Psalm 42:3 My tears have been my food Day and night, While they say to me all day long, Where is your God? (4) These things I remember, And I pour out my soul within me: That I passed through with the throng; I led them to the house of God With the voice of a joyous shout and praise, The festal multitude. (5) Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I will yet praise Him For the salvation of His countenance.
As you learn to praise, you will find that there are days in which you cannot gather yourself to praise. Perhaps you praised God seven times today, yesterday, and the day before. But one day you will find that you cannot utter a praise. On such days you are in pain, total darkness, or dire trouble. On such days you suffer misunderstanding and slander. You are busy shedding tears of self-pity. You feel that the most obvious response would be complaint rather than praise. You feel that the most obvious thing to do would be to murmur rather than give thanks. At that very moment, you should remember that Jehovah's throne has not changed, His name has not changed, and His glory has not changed. You should praise Him simply because He is worthy of praise. You should bless Him simply because He is worthy of all blessings. At that moment, your praise becomes a sacrifice of praise. Your praise is like the slaughter of your fattest calf. Your praise in tears is a sacrifice of praise. You are wounded before God. You die before God. You suffer loss, and you sacrifice before God. But you realize that God's throne is established in the heavens and cannot be shaken, and you do not hold back your praise. This is the sacrifice of praise. God desires His children to praise Him in everything and through every situation.
Bible verses are taken from the Recovery Version of the Bible and Words of Ministry from Watchman Nee, Messages for Building Up New Believers, pp. 249-250. Both are published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, CA. Please visit us at www.emanna.com. Send comments to: [email protected].
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