I Will Bring a Sacrifice

God is teaching me so much right now about living our lives in response to Him and His love. This lyric has been directing me to His word continually, “from the depths, from the heights – I will bring a sacrifice.” To me this is a great reminder of two things. First, we are to bring sacrifices to God. This is not a ritual that went out of practice in the new covenant. Yes, the sacrifices look different now than they did in ancient times, but they are still just as important.

Heb 13:15 "Through Him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge His name."

Offering praise to God is a beautiful sacrifice to Him, that He deserves and we are blessed to be able to bring. We have been gifted with a beautiful opportunity to sing out words that are written in worship songs by people who are seeking after God with all of their hearts – and asking Him what it is that WE, as a people, need to sing out. We get to praise Him with our lips AND with our lives.

Romans 12:1 "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship."

God uses this verse often in my own life to remind me that my body is not my own, but that it belongs to Him, just like every other area of my life. Desiring to live a life of purity is one way to bring a sacrifice to God. Again, one that He deserves and that we are blessed to be able to bring. In ancient times only priests were allowed to bring an offering to God – now, because of Jesus, our High Priest, we are allowed into the presence of the Most High God, and can bring Him sacrifices of praise.

Hebrews 12:28 "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe."

Worshiping God with awe is all we really can do when we are worshiping in spirit and in truth. God is God, deity. The Creator of ALL things – how can we not stand in awe? I love the wording, “since we have a kingdom than cannot be shaken.” The reason we bring sacrifices of praise and worship is not because things are great in OUR lives… it isn’t based on our circumstances, but instead BECAUSE we have been given a part in a kingdom – THE Kingdom, that cannot be shaken.

Many times over the last ten years I have cried and read this verse:

Isaiah 45:3 "I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name."

It brings me to the second reminder. Not only are we to bring sacrifices, but we are to bring sacrifices even in the depths. In the darkness, in the hidden places. When we feel completely low, when we don’t feel God’s presence, and when we suffer with not feeling His love. We still sacrifice. We bring a praise of thanksgiving in all circumstances and we offer our lives as a holy offering to the Almighty God of Love – when we do this He brings us to the treasures. Loving God through the depths is what brings us into a more intimate relationship with Him. Trusting that, regardless of how you feel or what you think, HE IS TRUSTWORTHY and He knows where you are and knows your heart.

This is the beautiful love of a King, and we can walk through the valley knowing that it is ALL for the glory of God. The depths and the heights.