Oh Give Thanks

There are times when it is a sacrifice to offer praise to God, quite frankly, because we don't really want to. There are times when we are down or depressed or things aren't going well for us. When we feel this way - we don't really feel like praising the Lord. Yet the Bible is filled with admonition after admonition to give glory and praise and thanks to God. Psalm 106:1 says, "Praise the Lord! Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever."

Notice that the Bible does not say, "Give thanks to the Lord when you feel like it and when things are going well for us." Rather, it says, "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!" I don't praise God because I feel like it. I praise God because He is worthy, regardless of what I am going through. Praise can be a sacrifice sometimes. I have found that when, out of obedience, I begin to praise the Lord, the emotion will begin to engage with my act of obedience in time. The point is, I should do it because it is right and God tells me to.

In the book of Luke, we find the story of ten men who were miraculously touched by Jesus. Because these men had leprosy, they were the outcasts of their society. Yet Jesus went out of His way to touch them and heal them of this dreaded disease. Only one, a Samaritan, returned and gave thanks and praise to God. Jesus then asked a provocative question: "Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?" (Luke 17:18). In many ways, I think He is still asking this question today. Don't praise God based on the way you feel, or even your circumstances - instead praise Him because of who He is. Every day bring a sacrifice of praise and experience the benefits that follow.

Scripture: "Praise the Lord! Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever." - Psalm 106:1 (NKJV)