If you’ve followed my blog for the last year, you know I’ve been working toward 52 weeks of praise-my Praise Project. In the beginning I wrote about how when my husband was a youth pastor he would challenge the kids on Sunday mornings to look for God-sightings that following week and be prepared to share them with the group; the idea being to concentrate on what God was doing in their lives rather than focusing on the negative things that were going on. I took that idea and decided to find one thing every day to praise God for and document those things a week at a time.
I admit over the last year, there have been days and weeks where it has been challenging to find anything to praise God for, wondering if He ‘d lost interest in me, if He was really working in my life. Always after setting myself and feelings aside, He would gently remind me of what He was doing, how He was working and encourage me to keep pressing on.
Because this is my last Praise Project I really wanted to do something different. It wasn’t until singing an old hymn in church this morning that I settled on the following Praise Project, words from the hymn “I Stand Amazed in the Presence” by Charles Gabriel (1856-1932). Singing these words this morning felt like the crescendo to the whole year of focusing on God’s presence in my life in the form of praise. I couldn’t have said it better myself, than this hymn so without further ado, I’ve numbered a week’s worth of praises within the verses of the song. Thank you for taking this journey with me this year.
I stand amazed in the presence
Of Jesus the Nazarene
1). And I wonder how He could love me,
A sinner condemned, unclean.
2). For me it was in the garden He prayed,
“Not my will, but thine”
3). He had no tears for His own griefs,
But sweat drops of blood for mine
4). He took my sins and my sorrows,
He made them His very own
5). He bore the burden to Calv’ry,
And suffered and died alone
6). When with the ransomed in glory
His face I at last shall see,
7).’Twill be my joy thro’ the ages,
To sing of His love for me.
How marvelous! How wonderful!
and my song shall ever be;
How marvelous! How wonderful!
is my Savior’s love to me!”
Kathryn Nielson 