In his favor is life: “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning,” Psalm 30:5.
When hope replaces doubt, then despair turns to joy. Jesus came to stop the mouth of doubt. He turned sackcloth and ashes into wedding clothes. He anointed the world with the oil of joy.
But will you join the cries of those whom the Lord has saved? If you were the musical conductor of a 200-voice choir, would you have brought the crowd to its feet as Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus” shouted its triumph for the first time? The world has too many inhibited Christians. They sit on their hands, while the “little hills … every side” clap their hands for joy.
There was a brass band in Tonga that made the coral reefs reverberate with praise as the members performed the “Messiah” at a baptism by the sea. In varied nations of Africa, massed choirs sang praises of the Lord God Who reigns. Another concert hall in London yielded a thousand voices lifting up, “Hallelujah!” Norman Vincent Peale taught a whole generation the power of positive thinking — but we forget so soon. Come the first chilling winds of something gone wrong, and hope melts away. It should never be that way. God has given the world infinite joy in Jesus Christ.
Bartimaeus waited for the crowd to come near. For some time he had heard them coming. At last, they were near enough. “Who is it?” he asked, for he was blind. “Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied.
The moment for which was longed has finally come. He knows about Jesus. But, “Jesus of Nazareth”? Is that what they call Him? Not good enough. “Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me,” he calls. That’s Who He is: the One come to fulfill the promises of the covenant made with David. He is King and can do for me what no other can.
They urge quiet on him. He cannot know it, for his eyes forbid the knowledge, but Jesus heads a triumphal procession. “Not now, not now,” they insist, but he will not desist. His voice rises to a yell, “Have mercy on me!” Bartimaeus looks around, sees the crowd, sees Jesus. He begins to praise God. He pushes to the front. His voice has found a new power, an unstoppable praise.
There is something therapeutic about praise. Praising God for His blessings yields success on every frontier of life.
I am praising God for the 400 souls baptized through the “System for Survival in the 21st Century” evangelistic series so far this year. The ministerial teams, in concert with faithful members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church within the Southern Union borders, continue to significantly contribute to the growth of our territory. As we endeavor this year to equip believers and evangelize unbelievers, God continues to work miracles in our lives. Let’s continue to raise incessant praise to our God.
“To praise God in fullness and sincerity of heart is as much a duty as is prayer,” Christ Object Lessons, p. 299. –RCS
Southern Union | July 2024
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