Category Archives: Exalting

Exalting our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, lifting Him on high, praising His Name!

God is Love and so much more!

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He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 1 John 4:8-9 (NKJV)

O Father, You are love. And I love You, but my love is so small compared to Your huge, huge love.  Even if my heart is filled to overflowing with love, my heart is tiny and Your heart is as big as the universe, bursting with love for all humanity, sending us Your One and Only Son Jesus to die for us, and filling us with Your Holy Spirit. Blessed Trinity be glorified today! 

Today’s TEA CUPP: Dear Friends, today I share tidbits from the EXALTING section of my prayer journal, as examples of how you can use God’s Word to praise Him.  Pray these prayers as your own, find more EXALTING verses in your Bible and write them in your prayer journal. Share your heart with Jesus, it doesn’t need to be fancy, just tell Him you love Him.  Make EXALTING Jesus a part of your daily TEA time together.  He will love to hear your praises!

Who does great things, and unsearchable,
Marvelous things without number. Job 5:9 (NKJV)

O Father, O Jesus, this is You!  You do great things that we don’t even know and ones we do know, like rain and rainbows and salvation and forgiveness and heaven and peace and comfort and strength and protection and guidance.  You do it all!!! O Jesus, be glorified and magnified today, especially in my prayers for…

Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him?
And what profit do we have if we pray to Him?  Job 21:15 (NKJV)


O Jesus, I know You!  You are the Christ the Son, God the Father, Creator of the universe, Judge who is coming soon, King of kings, Lord of lords, Emmanuel, my Savior, my Friend, my Comforter, my Joy, my Crown, my Life, my Rock, my Fortress, my Deliverer, my Stronghold, my Protector, my Hiding Place, my Redeemer, my all in all! I love and praise You, Jesus!

 But You, O Lord, are a shield for me,
My glory and the One who lifts up my head. Psalm 3:3 (NKJV)

O Jesus, You are my Shield, You protect me from the enemy and send me helpers.  You are my Glory, and one day You will come again in glory!  You are the One who lifts up my head when I’m discouraged.  I love and praise You! Be glorified today!

 Lift up your heads, O you gates!
And be lifted up, you everlasting doors!
And the King of glory shall come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The Lord strong and mighty,
The Lord mighty in battle.
Lift up your heads, O you gates!
Lift up, you everlasting doors!
And the King of glory shall come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The Lord of hosts,
He is the King of glory.
Psalm 24:7-10 (NKJV)

 O Jesus, I imagine You returning and the gates and doors that open to let You out of heaven, even those gates and doors bow before you and then lift their heads in honor of the King of kings who reigns for all eternity.  O Jesus, be glorified!  I love You!  Come, Lord Jesus, Come!

…then they bowed their heads and worshiped.  Exodus 4:31 (NKJV)

Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.” Matthew 14:33 (NKJV)

O Jesus, they worshiped You!  Here are the Israelites in Egypt who haven’t heard from You in 400 years and they know how to worship.  Here are the disciples who also haven’t heard from the prophets in 400 years, since the Old Testament times. They are in the boat with You and they worship You!  They believe in you! They bow! They exalt and praise and worship!  O Jesus, may I do this too with all my heart. I love you!

The Lord is King forever and ever;
The nations have perished out of His land. Psalm 10:16 (NKJV)

O Jesus, You are King forever and ever. Some people don’t realize it (oh, touch their hearts!), that You are King of heaven and earth and You are coming again. That is exciting!  And every knee will bow and tongue confess that You are Lord to the glory of God the Father. O Jesus, be glorified this very day!

Give unto the Lord, O you mighty ones,
Give unto the Lord glory and strength.
Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name;
Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness…The Lord sat enthroned at the Flood, And the Lord sits as King forever.  Psalm 29:1-2,10 (NKJV)


O Jesus, You are King forever! You are Glory and Strength!  You sit on the throne.  Oh, sit on the throne of my life and be glorified!

 Then I will go to the alter of God, to God my exceeding joy; and on the harp I will praise You, O God, my God. Psalm 43:4 (NKJV)

O Jesus, O Father, I come to Your alter, to Your throne, to Your footstool. I can’t quite look up and see You because of Your radiance and glory.  I bow down instead and worship You.  You are my exceeding joy.  I sing songs of praise to You, O God, my God. And then, I get brave and climb the footstool and crawl up into Your lap and let You hold me under Your wing as my heart continues to praise You.  I love You, dearest Jesus!

