Dec. 3, 2007 - A Sacrifice of Praise
I love the song "We bring a sacrifice of praise into the house of the Lord"! But I got to thinking recently and wondered what, exactly, is a "sacrifice of praise"?
Praise is such a wonderful, positive thing. And "sacrifice" usually involves difficulty. These 2 terms don't seem to go together! Or do they?
As I thought on this, the Lord showed me that a sacrifice of praise involves praising Him in the hard times. I love the song "Praise you in the storm" and I'm always challenged by that concept. Can I truly praise the Lord when things are hard, when my life is not going the way that I want it to? It is so easy to praise Him when life is all sunshine and smooth sailing!
But what about when He kicks me out of my comfort zone? What about the times when I'm doing my best to follow His will for me but I'm experiencing trials? Like Joseph, I have to follow God even when the outcome of that doesn't seem to make sense! I mean, Joseph correctly fled from Potiphar's wife and what happens? He gets thrown in the slammer! I wonder if he ever wondered "Lord, what are you doing?? I'm trying to follow you, and look where it has landed me!"
I know I have thought and felt that!! But I love Joseph's response at the end of this very long trial w/ his brothers......You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good!
Joseph is a great example to me! His steadfast trust in the Lord and following Him even when it was hard, unfair, and the trials unrelenting! Now there is a life lived with a "sacrifice of praise"!
Lord, help me to live my life as a sacrifice of praise to You. Thank you for the good times. And I thank you for the hard times, when you are "removing the dross from the silver" in my life and making me material fit for the Silversmith! Lord, the refining fire hurts and I don't like it, but I thank You that You are sovereign and that You work all things together for good for those that trust You and are called according to Your purpose! You are most worthy of my trust and praise!
Comments
Dec. 11, 2007 - Congratulations!
Posted by HSBCompanyBlog
Please e-mail me so that we can get your prize sent to you. tlinschied-at-TheHomeschoolMagazine-dot-com
Tia Linschied
Senior Editor of HSB
Dec. 20, 2007 - Untitled Comment
Posted by Angelheart
Thanks for the reminder of praising God even in times of trial. My great Grandfather was a pastor of our church. I have loved God since I was a little girl. I know I am lucky for that. To me it seems that the more trials I do have the closer to God I become. I got a book that I have been reading Called the Grand Weaver. I am half way through it. Its about God making who we are by our experiences. If you would like to have it when I am done let me know . I'd be glad to share it. It also talks about how to find your calling. A very good read.
God bless
Nikki
Dec. 20, 2007 - Untitled Comment
Posted by suffgrace
