“Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High, and call on Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor Me.” Psalm 50:14-15
For weeks I’ve been coming back to this passage, with a determined desire to ‘practice’ it. “Sacrifice a thank offering;” just what does He mean by that? To sacrifice means that it will cost something that is hard to give up, something that you’ve have valued more than a relationship with God even.
Why does God want His people ‘of faith’ to thank Him when you don’t feel like it, when things aren’t going the way you want, and especially when you look back on your life and see that it isn’t the way you wanted it? How do we thank God then? It’s hard to do! But that’s what we need to do more than anything, more than cry and complain, more than wish and dream, more than pity ourselves and make others just as miserable as we are.
“God inhabits the praise of His people!” “The nearness of God – is my good.”
“Fulfill your vows to the Most High.” Have you ever vowed anything to God? Did you vow in your heart to give Him the first-fruit of your income, or your day, or your thoughts? When you first met Jesus, did you offer Him your life? Have you told Him you would live for Him, and serve Him no matter what happens?
“Call on Me in the day trouble and I will deliver you.” Oh yes, we all want Him to do that! But, He’s already given us His ‘condition’ for delivering us. When trouble of any kind comes, who do you call and talk to first? Where do you go before going to the Lord? What do you think of first to take? Are your cries to the Lord simply complaints, or are they petitions? Would you bring a petition before a king who favors you and not expect him to grant it? Will you wait for him to act on your petition, or take matters into your own hands – tired of waiting?
“And you will honor Me.” This “practice” in our daily life honors God; that of sacrifice, praise, petition and trust. God is far more faithful than we realize; far more than we give Him opportunity for Him to show how GREAT His faithfulness is towards us! Our life’s circumstances and situations depend a lot on how we see and treat the Lord our God. By not waiting on Him to act when we come to Him with our petitions, is saying to Him that He doesn’t care, He’s not in control and can’t be trusted.
One very good reason why we should read and study HIS WORD, from beginning to end, over and over, seeing more and more therein – is so we can see how good and true God always has been – to those who call on Him and trust Him at His Word.
Praise the Lord for His acts of power; praise Him for His surpassing greatness; praise Him with music and dancing; praise Him before His throne each morning and all through the day. With all we have and don’t have – PRAISE THE LORD!
“Because he loves Me,” says the Lord, “I will deliver him; because he knows My name, I will protect him.
When he calls out to Me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him My salvation.” Psalm 91:14-16
“But to the wicked person, God says: ‘What right have you to recite My laws or take My covenant on your lips? You hate My instruction and cast My words behind you.” Psalm 50:16