Author: astherainandsnow

“I am the man who has seen affliction
    under the rod of his wrath;
he has driven and brought me
    into darkness without any light;
surely against me he turns his hand
    again and again the whole day long.

He has made my flesh and skin waste away;
    he has broken my bones;
he has besieged and enveloped me
    with bitterness and tribulation…

Remember my affliction and my wanderings,
    the wormwood and the gall!
My soul continually remembers it
    and is bowed down within me.
But this I call to mind,
    and therefore I have hope:

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
    his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.
‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul,
    ‘therefore I will hope in him.’

The Lord is good to those who wait for him,
    to the soul who seeks him.
It is good that one should wait quietly
    for the salvation of the Lord…

For the Lord will not
    cast off forever,
but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion
    according to the abundance of his steadfast love;
for he does not afflict from his heart
    or grieve the children of men…
Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
    that good and bad come?
Why should a living man complain…
   about the punishment of his sins?

Let us test and examine our ways,
    and return to the Lord!
Let us lift up our hearts and hands
    to God in heaven:
‘We have transgressed and rebelled,
    and you have not forgiven…’

I called on your name, O Lord,
    from the depths of the pit;
you heard my plea…
You came near when I called on you;
    you said, ‘Do not fear!’

You have taken up my cause, O Lord;
    you have redeemed my life.” Lamentations 3:1-5,19-26,31-33,38-42,55-58

From the midst of his agony, the prophet understood both the wrath and mercy of God. Everything happened as a result of His sovereign initiative, for His redemptive purposes and glory. The sufferer was indeed afflicted, but divine cause could rightly receive no blame. It was Israel’s rebellion that invited the strange work of punishment from the Holy One. Languishing, he was shown love; in cruel pain, compassion. The words of these soul wanderings woven with the balm of hope are at the ready for all who would read and listen. (Isaiah 28:21-22)

Blessing upon blessing we receive in gladness, accustomed to ease and goodness. We come to think we deserve each favor and have a right to every enjoyment. In comfort and prosperity we forget from whose mouth and hand they come, betraying their benevolent source. Self-worth inflates, hearts calcify. Grace denied is God defied is idolatry tried. God will not be mocked. (Galatians 6:7-8)

With warped thinking, we blame God for our discipline, blind to personal culpability. Even owning mistakes, we fault others. But the Lord holds individuals accountable for everything done in the flesh. His harsh judgment convicts, turns us to His mercy, and effects ultimate redemption. (Romans 2:4; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Hebrews 12:5-7)

Am I so broken and bowed that I see not my sin? Where am I blaming God for judgment rather than owning up to my guilt? Where have I received balm in the midst of His refining?

Father, help me take honest blame for the discipline I deserve, and ever sing with hope.

“So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor.  For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.

“According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it.  For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.  Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw—  each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done.  If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward.  If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.” 1 Corinthians 3:7-15

The Lord God had trained Paul to think rightly about ministry. Owning a natural inclination to pride, and aware of his religious and educational advantages, a grace-bought Paul knew that all came from Christ and returned all praise to Christ in light of His cross. He had much he could have boasted, but was driven by and focused on one thing alone: Jesus. Jesus proclaimed, Jesus crucified, Jesus glorified, known, and magnified. His every effort, once redeemed, was an accounting rooted in and built on the cause and power of his Savior. Any toil Paul invested was for His sake and the sake of those who would be eternally affected. (Acts 22:3; Romans 9:4-5; Philippians 3:4-8)

God cares about our work from the inside out. He frees us to employ our time and talent for His kingdom, and fiercely cares about our why and how. Since He is the One who assigns grace and gifts and makes effective and fruitful what we invest, our reward is based on how we handle what we’ve been entrusted. Thoughtful contributing and building with our best honors Him who is worthy.

Jealousy, strife, any kind of competition or comparison have no place in doing God’s work. Concern for notice or credit is an indication of sour motives, which the loving Lord can correct. Effort expended on the cheap or out of greed the Lord disdains, but can redeemed. His reward is a most gracious byproduct of work done for Him, tested and true.

How aligned are my mission motives with God’s for the world? What would the testing of my work for Him reveal?

“All for Jesus! All for Jesus!
All my being’s ransomed pow’rs,
all my thoughts and words and doings,
all my days and all my hours.

Let my hands perform his bidding,
let my feet run in his ways;
let my eyes see Jesus only,
let my lips speak forth his praise.

