Praise the Lord!

Psalm 150:1: Praise the Lord!

Psalm 150:6 says, ‘let everything that has breath praise the Lord’. This verse is the conclusion of the whole book of Psalm. And the word ‘breath’ here is ‘nshammah’ in Hebrew, which includes all living things that have breath, including animals, not just we humans!

Now, what does the word ‘psalm’ mean? In Hebrew, this word is ‘mizmowr’, which means ‘give praise, to make music, or to celebrate in songs and music’. That’s what the book of Psalm is about!

The word ‘praise’ here in Hebrew is ‘hawlal’, which means ‘to shine, to make a show, to boast (about Him), to celebrate, or to give glory (to Him)’.

The Lord in Hebrew is ‘YHWH’, the utmost, holy name of God Almighty, the possessor of heaven and earth (Genesis 14:19), the ‘I Am Who I Am’ (Exodus 3:14), the God of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob, the covenant God of Israel. That’s what ‘Hallelu Yah’ means - ‘praise the Lord (YHWH)’! ‘Yah’ is the short form of the name of the Lord (YHWH).

When you praise the Lord, you are actually 'shining' in (& for) the Lord! That's what 'hawlal' means! Your gloominess will definitely be lifted away, and be replaced with the shining light of the Lord! Have you seen flowers respond and blossom when the sun rises in the morning? That’s exactly how you’d be when you praise YHWH (shine in Him, and shine for Him)!

So, whatever your circumstance may be at the moment, begin praising Him now! Read how the psalmist praise YHWH in Psalm 148, Psalm 149, and Psalm 150. Every gloom that’s in you (or surrounding you) will turn to shine! My friend, this is the power of praise! So the next time you are in the midst of ‘gloominess’, or the atmosphere around you seems ‘gloomy’ or ‘oppressive’, begin to ‘Hallelujah’! Begin to sing praises to the Lord! The psalmist wrote in Psalm 119:164 to ‘praise Him seven times a day’! Now, ‘seven’ is the ‘perfect’ number in Jewish numeric. It simply means ‘let the praises of the Lord fill (saturate) you, and shine out from you throughout the day’! You’ll be glad you did, because every ‘gloominess’ will simply have to give way as the ‘light’ shines forth from you (every time you praise)! So if you have nothing better to say, why not start ‘praising the Lord’ now?

Let not your heart be troubled!

John 14:27: Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Whatever you may be facing at the moment, 'let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid'. This is Jesus' assurance to you right now! Be rest assured He is with you today. If you have uncertainties or concerns about your future, your family's future, your children’s future, the current economic condition, or even your nation's future, Jesus is saying this to you, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you".

Now, what is the opposite of the word ‘troubled’ in John 14:27? The answer is shalom peace, not the one that the world gives, but the one that comes from God. Shalom peace is God’s perfect peace.

What then is the opposite of the word ‘afraid’ in John 14:27? It’s faith of God. It means having a believing heart that God is always with you, no matter what!

Beloved, He is your Shepherd (Psalm 23:1), and when the Shepherd is with you, you will never lack any peace, protection, or any other good thing. The Bible says He is your Jehovah-Shalom, the God who gives you shalom peace (perfect peace). Trust Him in every area of your life, and receive His peace now.

Do you know that sheep are very short-sighted animals? Sheep can't see too far, and they are definitely 'easy meat' for wolves, snakes, or any other predators in the field. That's why there's a need for shepherds. A shepherd's job is first and foremost to watch over his sheep. The shepherd's stick is used to chase away the sheep's predators, and the stick also serves to assure & comfort the sheep of the shepherd's presence. When the sheep know that the shepherd is around, they have no more fear. They would just be totally 'immersed' in grazing the grass in the field, without being 'troubled' or 'afraid' anymore!

Beloved, likewise Jesus is your Good Shepherd (John 10:11a), and you are His beloved sheep. If He is for you (with you), who can be against you? (Romans 8:31b) The Bible also says 'Jesus who is in you is greater than whatever that's in this world'! So, be rest assured, my friend. Trust in His goodness all your life and for your family's (Psalm 23:6). He promises to be with you (Psalm 23:4), and you'll be sure to come out victorious. Allow Him to be your Good Shepherd today.