Glorify
His Name
By Karen D’Amore
“I will praise you,
O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever.”
Psalm
86:12 (NIV, emphasis added)
“This is how God
works. He puts people in positions where they’re desperate for His power, and
then He shows His provision in ways that display His greatness. –David Platt (1)
My
personal power-meter teetered near “empty.” Work, work, and more work! Two jobs
with extensive hours consumed my life. With my husband’s sudden unemployment… thrusting
me into the role of “provider”… finances dictated the burdensome work load. As
spring and summer passed me by, work prevented participation in most church and
social activities. Feeling discouraged in my season of isolation, I hungered
for fellowship. With relief eluding the foreseeable future, I resolved to work
away another season.
Signs
of fall and the start-up of new Bible studies perpetuated deeper discouragement.
As my flesh and logic felt pressured to maintain the daunting work load, participation
in a formal Bible study seemed impossible. Feeling conflicted over the necessity
to work… and the importance of being in fellowship with other believers… I petitioned
God’s solution.
When
invited to co-lead a Wednesday night Bible study, God met me in that conflicted
prayer, clearly exhorting me to commit to the Study… to step-out-in-faith
and trust Him as Provider. Accepting
the leadership position would require a change/reduction in my work schedule. Feeling
confident in God’s exhortation to trust Him, I returned to work the following
day and canceled my monetarily crucial Wednesday night shift.
Within
hours of deleting those crucial hours from my work schedule, my husband
appeared unexpectedly at my job. Presenting me a celebratory rose, he shared
the news of a desirable job offer. Honoring obedience to His voice and a
step-of-faith, God faithfully provided. Living out the sentiments of David
Platt’s quote, our “need” provided a platform for God to display His greatness
and shine as our Provider! Glory to
God!!
As
Christ-followers, we can trust that our life circumstances are God-allowed or
God-arranged: divine opportunities for Him to display His greatness and for us to
glorify His name. Choosing God-dependence over self-reliance, we must believe that
where God guides, He WILL provide. And that we must decrease, so that He can
increase!
When
Moses asked God (burning bush) His name, God answered, “I AM!” (Exodus 3:13-15)
Today, let’s praise God and glorify His name, for who “ HE IS”…
… In our heartache, He is our
Comforter! (Psalm 86:17)
… In our sickness, He is our Healer! (Psalm 147:3)
… In our discouragement, He
is our Encourager! (Deut. 31:6)
… In our needs, He is our Provider! (1 Timothy 6:17)
GOING DEEPER:
1. Are you glorifying who “HE IS” in your
_________________?
FURTHER READING:
(1) David Platt, Radical (Colorado Springs: Waterbrook
Multnomah Publishers, 2010)
Married
to Dan, Karen, a retired police officer, works as a Manicurist at Craig Berns
and Foot Care Specialist at Shorehaven Senior Facility. She co-leads a Women’s
Bible study at Oakwood.