Since my eyes were fixed on Jesus,
I’ve lost sight of all beside;
so enchained my spirit’s vision,
looking at the Crucified.” ~Mary D. James (1810-1883)

Lord, purify my motives in all things to see You exalted and make You known.

“Jacob said, ‘O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O Lord who said to me, “Return to your country and to your kindred, that I may do you good,” I am not worthy of the least of all the deeds of steadfast love and all the faithfulness that you have shown to your servant, for with only my staff I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two camps.  Please deliver me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I fear him, that he may come and attack me, the mothers with the children.  But you said, “I will surely do you good, and make your offspring as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude…”‘

“The same night he arose and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok.  He took them and sent them across the stream, and everything else that he had.  And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day.  When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him.  Then he said, ‘Let me go, for the day has broken.’ But Jacob said, ‘I will not let you go unless you bless me.’  And he said to him, ‘What is your name?’ And he said, ‘Jacob.’  Then he said, ‘Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.’  Then Jacob asked him, ‘Please tell me your name.’ But he said, ‘Why is it that you ask my name?’ And there he blessed him.  So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, ‘For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.’ The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip.” Genesis 32:9-12,22-31

Jacob, from birth, was a wild filly in need of spiritual breaking, and God steadfastly did His work. About to return to his land with the children who would become Israel’s twelve tribes, Jacob had a crisis of fear. Casting himself on God in confession and dependence, he encountered the Sovereign in a pivotal wrestling of soul. God would have His way with His chosen, who would come out with a lifelong reminder hip limp.

Every whack and rub of familial dissension, callous deception, unjust cheating, and facing fears were used of God to humble and shape His man. Still today, there is pain in being broken, but from there issues the Spirit’s power to transform and sanctify. Do we prevail in wrestling until we know who God is there, and taste His blessing? What uncertainties, insecurities, and angst will we leave with God today?

Our Savior Jesus wrestled with His Father, and was broken for us on Calvary. By weakness and death He ushered in strength and life for us, His beloved children. Have we grasped the extent of His sacrifice? Will we cling until we know His benediction? What causes refusal to submit to His loving intrusion to work in soul and Spirit? (Luke 22:41-44)

Lord, help me wrestle rightly and learn fully so I live powerfully, for Your sake and glory.

“And after some days Paul said to Barnabas, ‘Let us return and visit the brothers in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.’  Now Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark.  But Paul thought best not to take with them one who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work.  And there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and departed, having been commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.” Acts 15:36-41

The Jerusalem council, after much debate and prayer, ended amicably penning a letter with Spirit-led conclusions that several disciples delivered. So when Paul proposed to Barnabas they continue traveling to check in on other churches, it seems strange that they had such sharp disagreement. Hadn’t the council all come to a unified conclusion? Hadn’t these two traveled to and ministered together in Antioch? Didn’t they have a singular motive to biblically counsel and strengthen the church? (Acts 15:22-35)

When we step back and see that they did indeed fortify the churches, each going in a different direction, we glimpse how God strengthens us in order to strengthen others. Paul and Barnabas divided, each taking with him another who would watch and learn and work alongside him. Each leader carried the experience of having weighed options and coming to a compromised conclusion based on the Spirit’s leading. Each one had strong opinions, and learned that not all people see things the same way. God used these experiences to develop their own gifting and dependence on Him, and equipped them to handle such situations they’d find among the varied congregations. God knows the plans and work He has for us, and weaves through our life experiences what we need for what He knows is ahead, and what He expects of us and those we shepherd. (Jeremiah 29:11; Ephesians 2:10; 1 Timothy 4:11-16)

What is God training, or teaching me about Himself or myself, in my present turmoil, testy relationships, or work assigned, that I might employ in the future? With what challenges am I trusting His lead? Am I learning to listen better, to accommodate different opinions, to mediate between argumentative loved ones, to bring prudent consensus? How have situations and lessons from my past served me well in the present? Can I look back with gratitude and willingly continue to learn today for what’s ahead?

God presents many opportunities in our different areas of daily life to learn from Him and others. By prayer, we can be keen to His Spirit and attune our senses to take in and glean from these experiences. He graciously and strategically strengthens us in order to use us to strengthen others in His church. Are we willing to submit to the training so we’re most effective? How are we putting to use what He has instilled in us to build up those less experienced, or weaker in faith or understanding? Are we looking for and taking opportunities to encourage Christ’s church?

