3月30日
标 题： 在胜利之前赞美
经 节： 他们唱了诗，就出来，往橄榄山去。（马可福音十四章26节）
赞美将荣耀大大归给神！旧约记载，约沙法王面对似乎不可能胜过的敌军，对方非置他们于死地不可。然而，神向他们保证，要他们“摆阵站着，看耶和华为你们施行拯救”（历代志下二十：17）。犹太百姓相信神，歌唱者走在军队的前头，为神应许的胜利献上赞美。胜利的确到来！当大卫王领着迎约柜的行列进入耶路撒冷，他在神面前极力跳舞赞美（撒母耳记下六：12～23）。大卫对神的赞美讨神的喜悦，祂大能的同在遍及大卫的王国，使大卫战胜所有仇敌。
耶稣正朝着客西马尼园与十字架前去，在那里神将得到最大的胜利。祂带领着门徒唱诗。虽然门徒们不久将离弃祂，并且耶稣自己也快要被残酷地处死，但耶稣却强调要赞美神。赞美是超越十字架，看到神至终的胜利。赞美不是植根于当时的环境，而是植根于神的本性及祂的信实。
当神要你参与祂神国的事工，你应该要欢喜，因为你知道胜券在握。不要专注于问题本身及他人的失败，要定睛于神胜利的保证。当你事奉时，如果无法开口以诗歌赞美神，可能是因为你没有定睛在神的身上，而是在看环境。
Praise
before Victory
And
when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. (Mark 14:26)
Praise is greatly honoring to God! In the
Old Testament account of King Jehoshaphat, God’s people faced a seemingly
insurmountable enemy who was determined to destroy them. Yet God assured them
that they would “stand still and see the salvation of the Lord” (2 Chron.
20:17). The people of Judah believed God. Their army was led by singers,
offering praises to the Lord for their promised victory, and the victory came.
When King David led the procession bringing the ark of the covenant into
Jerusalem, he praised God with all of his strength (2 Sam. 6:12–23). David’s
praise was pleasing to God, and God’s powerful presence remained in David’s
kingdom to give him victory against every enemy.
Jesus was about to go to Gethsemane and to
the cross, where God’s greatest victory would be accomplished. He led His
disciples to sing a hymn. The disciples were all about to fail Him, and Jesus
was about to be cruelly executed, yet Jesus insisted that they praise God.
Their praise looked beyond the cross to God’s ultimate victory. Praise is
rooted not in circumstances of the moment but in the nature and trustworthiness
of God.
You ought to rejoice when God asks you to
proceed in the work of His kingdom because you know the victory is already
secured. Don’t focus on the problems and failures of others. Focus on God’s
assurance of victory. If you have trouble praising God with a song in your
heart as you serve Him, it may be that your focus is not on God, but on your
circumstances.
