Let’s Celebrate Together

“Let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.” (Hebrews 13:15)

Praise and thanksgiving are intertwined. When my heart is thankful, then I will express my praise.

This is referred to as having an “attitude of gratitude” continually towards God.

It is not always easy to praise God. Often we are going through such difficult times that we can barely lift up our heads.

In the Old Testament, God’s people practiced many different rituals, many of which involved sacrifices.

One such practice was called the peace offering. The person would bring an animal sacrifice and give it to the priest. As the sacrifice was offered to God, he would then begin to express God’s attributes, His character, and His works. So this time of sacrifice also became a time for joy, peace, and gratitude to God. There were always many people around, so it became a time of fellowship and friendship among those who were sacrificing and proclaiming God’s worthiness.

This sounds like one of our conventions, or even a Sunday meeting when we are all praising God and some are giving testimony of what He has done for us during the week.

Israel would sometimes forget to keep these rituals when they were in a foreign land or things were not going so well for them in the desert. They might keep the ritual as prescribed, but the joy and peace and fellowship with God were not evidenced in the ritual or in their lives.

This could and probably does happen with us sometimes. Our bodies are present, but our hearts are not in it.

It takes faith to worship God when everything is going wrong, or we just don’t feel like it.

Job 1:20-22 says:

“the Lord gives and the Lord takes away, blessed be His name.”

Isaiah 61:3 says that He will give “a garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness”. When we are heavy, we become weak, despondent, dull, or faint.

Sometimes, we just have to lift up our heavy hands and give Him a sacrifice of praise – and see what He will do next.

Praise has different meaning depending upon the word that is used in Hebrew. “Yawdah” means to hold out the hand; to worship with extended hands; to give thanks; to confess; to bemoan by wringing the hands. “Hawlal” means to shine; to make a show; to boast; to be clamorously foolish; to rave; to glory; to celebrate; and to feign yourself mad. “Tehilaw” means to sing a hymn of praise.

Maybe we need to celebrate more often! To do what these words are saying to do! Get excited on a normal day – Worship and praise Him with a sacrifice of joy and love when we don’t exactly have a reason other than that HE IS LORD AND HE IS WORTHY!