We Bring the Sacrifice of Praise
One of my favorite passages in Scripture is Psalm 62. I found it in an odd way. When I was in high school, I read a series of books by Linda Chaikin. The books, set in Egypt during the beginnings of WWI, were about a young field nurse named Allison Wescott and the handsome and daring British officer Bret Holden. (I do love a good Christian Romance!) During a climactic scene in the third book, “Valiant Hearts,” Allison tries to re-assure herself by quoting this passage “My soul, wait silently on God alone, for my hope is found in him.” I loved that line so much when I read it! I knew it had to be a Scripture passage, so I pulled out my trusty Scofield Reference Bible (King James Version) and looked it up. What I found was an entire Psalm about putting your trust in God during trying times.
Although no one knows for sure, scholars think that the 62nd Psalm was written during David’s flight from Absalom (2 Sam 15-17). It was a time when David’s friends, advisers, and even David’s own son had turned against him. It was another rock-bottom moment for David. So what does he do? He pours out his heart in a song. Not just any song, either. A song of praise.
I wait quietly before God,
for my salvation comes from him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress where I will never be shaken.
So many enemies against one man—
all of them trying to kill me.
To them I’m just a broken-down wall
or a tottering fence.
They plan to topple me from my high position.
They delight in telling lies about me.
They are friendly to my face,
but they curse me in their hearts.
Interlude
I wait quietly before God,
for my hope is in him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress where I will not be shaken.
My salvation and my honor come from God alone.
He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.
O my people, trust in him at all times.
Pour out your heart to him,
for God is our refuge.
Interlude
From the greatest to the lowliest—
all are nothing in his sight.
If you weigh them on the scales,
they are lighter than a puff of air.
Don’t try to get rich
by extortion or robbery.
And if your wealth increases,
don’t make it the center of your life.
God has spoken plainly,
and I have heard it many times:
Power, O God, belongs to you;
unfailing love, O Lord, is yours.
Surely you judge all people
according to what they have done.
Ever heard of the “sacrifice of praise?” This is it. When it costs you something to praise God in spite of your circumstances. Personally, I think that praise born of pain and heartache is the most worthwhile because it comes from a place of honesty and raw emotion. I find that when I make the choice to praise in the midst of the darkness that I come to God without pretense. I just don’t have the strength to come any way but openly and honestly.
We are living in uncertain times. There are moments when it feels like the world is crashing down around us. We just can’t know what tomorrow holds. It’s easy to become giant stress balls trying to keep track of everything that’s going on in our lives. Sometimes we crave intimacy with God at all costs. Sometimes we have to come to Him in praise and adoration. We just can’t make it through any other way.
So I encourage you today to make the choice to praise. In the moments where you doubt, in the moments where you fear, in the moments where you’re overwhelmed by life, praise. “God’s purpose was that we who were the first to trust in Christ should praise our glorious God.” Eph 1:12 (NLT)