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December 07, 2023

Sacrifice of Praise

December 07, 2023 by CARISSA JOY STRUM WORSHIPING GOD Praise Worshiping God Contentment Feeling connected to those back home Quiet time with the Lord
Sacrifice of Praise
  • by CARISSA JOY STRUM
  • Comment
“For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come. Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.”
Hebrews 13:14-15

On my first overseas service trip, we attended a local church on Sunday morning. I remember how strikingly beautiful it was to hear God being worshipped in another language, one I did not fully understand. This gave me a small taste of the beauty and power of worshipping our God. But after I came back from that trip, I stopped thinking as much about the power of worship and got into a routine of worshipping God. How easy is it for us to feel like “worship” refers to songs we sing for 20 minutes each Sunday morning, and forget that “worship” is a call and command that requires and encompasses our entire lives? 


I love how Psalm 51 lends us insight into God’s desires: “You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise” (Psalm 51:16-17). Similarly, Psalm 50:7-15 speaks to God’s desires as God calls His people to offer Him a sacrifice, not of bulls or goats or tangible things, but of thanksgiving and vows. The ESV commentary explains that both sacrifices of thanksgiving and vows were peace offerings (as described in Lev. 7:11-12, 16) whose purpose of communally eating a meal with one’s family and God as host provides a foretaste of the Lord’s Supper outlined in 1 Corinthians 10:16-18. 


God calls us to worship that is personal, communal, and from the heart, regardless of our circumstances. In the psalms, we see examples of God’s people praising him before, during, and after hard seasons of life (Psalm 117, 103, 30, and 116). Worship is not necessarily a response to God’s gifts, but is a response to God’s character. Thus, it is always relevant and applicable.  


Before we leave, I want to remind us all of something I often forget: God is for us (see Romans 8). We don’t have to try to figure out how to worship God on our own; that’s impossible and we don’t have it in us! But God’s strength shines brightly through our inadequacy (2 Cor. 12:9-10). Let’s boldly approach God’s throne and seek His strength and guidance and help as we worship Him (see Hebrews 4:16). How will we worship Jesus today? And how will our days (and the worldviews and heart postures we have throughout our days) change as a result?

Closing Prayer
Abba King, we worship You! You are righteous, holy, and altogether good. As Your Word says in Psalm 150, We praise You for Your actions and greatness that surpasses our understanding. We praise You with the breath You have placed in us, and we rejoice in who You are. In Your worthy and holy Name we pray! Amen.
Resources
Podcast: Let Truth be the Basis of Your Originality by Sadie Robertson Huff ft. Brooke Ligertwood This encouraging interview provides an honest and encouraging conversation about the heart behind worship as Brooke discusses God’s work behind the scenes for her new album “Seven.”
Scripture: Psalms The Psalms are such beautiful and powerful prayer resources. Pick a psalm this week (or a verse or two from a psalm) to pray to God and worship Him through! Psalms 27, 33, 40, 104, 111, 145, and 150 are all great places to start. Or read the context of today’s verse in Hebrews 13 and praise God for His steadfastness and that He is our Shepherd. Take note of where you are in the beginning of the week, and of how worshipping God influences your worship and worldview throughout the week.
Question for Reflection

What is stopping you from wholeheartedly worshiping God? Maybe it’s worry about what others think (see 2 Sam. 6:22), busyness with life, frustration, hurt, or something you’re not sure how to identify. Seek the Lord and ask His Spirit to remove/heal whatever is hindering you from worship. Seek out friends to worship with! Worship has both personal and communal aspects, and sometimes we forget the beauty of communal worship. Who can you worship with this week? It could be hosting a worship night at your home, or it could be sending a friend a worship song that impacted you. As you spread the worship of Jesus, you might notice yourself seeing moments of worship throughout your day.

Comments
Carissa Joy Strum
December 07, 2023

I want to spend a little time with my husband singing worship songs together this weekend! It can be so easy to get so caught up in daily life that I forget about the importance and priority of worship.
I also want to text my family members and 1-2 friends about how I’ve seen God this week. I want to cultivate a spirit of worship instead of focusing on complaint.