By Pastor William Y. K. Brown Ph.D
(Resident Pastor)
Seventh-day Adventist Church
Osu-Bethel.
Tel: 0244165628/0243310773.
wykbrown@gmail.com
THURSDAY
THEME: SACRIFICE OF PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING TO GOD
SCRIPTURE: Psalms 107:21-22
“[21]Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! [22]Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, And declare His works with rejoicing.”
REFLECTIONS
When one experiences God’s love and saving grace, nothing can prevent the joy and the excitement from being shared. Being convinced about His deeds is a powerful means to adore and appreciate God for His wonderful works. Those less convinced have nothing to be passionate about to justify a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving to God, the Almighty Creator. Why would one refrain from giving thanks to God when we have benefitted immensely from His goodness? God, in manifold ways, has intervened in our lives and rescued us from our avowed enemies. He gives us hope in hopeless and desperate instances and heals us when we have been sorely wounded physically, emotionally, psychologically, or spiritually. Praising comes with joy.
“Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving And declare His works with rejoicing.” Psalm 107:21,22. The psalmist admonishes us that it is ethical, proper, courteous, and civil to utter words of thanks to God. He does not demand it, but all thanksgiving for experiences in life belong to Him. Who else can you genuinely appreciate if you cannot thank and honor God? Unless we are ungrateful, we have something to thank God and praise Him for every second of our lives. Praising and thanking God are exuded by the wise, according to verse 43 -“Whoever is wise will observe these things, And they will understand the lovingkindness of the Lord.”
Hebrews 13:15 also admonishes, “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.” This text and Psalm 107:21,22 quoted above provide us with the urgency, importance, and meaning we need to attach to thanking and praising God. “Sacrifice of thanksgiving” and “sacrifice of praise” – what do they mean? So many reasons and explanations have been given, but for our purpose of meditation, we want to indicate that sacrifice involves giving up something; therefore, we should sacrifice our comfort, time, effort, energy, shyness, fear, and convenience to make space/time to praise and thank God. We owe Him tons of gratitude for His love, wonderful deeds, protection, provisions, presence, counsel, direction, rebuke, correction, and instruction in righteousness. The sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving means we are intentional and make it a ritual – a habit and ultimately a character.
Giving thanks and praises should be both in private and in public. In public, we let others know about our God and create the appetite for them to come and taste His goodness. “Oh taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8) becomes convincing when you testify what He has done for you. Therefore, the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving will inspire you to tell people how God has dealt with you kindly and blessed you. Some hesitate to share testimonies because of fear. A sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving requires honesty, boldness, and a determination to witness God’s lovingkindness. To be in the mood and frame of mind to praise and thank Him and not allow circumstances to rob you of the joy and commitment to doing it is a sacrifice God appreciates. The sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving is healing and reassuring and increases faith and the ability to remember things. Today, what sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving are on your lips?
MY SONG OF COMMITMENT
SDAH 112 – “Let Us With a Gladsome Mind”
LET US PRAY
– Praise and adore our heavenly Father for His care throughout this year; thank Him profusely for the success you have chalked in life; pray to be thankful always;
– Pray for a change for friends and loved ones who are ungrateful; pray for what God has done for your family and community (mention specific things);
– Pray for people who are displaced but keep praising God; pray for victims of disasters who lean on God for help; pray to thank God for dedicated, loving, and compassionate people in society;
– Pray and thank God for the peace of the nation, well-meaning friends and associates, excellent and God-fearing people in society.
