PERFECTED PRAISE

“And said to Him, “Do You hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes. Have you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have PERFECTED PRAISE’?” – Matthew 21:16

Welcome to February – our Month of Perfection of Praise: “And said to Him, “Do You hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes. Have you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have PERFECTED PRAISE’?” The word “perfected” (katatizo) means: mended, repaired, put in proper order. Verse 16 echoes Psalm 8:2, “Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength, because of Your enemies, that You may silence the enemy and the avenger”! In this Year of Divine Perfections, God shall PERFECT that which concerns us (Psa.138:8). “Praise” comes from the word “Judah”! What better way to press into this Prophetic Word than via the Pathway of Praise? That is, to send Judah first! Perfected Praise will open Doors of Revelation and Manifestation of Divine Perfections. We shall therefore focus this month on praising and thanking God for diverse aspects of life in which we shall enjoy Divine Perfections.

Matthew 21 tells of how Jesus came into Jerusalem riding on a donkey in fulfilment of prophecy: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zech.9:9). The multitudes spread their garments, and others cut down branches from trees and spread them out before Him. They shouted out loud: “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest”! (v.9). Hosanna means let it rain! This is a prayer for the latter and the former rain. It infers: “God help us, God save us”!

Jesus, fulfilling before their eyes, the messianic prophecy of Zechariah, rode into the city, came to the temple, cast out all those that traded in the temple and overthrew the tables of the money changers and the seats of the dove sellers. The main problem here was not that they were selling animals but that they were selling them for outlandish prices. People had to have these animals for sacrifices and these merchants were charging excessive prices for them. They were cheating – getting in the way of people that wanted to make things right with God! They were profiting off the gospel. The people needed the animals, so they had no choice but to pay. Even today, there are those who are profiting off of people’s need to relate with God. Jesus however spoke Order into His Father’s House: ““It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves’” (v.13).

Before anything else, the Church must be a House of Prayer. It can house multitudes of people. It can have immense assets and wealth, but unless and until it becomes a House of Prayer, it is not fruitful in the eyes of the Lord. Alas, there are many who claim to follow a God that they no longer talk to. For these, prayer is merely a required formality, a means by which to relieve guilt or measure spirituality. True Prayer flows from a heart that desires a deeper spiritual experience with God. It does not operate within the confines of self-interest, but focuses attention on those that hurt around us. Prayer is seeking the face pf God (Psa.27:8). We don’t find our answers in prayer, but in God! Our answers are revealed to us by God when we seek Him in prayer.

It is when we become a house of prayer that we will become a house of purity. As we pray, the Lord will overturn tables of impurity in our hearts, and set our lives in order. Only then will we become a house of power: “Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them” (v.14). Ultimately, we become a House of Perfected Praise!