Daily Devotion

April 2, 2006

Psa 119:108 KJV Accept, I beseech thee, the freewill offerings of my mouth, O LORD, and teach me thy judgments.

It is oh, so easy to thank and praise God when everything goes right. It comes almost naturally to thank Him for the blessings that are so clear and evident. Unchallenged “thank you’s” flow from our hearts as if we were owed every blessing that covers our head. But all of a sudden, black angry clouds fill the skies; the road becomes a muddy marsh, its sharp curves less protected. Our cold and wet feet shod with worn out shoes are aching. The grace to carry the burden seems to fade and the Heavenly Presence now seeming absent leaves in its stead an empty and cold void of uncertainty.

It is at such times that praise becomes the free-will offering of the mouth. At such times, praising and thanking God requires a spirit of humility that utterly burns the pride of our own will and “intelligent” programs on the altar of His. It is at such times, my friend, that the spirits of praise, humility and yieldedness are tested.

We then bow to Him in utter humility and profound silence. In humility in front of the ultimate beauty and wisdom of His unsearchable will, in silence as the great Master of the universe stoops from His throne to teach us great lessons from the treasures of darkness, the hidden riches of secret places (Is 45:3).

Praise Him in the cold
Praise Him in the sun.
And when in the rain
From His praise do not run.

Praise Him when you’re sad
When your heart’s full of glee
And when in crying
Let His praise still fill thee.

You know you may live,
That also you may die
But in known and unknown
His praise lifts us high.

So praise for days past
Also praise for tomorrow
And if it rains on today,
His Praise’ll drowns it’s sorrow.

Heb 13:15 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

Patrick Lumbroso
For past issues of the daily devotion go to my blog at:
http://hearthstoneministries.blogspot.com/