Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
The summons calls the whole inner self and the whole person to praise wholeheartedly, to honor and glorify God with a rejoicing heart and with lips that speak of his goodness and power. Such praise rises from remembering his benefits, that he forgives iniquity and pardons transgression, heals disease, redeems life from destruction, renews strength, and crowns with loving-kindness and tender mercies. He is worthy of great praise for his goodness, love, mercy, pity, grace, presence, help, and sustaining care, shown most wondrously in sending his Son to die for sinners and in his wonderful works and deliverances by land and by sea. Blessing him means a daily service of thanksgiving in everything, flowing from heart, soul, and voice to testify of his mercy and love so others may hear, promptly acknowledging answers to prayer and remembering his goodness. It is to be sung amid bodily weakness, pain, infirmity, and affliction as well as in health, strength, and concrete providences, expressing living faith, trust, and hope instead of murmuring, complaint, and despondency.
Meaning of the Summons
The summons calls the soul and all that is within to bless the Lord, meaning the whole inner self and the whole person is to praise him and bless his holy name wholeheartedly. This praise rises from remembering his benefits, including forgiveness of sin, healing, redemption from destruction, and his loving-kindness and tender mercies. In the paralytic's restoration it is shown through forgiveness, healing, redemption from destruction, and renewal of strength, and it declares that he brings justice to the oppressed, does not treat people according to their sins, pities those who fear him as a father pities his children, and remembers that they are frail and made of dust. It is a thankful heart focused on God, applied as thanks for his peace and grace, affirming that he is good and worthy of great praise. In response to his care and provision it gives the language of gratitude that should replace murmuring and complaint.
To bless the Lord is to praise, honor, and glorify him, with blessing his holy name meaning honoring and praising him. It is wholehearted praise as the language of the heart, expressed with the whole heart and soul and from the whole inner being. The heart rejoices and the lips speak of his goodness and power, and giving thanks for strength is one way to praise him. Here the praise is applied as thanks for the school's advantages and the provision of the Angwin property. It is echoed in the resolve to praise him for helping and strengthening to do appointed work.
His holy name is to be honored for the help and deliverance he gives. The Lord's living reign is a reason to praise his name, because he lives and reigns. The words are used as praise to the Lord, who is able to bear the burdens, griefs, perplexities, and worries of the whole world.
The summons is self-addressed, telling one's own soul to praise and summoning the soul and everything within to bless the Lord and praise his holy name in response to his goodness and love. It means telling one's own soul to praise his holy name in thanks for renewed strength and a voice returning gradually, with encouragement and confidence of speech again before a great congregation. It means awakening all the energies of the soul to adore the Redeemer for his wondrous love, refusing to hold peace but having his praise in the heart and upon the lips. It is rejoicing in the fullness of the Saviour's love and feasting upon his excellent glory, daily feasting on heavenly joys that are rich and free, coming to drink from the fountain instead of staying away and dying for bread while a storehouse is full. It testifies from hungering and thirsting for salvation and almost uninterrupted communion, with gloom dispersed by precious light that is kept in lively remembrance.
Reasons for Blessing God
Praise rises from remembering benefits, for forgiveness of iniquity and pardoning of transgressions, healing of diseases, redemption of life from destruction, renewal of strength, and crowning with loving-kindness and tender mercies. The whole inner being is to praise in songs of thanksgiving, and every son and daughter of God is to have joy, communicating the truth of Jesus to others because He has given the bright beams of His righteousness. In the paralytic's restoration is seen this same praise, through God's forgiveness, healing, redemption from destruction, and renewal of strength. The forgiven and comforted heart remembers these mercies, and praise becomes a testimony of Christ's mercy and love that others can hear.
He brings justice to the oppressed, does not deal with people according to their sins, pities those who fear Him as a father pities his children, and remembers that they are frail and made of dust. He is good and worthy of great praise for His goodness, love, mercy, lovingkindness, tender pity, healing grace, peace, grace, presence, help, gifts, sustaining care, and constant working for the happiness of those who love and serve Him. Thanks is due for peace and grace, for presence, help, goodness and gifts including the gift of eyesight, and for goodness, mercy, lovingkindness, tender pity and healing grace including blessings received during affliction. Sister Temple's first words after recovering from long illness were to bless God with all that was within her, in gratitude for healing received in answer to prayer, reflecting praise for God's goodness, mercy and loving kindness. Thankfulness is expressed for good health and a clear mind and for God's goodness who is greatly to be praised and who sustains strength for daily work, and for His goodness, love, mercy and active care.
