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Hebrews 13:15 says, “Through Jesus therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.” What is a sacrifice of praise? I believe that is the praise we offer when we cannot humanly see any reason for praising—when our feelings and emotions are not praising God, but our lips are.
I first saw this when a good friend was going through an awful depression several years ago. But God miraculously delivered him. As he was beginning to come back from that terrible siege, he said he would be on the train going to work and he would force himself to say verses of praise. He said it took everything in him to say them, because he didn’t feel them. But he was able to continue to offer praise with his mouth.
And then he suddenly realized that this was a sacrifice of praise. Praising God with his lips when his heart didn’t feel it. Offering up praise when the circumstances were dark and bleak. Praising God in spite of the fact that he didn’t understand and he didn’t have answers. God worked such a miracle in his life. He was a transformed man, not just as good as before, but better.
Praise can take many forms:
- It can be a formal time with others, such as church or meetings.
- It can be a quiet, holy time with God alone, such as our daily quiet times with him.
- It can be a joyous celebration, when you spontaneously rejoice over God’s goodness.
- It can be one-sentence “thank yous” throughout the day.
- It can be singing a song, reading a poem of praise, sitting and thinking about God and his greatness.
- It can be an attitude of our heart as we go through our day–that almost unconscious knowledge within us that though our minds are on other duties, our subconscious being is praising God.
But praise is not automatic. We must be intentional about it. That’s why we’re offering some praise cards, and I’m encouraging you to follow Daniel’s example, and praise God first thing when you wake up, at noon time as you stop for lunch, and as you go to bed each evening. Keeping these cards close by will help you remember to praise God morning, noon and night! Just take a praise card and read it—out loud if possible—at least three times a day, and you will become a praising person, a joyful person, a thankful person.