I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. Psalm 34:1, NKJV

Thanksgiving is here!  It's a season that opens up time for family, food, and reflection on the Lord's faithfulness.  Of course, we don't need to wait for a national holiday for our mouths to be filled with expressions of praise and thanks to God.  As the psalmist reminds us, we can "bless the Lord at all times" (Ps. 34:1).  But while it may be true that there's never a wrong time to praise the Lord, it's also true that there are some seasons when we have a hard time praising the Lord.  What happens when hardship hits and heartache sets in?  Is it possible for praise and thanks to continually be in our mouths then?

THE SACRIFICE OF PRAISE

Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. Hebrews 13:15, NKJV

Here, the apostle Paul echoes this continual dynamic of praise to God.  Praise to God is an offering we can choose to bring Him "continually," not just in our highs but also in our lows.  David himself models this in Psalm 34, writing that song of continual praise even when his life choices and present circumstances were neither noble nor ideal (see introductory note of Ps. 34).  I think this is why both David and Paul refer to our praise and thanksgiving as a "sacrifice" (Ps. 116:17; Heb. 13:15).  Yes, our praise is a sacrifice in the sense of it being a gift of worship.  But our offering of praise can actually feel like a sacrifice when our lives are filled with more storms than sunshine.  

About six years ago, my wife and I sat in the waiting room of the Orange County Burn Center.  It wasn't part of our summer vacation plans, but our younger son had just fallen into a non-active fire pit at the close of our family reunion and suffered second- and third-degree burns on his lower limbs.  Sitting in numb silence, shocked over what had just happened and fearful of what the journey ahead might entail, I looked up to see that Debbie had retrieved her Bible and ukulele from the car.  In her tears, she began to sing God's praises...but I could not.  In the moment, I didn't feel thankful.  I didn't feel grateful.  I actually felt somewhat resentful that God had allowed a situation that would even make it this difficult to praise Him.  But I made the choice to do so.  Like one song says, "Blessed be Your name, when the sun's shining down on me.  When there's pain in the offering, blessed be Your name."  And between sobs, it took all of me to just mouth the words in silent praise.  

Do you know what it's like to offer the sacrifice of praise?  In seasons of tragedy or trial, it may feel impossible to thank God because we can't identify any good thing around us.  In that waiting room, my attention was consumed by pain and doubts.  No blessing was in sight in real-time.  But according to Hebrews 13:15, 

we can continually offer the sacrifice of praise when the focal point is God's name -- i.e. His character, who God is.

THAT is a reality that never changes no matter what our present circumstance may be.  The sacrifice of praise confesses the name of God and declares that He is good even if our circumstances are not.  We may not be able to give thanks to God FOR everything that happens, but we can give thanks to God IN everything no matter what happens (1 Thes. 5:17).

A PATH TO PEACE

That choice is a choice of faith, and it's a sacrifice that not only pleases God but also fills our lives with peace.  In Colossians, Paul hints at the connection between being thankful and the experience of peace ruling in our hearts (Col. 3:15).  When writing to the Philippians, Paul gets even more specific:

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7, NKJV

Instead of letting worry and anxiety take over in our seasons of difficulty, we can pray...and do so with thanksgiving.  Our trials aren't just times to plead for help but times to express our thanks!  Thanks for what?  Yes, we can thank God for the ways He has already provided for our needs in the past, but I believe this prescription also includes thanking God in advance for the ways we believe He WILL supply all our need (v. 19) in the future.  Though the path ahead may be filled with uncertainty, we can be sure of God's faithfulness through it all and thank Him for it!  When our thanksgiving is a sacrifice, when we choose to stand on this promise and make our requests known to God WITH thanksgiving, the peace of God which passes all human understanding will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.  It's a peace that doesn't make any sense, but it's a peace that is perfect (Isa. 26:3).  

That incomprehensible peace is something that sustained me in that waiting room six years ago and throughout our son's journey of recovery.  And it's a peace that's available to all of us this Thanksgiving -- whether the sun's shining down on us or whether there's pain in the offering.  May we choose to bless the Lord at all times, giving thanks to God for who He is through all of life's ups and downs.