Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to
the Most High, and call on me in the day of trouble (Psalm 50:14,15).
Through the psalmist, God outlines the standard form of
worship: burnt offerings of bulls and goats. Then he reveals the worship he
prefers: 1) be thankful and demonstrate gratitude; 2) keep your promises; and
3) call upon me when you’re in trouble (vv. 14,15).
How often are we reminded that proper prayer proceeds with
worship before going on to a shopping list of needs and concerns? And that’s
important. John Stott writes: “It is always wise, before we pray, to spend time
deliberately recalling who [God] is. Only then shall we come to our loving
Father in heaven with appropriate humility, devotion and confidence” [7]. In other words, beginning with
worship and a recounting of God’s name and character emboldens us to approach
the throne of grace with a right heart and an expectant attitude.
But here we find straight from God’s heart that complete
worship includes thankfulness, integrity (obedience) and dependence. We know from Samuel: To obey is
better than sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22), so the first two elements we
understand. But the psalmist writes that even our requests in prayer are
received as worship. We should never be ashamed of presenting our needs before
our loving heavenly Father. There is something about acknowledging our
dependence on God that puts us in the right posture to receive.
TODAY’S MEDITATION
For what do you need to ask
God’s help today? Make it an act of worship.
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