January 6, 2006

[Rev. Doc]

The Sweetness Of Praise

"Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God."
Psalm 42:5

It is said that in Africa there is a fruit called the "taste berry", because it changes a person's taste so that everything eaten tastes sweet and pleasant. Sour fruit, even if eaten several hours after the "taste berry," becomes sweet and delicious. Praise is the "taste berry" of Christianity, and when our hearts are filled with praise, nothing that God sends us seems unpleasant. The sorrowing heart can sweeten it's grief with praise. The burdened soul can lighten it's burden by singing God's praises. The disappointed one can dispel his or her loneliness by making others grateful. The sick one can grow strong in soul, thanking God that He loves you enough to chasten you. Keep the "taste berry" of gratitude in your hearts, and it will do for you what the "taste berry" of Africa does for the African.

Prayer: Ask God to fill your heart with praise regardless of the conditions of life.

"Most of the verses written about praise in God's Word were voiced by people faced with crushing heartaches, injustice, treachery, slander, and scores of other difficult situations."
~Joni Eareckson Tada