The Power of Praise
By Alexis A. Goring
Bible Reading:
“Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name.” - Hebrews 13:15 (NLT)
Lately, God has been teaching me to worship Him through tough times and praise Him through my problems. He is teaching me how to turn my pain into prayers because He is always listening and He has all the resources I need.
God led me to the verse in Hebrews 13:15, which tells us, as followers of Jesus Christ, to “offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God”. But what does that mean? Let’s explore this and learn how to apply Biblical advice to our daily lives. We can start by understanding what it means to offer a sacrifice of praise.
According to Google, “A sacrifice of praise is the act of thanking and honoring God during difficult times, even when you do not feel happy or grateful,” and “In ancient times, a sacrifice cost the worshipper something valuable, like an animal or grain. A ‘sacrifice of praise’ means your worship costs you something, too. It requires you to put aside your sadness, pain, or complaints to focus on God's goodness.”
In addition, the search results said, “It is easy to praise God when life is good. A sacrifice of praise happens when life is hard, but you praise God anyway because of who He is, not just what He does. A real sacrifice requires giving up something valuable. In this context, you sacrifice your right to complain, your self-pity, or your temporary negative emotions to honor God. Scripture defines this sacrifice as verbal acknowledgment—using your words, prayers, and songs to confess and magnify God's name rather than staying silent in despair. The command is not to praise only when it is convenient or emotional, but to maintain a steady posture of trust in all seasons.”
The key characteristics that define offering a sacrifice of praise are that it is costly because “it takes real emotional and spiritual effort when you are hurting or grieving.” It is intentional because you “choose to praise God based on who He is, not based on your current feelings or life circumstances.” And it is continual because “the Bible says to offer this praise continually, meaning it does not stop when hard times start” (Google AI Overview).
Examples of offering a sacrifice of praise in our modern-day life include, but are not limited to: Praising God after losing your job, becoming ill, or having your heart broken by someone you love, choosing to thank God for everything instead of complaining to Him when your burdens feel too heavy, and nothing seems to be going right. You can also choose to go to church and engage in the worship service and pray to God, even when you feel tired and depressed or distant from Him.
A Biblical example of offering a sacrifice of praise is in the Bible story about Job. It is a true story about a righteous and wealthy man who lost everything and almost everyone he held dear—from his children to his livestock—yet he chose to keep his faith in God and trust Him through this deep suffering. According to Job 13:15 (NKJV), he said this about God: “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.”
Sometimes God may not tell us why He allows suffering in our lives, but He does tell us in His Word (The Holy Bible) that we can trust Him and He will work everything out for our good (Romans 8:28). God taught me that knowing Him is better than knowing “why”. It is a lesson I am still learning today.
In closing, I’d like to discuss how praise has power. Simply said by a Google search with AI Overview, “Praising God has power because it shifts our focus from our problems to His greatness, inviting His presence and realigning our hearts with His truth.” I’m learning that when we choose to praise God, then we turn the worry of our problems into worship of the One who knows all and can solve every problem. Worshipping God invites His Presence into our situation and can give us perfect peace (Isaiah 26:3). Praising God through the storms of life helps us to stop magnifying our problems and instead, magnify God, who is the problem-solver.
Finally, praising God can serve as a weapon in spiritual warfare. We can receive a breakthrough by taking our pain to the Throne of God (Hebrews 4:16) and asking Him to defeat the forces of darkness and shine His Light into our lives. He’s ready and willing to intervene on our behalf. Praising and worshipping God through the trials of life reminds us that God’s strength is greater than any obstacle we may face. We can overcome anything with His help.
Before you go, please read “What Does a Sacrifice of Praise Mean?” by Robert Hampshire. I also suggest you read my devotional about the Bible story of Job to learn how God taught me that knowing Him is better than knowing why He allows suffering in our lives: “When You Want to Know Why.”
Lastly, I’d like for you to listen to and reflect on these five songs (listed below):
Song of Reflection #1: “Praise is What I Do” by Shekinah Glory Ministry. Listen to it HERE.
Song of Reflection #2: “Praise You in This Storm” by Casting Crowns. Listen to it HERE.
Song of Reflection #3: “Total Praise” by Richard Smallwood. Listen to it HERE.
Song of Reflection #4: “When You Praise” by Fred Hammond. Listen to it HERE.
Song of Reflection #5: “Overcomer” by Mandisa. Listen to it HERE.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Next time you feel defeated or depressed, will you try praising God through your pain and offer Him a sacrifice of praise?
Further Reading:
Psalm 42:11
Psalm 50:23
Psalm 107:22
James 1:2-4
1 Thessalonians 5:18
How did today’s devotional speak to you? Share your thoughts in the Crosswalk Devotional discussion.
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Boonyachoat
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