Spurgeon: October AM
* 10/30/AM
"I will praise Thee, O Lord."
--Psalm 9:1
Praise should always follow answered prayer; as the mist of
earth's gratitude rises when the sun of heaven's love warms the
ground. Hath the Lord been gracious to thee, and inclined His
ear to the voice of thy supplication? Then praise Him as long as
thou livest. Let the ripe fruit drop upon the fertile soil from
which it drew its life. Deny not a song to Him who hath answered
thy prayer and given thee the desire of thy heart. To be silent
over God's mercies is to incur the guilt of ingratitude; it is
to act as basely as the nine lepers, who after they had been
cured of their leprosy, returned not to give thanks unto the
healing Lord. To forget to praise God is to refuse to benefit
ourselves; for praise, like prayer, is one great means of
promoting the growth of the spiritual life. It helps to remove
our burdens, to excite our hope, to increase our faith. It is a
healthful and invigorating exercise which quickens the pulse of
the believer, and nerves him for fresh enterprises in his
Master's service. To bless God for mercies received is also the
way to benefit our fellow-men; "the humble shall hear thereof
and be glad." Others who have been in like circumstances shall
take comfort if we can say, "Oh! magnify the Lord with me, and
let us exalt His name together; this poor man cried, and the
Lord heard him." Weak hearts will be strengthened, and drooping
saints will be revived as they listen to our "songs of
deliverance." Their doubts and fears will be rebuked, as we
teach and admonish one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual
songs. They too shall "sing in the ways of the Lord," when they
hear us magnify His holy name. Praise is the most heavenly of
Christian duties. The angels pray not, but they cease not to
praise both day and night; and the redeemed, clothed in white
robes, with palm-branches in their hands, are never weary of
singing the new song, "Worthy is the Lamb."