By David Coe
Master Facilitator
As Lent begins, I want to talk for a moment about the “Sacrifice of Praise.” The term sounds like an oxymoron, doesn’t it? Yet that is exactly what scripture calls praise and asks us to do!
Through Him let us offer God an unending sacrifice of praise, a verbal sacrifice that is offered every time we acknowledge His name. Heb. 13:15
One of my favorite people in the Bible is King David. He was constantly praising God in almost everything he did. In fact, he praised God out loud while in battle against the giant Goliath, shouting, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of Yahweh Sabaoth, the God of the armies of Israel that you dared to insult.” 1 Samuel 17:45
You know the rest of the story: King David & Israel-1, Goliath & the Philistines-0.
The Sacrifice of Praise opens many doors into God’s loving presence.
One example we are used to is when we are at Mass, singing His praise. Did you know that praise ushers us into His loving presence no matter where we are? Psalm 100, verse 4 invites us to: "Walk through his porticos giving thanks, enter his courts praising Him, give thanks to Him, Bless his name."
That’s a perfect example of the “Sacrifice of Praise.”
When we praise Him and thank Him for who He is -- for His sacrifice for each one of us on the Cross, for waking up in the morning, food on the table, a roof over our heads, family, and friends, answered prayer, for our church – our praise automatically leads to worship of our Loving God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
C. S. Lewis wrote in Reflections on the Psalms:
I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment. It is not out of compliment that lovers keep on telling one another how beautiful they are; the delight is incomplete till it is expressed.
We cannot praise God until we delight in Him and love Him. We cannot do those things until we know Him intimately. We cannot know Him intimately until we spend time with Him.
This Lent you may want to make or increase the daily habit of offering up a Sacrifice of Praise, searching and praying the scriptures, praising to Our Lord. I can assure you If you do, you will absolutely enhance your Lent in many ways.
One of my all-time favorite praise scriptures is Psalm 103:1-5 (and following). Check it out. What’s your favorite praise passage?
Here is a list of praise passages in the Bible to help get you started. Click here and check out the listings below:
- Revelation 5: 11-14
- Psalm 21:54
- Psalm 30
- Psalm 22:23
- Psalm 28:7
- Psalm 42:5,6
- Psalm 149
- Psalm 150:1-2
And here is a great praise and worship song with which to get started.
Want or need Prayer? Have a comment? Your feedback is most welcome. Contact me at ambassadordhc@gmail.com
God Bless you and yours,
In Christ’s Love,
Dave Coe
+ All scripture verses herein are taken from the Jerusalem Bible.