Above All

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.” - Psalm 19:1-4

One of the best things we can do to combat depression, anxiety, stress, and any other difficult emotion is to continually look away from our circumstances and onto our God. Many times when we approach the Father during painful times in our lives, our prayers are driven by what we need God to do for us. While this is not wrong, it doesn’t necessarily get us anywhere either. God wants us to pour out our heart to Him, including our requests; but He doesn’t want us to become emotionally and spiritually crippled by the circumstance about which we are praying.

Prayer does not change God; it changes us. God is the same yesterday, today and forever. The purpose of prayer is to connect us to our Father who so desperately loves us and wants us to experience His love in real, tangible ways each day. If our prayers are monopolized by what God hasn’t yet done, we can miss His presence, provision and glory right where we are now. Is God ever far away? Is He ever not watching and working? Is He ever not with and for His children? Of course not! We must remember to exalt and thank Him for this when we pray, remembering who He is – not just what we want Him to do. We must seek His face and not just His hands.

Notice how Psalm 19 says that the skies proclaim God’s work at all times, in every place, and in every language. The rising and setting of the sun and the moon and starry hosts proclaim the glory of their Creator. How much more, then, should His children do the same? Wherever you are, whatever you are facing, in every situation and circumstance, God is still glorious and worthy of all praise and honor. May our prayers be like this one, full of the glories of Christ!

O Father of Jesus, Thou knowest that I love thee supremely, for thou art supremely adorable, good, perfect. My heart melts at the love of Jesus, my brother, bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh, married to me, dead for me, risen for me; He is mine and I am His, given to me as well as for me; I am never so much mine as when I am His, or so much lost to myself until lost in Him; then I find my true manhood. (Taken from The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions)

Holy Father, You are high and lifted up, seated in the heavens above all created things. You are the only true God; and in You are life and peace and fullness of joy. I need You God, but I also want You. I want to know You more, trust You more, and for my life to proclaim Your glory even louder than the heavens. In Jesus’ name, amen.