"Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name."

Introduction : It is not easy to meet the head or the president of a company. It is a rare occasion to meet famous people in society. The chance is much more slim if we want to meet a high official, a prime minister, or a president of a nation. Then how difficult would it be to meet God? As the children of God, we should always meet Him. How can we meet Him?


1. Thanksgiving and praise make us come before God.
    1) The temple of Israel also had an altar of incense. The priests always had to burn
        incense before God. David sang before the ark    (Ex 40:26; 30:7-8).
    2) Today our offerings and incense are thanksgiving and praise    (Ps 22:3).
        ① We can enter the gates of God´s court with thanksgiving    (Ps 96:8).
        ② We can come before the throne of God with praise    (Ps 95:2).
        ③ Our grumbling and complaining make us estranged from God    (1Co 10:10).

2. The weapon to chase away the devil.
    1) Whenever the evil spirit from God tormented Saul, David played his harp. Then the
        evil spirit left and relief came to Saul    (1Sa 16:14, 23).
    2) Secular frenzied songs call forth evil spirits. When a shaman carries out a ritual
        calling out evil spirits, Korean traditional drums and cymbals are played in a frenzied
        manner, followed by shamanistic songs and dances.
    3) The devil fears our thanksgiving and praise to God.
        ① The throne of God comes upon us through our thanksgiving and praise
            (Rev 5:13).
        ② Many songs of praise are sung when driving out the devil (Ps 18:3; Rev 12:10-11).

3. The channel through which God works in our trials.
    1) A shout in the city of Jericho    (Jos 6:20).
    2) King Jehoshaphat and the choir    (2Ch 20:21-22).

4. The power of liberation and freedom.
    1) Paul and Silas in prison at Philippi (Ac 16:25-26).
    2) A remedy for our heart: happy, sad, comforting, and brave songs of praise
        (Ps 16:11; 103:1-2).


Conclusion : Christianity is a religion of thanksgiving and praise. At every gathering, there should be thanksgiving and praise. God is present among us and works and performs miracles through our thanksgiving and praise to Him.