His great acts call forth praise, for His wondrous love in sending His Son to die for sinners, His wonderful works by land and by sea, His deliverance from many dangers, His blessing in secret prayer, and His bringing of souls out of spiritual darkness into light. The heart is filled to overflowing with love, and this is the language of one who claims Jesus as Saviour, hopes in mercy, determines to work while day lasts, takes heed to ways and does not fail in zeal and earnestness, and loves God and His holy commandments after being strengthened amid trials and temptations. Wholehearted praise is the fitting response to the work of bringing someone out of spiritual darkness into the light.
Praise also looks to future hope, to the heavenly city, the tree of life, the coming glory of God's children, advancing nearer the gate of the New Jerusalem, and entrance as redeemed ones into the mansions He has gone to prepare. It is due to Him who has spared life these many years in answer to the prayer of faith, and blessing the Lord means giving oneself into His hands in weakness and trusting Him fully, living by God's Word and holding Christianity in the heart as mingled holiness, mercy, truth and love, the crown of life here preparing for entrance into the city of God. Rejoicing over success in His work looks with confidence to light ahead, calling for continual rejoicing in the Lord and for being strong in His strength while advancing step by step nearer the gate. Such praise will be spoken when the future is better known, coming from staying where needed instead of becoming restless and uneasy, constantly improving in everything taken up, and doing the work someone must do, with thanks for closeness to Christ, for improved opportunities, for the Lord knowing what His people need and showing benevolence through chosen agents, for His constant working for happiness, and for His great blessing on harmonious service when men and women love one another without dissimulation.
Voicing Praise in Life
Blessing the Lord is to flow from heart and soul and voice and from human lips, with the whole person praising his holy name in gratitude for his goodness and mercy and lovingkindness and tender pity and healing grace, even for blessings received in affliction. That praise is speech that testifies to his mercy and love so others can hear, communicating the truth of Jesus and the bright beams of his righteousness. It refuses to hold its peace but keeps the praise of God in the heart and upon the lips, rejoicing in the fullness of the Saviour's love and feasting upon his excellent glory, daily feasting on heavenly joys that are rich and free. Instead of staying away and dying for bread while the storehouse is full, it comes to drink from the fountain, testifying from hungering and thirsting for salvation and almost uninterrupted communion with God, with gloom dispersed by precious light kept in lively remembrance. It also gives thanks for present help and blessing in speaking his Word, for freedom to speak, for his Spirit upon the speakers, for the presence of the Holy Spirit and the help of heavenly agencies, for precious ideas and clear light and power from the Word, and for hearers who listen with rapt attention and feel the power of the words spoken.
Blessing God is a daily service of thanksgiving in everything, with praise flowing forth in increased rejoicing as the evidence of a spiritual relationship that acknowledges him in all ways and keeps the heart from remaining cold and dull and unimpressive. His goodness in hearing and answering prayer places a heavy obligation to give much more praise to his holy name, promptly acknowledging blessings received in answer to prayer and keeping a record of them in a diary so that in remembering his goodness his holy name is praised. Such praise is due to him who has spared life these many years in answer to the prayer of faith. To bless the Lord in this way is to give oneself into his hands in weakness and trust him fully, living by his Word and holding Christianity in the heart as mingled holiness and mercy and truth and love, the crown of life here preparing for entrance as redeemed ones into the city of God and the mansions he has gone to prepare.
Praise expresses living faith and trust and good courage and hope, holding firmly to his promises without doubt and finding encouragement to press on in the path of truth and righteousness because his mercy endures forever. It is spoken even amid weakness and helplessness, alongside trust in God and hope for his salvation and confidence that he will sustain those who walk in duty. It means talking courage and hope with hearts filled with thanksgiving and cheerfulness and faith and hope, looking on the bright side and not on the dark side. It means talking faith and acting faith, holding fast to divine power while earnestly seeking the Lord and expecting to receive blessing, because the Lord is good and at every step strengthens and blesses and teaches and guides and helps.
Such gratitude is the language that should replace murmuring and complaint in response to his care and provision. Trust through present hardship and uncertainty about future needs is shown by enduring faith rather than despondency and murmuring. The whole self blesses the Lord because he has dealt bountifully, and trust should remain strong and enduring through present hardship and fear of future want rather than giving way to murmuring and despondency, with self-denial and restraint of unhealthy appetite also testing that trust.
