Whoever offers praise glorifies Me;
And to him who orders his conduct aright
I will show the salvation of God."—Psalm 50:23 NKJV
Psalm 50:23 says, “He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God.”
There is a little girl in my life that makes me a birthday card each and every year. These are not just any birthday cards. These cards are her way of showing me that she appreciates my presence in her life. The obvious time and effort she takes and the love she puts into creating them makes her gift more valuable to me and has often moved me to tears. I cannot help but want to display the precious gift of her heart for all to see. (This year’s card is already framed.)
Beloved our God is the same…if I in my fallen state respond to a sacrifice of thanksgiving and praise this way, how much more will God respond when I offer Him a sacrifice of thanksgiving.
When things are hard, when the way is difficult, when you feel that God has deserted you, or your mind is so immersed in fear and anxiety that you can’t see two feet in front of you…that, beloved…is the perfect time to offer a sacrifice of thanks to your God.
This kind of gratitude is not of this world. It is supernatural and is produced as we surrender to the Spirit of God who dwells in us. It does not make any earthly sense and brings our pride low. Here is the thing though. As we push through our screaming flesh and present our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving to God for His blessings, we honor Him and our gratitude is glorified. As we do this God’s word promises that we are preparing the way for Him to show us His salvation and shower us with grace upon grace. Blessed is the man who trusts Him!
Thank Him because…
He is sovereign and all that He does is good
He works all in your life together for your good and His glory
His will for you comes from His heart of love
His love endures forever
He is on your side
He did not spare His only beloved Son but delivered Him up for us all
Nothing can separate us from His love
He is where our help comes from
His grace is sufficient
He is our great consolation
His word comforts us in our affliction
In our weakness His strength is made perfect
He never leaves us nor forsakes us
He has prepared a place for us
Absent from the body is present with Him in heaven
He hears our prayers
He brings beauty from ashes
He gives the oil of joy for mourning
He gives the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness
In Him there is no darkness at all
He preserves us through this life
He thinks on us and considers our affliction
He gives us other worldly rest and peace
He keeps His promises
His benefits are great
He is your portion
He commands His loving kindness in the daytime and at night His song shall be with you.
He undertakes for us
He delivers us
Underneath us are His everlasting arms
We are not alone in our fears, trials and troubles
We stand in His grace…His everlasting favor.
He is compassionate and gracious
In Him is wisdom
He never changes…He is the same yesterday, today and forever
He is gracious, full of compassion and righteous
As our great high priest, He can sympathize with us in our weakness
We can come boldly to His throne of grace to obtain mercy and find grace to help in our time of need
