“Those who sacrifice thank offerings honor me, and to the blameless I will show my salvation.”
Psalm 50:23
What does it mean to sacrifice thank offerings? It means to worship God even though our circumstances are against us. That kind of offering is precious because it i’s made when everything is not going well.
When David arrived in the enemy’s territory at Philistia, he pretended to be insane. Saliva began to run down his face; he looked as though he was out of his mind. He wanted to appear crazy so that the Philistines would not suspect that he was really a fearsome warrior. David kept up the pretence until the king of the Philistines ordered him to be removed from his presence. If the king had suspected that David was healthy, he would have ordered his death. Filled with joy David said, “I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. I will glory in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice” (Psalms 34:1-2). He took advantage of every moment to bless and to glorify God. If David had not been resting in the palm of God’s hand, he would have died that day.
If you are living through a difficult time, do not complain. Instead, believe that circumstances can be transformed in your favor. Say this prayer with faith, “Lord, I glorify You because You are using this situation so that I learn to depend more on You, to worship You, to glorify You and to exalt Your Name.”
In the times of King Jehoshaphat, three nations arose against the people of Judah, and the king had to learn to depend on God. “After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the LORD and to praise Him for the splendor of His holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: “Give thanks to the LORD, for His love endures forever.” As they began to sing and praise, the LORD set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated. The Ammonites and Moabites rose up against the men from Mount Seir to destroy and annihilate them. After they finished slaughtering the men from Seir, they helped to destroy one another” (2 Chronicles 20:21-23). At the start of this story it looked like a judgment of destruction was coming against the people of Judah, because they would not have been able to stand against the three powerful armies from three different nations. However, when they worshiped God, He confused the enemy and they annihilated themselves. The annihilation was so great that all that was remained was the great riches, left for the people of Judah to plunder.
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
It all depends on whose hands the matter is in:
• A basketball in my hands is worth about $19. A basketball in the hands of Michael Jordan is worth around $33,000,000.
• A tennis racket in my hands is worth nothing. A tennis racket in the hand of Pete Sampras means 14 Grand Slam titles, including 7 at Wimbledon alone.
• A slingshot in my hands is child’s play. A slingshot in David’s hand is the weapon of victory for God’s people.
• Five loaves of bread and two fish in my hands is just a pair of fish sandwiches. Five loaves of bread and two fish in the hands of Jesus is food for thousands.
• Some nails in my hands can be useful to fix a bed. Some nails in the hands of Jesus Christ produce the salvation of all humanity.
As you can see, it all depends on whose hands the matter is in.
When Jehoshaphat determined to worship God in the midst of adversity he was putting his life and his nation in God’s hands. If God is for us who can be against us?”
TODAY’S DECLARATION
“My life is in God’s hands, I found grace and favor before His eyes, and it is He who fights for me.”
Today’s post is an excerpt from Pastor Cesar Castellanos’ book, Declarations of Power for 365 Days of the Year: Volume Three.
TODAY’S BIBLE READING
- Old Testament: 2 Chronicles 30-33; Psalms 149
- New Testament: Luke 12:35-48; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13