Praise belongs with a sanctified life according to the Bible as a plain and definite guidebook, meeting the fallen foe with a plain It is written rather than human opinions, and keeping conversation pure and marked with grace through sanctified speech. It is offered with gladness in being true to God and thereby true to church duties, in uniting with brethren in kindness and courtesy, and in watching and praying so as to increase in faith and hope and patience. Those whom the Lord has protected and given victory over temptation have great reason for this praise, and that thankfulness is to show in a high and noble and true influence. It comes from staying where needed instead of becoming restless and uneasy, constantly improving in everything taken up and doing the work someone must do, with his blessing resting on that faithfulness, in thanks for closeness to Christ, for improved opportunities, for his knowing what his people need and showing benevolence through chosen agents, for his constant working for the happiness of those who love and serve him, and for his great blessing on harmonious service when men and women love one another without dissimulation. Where such songs of thanksgiving from the whole inner being are seldom heard, it reveals hearts that know the truth but are not converted and whose love has grown cold.
Praise in Every Circumstance
The summons to bless with soul and all within is to be sung even amid bodily weakness, pain, infirmity, helplessness and affliction. Even then it is gratitude for daily blessings and care, with courage in the Lord, trust in God, hope of His salvation, and confidence that He sustains those who walk in duty. It gives thanks for His goodness, mercy, lovingkindness, tender pity and healing grace, including blessings received during affliction itself.
It gives voice to thanks for healing in answer to prayer, as when Sister Temple's first words after long illness blessed God with all within in gratitude for healing received. It praises God for His goodness, mercy and lovingkindness in bringing a joyful end to distress. It is the response after confession and forgiveness have brought joy, relief and the lifting of distress.
It expresses thankfulness for good health, strength, courage in the Lord and a clear mind. It blesses God who is greatly to be praised, who gives strength to the weak, who sustains strength for daily work, and whose Spirit gives strength, blessing and support. In old age it thanks Him for remarkable physical strength and clearness of mind, for a clear mind able to exercise faith in Jesus as Helper and everlasting Friend, for continued ability to write and speak precious truths of His Word, and for help to do appointed work.
It thanks God for concrete providences such as the gift of eyesight and His presence, help, goodness and gifts. It praises His love and care in keeping through the night, in opening the way for the journey to the conference, and in sparing life many years in answer to the prayer of faith. It blesses Him for provision of needed property kept from other hands and supplied at reasonable price, including the Angwin property with the school's advantages, and for help to build a meetinghouse without debt and to erect school buildings and meetinghouses to gather the poor. It gives thanks for present help and blessing in speaking His Word, for freedom to speak, for the Spirit of the Lord upon speakers, for the presence of the Holy Spirit and help of heavenly agencies, for precious ideas and clear light and power from the Word, and for hearers who listen with rapt attention and feel the power of the words spoken. Blessing the Lord in this way means having a thanksgiving service every day, giving oneself into His hands in weakness and trusting Him fully, living by His Word and holding Christianity in the heart as mingled holiness, mercy, truth and love.
It tells one's own soul to praise His holy name in thanks for renewed strength and a voice returning gradually, with encouragement and confidence that speech will be given again before a great congregation. It thanks Him for recovery of strength after a severe test of faith, feebleness and voicelessness, for prayers offered and care received, and for sustaining grace and love and encouragement as His people press on in truth and righteousness. Those whom the Lord has protected and given victory over temptation have great reason for this praise with heart and soul and voice, and that thankfulness is to show in a high and noble and true influence. It also gives thanks for His promise to make all who come with broken hearts and contrite spirits whiter than snow, a cleansing pictured by the world clothed in its pure vestment of white snow and by the promise that the few undefiled who overcome will walk with Christ in white and keep their names in the book of life confessed before the Father and His angels.
It rejoices with all within over success in His work, with confidence that light lies ahead, calling for continual rejoicing in the Lord and for being strong in His strength while advancing step by step nearer the gate of the New Jerusalem. Such wholehearted praise will be spoken when the future is better known, coming from staying where needed instead of becoming restless and uneasy, constantly improving in everything taken up, and doing the work someone must do, with God's blessing resting on that faithfulness. It thanks God for closeness to Christ, for improved opportunities, for the Lord knowing what His people need and showing benevolence through chosen agents, for His constant working for the happiness of those who love and serve Him, and for His great blessing on harmonious service when men and women love one another without dissimulation.
