"My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing, yea, I will sing praises." - Psalm 57:7
Our problems in life are in general of two kinds. The first kind is circumstantial, arising from the turn of events. This may be met and overcome by prayer. The other kind is more personal, the suffering of being hurt or humiliated by others. For such affronts and misunderstandings prayer does not seem to avail. I myself had prayed, and I know. It is futile to wrestle with such problems and to strive in prayer about them. I want to suggest that you should turn instead to praise.
You should bow your head and say to the Lord, 'Lord, I thank you. I receive this bad treatment as from Your hands and I praise you for it all.' By so doing you will find that everything is transcended. What the Lord has permitted to come to you cannot be wrong. Everything that He does is perfect. As you thus praise God, your spirit rises victorious over your problems and God Himself takes care of your hurt feelings.
The Joyful Heart (Watchman Nee 主僕倪柝聲弟兄)
Read the Scriptures: Psalm 57
Showing posts with label praise. Show all posts
Showing posts with label praise. Show all posts
Monday, September 24, 2007
Monday, August 13, 2007
Enlargement Through Pressure
"Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace." - Daniel 3:17
How does the Church reach her goal? Only by traveling the pathway from pressure to enlargement, from poverty to enrichment. You ask: What do we mean by enlargement through pressure? When three are shut into a furnace and the three become four, that is enlargement through pressure. Some find a furnace rather close quarters for three, so they seek a way of escape; others accept the limitation, and in accepting it, make room for a Fourth. Not to let difficulties shut us out from God, but to let them shut us in to Him, that is enlargement through pressure. Some, through pressure, reach God's end; others come to an end in the pressure. Some die in straitness; others, through straitness, find fullness of life. Some murmur when trials befall, finding in them only restraint, limitation and death; others praise God for the trials, and in doing so discover the pathway to enlargement, liberation and abundance of life.
A Table In The Wilderness (Watchman Nee 主僕倪柝聲弟兄)
Read the Scriptures: Daniel 3
How does the Church reach her goal? Only by traveling the pathway from pressure to enlargement, from poverty to enrichment. You ask: What do we mean by enlargement through pressure? When three are shut into a furnace and the three become four, that is enlargement through pressure. Some find a furnace rather close quarters for three, so they seek a way of escape; others accept the limitation, and in accepting it, make room for a Fourth. Not to let difficulties shut us out from God, but to let them shut us in to Him, that is enlargement through pressure. Some, through pressure, reach God's end; others come to an end in the pressure. Some die in straitness; others, through straitness, find fullness of life. Some murmur when trials befall, finding in them only restraint, limitation and death; others praise God for the trials, and in doing so discover the pathway to enlargement, liberation and abundance of life.
A Table In The Wilderness (Watchman Nee 主僕倪柝聲弟兄)
Read the Scriptures: Daniel 3
Monday, June 18, 2007
Wounded Soldiers
"For thus shall be richly supplied unto you the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." - 2 Peter 1:11
Immediately after the Great War in Europe, a great celebration was held in London. The war had just been concluded, and the soldiers had returned home for a triumphant march. As the soldiers marched on, the sound waves of applause and praise flowed incessantly. Rank after rank had passed by until suddenly the air was explosive with the tremendous waves of even greater applause and praise. Many who watched were moved to tears. And at one point the nobility saluted and the king removed his crown. And why? Because immediately behind the marching ranks came carrier after carrier of soldiers who had lost their limbs or had been terribly wounded in body!
Those who have suffered on earth and have forsaken something for the sake of Christ, they shall receive much on that day just as had the wounded soldiers received much during that triumphal march; louder applause, higher praise, and greater glory.
The Lord My Portion (Watchman Nee 主僕倪柝聲弟兄)
Read the Scriptures: 2 Peter 1
Immediately after the Great War in Europe, a great celebration was held in London. The war had just been concluded, and the soldiers had returned home for a triumphant march. As the soldiers marched on, the sound waves of applause and praise flowed incessantly. Rank after rank had passed by until suddenly the air was explosive with the tremendous waves of even greater applause and praise. Many who watched were moved to tears. And at one point the nobility saluted and the king removed his crown. And why? Because immediately behind the marching ranks came carrier after carrier of soldiers who had lost their limbs or had been terribly wounded in body!
Those who have suffered on earth and have forsaken something for the sake of Christ, they shall receive much on that day just as had the wounded soldiers received much during that triumphal march; louder applause, higher praise, and greater glory.
The Lord My Portion (Watchman Nee 主僕倪柝聲弟兄)
Read the Scriptures: 2 Peter 1
Monday, April 30, 2007
Sacrifice of Praise
"Through Him then let us offer a sacrifice of praise to God continually." - Hebrews 13:15
Praise of God is Satan's target. I do not say he does not oppose prayer; for you only have to start praying to God and sure enough, he intervenes. Yet even more does he assault the praises of God's children. He would gladly exert all his strength to prevent God receiving one word of praise, for if prayer is frequently a battle, praise is victory. At the sound of it Satan flees. I discovered this during the first two years of my Christian life, and have not ceased to rejoice in the peace of heart it has brought me.
Let us not, however, make the mistake of equating praise with joyfulness. Look at the Scriptures. It was out of the pressure upon his people that God drew forth so many of the songs that there delight us. He does not measure praise merely by its exuberance. For in its nature praise is sacrifice. Not only must we exalt His name when we stand on the summit and view the promised land; we must learn also to compose psalms of confidence in Him when we walk through the valley of the shadow. This is praise in truth.
The Joyful Heart (Watchman Nee 主僕倪柝聲弟兄)
Read the Scriptures: Hebrews 13
Praise of God is Satan's target. I do not say he does not oppose prayer; for you only have to start praying to God and sure enough, he intervenes. Yet even more does he assault the praises of God's children. He would gladly exert all his strength to prevent God receiving one word of praise, for if prayer is frequently a battle, praise is victory. At the sound of it Satan flees. I discovered this during the first two years of my Christian life, and have not ceased to rejoice in the peace of heart it has brought me.
Let us not, however, make the mistake of equating praise with joyfulness. Look at the Scriptures. It was out of the pressure upon his people that God drew forth so many of the songs that there delight us. He does not measure praise merely by its exuberance. For in its nature praise is sacrifice. Not only must we exalt His name when we stand on the summit and view the promised land; we must learn also to compose psalms of confidence in Him when we walk through the valley of the shadow. This is praise in truth.
The Joyful Heart (Watchman Nee 主僕倪柝聲弟兄)
Read the Scriptures: Hebrews 13
Monday, March 26, 2007
Behold the Lamb of God
"He looked upon Jesus as He walked, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God!" - John 1:36
When John first announced Christ as the Lamb of God, he added: "which taketh away the sin of the world" (verse 29), thus emphasizing His redeeming work. The second time he did so, however, he simply said: "Behold the Lamb of God!"
Here the accent was not so much on the work as on the Person. Real appreciation means that people are precious to us for their own sakes. We come to love them more for what they are than for what they have done. So it should be with our appreciation of Christ. We thank the Lord for His gifts, but we praise Him for His worth. Christ on the Cross calls forth from us our amazed thanskgiving; Christ on the throne our praise. We behold what He has done and we are profoundly grateful; we behold who He is and we adore.
A Table In The Wilderness (by Watchman Nee)
Read the Scriptures: John 1:29-37
When John first announced Christ as the Lamb of God, he added: "which taketh away the sin of the world" (verse 29), thus emphasizing His redeeming work. The second time he did so, however, he simply said: "Behold the Lamb of God!"
Here the accent was not so much on the work as on the Person. Real appreciation means that people are precious to us for their own sakes. We come to love them more for what they are than for what they have done. So it should be with our appreciation of Christ. We thank the Lord for His gifts, but we praise Him for His worth. Christ on the Cross calls forth from us our amazed thanskgiving; Christ on the throne our praise. We behold what He has done and we are profoundly grateful; we behold who He is and we adore.
A Table In The Wilderness (by Watchman Nee)
Read the Scriptures: John 1:29-37
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