Love these ideas! You’ve now got a WHOLE YEAR to gather friends and family and come up with some ways you can bring others unexpected blessings! Please feel free to post other ideas you’ve seen!
1 Chronicles 16:25 For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised: he also is to be feared above all gods.
Psalm 47:6-7 Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises. 7 For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding.
Psalm 48:10 According to thy name, O God, so is thy praise unto the ends of the earth: thy right hand is full of righteousness.
Psalm 57:9 I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people: I will sing unto thee among the nations.
Psalm 68:32 Sing unto God, ye kingdoms of the earth; O sing praises unto the Lord; Selah:
Psalm 69:34 Let the heaven and earth praise him, the seas, and every thing that moveth therein.
Psalm 98:4 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.
Psalm 108:3 I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people: and I will sing praises unto thee among the nations.
Psalm 117:1 O praise the Lord, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people.
Isaiah 61:11 For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.
Psalm 148:12-14 Both young men, and maidens; old men, and children: 13 Let them praise the name of the Lord: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven. 14 He also exalteth the horn of his people, the praise of all his saints; even of the children of Israel, a people near unto him. Praise ye the Lord.
Psalm 149:1 Praise ye the Lord. Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints.
Psalm 150:6 Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord.
Isaiah 42:10 Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein; the isles, and the inhabitants thereof.
Isaiah 61:10-11 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. 11 For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.
Jeremiah 51:41 How is Sheshach taken! and how is the praise of the whole earth surprised! how is Babylon become an astonishment among the nations!
Habakkuk 3:3 God came from Teman, and the Holy One from mount Paran. Selah. His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise.
Romans 15:11 And again, Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and laud him, all ye people.
Revelation 1:7-8 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. 8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.
This is a deep topic. I will provide more information over the coming year in preparation for Christmas 2014.
For now, let me post some comments I made recently:
I just came through the 4th year of “Waves Of Praise” on Christmas Day. It Was The Lord Who Clearly Asked me to do this. I wondered about it because I have done in-depth studies of, and follow the Feasts. What He Showed me was amazing.
On Christmas, a pagan holiday, people think more about Him and His Birth (even though its not His Birthday,) than any other time except Easter or Passover. People who almost never go to churches pack them on Christmas Eve or Day. Plays, pageants, musicals, and choirs are put on that pull people in to hear about Him, worship Him and praise Him. He Told me that ANY day His people think about Him is a good day.
It is a season filled with love and giving, and reaching out to the poor and needy. It is a season people often step outside of themselves and their own little worlds, to remember others. It is a time of the year that donations are at their highest, often helping to carry on the work of God in churches and ministries for the coming year.
For 24 hours at 3pm in each time zone, people just gathered together for the Waves Of Praise movement – to praise Him, worship Him, and forget commercialism, wrappings, presents and family feuds. Which brings up another thing. Families are often reunited during the Christmas season, with hearts reaching out past their past hurts. So, how can we say that God isn’t in this? Sounds like people are walking more like Yeshua at this time of year than at any other.
He Honors the intents of our hearts, and is more about the spirit of the law than the letter of the law. Also, many tv programs, movies and public concerts center on Him and His Story. Yes, as the Body of Christ, we must remember that God Ordained the 7 Feasts. We are beginning to restore the celebrations of the Holy Feast Days of The Lord. After all, Jesus Celebrated them every year for the 33 years He Was on earth. That means, He Celebrated The Sabbath on Friday nights and Saturdays over 1700 times in His Life (33 years x 52 weeks.)
But, He Is not about ritualism or legalism. In fact, a few years ago, He Reminded me to purchase my ticket for a Seder meal. I kept thinking I still had time, being caught up in the work He’s Asked me to do. Eventually it was too late, and all Seder meals in this area were completely sold out. I literally was upon my bed weeping and weeping as if I’d lost my Best Friend. I understand the importance of keeping the Feasts and the inherent blessings. He Came to me, and Said, “I Was Told you were weeping. You still have time to go to the store and get the things you need to celebrate a Seder meal at home. So, I quickly ran to the store. Step by step, He Took the lengthy Seder service and Collapsed it into 30-40 minutes, covering all the basic points. ” He Did away with legalism, and ritualism and Helped me to give Him Honor. I will never forget this. Relationship with HIM is and always will be more important than dates on a calendar – pagan or God’s Calendar. It is all about honoring Him, and praising Him. At Christmas, people even get bold about “making sure Christ is in Christmas, ” and “Merry Christmas” instead of “Happy Holidays.” This cements it in people that they need to stand up for their belief in Him, and perhaps it’s a form of training for these end times.
