A Sacrifice of Praise
Sacrifice. It's not a word we use a lot these days. I’m pretty sure I've heard of a sacrifice play in sports and sometimes people will sarcastically say that something was a real sacrifice... but it's usually used to indicate an extreme, as in "the ultimate sacrifice" on Memorial Day.
In the Old Testament there was a lot of literal, physical sacrifice: birds and animals offered by the Israelites to gain forgiveness or to give thanks for something God had done. And in the New Testament Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice as He gave His life so that we could be reconciled to God.
But there's also verses in both the New and Old Testaments that call for us to bring "a sacrifice of praise." Hebrews 13:15 says that a sacrifice of praise is the fruit (or natural outcome) of lips that profess the name of Jesus. In other words, if you call yourself a Christian then praise should naturally overflow from your life. But what if you don't feel like you have anything to praise Him FOR? Perhaps you're in a season of sorrow or rejection or disappointment and when you look around at the circumstances of your life you can only lament. Personally, I'd say, start there...but don't stop there.
“My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Why are You so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish? My God, I cry out by day, but You do not answer, by night, but I find no rest. Yet You are enthroned as the Holy One; You are the one Israel praises. In You our ancestors put their trust; they trusted and You delivered them. To You they cried out and were saved; in You they trusted and were not put to shame.”
Ever feel forsaken? Abandoned? In anguish? Filling your pillow with tears? Like God is not listening? The Psalmists were familiar with all these feelings. And it's no mistake that these words are recorded in the Bible. It's not like they snuck them in when God wasn't looking! In fact, Jesus Himself, would quote this Psalm more than a thousand years later -- from the cross.
God is not afraid of our very strong emotions. Even the "bad" ones. But notice the "yet." It's the critical point in this passage because it's when the writer's eyes moved from his circumstances to his God. I've often said that when I'm down and having a hard time feeling hopeful, I'll remind myself of things God has done for me in the past. But here we see another option. If you're so far down that you can't remember enough good in your own life, look beyond it. In Psalm 22 the writer starts thinking back to all that God had done for the nation of Israel.
It's not an instant improvement. If you read the whole Psalm, you'll see that the writer has a lot more complaining to get off his chest. And some of it will also be prophetic: pointing to Jesus. But look where he finally lands at the end...
“Posterity will serve Him; future generations will be told about the Lord. They will proclaim His righteousness, declaring to a people yet unborn: He has done it!”
Talk about hope! His eyes are now fixed on his Heavenly Father and he's looking forward to what God will do. Now he’s got a vision for God’s mighty eternal plan that includes him but is not dependent on him. He sees possibility where before he only saw dead ends.
So where was the sacrifice? It was when this discouraged, sorrowful writer directed his complaints to God (not his neighbor or Facebook) and (perhaps with gritted teeth) began to list the virtues of his Father.
Because for sacrifice to be sacrifice, there must be a cost. Sometimes the sacrifice of praise is speaking truth that you don't see or listing the good you'd rather disregard or giving God the credit that someone handed you. It's most likely going to involve doing something that you don't FEEL like doing.
But I've learned that when God commands something it's always for our good. Psalm 22 shows the "fruit" of praising God when it's a sacrifice, when you don't feel like it. The writer went from feeling like God wasn't paying attention to him in verse 2 to this in verse 24.
“For He has not despised or scorned the suffering of the afflicted one; He has not hidden His face from him but has listened to his cry for help.”
By obeying and bringing a sacrifice of praise, he has relearned that God is close to the brokenhearted and doesn't turn away from our tears.
I recently came across a letter from a friend telling us what he had loved about Josiah. Our eldest son was hit by a car and died at age 25. The letter was eloquent and so, so hard to read. Believe me, it's very easy for me to focus on the dreams that ended that night and what I miss about my beautiful boy and the pain in my heart. It is a sacrifice to intentionally turn from that completely natural state of being and sing a song of praise or preach myself a sermon of God's faithfulness. But when I do, God is so gracious to remind me of His closeness.
The storms aren't optional. But our response is. Go ahead and lament. Tell your Creator how much you hurt. Then give Him a sacrifice of praise. And see how very close He is.
