Worship Is Often a Sacrifice of Praise - Treasures of Faith - Week 2 Day 5

TODAY'S TREASURE

Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name.

Hebrews 13:15

I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

Psalm 9:1–2

Transcript

Worship is Often a Sacrifice of Praise

Chuck and Sharon Betters

Today’s Treasure

Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name.

Hebrews 13:15

I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

Psalm 9:1–2

What if your circumstances are so awful that all you have to offer God is a broken heart? For months after Mark’s death, all we had to offer God were tears and questions. Doing all the “right” spiritual things didn’t produce the spiritual blessings we sought.

Prior to Mark’s death, we looked forward to being with our covenant community, our church, joining with other believers in praising God. But how could we praise God when all we really wanted was our son back? We wanted God to relieve our agony; God wanted us to desire Him. Very slowly, we began to understand true worship requires true sacrifice. As Hebrews 13:15 explains, “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name.”

A sacrifice costs the giver something valuable, something dear to the heart. So what sort of sacrifice does God want from us? Rather than delighting in “meaningless” sacrifice, God seeks a “broken spirit” (Psalm 51:16–17).

We were broken by Mark’s death, and we wanted to know how to surrender to God’s plan. We did not simply want to go through the motions; we wanted our worship to be authentic. Although we longed for the return of our son, we began to see God wanted us to desire Him and trust Him with our tears and pain—a sacrifice for Him to use in whatever way He pleased. Almost two years after Mark’s death, Sharon wrote in her journal:

“I should be planning a graduation party for Mark as I did for the other kids… Oh, God, so much of life is made up of conflict resolution, but there is no resolution for this ache. We worked so hard to get to this year, anticipating the joy of seeing Mark, our youngest, graduate. I’m not finished mothering Mark. How do I learn to live without resolution that satisfies my mother’s heart?

You remind me: The Israelites grumbled because they had no water (Numbers 21:16–18). As Mark’s absence governs my thoughts, their desire for water ruled theirs. Just as I am constantly complaining against You for taking my son, the Israelites murmured against You for not giving them water. Then You promised to give them water, and they in turn praised You for the water You would give them, thanking You in advance for the promise they knew You would keep.

Is this Your reply to me? To praise You with words that proclaim, I believe You will keep Your promises to comfort before I feel that comfort? To repent of my unbelief and replace my murmuring with praise? Do You know how hard this will be for me? What can I praise You for when I feel so weak? To praise You makes me feel as though I am leaving Mark behind. I can’t do this unless You enable me. Help me, Lord, to do your bidding.”

LIFE-GIVING ENCOURAGEMENT

Seeking to renew a grateful heart, Sharon began to write down every happy memory from her life, no matter how brief or seemingly insignificant, beginning with her childhood and acknowledging along the way that each of these wonderful memories was a gift from God. By the time she reached the events of her adolescence, the physical ache was gone from her heart. A sacrifice of praise, even though mixed with tears, had brought her relief from months of seemingly endless pain.

There were many days, however, as we were looking through the Bible and praying, that choosing to praise God did nothing to lessen our grief. We began to understand that God’s grace, although sufficient, will not always eradicate—or even soften—our pain. Yet in those moments when we think we have little for which to praise Him, the Scriptures proclaim a different perspective:

“I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.” Psalm 9:1–2

It is often difficult to remember that worship is not about meeting our own needs. Our praise and worship are to focus on God and His works. True worship that focuses on God becomes a channel of His grace:

“Fear the LORD your God and serve him. Hold fast to him and take your oaths in his name. He is your praise; he is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes.” Deuteronomy 10:20–21 [emphasis added]

The only way we can take our eyes off our problems and focus on God is through faith—a wholehearted trust in God and in His promise to comfort us.

PRAYER

Father, may we pray as the Psalmist, “You are our praise, You are our God, who performed for us great and awesome wonders.” Remind us of your greatest gift, Jesus, and no matter where our pathway leads, may we cling to Jesus and remember Your faithfulness.

MORE…

Adapted from Treasures of Faith by Chuck and Sharon Betters with permission from P&R Publishing

Treasures of Faith for $4.00 each! And the Leader’s Guide for $2.00. Supplies are limited.  LINK 

You can also hear Chuck’s Treasures of Faith sermon series on the Help & Hope app, your favorite podcast platform or the MARKINC website.

PS – If you remember reading or studying Treasures of Faith, I wouldn’t mind you leaving a rating or review on Amazon! We were unable to determine why, but the reviews on our Amazon book page were removed and can not be restored.