For over a year now I have battled two chronic autoimmune diseases. I am praying and hoping for remission for both so I can go back to just battling my diabetes and aging. (Smile!) I have good days and I have not-so-good days. There are times when everything hurts and times when just some things hurt. Pain and fatigue seem to be my constant companions.
There is usually one time each day where I do not sense either pain or fatigue. Right before I get out of bed each morning is usually pain and fatigue free. I stay there for a little while appreciating those moments. I praise God for that brief time when I feel normal, knowing it will likely not carry over into my upcoming day.
The writer of Hebrews has one last “let us” phrase that I often think about. He calls praise “a sacrifice.”
“Therefore, through Him let us continually offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of our lips that confess His name.” [Hebrews 13:15 HCSB]
For me, praising God has always been a blessed experience. I love to worship my Savior and to sing and shout His praises – not just in church but around the house or when I walk. I have praised Him in sunshine and in the shadows of life. I never considered it a sacrifice to praise Him, just a gracious and loving experience.
I never thought much about it being a sacrifice until these past months when almost every day I have been challenged with fatigue or pain. Some days I just want to sigh, or cry, or hide. Instead, I know my Savior is calling me to praise. He understands that it will require a sacrifice to do so, but He also knows that praising Him will lift me into His Presence. There I will find the strength and peace I so desperately need.
So yes, there are times when praising becomes a sacrifice. And in those times, it also becomes our lifeline to the One who loves us most. Amen & Amen.
