“Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, rebuke your disciples!’ ‘I tell you,’ he replied, ‘if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.’”
—Luke 19:39-40 NIV

“Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”

On “Palm Sunday” almost two thousand years ago, this refrain was heard amid the shouts of the crowd, as a man named Jesus entered Jerusalem sitting on a donkey (a symbol of peace). People threw their cloaks and palm branches on the road, welcoming the Son of David, the long-awaited Messiah who was coming to free the people of Israel.

There were some who took offense at these words, insisting that Jesus should silence those who were shouting his praises. To this he replied, “If they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”

And in a way, the stones actually do cry out.

The Scriptures tell us, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world” (Psalm 19:1-4a NIV).

Without a doubt, Jesus receives (and will receive) praise.

The question is: will you join the heavenly chorus?

Here is a simple prayer to carry with you today:

Inhale: Jesus,
Exhale: I praise you.