DRAWING NIGH TO GOD....series.."Praise God, the Lord!"

from- the book - "Drawing Nigh to God"

by Minnie E. Dauphinee 

"Praise God, the Lord!" 

The herdsmen in the Alps of Switzerland have a beautiful custom. It is said that as the last rays of the sun are disappearing, the herdsman who dwells highest up the mountain takes his herdsman's horn and trumpets forth, "Praise God, the Lord!" Immediately other herdsmen in the valleys below take their horns and repeat the words, "Praise God, the Lord!"

This continues for some minutes while on all sides the heights and depths echo and re-echo the Creator's praise. A solemn stillness follows while these trumpeting herdsmen offer a silent prayer on bended knee. 

It is good to have an annual Thanksgiving Day, when we pause to praise God in a special way for all the good things of life. Someone has suggested that instead of having one day set apart for thanksgiving, it would be better to set apart one day for murmuring, and crowd into it all our complaints, using every other day of the year for expressing gratitude. When we remember that all the good things we enjoy come from the Saviour, and that He died "to bring happiness and heaven within our reach," should we not be ashamed to ever utter a word of complaint? Ellen G. White writes: "If the loving-kindness of God called forth more thanksgiving and praise, we would have far more power in prayer. We would abound more and more in the love of God and have more bestowed to praise Him for." 

A poor woman went to a certain jewelry store to have a brooch repaired. She intended to give it to her daughter for a graduation present. But one gem was missing. After carefully examining it, the jeweler said, "These are genuine pearls. It will require a very large sum to replace the missing one. " Six years before, the woman had found the brooch, now valued at thirty thousand dollars, on the street. Not knowing its value, she had worn it commonly about her work. But after learning its worth she cherished it above all her other possessions. 

Jesus is the "pearl so precious that in comparison all things else may be accounted loss." In Him are "hid all the treasurers of wisdom and knowledge." (Colossians 2:3) Do you not feel like explaining in the words of the psalmist- 

"O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together"

 Psalms 34:3