A Sacrifice of Thanks
“He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God.”
Psalm 50:23
Suppose a woman with arthritis in her hands embroidered a set of pillowcases for you as a thank-you gift. The gift would mean more to you than if sewn by a woman with nimble fingers. Why? Because the arthritic woman expended extraordinary effort. Her thank-you involved cost and sacrifice. You’d weigh the extra hours she invested, the frequent breaks she took to rub her knuckles, the pain she endured with each tiny stitch. Most likely you would be moved to tears. Her suffering glorified her gratitude, making it more valuable in your eyes.
If we respond this way to sacrifices, how much more is God enthused when we sacrifice thank offerings to him? When trials sandblast you to the core and your bruised feelings are screaming, “Forget God!” or your weary mind is too clouded to see through the fog, this is the time to express to God gratitude. True, such gratitude involves cost and sacrifice—it costs your logic and you sacrifice your pride. But your thank offering is glorified as you push through the pain to present gratitude to God for his blessings.
Is there a trial that is souring your disposition toward God? Fostering doubts? Drying up your zeal? You have a chance to change that as you honor God today with a sacrifice of thanksgiving. List the many things for which you can give thanks, including the basics of life, or the support of friends. Your suffering will shape your thanksgiving into a true sacrifice of gratitude, preparing the way for God to shower grace upon grace on you. Don’t postpone it. Sacrifice to him now.
I thank you, Lord, for the ability to see, hear, think, and pray, for the blessings of shelter, food, and friends, and for the many other evidences of your love. I’m hurting in this trial…but it helps to present you this sacrifice of thanks.
Pressing On: How to Lean on Christ through Suffering
After more than 55 years living with quadriplegia and chronic pain, Joni Eareckson Tada knows what it means to “press on” through suffering. Joni encourages you to join her in living out Philippians 3:14: “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