Father, keep me flexible, teachable, and eager to pass along from Your bounty for the good of Your Body and glory of Your name.

“I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up
    and have not let my foes rejoice over me.
O Lord my God, I cried to you for help,
    and you have healed me.
O Lord, you have brought up my soul from Sheol;
    you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit.

Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints,
    and give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger is but for a moment,
    and his favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may tarry for the night,
    but joy comes with the morning…

You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
    you have loosed my sackcloth
    and clothed me with gladness,
that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent.
    O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!” Psalm 30:1-5,11-12

David knew the deliverance and favor of the Lord, from first anointing through many dangers, toils, and snares. He knew the sorrow that accompanied deception, betrayal, and loss, the exhaustion of dogged pursuit and battle. He knew that being beaten down left nowhere to look but up, that bereft silence was impetus for crying out. Hard experience and fluxing emotion were no stranger to this man after God’s heart, the divine heart that knew every one in full. Neither was continual praise, praise to that victorious One who through it all gave the promise of joy and gladness. (Psalm 31:10-14; John 11:35)

Every deliverance of our Lord, small or great, is an expression and instilling of hope. It is His loving nudge that lifts our head, His prompt that turns desperation to dependence. God’s ears bent to our prayers are meant to remind us that He is nigh, and His endings are gracious and good. He faithfully remains, and works in every tear and moment for our good. He keeps in perfect peace those who trust and pray. Yes, weeping may endure, but for a limited time, and joy in the morning is as certain as the sun will rise. (Psalm 3:3; Isaiah 26:3; Romans 8:28)

What is our resolve, weary souls? Have we made melancholy our way of life, shedding measureless tears our resignation? Do we oft repeat the anger and mourning we’ve become accustomed to, or turn it over to the freedom, gladness, and song God will fully restore? Can we look beyond, and upward, and grip the hope that He is? Will we extol Him, recounting His draw, His grace-bought salvation, with gladness? Will we plead, remembering His past healing and restoration and counting on it again? What hinders our giving thanks to Him forever?

“What language shall I borrow
to thank Thee, dearest Friend,
for this, Thy dying sorrow,
Thy pity without end?
O make me Thine forever!
And should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never
outlive my love for Thee.” ~Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153)

Words give me to extol Thee
my Victor, Savior, Praise
for You I lift my voice,
Your exaltation raise!
Tho weeping damps the shadows,
Your joy with morning comes.
Clothe me with thankful gladness
for You, most Worthy One. (PEB)

Father, help me live, even in dark times, rejoicing in You with a morning countenance and glad praise, for Your glory.

“In the first year of Darius… I, Daniel,… turned my face to the Lord, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, ‘O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules… To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame… because of the treachery committed against you… To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him.

“O Lord, according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city… O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. We do not present our pleas because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy. O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not,  for your own sake.” Daniel 9:1-5,7,9,16,18-19

Daniel could have spent his exile in a strange land with a strange tongue in resentment, misbehavior, and complaining. He could have squandered what the Lord had given as an opportunity for great growth and witness. Instead, he invested where God had planted him for as long as that season would be. With concerted commitment, he made the most of spiritual and civil life for the good of his alien city. The Lord gave him favor and position, and from his unique position and vantage point, he made an eternal difference by leadership and prayer. (Daniel 2:48-49; 5:29; 6:10)

We are all spiritual exiles. With strife, division, and negativity peppering societies, it’s easy to sequester ourselves, live provincially, and become myopic. We stick with our people, comforts, safe places, and want nothing to do with those outside our small circle of likeminded friends. We resent the harsh places God puts us, and nurse our right to relief and ease. We grow callous and uncaring about our city, community, and nation. (1 Peter 2:11)

But God has assigned our boundaries so we would know Him deeply and out loud. Sometimes He plants us seemingly in exile in hard work situations, new towns, neighborhoods foreign to what we’ve always known, for His purposes. He calls us to faithfulness, giving great opportunity to grow in our understanding of His heart for the world and to spread His Spirit and gospel light in the dark. (Acts 17:21)

Are we prone to separate spiritual life from public industry and community involvement? Do we keep Sunday in a box and devotional life at home, never sowing God’s Spirit into our broader world? How much do we care for the people where we live and work? How do we show it? How large is our heart for the world around us, evidenced in how wide and consistent our prayers?