In God we boast all day long, And praise Your Name forever. Psalm 44:8 (NKJV)

O Jesus, I love and praise You!  It’s Your right hand that saves me.  It’s Your right hand that holds me close. It’s Your light that lights my darkness.  May I boast all day about You.  I praise Your Name forever and ever.  You are the High Priest who entered the Holy of holies for us and tore the curtain so we can come in, too.  You are the Lamb of God and the Shepherd of the sheep.  You are the Only Way to heaven.  You are the Bread of Life, all the food I’ll ever need.  You are the Living Water, quenching my thirsty soul.  You are everything to me. Be glorified, my Jesus!  (Psalm 44:3, Psalm 44:8, Hebrews 6:18, Hebrews 6:20).

 Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel,
Who only does wondrous things!
And blessed be His glorious name forever!
And let the whole earth be filled with His glory.
Amen and Amen. Psalm 72:18-19 (NKJV)

 Then they rose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord… 1 Samuel 1:19 (NKJV)

Scripture from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982

 

 

 

 

 

Bible Mom: Exalting with Mary

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And Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord,
And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.Luke 1:46-67

We all love Mary.  You know, Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus from your Christmas nativity scene?  Yes, there are many Marys in the Bible, but none is as special as this young lady whom God chose to be the mother of His Son Jesus.  Mary was so obedient when the angel came with the news, that she replied, “Let it be to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38)

After receiving the angel’s announcement, Mary went to visit her cousin Elizabeth who was also miraculously pregnant in her old age with the special baby John the Baptist.  When Mary walked in the door, the baby John leapt inside Elizabeth’s womb for joy that his Savior had come.  What better story is there than this for life beginning in the womb! 

And it was there in Elizabeth’s house that Mary shared her praise to God.  Known as Mary’s song, she sang…

“My soul magnifies the Lord,
And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;
For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.
For He who is mighty has done great things for me,
And holy is His name.
And His mercy is on those who fear Him
From generation to generation.
He has shown strength with His arm;
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
And exalted the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
And the rich He has sent away empty.
He has helped His servant Israel,
In remembrance of His mercy,
As He spoke to our fathers,
To Abraham and to his seed forever.”Luke 1:46-55

Mary’s Song inspires me to pray…

O Jesus, Your dear mother Mary had words to praise You when You were just a tiny baby in her womb.

She magnified You and rejoiced in You. 

She knew You were God and Savior.

She Knew You were the One who does great things and sends us all blessings.

She knew You are holy and merciful and we should come to You in fear and respect.

And she knew You are forever, from generation to generation.

Mary proclaimed all this and EXALTED You with her cousin Elizabeth as they were both expecting miraculous babies. 

May all the world magnify You, Jesus, as did Mary! 

Today’s TEA CUPP:  Read the wonderful story of Mary in Luke 1:26-56. Isn’t it amazing how she praised the Lord so beautifully with this little life inside of her?  Can we do the same? Can we lift up and EXALT the name of Jesus each day as moms?  That’s what the “E” part of the TEA CUPP is all about, EXALTING the Lord.  This week as you read your Bible, be on the lookout for verses to praise Jesus.  Another Bible mom, Hannah, the mother of Samuel prayed this one…

My heart rejoices in the Lord;
My horn is exalted in the Lord.
I smile at my enemies,
Because I rejoice in Your salvation. No one is holy like the Lord,
For there is none besides You,
Nor is there any rock like our God.1 Samuel 2:1-2

God is so Good!

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Thank you to my friends Donna and Wendy and the Forest Service for these great photos!

He gives rain on the earth,
And sends waters on the fields. Job 5:10 (NKJV)

In Montana we had a miracle these past few weeks.  For two months we had smoke and fires.  Then God sent rain and snow to put them out!  The next week He sent more rain and snow, just to make sure there weren’t any more hot spots.  God is so good!

Usually we have the bluest sky in all the world here in Montana.  It really is the Big Sky State, with a sky that for me stretches from the Beartooth Mountains to the Absarokas to the Crazies and beyond.  But on July 17, my parents came to visit and suddenly it was hazy. I remember, because we always want it to be beautiful for our family and visitors.  But the Crazy Mountains just weren’t as clear any more.

The smoke persisted for two months as over a million acres of Montana forests and ranch lands burned.  Firefighters worked nonstop to contain the flames.  High temperatures and drought conditions kept the blazes going. It seemed that every time there were storm clouds, we would get the lightning, not the rain, as if someone was praying Psalm 144:

Bow down Your heavens, O Lord, and come down;
Touch the mountains, and they shall smoke.
Flash forth lightning and scatter them… Psalm 144:5 (NKJV)

The second week of September it was 90 degrees and a new fire broke out from a lightning strike at the north end of the Crazy Mountains.  From our house we could see the plume of smoke going up to the sky.  Friends’ husbands were going out to fight the flames.  People were posting on Facebook, “Pray for snow!”

