…the Lord has anointed me…
to give… the garment of praise
for the spirit of heaviness.
Isaiah 61:1,3
Praise is powerful! No matter what
difficulties we face, singing praises to our God can dispel our despondency and
bring encouragement. That’s why every Christian should have a song of praise in
his heart.
Troubled at times with a coldness of
heart toward the things of the Lord, Scottish Pastor Robert Murray McCheyne
would sing the praises of God until he felt revived in his spirit. One day,
while he was trying to prepare his journal: “Is is the desire of my heart to be
made altogether holy?... Lord, You know all things… felt much deadness, and
much grief that I cannot grieve for this deadness. Toward evening revived. Got
a calm spirit through psalmody (singing psalms) and prayer.” McCheyne had been
uplifted by praising God. Those in his household were often able to tell what
hour he awoke because he began the day with a psalm of praise.
Perhaps you fell as if you are mired
in what John Bunyan called the “slough of despond.” Lift a song of praise to
the Lord! The psalmist said, “I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever.”
When we do that, the praise will flow not only from our lips but also from the
heart. What joy will then be ours! The Lord delights to give “the oil of joy
for morning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness” (Isaiah 61:3).
Yes, “it is good to sing praises to
our God” – at all times (Psalm 147:1)
If you find yourself wearing a spirit
of heaviness, put on a garment of praise.
(from our daily bread 01 Feb 1987)
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