诗二二3　　但你是圣别的，是用以色列的赞美为宝座的。

　　八2　　你因敌人的缘故，从婴孩和吃奶的口中，建立了能力，使仇敌和报仇的，闭口无言。

太二一16 　……“从婴孩和吃奶的口中，你使赞美得以完全。”难道你们没有念过么？
　　赞美乃是神的儿女最高的工作。或者说，圣徒属灵生命的最高表示，就是赞美神。神的宝座是神在宇宙中的最高点，而神“是用以色列的赞美为宝座的”。神的名字，神的自己，乃是因着赞美而被高举的（初信造就上册，二九一页）。
　　〔希伯来二章十二节〕是长子在召会的聚集中，在父的许多儿子里赞美父。我们这些神的许多儿子，就是召会，聚集赞美父的时候，长子就在我们的赞美里赞美父。祂……在我们里面，借着我们的赞美与我们一同赞美父。祂在我们的歌唱里歌颂父。因此，我们若不歌唱，祂怎能歌唱？我们越向父歌唱，就越享受祂在我们里面的同在、运行、施膏、并生命的分赐（圣经恢复本，来二12注3）。

　　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)

　　大卫作诗说，一天要三次祷告神（诗五五17），大卫又作诗说，一天要七次赞美神（一一九164）。大卫被圣灵感动，承认赞美是何等要紧的事，祷告一天不过三次，可是赞美却有七次。不只这样，他还派了一些利未人，在神的约柜前，鼓瑟弹琴，颂扬、称谢、赞美神（代上十六4~6）。所罗门作完了耶和华殿的一切工；祭司把约柜抬进了至圣所；祭司出圣所的时候，也有一班歌唱的利未人，站在坛边，吹号、唱歌，用各样乐器，一齐发声赞美神。那时，耶和华的荣光就充满了神的殿（代下五12~14）。大卫和所罗门都摸着了神的心意，把神所悦纳的赞美献给神。耶和华是用以色列的赞美为宝座的，我们应当一生赞美耶和华。
　　基督徒的生活是从赞美爬上去的。赞美乃是超越过一切去摸着主。……你不是望着天叹气，在那里受试炼，你乃是爬在试炼的上面。你一赞美，你就在试炼的上面。
　　赞美，在圣经中是非常注意的。……尤其在诗篇，更是充满了许多赞美的话。诗篇乃是旧约中一卷赞美的书。有许多人的赞美，是采自诗篇的。……可是要注意，诗篇不但有赞美的篇，并且有受苦的篇。神特意给我们看见，发出赞美的人，神曾带他们经过困难的境地，叫他们的感觉受了伤。我们看见许多圣徒，被神带到阴暗里，被人弃绝，被人毁谤，被人逼迫—“波浪洪涛，都漫过我身”（四二7），而在这些人身上，神使赞美得以完全。赞美的话不都是从顺利的人口中出来的，赞美更是从受管教、受熬炼的人身上出来的。在诗篇中，能摸着最受伤的感觉；也就是在诗篇中，赞美的声音最大，也是最高。神的子民因着经过许多的艰苦、许多的难为、许多的毁谤，神就在那一个时候在他们身上造出赞美来，叫他们在那种境遇中学习在神面前作赞美神的人。
　　不是觉得最喜乐的人才是赞美声音最高的人；赞美声音最高的，常是那些有神面前经过困难的人。而就是这一种的赞美，能够最蒙神的悦纳，最蒙神的赐福（初信造就上册，二九一至二九二、三〇五、二九二至二九三页）。
　　参读：初信造就，第十六篇。

　　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