Psalm 50:23 – Sacrifice of Thanks

God is good and what He does is good. But sometimes bad things happen because we live in a fallen world. In the middle of our brokenness, we are to praise Him. In our difficult seasons, we are to bring God a sacrifice of praise.

Merriam defines a sacrifice as “the act of giving up something that you want to keep especially in order to get or do something else or to help someone.”

“The act of giving up something that you want to keep …” – In the middle of hard times, we will want to hold onto our pain, our anger, our bitterness. But in order to bring a sacrifice of praise to God, we need to do the exact opposite of what our emotions are telling us to do. And we begin by sacrificing our emotions at His feet and then praising Him.

Why do we bring God a sacrifice of thanks?

1. Bringing God a sacrifice of thanks brings Him honor and glory.
2. Bringing God a sacrifice of thanks makes it possible for God to save us.
3. Bringing God a sacrifice of thanks turns our emotions around.

When we sacrifice thank offerings, God says that act “makes it possible for Me to show him I am the God who saves.” Our sacrifices of praise open the door for God’s salvation and deliverance.

He is waiting for us to praise Him in the middle of our troubles. When our circumstances don’t make sense and the road seems long, that is when we need to say “Thank You, God.” We may not understand the journey we are on, but we can trust the One who holds our hand.

And that sacrifice of thanks shows God we trust Him because “we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28 NIV). Not some things does God work for our good but ALL things. But first we have to open the door for God to work in our lives by praising Him even when things don’t look so good.

But here’s something I love about God: after we take that first step, He gives us strength that carries us through to the end. Here’s a prayer to get you started if you’re in the middle of a difficult season:

Dear Heavenly Father, what I’m going though is hard. And I don’t know how to give You this pain. But I place my life in Your hands and trust Your mighty Name. I know You love me and are walking through this with me. Help me to see You in the middle of my hurt. Help me to see Your hand that reaches out to me. Thank You for using this difficult season to draw me closer to You because I can’t get through this without You. In Jesus’ precious Name, Amen.

Image courtesy of Serge Bertasius Photography / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

If you’re going through a difficult season, I would love to pray for you. You don’t have to leave the details of your hurt. But if you leave your name, I will stand with you and lift you up in prayer.

Rest in His presence.