Week
6 Trust and Peace
Day 39
The Sacrifice of
Praise
It is always
beneficial to praise the Lord; it cheers the day and brightens the night; it
lightens toil and softens sorrow; and over earthly gladness it sheds a
sanctifying radiance which makes it less liable to blind us with its glare.[i]
Charles Spurgeon
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P
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raise is a Christian
exercise that is purported to release beneficial endorphins more potent than
those of an aerobic workout,[ii]
but praise is not always comfortable. Perhaps that is why the Bible refers to
praise as a sacrifice.
Under the old covenant God asked His people to make blood sacrifices.
During this age, God has provided Jesus as the ultimate sacrifice so that daily
sacrifices of blood are no longer necessary in order for us to have access to
Him. In the face of such generosity of love, our hearts ought to respond
automatically with thanksgiving and praise, but we sometimes suppress our
well-hidden heartaches and turn away. Old covenant sacrifices were surely more
uncomfortable to carry out than a sacrifice of praise, but still, we sometimes
avoid our God and forfeit blessing as a result. This robs us of peace and
tempts us to seek numbing distractions from things of the world, much as one
might focus upon a crossword puzzle as a strategy to distract attention from an
aching head or an upset stomach.
We do not praise in order to please God, but as a response to “seeing”
God. Ahead of praise, we need the courage and the will to look to our maker. Focusing
upon God requires the release of self-focus as we set aside our plans to
correct ourselves, and place all our trust in Him. Psalm 123:2 speaks of the
way servants keep their eyes upon their master to see what they will be
instructed to do next. We need to humble ourselves before the Lord in this way,
because praise isn’t something we create within ourselves; it is a response
that comes when we turn our eyes to Him. Thanksgiving puts us in right
relationship to Him, and the sacrifice of praise opens our hearts for cleansing
from all that has caused us pain.
Disinfectant sometimes hurts, but it removes bacteria. Setting a broken
limb is painful, but it allows the limb to heal straight. The treatment that
brings healing does indeed sometimes hurt, but would we forfeit healing in
order to save ourselves from the pain of the treatment? Of course not. When we
praise God, tears may flow, heartaches may be revealed, and as hidden sorrows
come to light we may feel uncomfortable indeed, but when the discomfort has
passed, we experience peace.
The fruit of praise is so exquisitely pleasant that all other pleasures
recede by comparison. When we praise God, He is present with us so that our
spirits join with His. This intimacy satisfies the deepest longings of our
hearts. We do shy away from such intimacy, in part because we feel ashamed of
our sins and failures, but when we come, just as we are, and experience the
sweetness of His acceptance and love, praise bubbles forth, and in its wake we
experience the sweetness of the peace He promised. Not as the world gives, but
a much better peace He has given to us.
Praise the Lord!
Pray: “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who
forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life
from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you
with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's” (Psalm 103:2-5).
~~~
Through him then let
us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of
lips that acknowledge his name.
Hebrews 13:15
…there
is nothing on earth I desire besides you.
Psalm 73:25b
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