Recently I read about a woman named Rachel, persevering through very difficult circumstances. She knew that praising God was a smart strategy to implement. Praise invites his presence, and it is in God’s presence we can experience absolute joy (Psalm 16:11)—even in the midst of trouble.
But putting praise into practice proved challenging. Her situation wanted front and center attention; her mind kept returning to the worry and what-ifs.
Rachel decided to make her morning swim a time of praise. For each letter of the alphabet, she tried to name a descriptor of God’s goodness while she lapped the pool.
Her tactic worked. Focusing on praise first thing in the morning helped to establish a positive frame of mind, easing stress and worry for the rest of the day (1).
The author did not include Rachel’s list. I had to wonder: Could I name twenty-six facets of God’s goodness, each beginning with a different letter and affirmed by scripture?
The effort turned out to be a delightful, uplifting exercise. Below is my alphabet of praise.
Our God is:
A – Attentive to every need of every person in his realm (Matthew 6:25-33)
B – Benevolent beyond our dreams (Ephesians 3:20-21)
C – Compassionate toward those who are hurting (Psalm 86:15)
D – Dependable to support, sustain, and keep us secure (Psalm 55:22)
E – Eager for all to know and understand truth, to receive his gift of eternal life (1 Timothy 2:3-4)
F – Faithful through all generations, as enduring as the earth he created (Psalm 119:90)
G – Gentle in his guidance and care for his children (Isaiah 40:11)
H – Honoring us (!) with all needful favor in this life and admittance to glory in the world to come (Psalm 84:11 and Barnes Commentary)
I – Impartial to all who come to him, no matter our circumstance or appearance (Romans 2:11; Psalm 145:8-9)
J – Just in all his ways, choosing what is exactly right (Isaiah 5:16)
K – Kind, considerate, and helpful as he continually demonstrates his caring nature (Jeremiah 9:24)
L – Loving to the extreme; sending his Son to the cross as the supreme sacrifice for our sins (1 John 4:10)
M – Merciful beyond belief, exchanging our shame for his glory when we turn to him (Ephesians 2:4-7)
N – Never-failing to accomplish his purposes (Isaiah 46:10)
O – Omnipotent over every event, every circumstance (Psalm 103:19)
P – Patient to refine us, day by day, into the best version of ourselves (Philippians 1:6)
Q – Qualified to rectify or redeem any situation (Matthew 19:26)
R – Righteous and perfect in all his ways (Psalm 145:17)
S – Sheltering us under his powerful, protective wings (Psalm 57:1)
T – Tender yet practical in his continual thoughts of each of us (Psalm 139:17-18, 32:8)
U – Understanding of our foibles and weaknesses (Psalm 103:14)
V – Victorious over all sorrow, crying, pain—even death—when Jesus returns (Revelation 21:4)
W – Wise beyond human understanding (Romans 11:33-36)
X – X-pert at all he does (Deuteronomy 32:4)
Y – Yearning for all his children to come home to him (2 Peter 3:9)
Z – Zealous to fill us with hope, joy, and peace (Romans 15:13)
And this is just a sampling of who our God is!
Think of it: ALL that we need is found in ALL that he is.
“With the goodness of God
to desire our highest welfare,
the wisdom of God to plan it,
and the power of God to achieve it,
what do we lack?”
—A. W. Tozer
* * * * * * * * * *
Help me, O God, to soar on wings of praise, even in the storms of life. May I keep my eyes on you, my sovereign and powerful Heavenly Father, in whom I can wholly trust. Hallelujah!
(1) ______, God’s Little Lessons on Life, Honor Books, 2001.
What facets of God’s goodness would you add to the list? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!
(Art & photo credits: http://www.peterson.af.mil; http://www.maxpixel.net; http://www.dailyverses.net; http://www.canva.com (2); http://www.dailyverses.net; http://www.publicdomainpictures.net; http://www.dailyverses.net.)
From the Inside Out 
This is indeed an awesome idea Nancy! God inhabits the praises of his people!! And I wonder how many times we go through the alphabet doing this again and again?
M-m-m. Just how many times COULD we go through the alphabet naming facets of God’s goodness?! An intriguing idea, Sheila!
Okay… this is one of my favorite posts ever! I too at times use the ABCs when prayer walking to praise God and dwell on Hid character but I love how you attached scripture to each attribute!! My favorites are loving and merciful but also delightful ,incomparable and powerful…this is a great challenge for me to go through and select verses to confirm! Thank you Nancy… and you were the one who taught me the power of praise many years ago… and, I am grateful❣️
Oh, yes, our God is delightful! It saddens me that some people see him as judgmental, stern, and uncaring when the exact opposite is true! I do not remember teaching you about the power of praise, but I am grateful that you’ve experienced its power through the challenges you’ve faced. You are a poster child for faith under fire, my friend!
Nancy, this is such a beautiful post, encouraging and so helpful! It encourages me to focus on Him, not my circumstances (I am afraid I could so easily go through the alphabet and list all the reasons why I am overwhelmed) … thanks for re-adjusting my vision to see Him in all He is! Blessings
Thank you, Heidi. How delightful that God used this post to encourage you. It’s one I will definitely return to myself when circumstances overwhelm. Instant uplift at my fingertips! Blessings to you also, my friend, especially as we look forward to corporate worship tomorrow!
Hi Nancy,
The Word uses all the letter of the alphabet.
Gary
You’ve got a point there, Gary! 🙂
Nancy, this is indeed a very inspiring post. It has given me an idea to use with the Encouragers. Thank you as always for an uplifting message. Love to you and Steve.
Thank you, Ruth. How delightful this post gave you an idea to use with the Encouragers. I still pray for your group and am glad to hear you’re still meeting. Such an important ministry!
What an inspired abecedary, Nancy! Your heart to encourage and equip along with your creativity and grasp of scriptures just keeps expanding. I can almost hear His whispered “Well done.”
Wow! Thank you for the great word, Laurie: abecedary! (Although context clues gave strong indication of its meaning, I looked it up anyway.) Thank you also for your kind words. Your encouragement means much, my friend!
I’ve learned a new word today…abecedary! Thanks Laurie!
Cheri, you’re welcome! Isn’t that a cool word? I learned it in a calligraphy class.
One of my favorites, Nancy! A truly lovely post. This is a great exercise that I will do. I loved Heidi’s comment about ‘re-adjusting my vision’. Perfect. I love this one: ‘Omnipotent over every event, every circumstance (Psalm 103:19).’ With the way that this world is drifting further and further away from God…it reminds me that He is ultimately in control and will prevail! Praise His Name!
So glad you found loveliness here, Cheri. And I couldn’t agree with you more: God’s ultimate control IS a great comfort!
This is excellent! I love these reminders of God as our all-in-all. We could brainstorm all day long and still not come close to the vastness of His intellect or all the amazing things He has done!
Thank you Elihu. You’re right that we could brainstorm all day but still not cover the vastness of our God. He is indeed beautiful beyond description, just like the old praise song said!
Nancy, just thinking onscreen here . . . what if you created a gift book or online, downloadable booklet based on this post, perhaps with contemporized Versals (for each capital letter), and a brief meditation, definition of the chosen word, and prayer rounding out the scripture passages?
What a lovely idea, Laurie, that had not even occurred to me as a possibility. I am putting your suggestion in the Future Project File!
Smiling . . .
[…] to us, COMPASSIONATE, and DELIGHTFUL—you get the idea. (For a sample of such an alphabet, see “God’s Goodness from A to Z,” a post from […]