September, 2023
From EL, Hsinchu, Taiwan – TW003 Prayer Altar
I thank God for giving me the opportunity to serve Him! I am so grateful!
It can be difficult to find songs praising the Holy Spirit when writing the praise posts. I was reminded that Pastor Jamie also mentioned such difficulty when she wrote Let Us Praise the Holy Spirit for the Month of Praise before. It made me think of how humble the Holy Spirit is. He hides Himself and exalts Yeshua even though He moves with mighty power in this world! I really admire Him, and it makes me really want to praise Him more! I long to get close to the Holy Spirit and to be with such a wonderful God!
From IK, Taipei, Taiwan – TW010 Prayer Altar
I’m thankful for the opportunity to learn how to praise God in different contexts and ways. Even though we were created to praise God, I learnt that praising Him excluding requests and petitions consistently is intentional and requires discipline.
During this Month of Praise, I was able to praise God out of an overflow, as well as with my mind, will and strength, and with the help of online research. At the beginning of the month-long praise exercise, I felt that the words of praise came more intuitively and with more ease.
Towards the end of the month, praising God required more research and discipline because it was the Feasts of Trumpets and the Feast of Tabernacles. I was to praise Him in that context, and I didn’t know much about these Jewish festivals.
My body and soul was also tired at the time, and it was more challenging to praise God with less familiar scripture. But praise God! With Pastor Jamie’s help, we were able to craft praises to God and share it with others!
From RC, Pingtung, Taiwan – TW018 Prayer Altar
Thank you Heavenly Father! By practising how to give thanks and praise Father, Son, and the Spirit, I experienced the presence of the Holy Spirit and the arising of circumstances. When I was willing to obey and draw close to God, the Holy Spirit quickly connected the worship songs, Bible verses, and prophetic pictures together, even to my surprise! In the process of giving thanks and praises, I myself enjoyed the taste of the Lord’s grace first❤️. I was at ease and submitted the drafts to Pastor Jamie for proofreading. I was deeply moved by thanking and praising God again after receiving the edited praise posts. I felt that I was incompetent, and I needed not only the support from the pastor but also the presence and guidance of God. Thus, I deeply feel the importance of connection and networking! We walk together in one heart and we connect with the Lord, build a glorious Church, and bring the gospel to the ends of the earth!
From LS, New Taipei City, Taiwan – TW029 Prayer Altar
Praise God! When it was my turn to write praise posts, sometimes a worship song came first, and sometimes the scripture came to my mind first. After finishing writing, I read it to myself several times to check whether the Bible verses and the worship songs were after God’s heart. Then I closed my eyes and sent the praise posts to Pastor Jamie for proofreading because I was not good with words. Pastor Jamie gave me great encouragement, and I learnt and improved every time. I thank God for allowing me to participate in the ministry of Month of Praise.
From CL, Tainan, Taiwan – TW031 Prayer Altar
I joined the writers team during the Month of Praise this year and found that even if I prayed and praised often, it did not guarantee a smooth writing. Although I praised, gave thanks or made proclamations, I still found myself involuntarily opening my mouth to petition. In addition, after praying in tongues became a habit, my prayer with understanding was only the repetition of reciting scriptures. This was really a good opportunity to examine my own prayer life.
Even though I was assigned to write for only four days, I spent time praying, finding the right scriptures, and matching the corresponding worship songs. However, I received a double portion of blessings and anointing, which was the greatest gift for me this month. What a wonderful ministry it would be to do more of this kind of exercises or to practise on different topics every month!
From RY, Taoyuan, Taiwan – TW034 Prayer Altar
I think it was a very good exercise. It really made me think of the scriptures I had read and which verse I could use to praise God. In addition, Pastor Jamie helped us edit the texts. When I praised God, sometimes it became a prayer of supplication. I had never noticed this before, but this time through Pastor Jamie’s reminder, I learned to just fix my eyes on God. When finding the worship songs, I would pay more attention to the lyrics and find out that the lyrics can also be used for praise posts. I really want to keep practising!
From PC, Yunin, Taiwan – TW 036 Prayer Altar
Thank You Lord, and thank you Pastor Jamie for the leadership. The practice of the Month of Praise taught me to write praise posts that others could use to praise together. In the past during corporate prayers, I only needed to give praises. This time it was a writing ministry which I had never done before, so I tried to make every word choice a hit. Praise can change the way we look at things. It can also change our mood. I encourage you to practise praising God all the time!
