THE BUSINESS OF PRAISE
"God inhabits the praises of His people."  Psalm  22:3

      Have you ever wondered why the Psalmists wrote so much about praise?  Praise is the abiding theme no matter what the circumstances appeared to be.  Indeed, the exhortation to praise God is found throughout the entire Bible.   Is it possible to praise God and rejoice all the time?

      As I have mentioned in a previous story, Detour, about reading Merlin Carothers' book, Prison to Praise, and the glimpse of insight concerning praise in the circumstances I found myself in at that time, I had not come to a definite conclusion in the matter.

      I made a discovery in Psalm 22:3 "But thou art holy, O thou that inhabits the praises of Israel (His people)."  So, if God inhabits the praises of His people, then surely He is with me in the midst of all my troubles when I praise Him instead of grumbling.  And do blessings follow?

      I would like to tell you about a rather unusual incident where I reluctantly praised the Lord, though still not sure whether it made any sense.

      On a particular Thursday morning I awakened in a mood of happy anticipation.  I had been looking forward to attending the monthly meeting of the local Women's Aglow Fellowship.  After getting ready, I went out and got in the car and proceeded to back down the driveway.  As I changed gears I heard a dreadful grinding noise, and the car would not move forward.  I got out of the car and looked underneath and saw a pile of metal pieces, exclaiming, "Oh no!  It's insides have fallen out!"

      Recalling what Merlin had said about praising the Lord in all circumstances, I proclaimed rather sarcastically, "Well, praise the Lord!  My car won't run!"  I stomped back into the house in disgust.

      "I'll call my friend Adabelle and see if she is going to the meeting.  Maybe I can catch a ride with her."

      "Adabelle," I inquired, "Are you planning to go to the Aglow meeting this morning?"  She replied, "Well, I had not planned on it, but give me a half hour and I'll pick you up and we'll go together."

      The guest speaker that Thursday was Barbara Johnson who has written many books and heads up Spatula Ministries.  She has a marvelous sense of humor in spite of the chaos in her life.  Barbara had lost two sons, one in the Vietnam war and one in an automobile accident in Alaska.  Also, her husband nearly died in another automobile accident.  As if that wasn't enough to drive one over the edge, she discovered her third son had embraced the homosexual lifestyle.

      That is when she started Spatula Ministries.  God has used Barbara mightily to help others cope with unbearable pain in their lives.  As a gifted speaker she lifts people out of their despair and gives them hope to face tomorrow.  Exuberant joy radiates from this lady, and it is contagious!

      Even though both Adabelle and I had suffered the loss of a teenage daughter, we were blessed and encouraged by Barbara's message.  As we were preparing to leave, Adabelle proclaimed quite excitedly, much to the astonishment of the ladies at our table, "Praise the Lord! Your car wouldn't run!"

      We both burst out laughing.  It was impossible to explain to the other ladies at our table why we were laughing because my car wouldn't run.  I'm sure they thought we were ready for the home of the bewildered.  We didn't care.  We were full of joy and laughed all the way home.

      So, because of this incident I will have to concede.  YES! God inhabits the praises of His people!

      I am learning to praise God when I am faced with distressing circumstances instead of grumbling.  I praise God for His great patience with me.