A Sacrifice of Praise

Trust means saying, "Lord, I want you more."

This thought has been flowing through my mind so much lately. What does it mean to give something up as a sacrifice? How can I have a heart full of praise through it all? Just a few of the ponderings of my heart in recent weeks.

A dear friend shared with me about what a sacrifice of praise means. I realized that I wanted to learn a bit more about it.

Here's what the Bible has to say::
"Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise- the fruit of lips that confess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased."
~Hebrews 13:15-16

What I got from this::
There is never a time when we shouldn't be offering our Father a sacrifice of praise. That is to say, even when it physically hurts, including hurtings of the heart, we should be praising His name. For praising Him even in the downpours brings Him pleasure. Focusing on Jesus and those around us will bring sunshine to our hearts, even on the cloudiest of days.

And don't think I don't realize how hard this can be. Trust me, I've been there too. Sometimes the last thing I want to do [shame on me] is to praise Him in the storms. But yet, when I do, I know He is smiling down with approval.

God has been showing me that through it all, I am to bless His Name. One of my favorite worship songs right now is 10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord.)

via

I couldn't help but think of all of the faithful believers in the Bible who led lives of sacrificial praise. There are many, including::

-Job. Everything was taken from him, yet he still proclaimed "God, you are good." Can I do the same?

-Joseph. He went through many trials, yet he still believed in God's faithfulness to the end.

-David. His family was a mess, but still he praised God through the ups and downs in his life.

-Paul. He experienced countless persecutions and difficulties, yet he focused on the One who was worthy of his praise.

 

When we are in the face of suffering, we must remember that-

"Suffering is the training ground for Christian maturity. It develops our patience and makes our final victory sweet." [Life Application Bible commentary on Hebrews 12:3.]

 

Someday it will be worth it all. Learn to praise Him in the storms, dear friends!