And guess what, God sent rain and snow!!!  He really does answer prayers!  When the storm lifted we had blue skies again and snow covering our long-hidden Crazy Mountains.  The doxology was my prayer as I took in this beautiful sight, “Praise God from whom all blessings flow, praise Him all creatures here below, praise Him above the heavenly host, praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!”

Alleluia!  Jesus answers prayers!  I bet our friends in the south affected by the hurricanes have awesome stories of  God’s goodness, too!

Today’s TEA CUPP:  Let’s praise Jesus for how He has provided for us, carried us through the storm, protected us and answered our prayers!

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,
Nor shall the flame scorch you.
For I am the Lord your God,
The Holy One of Israel, your Savior.  Isaiah 43:2-3 (NKJV)

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.

Rock Tower

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rock tower2

…Take for yourselves twelve stones from here, out of the midst of the Jordan… Joshua 4:3

Finding new ways to praise Jesus always brings me joy, and I hope it brings Him joy, too.  Since I like to journal my prayers, I write my verses for exalting and praising the Lord right in my journal. One day I read the story of God parting the Jordan River so Joshua could lead the Israelites into the Promised Land. Before the waters returned to the Jordan, Joshua had the leaders of each of the twelve tribes bring a rock from the riverbed to create a tower as a reminder of their miraculous crossing.  Joshua actually made two towers, one at Gilgal, their first campsite in the Promised Land, and one in the very midst of the Jordan River where the priests stood with the Ark of the Covenant (Joshua 4).

Other Old Testament saints also used rocks to worship Yehovah God, the Father of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. When Jacob was running from his brother Esau, he laid down to rest on a stone and dreamed of a ladder going up to heaven.  Upon waking, Jacob set up a stone pillar and poured his oil of praise on it…

 Then Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put at his head, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on top of it. And he called the name of that place Bethel… Genesis 28:18-19

 Later, when the Ark of the Covenant was in jeopardy, the Prophet Samuel set up a stone and called it Ebenezer, declaring, “Thus far the Lord has helped us” (1 Sam. 7:12).  It’s interesting to note that Samuel’s ministry took him through both Bethel and Gilgal (1 Sam. 7:16) where I wonder if he could still see Joshua’s and Jacob’s rock towers?

One day, after reading these stories, I drew a simple rock tower in my prayer journal with twelve rocks. Then I chose these prayer verses from the Psalms, underlining the words that describe God:

 I will love You, O Lord, my strength.
The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
My God, my strength, in whom I will trust;
My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised;
So shall I be saved from my enemies. Psalm 18:1-3

Each of the underlined words I wrote on the twelve rocks in my prayer journal sketch, raising my own Ebenezer of praise and remembrance to Jesus.  We don’t worship the rocks, but we worship the One who is the Rock, who has brought us thus far. We can trust Him to guard and guide us forever.

As I exalted my Jesus, He also showed me I had nothing to fear as I faced the tasks of the day. With such a Rock tower as my Friend, I could hide in Him and be safe.  He would be my shield and fortress and strength through another busy day. My praise to Him became a promise from God for me.

 For who is God, except the Lord?
And who is a rock, except our God?  Psalm 18:31

 You may like to read about the miraculous day the Israelites entered the Promised Land in Joshua 3-4.  Notice how they followed the Ark into the river bed. We must always follow God’s Word, too. And since we are talking about exalting, notice how in Joshua 3:7 the Lord promises to exalt Joshua in the eyes of the people, and in the following verse, Joshua exalts the Lord (Joshua 3:10, 13).  Joshua proclaims, “…the Living God…the Lord of all the earth…”

 Today’s TEA CUPP: Try drawing your own rock tower in your prayer journal today.  Draw 12 stones in a pile.  On each stone write a word describing God or giving Him praise.  Read 1 Peter 2:4-8 for a very special Stone and 1 Chronicles 29:10-13 for more words of praise for your rock tower. Claim God’s promise to be your Rock throughout the day.

The Lord lives, Blessed be my Rock!
Let the God of my salvation be exalted.  Psalm 18:46

  •  My hope is built on nothing less
  • than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
  • I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
  • But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
  • On Christ the solid Rock I stand;
  • All other ground is sinking sand,
  • All other ground is sinking sand.
  • (Edward Mote, 1834)

(See also 1 Samuel 2:2, 1 Chronicles 29:11, 2 Chronicles 20:6, Psalm 34:1-3, Psalm 61:2, Daniel 2:35, Matthew 21:42, Luke 19:40, 1 Corinthians 10:4, 1 Peter 2:6)

 Scripture from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson