«　WEEK 6　DAY 4　»

　　Psa. 22:3 But You are holy, You who sit enthroned upon the praises of Israel.

　　8:2 Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings You have established strength because of Your adversaries, to stop the enemy and the avenger.

　　Matt. 21:16 ...Have you never read, "Out of the mouth of infants and sucklings You have perfected praise"?

　　Praise is the highest work carried out by God's children. We can say that the highest expression of a saint's spiritual life is his praise to God. God's throne is the highest point in the universe, yet He sits "enthroned upon the praises of Israel" (Psa. 22:3). God's name and even God Himself are exalted through praise. (CWWN, vol. 48, "Messages for Building Up New Believers (1)," p. 247)

　　[Hebrews 2:12] is the firstborn Son's praising of the Father within the Father's many sons in the church meetings. When we, the many sons of God, meet as the church and praise the Father, the firstborn Son praises the Father in our praising....He praises within us and with us through our praising. In our singing He sings hymns of praise to the Father. If then we do not sing, how can He sing? The more we sing to the Father, the more we enjoy His presence, His moving, His anointing, and His life-imparting within us. (Heb. 2:12, footnote 3)

　　David said in a psalm that he prayed to God three times a day (Psa. 55:17). Yet in another psalm, he said that he praised God seven times a day (119:164). David was inspired by the Holy Spirit when he acknowledged the importance of praising. He prayed only three times a day, but he praised seven times a day. Furthermore, he appointed Levites to play psalteries and harps to exalt, thank, and praise God before the Ark of the Covenant of God (1 Chron. 16:4-6). When Solomon completed the building of Jehovah's temple, the priests carried the Ark of the Covenant into the

　　Holy of Holies. When the priests came out of the Holy Place, the Levites stood beside the altar, sounded the trumpets, and sang with cymbals, psalteries, and harps. Together they sounded praises to God. At that moment, the glory of Jehovah filled His house (2 Chron. 5:12-14). Both David and Solomon touched God's heart and offered up sacrifices of praise that were pleasing to God. Jehovah is enthroned upon the praises of Israel [Psa. 22:3]. We should praise the Lord all our life.

　　The Christian life soars through praises. To praise is to transcend everything to touch the Lord....We should not murmur against heaven when we are under trials. We should soar above the trials. Once we praise, we are above the trials.

　　The Bible pays much attention to praise....The book of Psalms is full of praises. The book of Psalms is in fact a book of praise in the Old Testament.

　　Many praises are quoted from Psalms. However, the Psalms contain chapters not only of praises but also of suffering. God wants His people to know that the praising ones are the very ones who have been led through trying situations and whose feelings have been wounded. These psalms show us men led by God through shadows of darkness. They were rejected, slandered, and persecuted. "All Your waves and Your billows / Pass over me" (42:7). Yet God perfected praises out of these ones. Words of praise do not always come from the mouths of the smooth-sailing ones. They come much more from those who are under discipline and trial. In the Psalms we can touch the most wounded feelings, and in the Psalms we also can find the greatest and highest praises. God uses many hardships, difficulties, and slanders to create praises in His people. He causes them to learn through difficult circumstances to become praising persons before the Lord.

　　The happiest persons are not always the ones who have the loudest praise. The loudest praise comes very often from the ones who are passing through hardships. This kind of praise is most pleasing to God and is blessed by Him. (CWWN, vol. 48, "Messages for Building Up New Believers (1)," pp. 247, 257, 247-248)

　　Further Reading: CWWN, vol. 48, "Messages for Building Up New Believers (1)," ch. 16