Author, Father M. Devadas
2. PRAISING GOD FOR HIS DIVINE QUALITIES
(PRAISES FOR USE IN CONGREGATIONAL DEVOTIONS)
EVERLASTING BEING : Oh Eternal God, You have
been existing without being created (even before the foundation of the earth was laid).
You are watching all
our
movements.
You have planned and provided everything
we need even before the beginning of creation. Hence,
we offer our grateful salutation to you.
INFINITY : Oh Infinite God, You have existed always. You have provided Your Eternal presence and everything for all times and ages for our benefit, to be useful for us to to our entire satisfaction. Hence, we offer our praises to You.
LOVE : Oh Father of Love if You had not revealed to
us as the Triune God, we would not love You.
Your love is
widely manifested in the entire creation.
Your love for us
exceeds our love towards our children. Due to Your love
You have created us. What else can You do except to love
us? Because of Your love towards us, You thought over in
advance and have made everything available to us.
Just
because of that love You have been patiently bearing with
us, punishing us and forgive us. Due to Your love toward
us, You have promised not to remember our sins again.
For this, we adore You.
HOLINESS : Holy Father, You have created the entire creation and the man in perfect holiness. After the
entry of sin into us we have become sinners. By Your
holiness, You are making us holy again. Only because
You are holy, You are being worshipped forever by the
hosts of angels who are praising Your holiness.
You will
purify us and will make us holy and will keep us in Your
presence forever. Hence we praise You.
OMNIPOTENCE : Oh Omnipotent Father, can do
everything but You cannot sin.
You can do everything perfectly for our sake however difficult and impossible
task it
may be.
You are able to satisfy our desires. When we
having fallen, have asked You to raise us up, You would
definitely do accordingly. For that we worship You.
OMNISCIENT GOD : Oh Omniscient Father, You
have given Your knowledge and wisdom to angels, to men
and to all the creatures. Only because of that knowledge
the man can understand many mysteries in the creation.
Even if I struggle hard to get something wit my own
strength or wisdom to achieve what I thought I cannot
get it.
You will know with Your Omniscient wisdom that it
will only hurt me and I will not get anything whatever I
seek in my foolishness. It is beyond my knowledge and it
is within the range of Your boundless wisdom. When we
do not understand any portion of the Bible, we will
unnecessarily be troubled at our hearts by questioning
ourselves.
In spite of depending on our knowledge, if we
ask You earnestly, You will definitely reveal the truth in it.
For that we salute You.
An Illustration :
Once I having been grieved to imagine the condition
of those men who have died without hearing the gospel
even once in their lifetime enquired the Lord about them.
The Lord answered "I have conducted Bible Classes in
Hades (the habitation of unsaved spirits) and preaching
there. Then I exclaimed happily saying "Now it is clear
Father". Thus I felt glad and praised the Lord.
LIFE: Oh Lord of life we know that You are abundant
in Life, and so You have been actively involving in the
entire universe ceaselessly.
When the life You have put in us
turns inactive, You revive us with Your life giving Spirit,
with which myself and my prayer will be full of life and
vitality. Even if death occurs, it is not death, but it is considered as a renewed life. For this blessed
quality we
adore You.