======================================================================== THE MINISTRY OF PRAISE by John Henry Jowett ======================================================================== Summary: The ministry of praise is a source of hope and confidence, and it helps to refresh our souls and overcome our fears and worries. Topics: "Praise And Worship", "Faith And Hope" Scripture References: Psalm 34:1, Psalm 77:11, Psalm 103:2, Psalm 115:12 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DESCRIPTION ------------------------------------------------------------------------ John Henry Jowett emphasizes the importance of reflecting on God's past faithfulness as a source of hope for the future. By remembering and praising God for His blessings and provisions in the past, our hearts are filled with confidence and our worries fade away. Jowett highlights how praise is essential for nurturing other virtues and graces in our lives, breathing life into them and ushering in a radiant spirit of hope. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CONTENT ------------------------------------------------------------------------ PSALM cxv. "The Lord hath been mindful of us: He will bless us." In that joyful assurance there is both retrospect and prospect. There is the trodden pathway of Providence, and there is the star of hope! The eyes are steadied and refreshed in sacred memories, and then they gaze into the future with serene and happy confidence. And so the Ebenezer of the soul becomes both a thanksgiving and a reconsecration. Now perhaps our hopes are thin because our praises are scanty. Perhaps our expectations are clouded because our memories are dim. There is nothing so quickens hope as a journey among the mercies of our yesterdays. The heart lays aside its fears amid the accumulated blessings of our God. Worries pass away like cloudlets in the warmth of a summer's morning. And the recollections of God's goodness always make summer even in the wintriest day. Now I see why the New Testament is so urgent in the matter of praise. Without praise many other virtues and graces cannot be born. Without praise they have no breath of life. Praise quickens a radiant company of heavenly presences, and among them is the shining spirit of hope. ======================================================================== Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/john-henry-jowett/the-ministry-of-praise/ ========================================================================