தியானம் - 2022
Meditation - 2022
"AATHAVAN" August
22
Saturday 2026
"The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence. But we will bless the LORD from this time forth and for evermore. Praise the LORD." (Psalm 115:17, 18)
We may not know how to pray by lining up many verses; or sometimes when afflictions and problems press us, we may be unable to pray. But God does not look at those things. He knows our heart. He accepts our praise from the depth of our inner being as a great prayer petition. We join His presence with praise.
It is necessary that we continually praise the LORD our God. Praising is not merely extolling Him, but rather giving thanks to Him for all the things He has done for us. Moreover, in the midst of all the tasks we perform in our life, we can praise Him. If we live like this, we will not go into wrong paths.
Today's meditation verse says, "The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence." That is, if we live without praising the LORD, we are equal to the dead. The reason is, this verse says that only the dead do not praise. Therefore, the Psalmist says, "Praise ye the LORD: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely." (Psalm 147:1). "The dead" refers to people who live spiritually dead. They will neither think of the LORD nor praise Him.
Psalm 136 is a psalm of praise. In that psalm, we can see the devotee remembering and praising God for each of His glorious deeds. In our life as well, we can put this into practice. From the days of our conscious memory, we can remember every good and bad thing that happened to us and offer praise to God. Furthermore, we can offer thankful praise for the things happening in our life even now.
When we reach a higher state in spiritual life, praising the LORD becomes as natural as breathing. Not by compulsion, but because our heart is filled with the love of the LORD, we will praise Him without even realizing it. King David says out of this very experience, "I will bless the LORD, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons." (Psalm 16:7). When we wake up on our bed in the night seasons, the memory of the LORD will come to us. Then we will praise Him.
Well, what is the benefit of praising like this? "I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies," says the Psalmist (Psalm 18:3). That is, when we praise, our worldly enemies and the spiritual enemy, the devil, depart from us. The problems surrounding us depart. Yes, beloved, the walls of Jericho fell flat and were destroyed when the Israelites shouted and praised the LORD.
When Paul and Silas were shut in prison with their feet fastened in stocks, we read: "And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed." (Acts 16:25, 26).
Yes, beloved, "O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. O give thanks unto the God of gods: for his mercy endureth for ever. O give thanks to the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth for ever." (Psalm 136:1-3). We do not need a spiritually dead life that does not praise the LORD.
✍️ Bro. M. Geo Prakash





