Praise … the Honey of Life

IMG_2103My quiet times for the next couple months are from a devotional Bible study by Catherine Martin, Passionate Prayer.  This morning, she quoted Charles Spurgeon saying that praise “is the honey of life which a devout heart extracts from every bloom of providence and grace.”  

Beautiful, yet challenging.  Tumbling this thought over in my mind, I realize that “…every bloom of providence and grace” does not refer to every beautiful thing that comes across my path.  Instead, it recognizes that every situation that occurs in my life is providentially allowed by God to accomplish His purposes and bring Him glory.  Being preoccupied with praise does not mean walking around with my head in the sky.  Instead, it’s similar to “praying without ceasing.”  It means that my heart and my mind are sensitive to God’s work around me.  Even though I may not understand, or even like it, I can trust the One who allows it all–knowing He has a purpose for it.

Praying without ceasing makes sense to me.  Basically, I have an ongoing conversation with the Lord all day long.  But praising without ceasing is different.  Genuinely praising the Lord in all circumstances means that I trust Him completely.  It’s the proving ground of my faith–and a little bit scary.

We praise you, God, we praise you, for your Name is near; people tell of your wonderful deeds. (Psalm 75:1)

You are radiant with light, more majestic than mountains rich with game. (Psalm 76:4)

Hi! I'm Dianne! Wife to the Tim-Man and Mom to Max, Rachel, and Abby--young adults on their way to independence. My passion is connecting women with God through His Word--the Source of Life, Love, and Truth. I've learned that true satisfaction is found in a relationship with Jesus Christ. Here you will receive encouragement from God's Word--which always speaks to the deep needs of a woman's heart.

2 Comments

  1. So agree. Praising makes all the difference, doesn’t it. God bless.

  2. Good morning Di;
    Praise is a special act we are allowed to do by our great God. It is sometimes “a wonderment”, how we as sinful people can praise the prefect God, our creator. We know so little relatively speaking. I think, ” If I could only think or know the right words to use that would be meaningful to Him,”, and then I realize , He has given us so many such words in His Word.
    May He be merciful to us all.
    Love
    dad

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