~from the January 2006 archives~

because of who You are i give You glory

spiritual awareness has always come naturally to me. since i was a little girl, i always took for granted the peace that surrounded me when it came to my beliefs and my relationship with God. when i was a child, i saw God everywhere . i still do. in people, in music, in nature. God is forever present in my life.

 

because of who You are i give You praise

still, because i am so emotionally private i found it hard to openly express and worship Him. in church i would see people catch “the holy ghost”. i would hear my mother and the dadas when they prayed aloud and i wanted to be like them. i hate praying aloud. it seems as though i never know what to say when others are listening. there are people that are always so eloquent when they are speaking/praying to God. me? not so much.

maybe it’s because it doesn’t seem like our relationship is some huge phenomenon. i’ve always seen God as a part of me. my conversations with Him come at both the strangest and the most ordinary times. in the car. while i’m sleeping. whenever. whereever. He speaks. i listen. i speak. He listens. my dearest and most private confidante. even when writing, my journals have always begun with “Dear God”. it’s as if we are having a never ending conversation.

because of who You are i will lift my voice and say…

still, i’ve always wanted to be one of “those people”. the ones whose praise rolls effortlessly off of their tongues. i have so much to be thankful for. i admit my life has been charmed. even through troubling times, in my heart always knew that i was favored. that my life was meant to be used for some purpose.

especially when people began to tell me that i touched them. that my presence gave them peace. that my actions or my words to them would come at the right time, as if God used me at various points to speak to them. i used to worry that because i wasn’t one of “those people” that one day my gifts would be taken away because i hadn’t learned how to pray.

“Lord, i worship You because of who You are.”

until one day i realized that i’ve been praying all of my life. my conversations with God, my recognition of his presence in all aspects of my life. my desire to live my life with His guidance is all a form of worship to him. the fact that i have never felt completely abandoned or alone, even during my “lonely” times is all a testimony of my love for Him. the fact that if He never did another thing for me, if He never guided me towards another blessing has shown me that my relationship with Him…with my “higher self” has come full circle.

Jehovah Jireh, my provider

i still believe that He will provide me with my heart’s desires. He always has. there’s never been a thing that i’ve wanted…that i’ve asked for…that i haven’t received. but i’ve come to a point in my life where i’ve stopped “asking” and have begun to trust that with His guidance, i am headed in the right direction.

Jehovah Nissi, Lord You reign in victory

i don’t have to fight, argue or engage in deep philosophical conversations to try to convince anyone of His presence in my life. it just is what it is. and i’m no longer battling within myself trying to balance the things that i know in my heart are real with my everyday fears.

Jehovah Shaalom, my Prince of Peace

my birthname means “to whom God is savior” and it is amazing how fulfilling that prophecy has been in my life. i was not truly at peace until i realized that my “prince of peace” had been inside of me all along.

And i worship You because of who you are!

thank you father-mother God, thank you father-mother God, thank you father-mother God…and so it is.

“Lord, i worship You because of who You are”

~because of who You are~
vicki yohe and bishop paul s. morton