Psalm 50:7-15

⁷ “Hear, O my people, and I will speak,
O Israel, and I will testify against you:
I am God, your God.

⁸ I do not rebuke you for your sacrifices
or your burnt offerings, which are ever before me.

⁹ I have no need of a bull from your stall
or of goats from your pens,

¹⁰ for every animal of the forest is mine,
and the cattle on a thousand hills.

¹¹ I know every bird in the mountains,
and the creatures of the field are mine.

¹² If I were hungry I would not tell you,
for the world is mine, and all that is in it.

¹³ Do I eat the flesh of bulls
or drink the blood of goats?

¹⁴ Sacrifice thank offerings to God,
fulfill your vows to the Most High,

¹⁵ and call upon me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”

“Offer to God thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High. Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me” (vv. 14,15). The people had come to God’s court and said, “You can’t judge us. We have been offering You sacrifices.” And God replied, “I will not rebuke you for your sacrifices or your burnt offerings, which are continually before Me. I will not take a bull from your house, nor goats out of your folds” (vv. 8,9). He also said, “If I were hungry, I would not tell you; for the world is Mine, and all its fullness” (v. 12). He was saying, “When you bring Me these sacrifices, you are only giving to Me what I have already given to you.’

Think about that. When you put your offering in the plate, are you giving God something that isn’t already His? Who gives you the strength to work? God. Who protects you to and from work? God. Who gives you the skills to work? God. Therefore, when we bring material offerings to Him (and He wants us to do this), we are only bringing what He already has given us. God wants us to give Him what He has not given us: “Offer to God thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High” (v. 14).

The sacrifices God wants most from us originate in our hearts–calling upon Him, thanking Him and obeying Him. Bring to Him thanksgiving and praise. God does not give us thanksgiving and then say, “Give it back to Me.” No, He waits for us to praise Him. Bring to Him obedience: “Pay your vows to the Most High” (v. 14). Bring to Him prayer: “Call upon Me in the day of trouble” (v. 15). When we bring these sacrifices, we glorify the Lord.

God wants your sacrifices to be from the heart. So often we receive from Him without returning thanks and praise. Do you want to bring glory to God this day? Thank Him for what He is doing for you. Obey His Word. Bring your problems to Him. These are all opportunities He can use to bring glory to Himself.

Sometimes we think of these two things as in opposition. The Bible never places them so, but shows how perfectly they harmonize. Prayer is one kind of work, necessary to the proper doing of all other kinds. When we pray, we are in touch with God, expectant, trusting: He is at work. He does what we cannot do. We are to be at work also, doing what we can do.

In Paul’s closing remarks to the Christians in Colossae he includes greetings from Epaphras.

He prays hard for you all the time….He works tirelessly for you. (Col 4:12-13 NEB)

As we pray, the Lord frequently shows us what we ourselves can do to cooperate with Him in bringing about the answer. Let us listen as we pray. Then let us go out and work tirelessly.