The summons calls the whole inner self and the whole person to praise wholeheartedly, to honor and glorify God with a rejoicing heart and with lips that speak of his goodness and power. Such praise rises from remembering his benefits, that he forgives iniquity and pardons transgression, heals disease, redeems life from destruction, renews strength, and crowns with loving-kindness and tender mercies. He is worthy of great praise for his goodness, love, mercy, pity, grace, presence, help, and sustaining care, shown most wondrously in sending his Son to die for sinners and in his wonderful works and deliverances by land and by sea. Blessing him means a daily service of thanksgiving in everything, flowing from heart, soul, and voice to testify of his mercy and love so others may hear, promptly acknowledging answers to prayer and remembering his goodness. It is to be sung amid bodily weakness, pain, infirmity, and affliction as well as in health, strength, and concrete providences, expressing living faith, trust, and hope instead of murmuring, complaint, and despondency.
Meaning of the Summons
The summons calls the soul and all that is within to bless the Lord, meaning the whole inner self and the whole person is to praise him and bless his holy name wholeheartedly. This praise rises from remembering his benefits, including forgiveness of sin, healing, redemption from destruction, and his loving-kindness and tender mercies. In the paralytic's restoration it is shown through forgiveness, healing, redemption from destruction, and renewal of strength, and it declares that he brings justice to the oppressed, does not treat people according to their sins, pities those who fear him as a father pities his children, and remembers that they are frail and made of dust. It is a thankful heart focused on God, applied as thanks for his peace and grace, affirming that he is good and worthy of great praise. In response to his care and provision it gives the language of gratitude that should replace murmuring and complaint.
To bless the Lord is to praise, honor, and glorify him, with blessing his holy name meaning honoring and praising him. It is wholehearted praise as the language of the heart, expressed with the whole heart and soul and from the whole inner being. The heart rejoices and the lips speak of his goodness and power, and giving thanks for strength is one way to praise him. Here the praise is applied as thanks for the school's advantages and the provision of the Angwin property. It is echoed in the resolve to praise him for helping and strengthening to do appointed work.
His holy name is to be honored for the help and deliverance he gives. The Lord's living reign is a reason to praise his name, because he lives and reigns. The words are used as praise to the Lord, who is able to bear the burdens, griefs, perplexities, and worries of the whole world.
The summons is self-addressed, telling one's own soul to praise and summoning the soul and everything within to bless the Lord and praise his holy name in response to his goodness and love. It means telling one's own soul to praise his holy name in thanks for renewed strength and a voice returning gradually, with encouragement and confidence of speech again before a great congregation. It means awakening all the energies of the soul to adore the Redeemer for his wondrous love, refusing to hold peace but having his praise in the heart and upon the lips. It is rejoicing in the fullness of the Saviour's love and feasting upon his excellent glory, daily feasting on heavenly joys that are rich and free, coming to drink from the fountain instead of staying away and dying for bread while a storehouse is full. It testifies from hungering and thirsting for salvation and almost uninterrupted communion, with gloom dispersed by precious light that is kept in lively remembrance.
Reasons for Blessing God
Praise rises from remembering benefits, for forgiveness of iniquity and pardoning of transgressions, healing of diseases, redemption of life from destruction, renewal of strength, and crowning with loving-kindness and tender mercies. The whole inner being is to praise in songs of thanksgiving, and every son and daughter of God is to have joy, communicating the truth of Jesus to others because He has given the bright beams of His righteousness. In the paralytic's restoration is seen this same praise, through God's forgiveness, healing, redemption from destruction, and renewal of strength. The forgiven and comforted heart remembers these mercies, and praise becomes a testimony of Christ's mercy and love that others can hear.
He brings justice to the oppressed, does not deal with people according to their sins, pities those who fear Him as a father pities his children, and remembers that they are frail and made of dust. He is good and worthy of great praise for His goodness, love, mercy, lovingkindness, tender pity, healing grace, peace, grace, presence, help, gifts, sustaining care, and constant working for the happiness of those who love and serve Him. Thanks is due for peace and grace, for presence, help, goodness and gifts including the gift of eyesight, and for goodness, mercy, lovingkindness, tender pity and healing grace including blessings received during affliction. Sister Temple's first words after recovering from long illness were to bless God with all that was within her, in gratitude for healing received in answer to prayer, reflecting praise for God's goodness, mercy and loving kindness. Thankfulness is expressed for good health and a clear mind and for God's goodness who is greatly to be praised and who sustains strength for daily work, and for His goodness, love, mercy and active care.