From TW, Sydney, Australia – AU001 Prayer Altar
Here are my thoughts and insights about the experience of writing the praise posts. It is very different from reading praise posts than writing a praise post. When writing, it involves choosing and studying the Bible verses, and then I pray and meditate on those Bible verses. Through the process, I feel that I am closer to God. Sometimes I even have new perspectives and insights about Yeshua and His love. Somehow writing is not an easy task for me, but it is worth the while.
From CS, Melbourne, Australia – AU002 Prayer Altar
I thank God for the opportunity to take part in writing praises for BBPN Month of Praise. Initially, the writers were instructed to write a simple praise point, quote a Bible verse, or share a song of praise each day. Later, Pastor Jamie gave us more insights by using the name of God to praise Him, focusing on praising Yeshua and then the Holy Spirit, followed by a song of worship.
After writing the praise posts and reading posts by others, I was enlightened to praise God whenever and wherever I can. In every circumstance no matter good or bad, I learned to give thanks to God. Sometimes I just praised His name. I made a little progress every day, despite the fact that practising giving thanks to God only was not that easy at the beginning.
Truly, praising God is not difficult at all. You just need to put it into practice. Also, by praising God, you will have a joyful spirit in you. 😊
From TL, Melbourne, Australia – AU003 Prayer Altar
Reflecting back a month ago as I participated in the Month of Praise, I learned to focus on praising our Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Praising God by using His name and attributes reminds me of His greatness and His goodness. I chose Jehovah Rapha and I claimed His words that He is my healer and He restores my health. There is nothing I should be fearful about because I have a great God dwelling in me. Most importantly, praising God helps me to focus on God Himself instead of my worries.
I am also greatly encouraged and inspired by other writers. Seeing God’s unconditional love and unlimited generosity continually recharge us. At times when we are down, we need to worship and praise Him even more.
In conclusion, praising God is rewarding. It refreshes our soul, our mind and our spirit. As God’s Word says, “A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit.” (Pro 15:13) So let’s keep praising God day and night!
From TL, Sydney, Australia – AU004 Prayer Altar
The practices of Month of Praise enhanced me to check and reorganise my thoughts and expression in words, which helped me to think more logically and intellectually.
Being part of the writer’s team encouraged and inspired me greatly. Through seeing other people’s thoughts and ways of expression, it reinforced the truth regarding the impact of believers worshipping together. “What is the outcome then, brothers and sisters? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. All things are to be done for edification.” (1Co 14:26, NASB)
I would encourage anyone who wants to establish a lifestyle of praises to “chew the Word.” Our lives are an automatic outflow of what we believe (Pro 4:23). Only the Word of God is truth and it can set us free (Jhn 8:31-32). Gaining understanding of the Word is like digesting truth into the deeper parts of our souls. With truth being stored more and more inside us, we can then live a life of worshipping Him in truth and in spirit, and our praises will automatically become more powerful.
From GM, Sydney, Australia – AU008 Prayer Altar
The Month of Praise drew me closer to God. It got me to think deeper about my relationship with my Heavenly Father, Lord Yeshua and The Holy Spirit. Praising God by using His name for what He is doing for me made me feel so personal. I chose Jehovah Nissi and I got to reflect how God has been my banner.
Participating in the writer’s team made me grow deeper in my relationship with God as l read the Bible verses to reflect and write up. Finding songs that go with the theme made the practice meaningful.
I would encourage others to develop a lifestyle of praising God. After the Month of Praise, l have started looking for Bible verses that praise the attributes of God and putting stickers in my Bible. Where there is a sticker, there is a Bible verse to praise God. All l do now is to open up my Bible and praise God!
From DY, East Asia – HK001 Prayer Altar
Joining the Month of Praise definitely added oil in my lamp. Praising our Lord helped me to focus on the personality of the Almighty God. It even motivated me to study some Hebrew words that are related to praising Yeshua our Lord.
Being part of the Writers’ Team surely helped me to realise that we are one body of Christ, and we help each other to grow spiritually.
If I had a chance to advise others about establishing a culture of praise, I would definitely encourage you to praise God right after getting up from bed every day!
“I will sing to the Lord, for He has been good to me. ” (Psm 13:6)