“DAS GEBET IST DER GEISTLICHE PULSSCHLAG.” – John Charles Ryle

Pictures / Kerryn Goodwin

“LOVE IS PATIENT, LOVE IS KIND.” – 1 Corinthians 13:4

There are 150 Psalms in the Bible. Psalm 150 has only six verses. But have you ever counted how many times in those 6 verses we are encouraged to praise the LORD?

But let us turn now to the prophet Habakkuk, the last chapter, verse 17, Habakkuk 3:17.

There we read:

“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, …”

We will continue to read of course (verse 18), but let us for a moment stop here. We are told here about figs, grapes, olives, food, sheep and cattle.

And here is a good summary of verse 17 and all the things mentioned, namely ASHES. No figs, no grapes, no olives, no food, no sheep and no cattle. All we can see is ashes. Have you ever been in a situation like that? Maybe you are in a situation like that right now.

But let us read the next verse, Habakkuk 3:18. There it says, “…, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Saviour.”

Once more, there are only 6 verses in Psalm 150, but we are 13 times encouraged to praise the LORD. And do we ever need the encouragement, to praise the LORD, especially when we only see ashes.

“Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.” – Psalm 150:6

Praise the LORD!

“Es ist leichter, das letzte Wort zu haben, als den ersten Schritt zu tun.” – Ernst Reinhardt

“Ich glaube, wir werden noch manche Ueberraschung mit der Kraft Gotttes erleben, wenn wir die Schritte machen, die wir als richtig erkannt haben.” – Peter Strauch

“When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, ‘Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it.'” – Genesis 28:16

“‘But as the terebinth and oak leave stumps when they are cut down, so the holy seed will be the stump in the land.'” – Isaiah 6:13