Praise at All Times
by Charles R. Swindoll
Psalm 149:1–9

Psalm 149 encourages the people of God to praise Him at all times, regardless of circumstances. In times of blessing, praise Him! In times of suffering, praise Him! In times of warfare, praise Him! When we come to that enviable place in our Christian experience that we can honestly say, "Praise the Lord!" in every situation—and genuinely mean it—we will have assimilated the full thrust of this magnificent hymn of praise—and all the songs in Scripture. May that day come soon, and may it never end.

During the eighteenth century, Charles Wesley wrote numerous hymns. It has been estimated that during his lifetime he composed more than eight thousand! "O for a Heart to Praise My God," one of his finest and oldest, has been put to the familiar tune of "O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing," another Wesley hymn. It is a fitting conclusion to our study of the songs in Scripture.

O for a heart to praise my God,
A heart from sin set free,
A heart that always feels Thy blood
So freely shed for me!

A heart resigned, submissive, meek
My great Redeemer's throne,
Where only Christ is heard to speak,
Where Jesus reigns alone.

A heart in every thought renewed,
And full of love divine;
Perfect, and right, and pure, and good,
A copy, Lord of Thine!

Making It Strong in Your Soul

Read the following New Testament promises and rejoice.

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord. (1 Corinthians 15:58)

But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. (2 Corinthians 2:14)

When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him. (Colossians 2:13–15)

Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 
(James 4:7)

You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. (1 John 4:4)

Adapted from Charles R. Swindoll, Living the Psalms: Encouragement for the Daily Grind (Brentwood, Tenn.: Worthy Publishing, a division of Worthy Media, Inc., 2012). Copyright © 2013 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights are reserved. Used by permission.

Used with permission. All rights reserved.

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