Honoring and Glorifying a Sovereign God

Today is April 8, a day to strive to honor and glorify my sovereign Lord.

I was driving home from school today, and, as is my practice, I was using the quiet time to pray. Praying for my ailing grandfather, I realized that I was telling God what I wanted...what I thought I needed. Suddenly, I realized that I was not praying according to God's will. God did not place me here on this earth for my own pleasure; the Lord is not my genie to rub and ask for things. I am here to honor and glorify an almighty and all powerful God. In all that I do, say, and ask, I need to remember that I should honor Him and ask that He bring glory to Himself in whatever way He sees fit to answer my requests.

(Shorter Catechism Question 1: What is man's cheif end? Man's cheif end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.)

Also, I was reminded of God's sovereignty and a peace fell over my soul. It is wonderful to know that God is in control and nothing happens apart from Him. Everything that does happen also happens for the good of those who are called according to His purpose; therefore, whatever way the Lord chooses to answer my prayer will be good for me, even if I do not think it is ideal at the time.

(Matt. 10:29, “Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.”

Romans 8:28, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.")

The Glories of an Almighty, Caring God

Today is April 1, 2010. Although this beautiful spring day started out rocky, today is the day the Lord has made, and I have rejoiced and been glad in it.
Wakeful nights sometimes haunt my sleep, but I have found that prayer is the best way to pass the seemingly empty time. The Lord brings my church family to mind during these dark periods and I eventually fall back to sleep praying for the Body. I am thankful that the Lord is there to carry me through the nights. He is always there, never asleep, never too tired. Due to one of these sleepless nights, I slept past my alarm and too close to my departure time. Thankfully I did not have to be at the elementary school, so I was able to throw on a ball cap and rush off to class. When I rolled into the parking lot, I was discouraged about the day; I looked like I had rolled out of bed (I had) and now I was five minutes late to class and quite fearful of point deduction. On my way in, however, the Lord filled my eyes with sunshine and my nose with the delightful smell of spring and pollen, reminding me of His glory.
The nature of the day allowed for my afternoon class to convene an hour early in order to get out an hour early. Our teacher also had unusual measure grace and let us out an hour early (extremely unusual). I was able to get home at 2pm instead of 4. On my way out to my car, I looked around and observed the blooming trees, the whirring bugs, and the sunny sky. It was magnificent. I stretched my face towards the heavens and thanked God for His creation, His glory, and His amazing Being.
The dawning of each new season, with its own new glories always reminds me of what an awesome God I serve (The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands." Psalm 19:1). It also always saddens me to think that so many in this world simultaneously enjoy what I enjoy, but do not see God's glory ("For since the creation of the world, God's invisible qualities---his eternal power and divine nature---have been clearly seen, being understood from what had been made, so that men are without excuse." Romans 1:20)