A Sacrifice of Praise – Hebrews 13:15

 I remember the first time Hebrews 13:15 caught my eye – I thought, “Why would it be a sacrifice to praise?” It truly puzzled me since I had always loved to praise God – to give him the worship he was so worthy to receive.

Then my husband and I had an awful fight. I don’t even remember what it was about but he got so angry that he walked out of the house. I was devastated. Our marriage had not being going well and I was in utter despair. I didn’t have a clue how to turn things around. I always wanted to be a wife and mother and now I was both but I didn’t find the contentment I thought I would find.

Then I felt the Spirit of the Lord ask, “can you praise me now?” I remember thinking: “Praise? The last thing I feel like doing is praising.” Then finally I understood that God is worthy of our praise no matter what the circumstances. When you don’t feel like praising and do it anyway that is a “sacrifice of praise.”

So I knelt at the window that looked out into my backyard. The first thing I did was to admit that I didn’t feel like praising but since the Bible says to “continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise” I would. Then I began to sing to my Lord and King. I have been in wonderful Sunday services that have moved me. I have been brought to tears at Christmas Eve services and baptisms of new believers. Yet nothing in all of my experience prepared me for the joy I felt that evening. I think that feeling was God’s smile of approval on an obedient child.

It is easy to praise God when “all is right with the world.” Yet when we can get on our knees and let our God know that we praise him in the storm it is a sacrifice of praise. I don’t always get that rush I got that very first time but that’s OK because I know I’ve pleased God.

Over 35 years of walking with God has shown me that even when I think God’s forgotten me or when I think that something that he’s asked me to do is just too hard ultimately He has my best interest at heart. But sometimes it’s still a sacrifice.