A Heart Turned to Praise
A Heart Turned to Praise“Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works! (1 Chronicles 16:9)
Once the mind has meditated on Christ, then the heart naturally turns to praise. For Christ, recognized, exalted, and enthroned in the life, will live the same life of praise and intercession within us that He is living in Heaven.
Have you seen that beautiful picture in the Epistle to the Hebrews, of Christ leading the praise – the music if you like – that rises from the hearts of the redeemed? Because He has set us apart for Himself, He says He is not ashamed to call us brothers, saying, “I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.” (Hebrews 2:12). My heart loves that picture of the singing Christ, and I find that, as the springtime calls forth the song from the birds, so the indwelling life of Christ, exalted and owned, calls forth praise from my redeemed being.
Robert Murray McCheyne has given us a wonderful passage in his memoirs, in which he tells how he learned to banish temptation with praise. When Satan moves up with his forces, the Lord within raises the cry of triumphant praise to God, and the hosts of the enemy must flee. McCheyne found that the devil could not resist a psalm of praise. There is, of course, a profound spiritual truth behind this, because the believer cannot be living in praise unless he is yielded to the Lordship of Christ. A true psalm cannot rise from lips that have not been fully cleansed. Let us therefore find our cleansing in Christ so that our psalms may work to banish temptation.
