The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1940-08-29

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We live in difficult and confusing
days with much on every hand to dis
courage US. We look about us in
vain for any encouraging sign. The
result is that unless we exercise
care the temptation will overtake us
who are Christians to fall into the
bitter, complaining attitude of the
world, forgetting the benefits which
God has bestowed upon us, forget
ting His mercy and grace, and, in
this hour Of trial, telling the world
by our life, if not by our lips, that
we have lost our faith in God.
1t is easy to praise God when all
goes well, when we see His bless
ing upon us; but the Christian
should recognize that praise is a
vital part of his daily fellowship with
God, an expression of his apprecia-
ton of all that God is and does for
him. Psalm 103 has in all genera
tons been a favorite of Christian
people when passing through deep
waters and fiery trials.
l. Praise for Personal Blessings
wv. 1-5).
Our relationship to God is a per-
sonal one, and His blessings are per-
sonal. Praise also is a personal
soul exercise to which we need often
to stir ourselves. We need to call
on "all that is within us to bless
and praise the Lord.
Forget not''-how prone we are
to do that very thing. We remem-
Der the things we ought to forget
and forget the things we ought to
remember. We have become so ac-
customed to the many blessings of
God that we accept them as mat
ter of course.
Note that the chief of all bless
ings is the forgiveness of sin ". 81.
The spiritual is far more important
than the physical, but that too is in
Guided. Only God can heal our dis
eases, whether by means or by di-
rect intervention. He also meets
with true satisfaction every right
and normal desire of man, whether
it be physical, social, mental or
spiritual. That calls for praise from
the depths of our beings.
II. Praise for Forgiveness of Sin
(vv. 10-14).
We may ''put on a 'front.' when
we deal with our fellow men, but
there is no use in thus trying to
fool God. He knows us for what
we are-''frail children of dust, and
feeble as frail." We are not able to
meet our own little problems; how
can we do anything with the sin
question?
The mercy of God, high as the
heavens, is revealed nowhere in
such overfoWing measure as in His
dealing with the sins of chem that
fear him" ". 49,. For them He has
the pity Of a father, but He has
more, for He has the authority and
power to cast our sins as far from
us as the east is from the west,
and how far that is no one knows.
Observe that His mercy is only
for "them that fear Him" God
resisteth the proud, but giveth grace
unto the humble" DANES AS,
Pet. Sc, y. Whosoever will may
come and receive of Him abundant
pardon. Why not come now?
III. Praise for Everlasting Loving
kindness wv. 1919.
Man and everything that man
makes or does is transient, and will
one day pass away. What a fool
that man is who lives only for the
things of this world which are des-
tined to wither like the grass! How
tragic to come into eternity and to
face God empty handed and con-
demned for ones own selfshness
and folly, when He is willing to show
unto us that flowing kindness" which
is not only for this life, but also for
the life that is to come.
AS we praise God for this great
and blessed gift, shall we not be
moved to go out and seek to win
others to Him?
In closing this brief study of the
One Hundred Third Psalm may we
again suggest that in these bitter
days which so sorely try the hearts
of men, we lift our souls up to a
high spiritual plane by praising
God. When Hardley Page was max
ing flight through the Orient a
large rat was attracted by the smell
of food and entered into the air
plane. Later, when Mr.. Page was
in mid-air over mountainous coun-
try where he could not land, he sud.
denly heard the sound of gnawing
behind him. He knew that the raj
might so damage his plane as tc
cause disaster. Then he remem-
bered that a rat is not made for
high attitudes. So he began to soar
Soon the gnawing ceased and hours
later when his machine landed he
found the rat lying dead beneath the
engine. 1t is a blessed truth that
Satan cannot endure the high alti
tudes of praise. He quickly departs
from the soul whom he finds re.
joicing in this high and lofty spir.
itual atmosphere. 'Try praise" for
"praise changes things"