靈修短文：讚美耶和華 (Praise the Lord)
作者：諾曼萊特 (H. Norman Wright)
凡有氣息的都要讚美耶和華…。(詩150:6)
讚美主！你曾經大聲讚美過祂嗎？讚美不只是對上帝的回應，它也是生命改變的重要一步。當你爲著祂的所作、祂的所是，爲著祂在你生命中，即將要成就的事，而讚美上帝時，你就會從自我中，被釋放出來，進而更加倚靠祂、更少依憑自己。
因著神的作爲而讚美祂，是容易的，因爲可以回想起，一些明確可見的事實。那麼爲著未來而讚美祂呢？爲著上帝即將要成就的事而讚美祂，這對你來說，困難嗎？這樣的讚美，會為你的生活，打開從未想過的可能性。藉著讚美上帝，你不只成為了冒險家，而且會更加知道，祂對你的想望為何。
對你而言，這可能不是一個很舒適的想法。這可能意謂著，你要學習在不愉快的工作處境中，讚美祂。或在經濟的困境中，讚美祂。或者在艱難的婚姻關係和家庭生活中，讚美祂。也許你現在正困惑於生命中的窘境，因而不知所措，這正好就是上帝要你讚美祂的時刻。
洛依德歐果維 (Lloyd John Ogilvie) 對此有一個很有意思的想法：「長時間持續地讚美，可以預備我們的心，使我們能夠得到，上帝一直耐心等待，要揭示或釋放給我們的。」讚美上帝是回應祂的愛、祂的良善、祂的信實，以及祂對我們每一個人，那難以置信的關切與掛念。當你讚美上帝，就是承認祂的主宰權柄，當你讚美上帝，你就把倚靠，從你自己身上，轉移到上帝身上了。
你今天讚美上帝了嗎？請用一些時間去回想，過去有什麼事，可以讓你讚美上帝？在未來，你可以為著什麼來稱頌、讚美上帝？彼此分享你們對上帝的頌讚，然後一起讚美祂。
Devotional: Praise the Lord!
Author: H. Norman Wright
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord, Praise the Lord (Psalm 150:6).
Praise the Lord! Have you ever said that out loud? Praise is not only a response to God but a step in seeing change happen in your life. When you praise God for what He has done, for who He is, and for what He will do in your life, you are released to be more dependent upon Him and less dependent on yourself.
It‵s easy to praise God for what He has done because you can reflect back and identify something tangible. But what about the future? How difficult is it for you to praise God for what He is going to do? Such praise opens your life to some possibilities you may never have considered. By praising God, you not only become a risk-taker, but you become more aware of what He wants for you. This may be an uncomfortable idea for you. It may mean that you learn to praise God in an unpleasant job situation or during times of financial difficulty. It may mean praising God in spite of that taxing personal relationship in your marriage or family life. Perhaps you are troubled and perplexed about some situation in your life. This is exactly the time God wants you to praise Him.
Lloyd John Ogilvie has an interesting thought along this line: "Consistent praise over a period of time conditions us to receive what the Lord has been waiting patiently to reveal to us or release for us." Praising God is a response to His love, His goodness, His faithfulness, and His unbelievable concern for each one of us. When you praise God, you recognize His sovereignty. When you praise God, you transfer from trusting yourself to trusting Him.
What have you praised God for today? Take a few moments to reflect upon several things you have praised God for in the past and what you can praise Him for in the future. Share your praises with each other and then praise Him together.
