September 23

Offer Right Sacrifices

"Offer right sacrifices and trust in the Lord." Psalm 4:5

Have you ever been in a situation where you felt led to do something that did not make any earthly sense? You felt God wanted you to go somewhere or do something that your friends would tell you was foolish, given your circumstances. Well, that is what this Scripture is all about: going out on a limb for God and then trusting Him to see you through. Recently, I had a friend do this in such a beautiful way. She was going through some really tough financial times. She didn't know how the Lord was going to provide for her family's bills. In the midst of this trial, a poor Spanish couple she knew called her. They were in dire financial straits: the husband had lost his job and the wife's hours had been cut back; they had lost their apartment and were renting a room from a friend. They were desperate for work. The woman begged my friend to let her come and clean her house for any amount of money. The Lord led her to have the woman come and clean her house. She gave her the money her husband had just made doing some overtime. She cleaned out her cabinets and gave this couple the food she had just bought for her family. "How foolish!" the world would say. "That is just not a smart thing to do." "Take care of your own family and then if you have anything left you can help others." "How in the world can you give away money and food when you are struggling financially?" My friend did it because she was offering God a right sacrifice. She gave up what she needed and trusted God to provide for her and her family. And He did, in more amazing ways than any of us could have imagined! God always rewards obedience and trust. So, next time you find yourself in a situation where you are led to do the unthinkable, go ahead! Step out in faith and trust God to see you through to an amazing end!

Father, help us to let go of our earthly minds and all the words of caution when it comes to obeying you and your commands. Help us to offer to you the right sacrifices and then to trust you to see us through. Thank you for your faithfulness and those amazing ends. Amen!