How will we afresh seek the welfare of our city? How are we investing in workplaces, communities, culture, individuals with the gospel? How regularly do we intercede for our leaders, and involve ourselves in service? What revival and joy of the Lord might we help usher in by His grace? (Jeremiah 29:7; 1 Timothy 2:1-4)

Lord, keep me praying for and compassionately involved in the world where You’ve placed me.

“You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil.”

“And he called the people to him and said to them, ‘Hear and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person…’ Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled?  But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person.  For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person.’” Matthew 12:34-35; 15:10-11,17-20a

The Pharisees had a knack for talking the talk. Pompous and polished, they were persnickety about rules and had eyes keen on catching anything that went against their prescription for righteousness. But Jesus saw through their religious veneer to the poison in their prideful hearts, and addressed what they could not with long robes hide from the God-man. (Matthew 12:1-8)

It is nice to be able to hide secrets sins in the closets and corners of our hearts, until we can’t. Our tongues are a dead giveaway to the putrid impulses and decay that lie within. Out of our hearts comes ugliness beyond even our realizing we were capable of, and once the spigot has opened, there’s no taking back. Unbridled anger, hurtful criticism, crass words, derogatory insults, all flow from hearts rigid with pride, deceit, and discontent. When this occurs, be warned. These are only an outward mimicking of deeper and greater darkness within.

The beautiful thing about Jesus’s teaching and grand exposés of the heart is that He never leaves us there. He provides the antidote, and with mercy invites us to take it. His Spirit brings sin to light and conviction to bear out in honest confession. In grace He extricates what we denounce, purifying and redirecting our long-held habits. Our cooperation is required in this sanctifying process, but He perseveres with us to make us holy. (Leviticus 20:7,26; 1 Peter 1:16)

What sins have we tucked away and fondled and excused by blaming others for far too long? What sarcasm, hatred, unkindness, or malice resides within and occasionally spurts out in ugliness to alert our spiritual senses? What fetishes or fantasies, what coveting or bitterness, do we justify as innocuous and invisible, but actually manifest themselves when we least expect? When will we tend to that blot, name it for what it is, and once for all put it away? And if we have harmed another by our heart filth, what need we do today to bring repair?

“Just as I am, and waiting not
to rid my soul of one dark blot,
to thee, whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, thou wilt receive,
wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
because thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.” ~Charlotte Elliot (1836)

Father, remove from my heart any errant attitude or poison so You alone reign.

“Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. Then some who belonged to the synagogue.., and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen. But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking.  Then they secretly instigated men who said, ‘We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.’  And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and they came upon him and seized him and brought him before the council,  and they set up false witnesses who said, ‘This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law,  for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses delivered to us.’ And gazing at him, all who sat in the council saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

“And the high priest said, ‘Are these things so?’ And Stephen said:

“Brothers and fathers, hear me. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham…

“‘You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered…’

“Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.” Acts 6:8-7:2a,51-52,54-55

The heat in and around the early church smoldered and sparked and sometimes flamed. Burning words and hot threats from religious and civil leaders were meant to squelch the Spirit’s fire in Christ’s disciples, but the more they came, the wider the gospel spread. Heat always divides the pure from dross, seen in the telling contrasts between the petulance of Stephen’s instigators and his calm wisdom, their malicious deception and his veracity, their enraged attacks and his face like an angel. Abiding in the grace and power of the Lord gives steadiness in any storm.

When rabble rouses and antagonism stings and powers threaten, many cower, lose courage, or resolve, or faith altogether. But for the one filled with the Holy Spirit, increasing heat serves only to stoke the fire within. Opposition is opportunity. Vitriol is met with grace, lies with truth, ugliness with beauty. The key is to be tethered ahead of time to the anchor that is Christ, and to commit to His mission and work. If my identity is in anything or anyone else, heat will melt weak commitment. Secure in Christ, I can hold fast no matter the blast.

Where and how do I stand? How securely fixed is my heart on Christ and His gospel? What fear, or pride, or errant allegiances make me tremble and tempted to shrink back from acknowledging my Savior?

“When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,
my grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply;
the flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.” ~George Keith (1787)

Lord, help me hold fast to You, and burn only with holy fire.

“There came from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath… He had a helmet of bronze.., a coat of mail,.. a javelin of bronze.., and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron… The Philistine said, ‘I defy the ranks of Israel this day. Give me a man, that we may fight together.’ When Saul and all Israel heard these words, they were dismayed and greatly afraid…

“David said to Saul, ‘Let no man’s heart fail because of him. [I] will go and fight with this Philistine.’ Saul said to David, ‘You are not able.., for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.’ But David said, ‘Your servant used to keep sheep… When there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck and killed him. [I have] struck down lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God… The Lord who delivered me from [them]… will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.’ Saul said, ‘Go, and the Lord be with you!’

