Click this link to hear an audio version of the below text narrated by SOTH member Jerry Rhinehart:
Psalm 113 (NIV)
1 Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, you his servants; praise the name of the Lord. 2 Let the name of the Lord be praised, both now and forevermore. 3 From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised. 4 The Lord is exalted over all the nations, his glory above the heavens. 5 Who is like the Lord our God, the One who sits enthroned on high, 6 who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth? 7 He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; 8 he seats them with princes, with the princes of his people. 9 He settles the childless woman in her home as a happy mother of children. Praise the Lord.
The Dead-Living—The end of those who trust in the Living God and not present circumstance
Lord, Praise is the appropriate response to You for all that You have done. You are worthy of all my worship and praise. To live in gratitude is not only the right response, that heals my heart and teaches me humility, but it also pleases You. Help me to look for ways that I can be thankful every day, fill my heart with gratitude for all of the gifts I have been given and help me to not take anything for granted. My health, my wealth, my loved ones, and every day are gifts, and I thank and praise You for them. Most of all I praise You for Your mercy and Grace. I thank You for loving me when I didn’t deserve to be loved, forgiving me and taking my sins on the cross. All my needs, all my hurts and all my pain will be taken away on the last day because of that cross that provided me a way to eternal life with You. So I praise You with all my heart, I sing will forever praise Your name. Amen