His great acts call forth praise, for His wondrous love in sending His Son to die for sinners, His wonderful works by land and by sea, His deliverance from many dangers, His blessing in secret prayer, and His bringing of souls out of spiritual darkness into light. The heart is filled to overflowing with love, and this is the language of one who claims Jesus as Saviour, hopes in mercy, determines to work while day lasts, takes heed to ways and does not fail in zeal and earnestness, and loves God and His holy commandments after being strengthened amid trials and temptations. Wholehearted praise is the fitting response to the work of bringing someone out of spiritual darkness into the light.
Praise also looks to future hope, to the heavenly city, the tree of life, the coming glory of God's children, advancing nearer the gate of the New Jerusalem, and entrance as redeemed ones into the mansions He has gone to prepare. It is due to Him who has spared life these many years in answer to the prayer of faith, and blessing the Lord means giving oneself into His hands in weakness and trusting Him fully, living by God's Word and holding Christianity in the heart as mingled holiness, mercy, truth and love, the crown of life here preparing for entrance into the city of God. Rejoicing over success in His work looks with confidence to light ahead, calling for continual rejoicing in the Lord and for being strong in His strength while advancing step by step nearer the gate. Such praise will be spoken when the future is better known, coming from staying where needed instead of becoming restless and uneasy, constantly improving in everything taken up, and doing the work someone must do, with thanks for closeness to Christ, for improved opportunities, for the Lord knowing what His people need and showing benevolence through chosen agents, for His constant working for happiness, and for His great blessing on harmonious service when men and women love one another without dissimulation.
Voicing Praise in Life
Blessing the Lord is to flow from heart and soul and voice and from human lips, with the whole person praising his holy name in gratitude for his goodness and mercy and lovingkindness and tender pity and healing grace, even for blessings received in affliction. That praise is speech that testifies to his mercy and love so others can hear, communicating the truth of Jesus and the bright beams of his righteousness. It refuses to hold its peace but keeps the praise of God in the heart and upon the lips, rejoicing in the fullness of the Saviour's love and feasting upon his excellent glory, daily feasting on heavenly joys that are rich and free. Instead of staying away and dying for bread while the storehouse is full, it comes to drink from the fountain, testifying from hungering and thirsting for salvation and almost uninterrupted communion with God, with gloom dispersed by precious light kept in lively remembrance. It also gives thanks for present help and blessing in speaking his Word, for freedom to speak, for his Spirit upon the speakers, for the presence of the Holy Spirit and the help of heavenly agencies, for precious ideas and clear light and power from the Word, and for hearers who listen with rapt attention and feel the power of the words spoken.
Blessing God is a daily service of thanksgiving in everything, with praise flowing forth in increased rejoicing as the evidence of a spiritual relationship that acknowledges him in all ways and keeps the heart from remaining cold and dull and unimpressive. His goodness in hearing and answering prayer places a heavy obligation to give much more praise to his holy name, promptly acknowledging blessings received in answer to prayer and keeping a record of them in a diary so that in remembering his goodness his holy name is praised. Such praise is due to him who has spared life these many years in answer to the prayer of faith. To bless the Lord in this way is to give oneself into his hands in weakness and trust him fully, living by his Word and holding Christianity in the heart as mingled holiness and mercy and truth and love, the crown of life here preparing for entrance as redeemed ones into the city of God and the mansions he has gone to prepare.
Praise expresses living faith and trust and good courage and hope, holding firmly to his promises without doubt and finding encouragement to press on in the path of truth and righteousness because his mercy endures forever. It is spoken even amid weakness and helplessness, alongside trust in God and hope for his salvation and confidence that he will sustain those who walk in duty. It means talking courage and hope with hearts filled with thanksgiving and cheerfulness and faith and hope, looking on the bright side and not on the dark side. It means talking faith and acting faith, holding fast to divine power while earnestly seeking the Lord and expecting to receive blessing, because the Lord is good and at every step strengthens and blesses and teaches and guides and helps.
Such gratitude is the language that should replace murmuring and complaint in response to his care and provision. Trust through present hardship and uncertainty about future needs is shown by enduring faith rather than despondency and murmuring. The whole self blesses the Lord because he has dealt bountifully, and trust should remain strong and enduring through present hardship and fear of future want rather than giving way to murmuring and despondency, with self-denial and restraint of unhealthy appetite also testing that trust.