“Then Saul clothed David with his armor… David said, ‘I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them…’  Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd’s pouch. His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine.” 1 Samuel 17:4-7,10-11,32-40

From the outside, Goliath’s very presence was foreboding, an impossible threat to the cowering Israelites. His stature, weapons, and verbal challenge outsized Saul’s men in every measure. Every day his defiance whacked a bit more defeat into the army’s resolve. Except for young David. He saw things differently, and lived with a different set of armor. He was the Lord’s, saw every battle as His, and was confident in His tested faithfulness and prowess.

When we live under the world’s standards, accumulating and using the world’s tools, our comparisons will always be on a limited plane. Man against man, word against word, strategy against strategy. But when we walk daily in ongoing communion with the Lord of lords, we see earthly opposition from a different, heavenly perspective, and have a mindset and weapons at the ready that are other-worldly. We’re familiar and comfortable with weapons of faith and the armor of God, because they are our daily dress. We’ve tested and tried God’s word, and are confident of its power to guide, protect, and win.

What Goliaths are we facing externally and internally? The firmer our stand for Christ, the greater the opposition, criticism, and challenges to our beliefs. Health, financial, and relational issues ofttimes provoke without warning. Invisible but raging temptation, resentment, jealousy, discontent, and discouragement attack. How will we respond or confront? When will we fit on and take up divine weapons for every onslaught, trusting His victory? (1 Samuel 17:45-46; Ephesians 6:10-18)

Lord, help me meet every taunt and enemy in the power of Your name, wielding the weapons You supply with alacrity and wisdom, so all may know the battle is Yours and You alone are Savior. (1 Samuel 17:46-50)

“Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings, ^{[sons of God, or sons of might]}
    ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
    worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.

The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
    the God of glory thunders,
    the Lord, over many waters.
The voice of the Lord is powerful;
    the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.

The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
    the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon.
He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf,
    and Sirion like a young wild ox.

The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire.
The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
    the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.

The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth
    and strips the forests bare,
    and in his temple all cry, ‘Glory!’

The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
    the Lord sits enthroned as king forever.
May the Lord give strength to his people!
    May the Lord bless his people with peace!” Psalm 29:1-11

Ascribe: to refer to a supposed cause, source, or author: to say or think that (something) is caused by, comes from, or is associated with a particular person or thing; accredit; an inferring or conjecturing of cause, quality, authorship

The inexplicable uncontainable Almighty is worthy of measureless more than man can fathom or offer. Yet, made in His image and called to know and reflect Him on earth, we are to ascribe Him His due as we can. He is the cause, source, and author of every greatness. His name is to be glorified and His holiness invites worship. His strength, power, and majesty are sovereign over creation, His throne unshakable in eternity. Indeed, God is worthy of all praise and honor. (Colossians 1:16-17; James 1:17)

Have we investigated the Sovereign’s worth? How familiar are we with pondering His attributes and ways, and turning them to praise? How can and will we ascribe- with words, countenance, devotion, generosity, humility, and love- the greatness of our King?

Opening our selves to the splendor of God’s matchless name, our hearts to His immeasurable love, our minds to His fathomless wisdom, design, and benevolent providence, fills us with wonder. Such marveling compels us to ascribe to Him, in thought, word, and deed, His worthy honor.

“All glory, laud, and honor 
to you, Redeemer, King, 
to whom the lips of children 
made sweet hosannas ring. 
You are the King of Israel 
and David’s royal Son, 
now in the Lord’s name coming, 
the King and Blessed One. 

The company of angels 
is praising you on high; 
and we with all creation 
in chorus make reply. 
The people of the Hebrews 
with palms before you went; 
our praise and prayer and anthems 
before you we present. 

To you before your passion 
they sang their hymns of praise; 
to you, now high exalted, 
our melody we raise. 
As you received their praises, 
accept the prayers we bring, 
for you delight in goodness, 
O good and gracious King!” ~ Theodulf, Bishop of Orléans (c820); translated by J. M. Neale (1854)

Lord, may all I think, do, and say lift high Your name and magnify Your ineffable greatness before men, and unto Your pleasure and glory.