A sacrifice of praise

It sounds strange - "a sacrifice of praise" - but it says so much about prayer and God.

The phrase comes from Hebrews 13:15 where the writer says:

"Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise - the fruit of lips that confess his name."

The ancient Hebrews used to bring animal and other gifts to the temple which the priests offered to God to honour him and to atone for the sins of the people.

Why would the writer of Hebrews talk about praise being a worthy sacrifice to God?

He is certainly not talking about praise atoning for our sins - the only sacrifice that cleanses us from sin is Jesus' death on the cross.

But praise is our gift to God.  It honours him and gives him glory.

When we are in heaven, we will be so enchanted by God - so in love with him - that we will pour forth our praises to him continually.

The writer of Hebrews is saying we should start right now.  We should praise him constantly in our everyday lives.

Of course, a sacrifice costs us something.

For the Jews in Old Testament days, the cost was monetary.  They had to bring the best of their animals and crops to the temple as a gift.

For us, praise costs us time and turns our focus away from ourselves to God.

By nature, I want to think about myself and my own needs and my own pleasures.  I want to use up all my time for myself.

But I am lost without God.  As the apostle Paul said, everything is garbage compared to knowing Jesus.

There is a yearning in me for God.  As I praise him, I enter his throne room and have communion with him.

There are many stories of the power of praising God - power to change us and power to heal.  People have testified of being healed while worshiping God.

Why is that?  I think that, as we praise him, God has freedom to work within us.  We have lowered our barriers to God.

So, praise is our gift - our sacrifice - to God.

But his gift to us is far greater - himself.

The path to peace

Prayer is the path to inner peace.

Who hasn't been troubled, anxious or depressed at some point in life?  I certainly worry and sometimes feel down.

The apostle Paul has a recipe for us on how to regain inner peace.  He describes it in these wonderful words in Philippians 4:4-7:

"Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all.  The Lord is near.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

In my view, this passage speaks of a close, ongoing conversation with God - prayer.  I see several steps to inner peace in these words:

• Begin by focusing your thoughts on God, rejoicing in him and what he has done and is doing for you ("rejoice in the Lord always");
• Then, lean on the Lord and the fact he is with you at this very moment ("The Lord is near");
• While trusting in God, let your worries drain away because he is here and nothing in the world matters but God ("do not be anxious about anything");
• Constantly bring everything to God in prayer - even the seemingly small things ("but in everything, by prayer and petition"); and
• Thank God for everything and for what he is going to do in response to your prayers ("with thanksgiving").

The result is God's peace which guards our minds and hearts as we lean on Jesus.

Paul is saying that a supernatural peace will fill us as we give our concerns to God in prayer. Rejoicing in God and giving thanks revives our spirits and gives us a different outlook on our circumstances.

The apostle Peter gave similar advice in 1 Peter 5:7: "Cast all your anxiety on him (Jesus), because he cares for you."

There is no need for me to spend hours agonizing over problems or wandering around in a dark cloud.

I must simply give my problems to Jesus and say: "I don't know what to do.  Show me what to do or do what you know is best.  I trust you and love you."

I must stop trying to do everything myself, stop trying to control events I cannot control.

I must trust that Jesus will work out things for good in the long run (Romans 8:28).

Just Jesus

A friend is so depressed he can't concentrate on anything except the illness which has plagued him for seven years.

We talk about his illness and the hope that God offers through the scriptures.  But my friend says he can't get away from thinking about the fact he has not been healed.

What comfort and hope can I offer?

In the end, I think there is only Jesus.  Just Jesus.

I remember reading how Richard Wurmbrand, author of Tortured for Christ, felt closer to Jesus than ever before while suffering from torture in his Communist prison cell.  He was aware of the very presence of Jesus.

There is the vivid picture in Acts 7 of the Christian leader Stephen being stoned to death and crying out: "Look!  I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."

Jesus knows our suffering and his heart goes out to us.

So, I am encouraging my friend to constantly call to mind Jesus.  Like the writer of Hebrews 12,  I am urging him to fix his eyes on Jesus.

When I feel I can't pray, I simply picture Jesus with me as he promised in the scriptures.  I don't speak to him, I simply rest in his presence.  And I find peace.

One of my favourite Bible passages is Psalm 27:4:

"One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple."

Gazing upon Jesus is a tonic for my spirit.

Over many decades, I have been drawn to "practicing the presence of God", the title of a wonderful little book by Brother Lawrence, a 17th century French monk.  Brother Lawrence carried on a constant conversation with Jesus, offering everything he did to God as a love-offering.  He did this even as he washed dishes in the monastery kitchen.

Similarly, Rick Warren, a leading Baptist pastor and author, says he invites Jesus into everything he does - even the most everyday things.  Joyce Meyer prays to the Lord as she goes about her tasks.

All these things are very good.  They draw us closer to the heart of God.

But sometimes even uttering words is too much.

Then, like the psalmist David in Psalm 27, I simply "gaze upon the beauty of the Lord".

Just Jesus.  He is enough.