A Sacrifice of Praise

What is a sacrifice of praise? I’ve thought a lot about that. I think it means to make a real spiritual effort to praise God in the hard times. Why is that? Because the last thing we want to do is thank God for affliction. The best biblical example of this I know is Job.

Job had a lot to thank God for. He was the richest man on earth. He was healthy, wealthy, and wise. He loved God and God loved him. He had a wonderful family. He was concerned for the welfare of the weak and the poor. This great man had made suitable sacrifices all his life, and God was well pleased with him.

But one day Job’s world caved in and he lost all he had. A sacrifice of praise does not mean that you praise God for the death of a child or for bankruptcy. It means that, when you can’t praise God for what He has allowed, you praise Him for Who He is despite what He has allowed. Job was able to thank God for the Lord’s sovereign power over life and death. 

What is God asking you to surrender to Him? Perhaps He wants you to sacrifice your complaints about how you think God has treated you and offer Him praise instead. When life is not going well, our praise is a costly sacrifice.

Those sacrifices that are unacceptable are the things that are cheap or that cost us nothing. King David wanted to buy the threshing floor of Araunah. The man was delighted to have David ask for it. After all, the king wanted to offer a sacrifice to the Lord on his property. So, Araunah offered to give it to the king. David replied, “I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing” (2 Sam. 24:24). 

I think of all the times I give God things that “cost me nothing.” I sit in church and hear an appeal for money or donations for poor people. My hand goes into my purse, and I collect my small change. It feels good to get rid of it. My purse feels lighter, but my spirit feels heavier! How dare I call that an offering. It has cost me nothing.

I heard about a young couple at seminary. They heard about a need for coats for refugees suffering in a bitter winter. They went into their closet and began going through their clothes. “Maybe this will be a good time to clean out the closet,” one of them said to the other. They sorted out the clothes they no longer wanted. Then one of them said, “I feel bad about this. Maybe we should start again.” So they began looking at their coats again. Both of them came to the new leather jackets they had been given for Christmas. They stood in silence, looking at each other. “Should we offer the coats we don’t want anyway to the Lord, or should we give our best coats?” the man asked his wife. It was hard. They had given up much to study for ministry. But the outcome was not in doubt—they knew deep and satisfying joy as their new coats were taken off the hangers and were soon on the way to Russia, where a poor pastor and his wife cried as they received them. With such sacrifices, God is well pleased. 

What sacrifice of praise do you need to make to the Lord today?