access to Thee !!