The “sacrifice of praise…”

“By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.” Hebrews 13:15  

We all love to sing that song, “We bring the sacrifice of praise… into the house of the Lord…” But what happens when “praise” becomes the sacrifice? What happens when our eyes run with tears and our body is in pain… can we still “offer the praise?” Job did. The Lord had allowed Satan to take everything he had… his wealth, his seven children, his friends, his good name, his health, and left him “covered with boils, sitting on the ground scraping his wounds.” While going through all of this, he said, “Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:21)

Remember the next time we sing that song… it’s easy to “bring the sacrifice of praise” when things are going well, but when things are “wrong,” when we’re all alone, when we can’t pay our bills, when our body is in pain, and when we go through the worst trial of our life… then “the praise” really becomes the sacrifice. “Lord, help me to praise you, through every trial, through the bad times as well as the good times…” Sherry