One last thought: God IS NOT about lights, trees, ornaments, wrappings or running up credit card bills. He’s NOT about causing families to go beyond their means. He’s NOT about the latest electronic things, or the latest video games. Most of them He Wouldn’t Want you to have because of their content. God IS NOT about feeling “less than” if you can’t afford to buy presents. Remember, He Had One Garment and no place to Lay His Head. The commercialism of Christmas has to go. It’s all about manufacturers hyping up Christmas so that people will feel awful if their children don’t have the latest Elmo or whatever. News flash: Elmo’s not going to Heaven! Make next year a simpler Christmas, more reflective of your Savior. Buy somebody in Africa or elsewhere a goat, a lamb, or a cow. Let your whole family get involved of “how we can help others” instead of “I HAVE to have this toy!” Raise up a child in the way they should go……
As I look back at the last 2 weeks, and Waves Of Praise, I can only be amazed, astonished, humbled to tears, grateful, thankful..and exhausted. What God Did in Throwing Open the doors was AMAZING! I can’t begin to number the number of times He Came to me and Told me How Pleased He and The Father Are. He Told me it ended up being much larger than I had imagined. It was worth all the nights without sleep, the aching bones, the doing without food for “just a little longer” so I could get the work done. I was denied the time with my children and grandchildren at Christmas, so this praise movement could be accomplished. I know The Lord – He’ll Arrange some special times with them all. What are you willing to do/give up in order to be 100% obedient to The Lord? He REQUIRES ALL.
I’ve been on a marathon of sorts with this. My body is in need of sleep. My heart and mind ready to rest in The LORD this night. Day by day, I would be astonished at what He Was Doing with this movement. I just came through a 24 hour period of almost non-stop “work” – but it was a labor of love for The Lord and our Father. Holy Spirit Guided and Directed me, and Showed me how to accomplish this task. For one person to do this? No. There were MORE. God, Jesus, Holy Spirit, me, Their angels, AND ALL OF YOU! Even when it was finally done, and after 10:00pm on Christmas night, I had to go out in the cold night air and try to find someplace that was open that could make me something to eat. (No – it was NOT a Chinese restaurant like in the movie The Christmas Story.) (And I got to minister while I was there!)
God Gave HIS ONLY Son. Jesus GAVE HIS WHOLE LIFE. They Won’t Accept an hour on Sunday mornings. They Want ALL of us! NOTHING WITHHELD! GIVE HIM YOUR hearts, minds, bodies, thoughts, dreams, desires, everything you are and everything you’re not. Give Him your fears, tears, worries, hurts, grudges, offenses and blaming others. Give Him your time, your possessions, your homes and families and friends. Give Him your pastors and churches. Leave nothing at all in your life that has a name tag attached with your name on it.
Luke 12:47-49
47 And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.48 But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.49 I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled?
He’s Already Shown me some of what’s to come with it next year, and how to plan for it. The magnitude of this blessing…the whole earth praising The Lord for 24 hours? I’ve been at Their Feet so many times….it is an unutterable privilege – no words to describe it. Next year? Oh YES! I’d do it all again in a heartbeat. That’s what The Lord Wants from us…..pouring ourselves out in service to Him…day and night, going without, giving Him every last ounce of ourselves.
Now – rest – JOY – digesting it all, and planning for next year. Good night, world! I’ve been across the whole world today….and are my fingers tired!
BLESS YOU, LORD! BLESS YOU FATHER! BLESS YOU HOLY SPIRIT!
And, please? BLESS EVERYONE that participated in one way or another.
BLESS THE LORD WITH GREAT THANKSGIVING FOR HIS UNSPEAKABLE GIFT!
THANK YOU!
To All Those Who Have Participated in The Waves Of Praise Movement 2013!
We’ve gone from the west side of the International Date Line all the way around the globe to the east side of it. Peoples of many lands and many languages all raising their voices to the Heavens, and their God and King!
I am so humbled by the many things The Lord Has Done to get this message out to all the world. And, I thank HIM and YOU for all the new friendships, contacts, words, prayers and more that have come from this year’s Waves Of Praise!
I pray that each of you will carry a new measure of love for The Lord in your hearts, and remember to praise Him EVERY DAY!
All through the past 24hours, Holy Spirit Guided, Directed and Inspired me as to what is to come….next year!
If you’ve taken photos of your gatherings, please send them to me at patty@pattythomas.com, identifying the location. Or, post them to one of the blogs below!
This year, I’ll assemble a pdf of praise and Christmas songs that can be downloaded.
Waves of Praise 