Gates of Praise

Daily Living with a chronic illness can be discouraging. Not feeling well day in and day out can quickly lead to discouragement. Deep, never-ending struggle with pain, fatigue, and weakness can lead easily to one's focusing only on the hard.

The past few weeks have been exhausting with chronic illness flares, falls, injuries, and profound fatigue. The doctors couldn't quite figure out what was wrong until a routine antibody test showed that I had had covid. That "normal January bronchitis" wasn't so normal or so bronchitis. Oops... everything suddenly made sense. The past few months since then have honestly been hard, but having answers helps! It all makes sense now.

Before I was sick in January, "JOY" became my word of the year. It has been so appropriate! As I studied on joy and praise this week, I noticed something. Praise is as important to God as a gatekeeper. Stop. Think about that. A gatekeeper protects. Praise protects! 

In fact, praise and gates are seen together in Scripture frequently.

• 1 Chronicles 23:5 - God assigned 4,000 gatekeepers and 4,000 people to praise. Think of that. 4,000 people protect the gates and 4,000 people have no job other than praising. Both jobs were important.
• 2 Chronicles 8:14 - Again, those assigned to praise are also mentioned with the gatekeepers. People were assigned to praise.
• 2 Chronicles 31:2 - People were assigned to praise in the gates. The people in the gates were protectors. Those who praised protected.
• Isaiah 60:8 - The gates were named praise.

Hmmm... this made me stop. Any situation that seems overwhelming and never-ending can color ones outlook. Praise is a protection against the dreary black which quickly comes. One morning this past week, I approached my quiet time with an extreme weariness in body, mind, and soul. My heart remembered these verses on gates and praise. I began writing all I could about who God is and writing and writing, thanking Him! Soon, while still weary physically, my mind and soul were restored. Praise made a difference!

May we remember that praise is a vital weapon against the enemy. God inhabits the praise of His people. (Psalm 22:3)

Great You Are!