Praise belongs with a sanctified life according to the Bible as a plain and definite guidebook, meeting the fallen foe with a plain It is written rather than human opinions, and keeping conversation pure and marked with grace through sanctified speech. It is offered with gladness in being true to God and thereby true to church duties, in uniting with brethren in kindness and courtesy, and in watching and praying so as to increase in faith and hope and patience. Those whom the Lord has protected and given victory over temptation have great reason for this praise, and that thankfulness is to show in a high and noble and true influence. It comes from staying where needed instead of becoming restless and uneasy, constantly improving in everything taken up and doing the work someone must do, with his blessing resting on that faithfulness, in thanks for closeness to Christ, for improved opportunities, for his knowing what his people need and showing benevolence through chosen agents, for his constant working for the happiness of those who love and serve him, and for his great blessing on harmonious service when men and women love one another without dissimulation. Where such songs of thanksgiving from the whole inner being are seldom heard, it reveals hearts that know the truth but are not converted and whose love has grown cold.
Praise in Every Circumstance
The summons to bless with soul and all within is to be sung even amid bodily weakness, pain, infirmity, helplessness and affliction. Even then it is gratitude for daily blessings and care, with courage in the Lord, trust in God, hope of His salvation, and confidence that He sustains those who walk in duty. It gives thanks for His goodness, mercy, lovingkindness, tender pity and healing grace, including blessings received during affliction itself.
It gives voice to thanks for healing in answer to prayer, as when Sister Temple's first words after long illness blessed God with all within in gratitude for healing received. It praises God for His goodness, mercy and lovingkindness in bringing a joyful end to distress. It is the response after confession and forgiveness have brought joy, relief and the lifting of distress.
It expresses thankfulness for good health, strength, courage in the Lord and a clear mind. It blesses God who is greatly to be praised, who gives strength to the weak, who sustains strength for daily work, and whose Spirit gives strength, blessing and support. In old age it thanks Him for remarkable physical strength and clearness of mind, for a clear mind able to exercise faith in Jesus as Helper and everlasting Friend, for continued ability to write and speak precious truths of His Word, and for help to do appointed work.
It thanks God for concrete providences such as the gift of eyesight and His presence, help, goodness and gifts. It praises His love and care in keeping through the night, in opening the way for the journey to the conference, and in sparing life many years in answer to the prayer of faith. It blesses Him for provision of needed property kept from other hands and supplied at reasonable price, including the Angwin property with the school's advantages, and for help to build a meetinghouse without debt and to erect school buildings and meetinghouses to gather the poor. It gives thanks for present help and blessing in speaking His Word, for freedom to speak, for the Spirit of the Lord upon speakers, for the presence of the Holy Spirit and help of heavenly agencies, for precious ideas and clear light and power from the Word, and for hearers who listen with rapt attention and feel the power of the words spoken. Blessing the Lord in this way means having a thanksgiving service every day, giving oneself into His hands in weakness and trusting Him fully, living by His Word and holding Christianity in the heart as mingled holiness, mercy, truth and love.
It tells one's own soul to praise His holy name in thanks for renewed strength and a voice returning gradually, with encouragement and confidence that speech will be given again before a great congregation. It thanks Him for recovery of strength after a severe test of faith, feebleness and voicelessness, for prayers offered and care received, and for sustaining grace and love and encouragement as His people press on in truth and righteousness. Those whom the Lord has protected and given victory over temptation have great reason for this praise with heart and soul and voice, and that thankfulness is to show in a high and noble and true influence. It also gives thanks for His promise to make all who come with broken hearts and contrite spirits whiter than snow, a cleansing pictured by the world clothed in its pure vestment of white snow and by the promise that the few undefiled who overcome will walk with Christ in white and keep their names in the book of life confessed before the Father and His angels.
It rejoices with all within over success in His work, with confidence that light lies ahead, calling for continual rejoicing in the Lord and for being strong in His strength while advancing step by step nearer the gate of the New Jerusalem. Such wholehearted praise will be spoken when the future is better known, coming from staying where needed instead of becoming restless and uneasy, constantly improving in everything taken up, and doing the work someone must do, with God's blessing resting on that faithfulness. It thanks God for closeness to Christ, for improved opportunities, for the Lord knowing what His people need and showing benevolence through chosen agents, for His constant working for the happiness of those who love and serve Him, and for His great blessing on harmonious service when men and women love one another without dissimulation.