Influencers Weekly Devotional

A Sacrifice of Praise

By Bryan Craig

“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise- the fruit of lips that confess His name.” Hebrews 13:15

Well, it’s Thanksgiving. It’s that special time of year when we all collectively pause to take a day and gather with friends and family for a bountiful meal with thankful hearts. In my childlikeness, Thanksgiving still conjures up images of Pilgrims with tall, black hats and shiny buckles on their shoes. I see them sitting outside on long wooden tables with their Indian friends amidst the fall foliage and beautiful Northeast countryside. It’s an image of peace, unity and praise to the Father of us all. This is my happy place, far away from the fast-paced, electronic world where Black Friday now starts on Thanksgiving evening. So, what are you thankful for this Thanksgiving? That seems to be the question we all ask ourselves and our children. The usual answers come easily…health, family, friends, safety, and prosperity. How many of us quickly thank God for our pain, our suffering, our diseases, our trials and temptations? No, like the perfect Thanksgiving image, we like our lives to be carefree and smooth and easy. That is when we feel like “all is well with the world.” I’m no different, but then I read James 1:2-4:

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

It’s hard for me to conceive that on my list of things for which I’m thankful there should be trials and tests. However, James is saying that if I’m being tested, it is good news. It means the Lord is working out His plan in my life. He is making me mature and complete, not lacking anything. A wise friend of mine, who is 85 years old, and who has lived an entire life of faithfulness, once talked to me about “a sacrifice of praise.” This phrase is mentioned in the Hebrews verse at the top of the page. He said, “It’s not a sacrifice of praise unless it is hard.” He believes one of the highest forms of worship is praising God for the hard things in our lives. This was radical thinking to my comfort-seeking flesh, until he led me through a time of prayer where we thanked God for the pain and the heartache and the disappointment and the struggle in our lives. I found myself thanking God for the deep financial struggle I’d been enduring for 2 years. It was very strange at first, but I can tell you that in the end, it was very freeing. It is difficult to praise God for things which we’ve been praying He would fix or remove. It truly is a sacrifice, but I believe it’s a sacrifice which is pleasing to the Lord. It helps us determine if we really trust Him with our entire lives- the good, the bad and the ugly. Do we really believe that the Lord created us, He loves us, and that He has a plan for our lives which will maximize God’s potential through us on this earth? If so, we must accept the hard things. Job understood, as he discussed his faith, amidst trials, with his wife who wanted him to give up. He said, “Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?”Job 2:10 Brothers, I’m not trying to be “Danny Downer”. I just know of so many men struggling with life right now. Whether it be their marriage, their kids, financial burdens, job situations, addictions, or secret sins…the list goes on. Some hardships may have been inventions of their own doing and some may seem random. Whatever the case, we should praise God for Who He is and give our lives to Him. He is the author and perfecter of our faith. He is with us. He Knows about our situation, He Cares about it, He is Willing to help us, and He is Able. However, we must trust Him with all the details. Oh, and there’s an added bonus. You will find that when you give God praise for the “thorns” in your life, they lose their power over your life. Instead of asking God to remove them, you will understand that His grace is sufficient and His power is made perfect in your weakness. So, as you gather around your Thanksgiving table, would you give your God praise, no matter how hard it is right now? By thanking Him and praising Him for EVERYTHING, you will truly experience Thanksgiving.

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in ALL circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

“Lord, we come to you this Thanksgiving with humble hearts. We are broken before You. We are Your servants. We are Your children. Lord, we Praise You for everything in our lives, even the things that hurt or don’t make sense. We trust You with everything, for You alone are trustworthy. We thank you for our lives, for our families, for Your provision. We love You, Lord. We feast upon Your bountiful goodness this Thanksgiving. In Jesus’ beautiful and mighty name, we pray. Amen.”