A Sacrifice of Praise

I’m happy to share an excerpt from Wendy Speake’s new book, A Sacrifice of Praise and Thanksgiving. Be sure to check out her invitation at the bottom, and leave a comment to be entered to win a copy!

An Excerpt from Wendy Speake

Can you recall a time when praise flowed effortlessly from your grateful heart? How happy you were in Jesus! Your Savior was near and dear; His presence your comfort and joy; His blessings abundant; and His salvation your chief delight!

Then, whether suddenly or slowly, seasons began to shift. Your seemingly ceaseless flow of blessings ceased, along with your understanding of God’s goodness.

Maybe you’re in a season of heartache right now. I know how hard it is to believe that God is good when life doesn’t feel good! A few short years ago I hit a breaking point. My mind was fractured, my heart frayed, and my faith oh-so fragile. I was at one of my lowest points. My marriage was falling apart, my children were all struggling various ways, and deep depression threatened to take my very life!

It was in that sad season that I went to see a Christian counselor. Slumped against a pile of cushions on her couch, I tearfully asked her to send me to a residential program for a few months. My heart was so broken, my nervous system so traumatized, that I couldn’t function. Sleepless and stuttering, I was desperate for help.

With compassion in her eyes and a sisterly tone in her voice, my counselor replied, “How about you plan a trip to visit some people who simply love you? Start there.” The next day I sent messages to a few friends and family members, scheduled time with those dear ones, and booked my ticket. A few short weeks later I boarded a plane going from Dallas, Texas to San Diego, California, and before we were off the ground I was asleep in my chair. 

Despair is exhausting.

Two hours later, I awoke and looked out at the clouds. The gentle whir of the engines attempted to lull me back to sleep, but something gentler caused me to sit up and look to my nearest neighbor, who was smiling at me. I met her gaze with the sincerest upturned lips I could muster. With only twenty minutes left in our flight, she introduced herself as Cheryl and invited me into one of the most anointed and appointed conversations of my life.

“Are you headed home?” was her opening line.

“Home? . . . Well, sort of, yes. I live in Texas now. But California was my home for most of my life, and I’m headed back to visit friends.”

“That’s nice. Will you need to be working, or can this be a real vacation?” she continued.

“I’m an author, so I guess I can do that from anywhere . . . but, no, I don’t imagine I’ll be writing on this trip,” I replied.

Exhausted by this simple conversation, I was ready to turn away and lay my head back against the window again when Cheryl continued, “What type of books do you write?”

“I write . . .” I faltered for a moment then took a deep breath and tried again, “I write devotional-style books for Christian women, to encourage them in their faith.” When she asked for the titles of my books, I started with The 40-Day Sugar Fast, as I often do. Cheryl nodded, leaned in a bit closer, then shared a fasting story with me unlike any I had heard before. 

She began, “Years ago God very clearly invited me to do an Ask Fast!”

“An ‘Ask Fast’?” I questioned.

“Yes, an Ask Fast,” she said, with a twinkle in her eye. “Instead of asking Him to do anything, God told me simply to praise Him for knowing, caring, and being capable to accomplish all that concerned me in that season. ‘Praise Me for being God—then watch Me be God. Praise Me for being Savior—then sit back and watch Me save.’”

As we started our descent over Mission Bay, with the Pacific Ocean spread out like a blue baptistery below, I knew the Lord was using my new friend Cheryl to invite me into a new thing. He was calling me to a season of fasting from asking. Though I was in agony, He was asking me to cease from asking that I might simply praise Him for being sovereign over every aspect of my life.

While I had been praying during my season of suffering, I’d never considered simply praising Him. While the corporate experience of Sunday morning praise and worship had been a balm to my broken heart, Monday through Saturday was spent . . . begging and pleading. I begged Him to rescue and restore. I pleaded with Him to hear and act. As the psalmists before me I cried, “Why, lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?”; “How long, lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?” (Psalm 10:1; 13:1).

On the plane that day, I was convicted by the kindness of God, extended through the kindness of a stranger, to fast from asking and instead simply praise Him for being God, for being good and able to accomplish more than I could ask or imagine.

During our last seated moments together, I asked, “Cheryl, if I were to memorize one passage of praise, where would you have me start?”

She gave me a wink and replied, “Psalm 100.”

That afternoon, when I arrived at my friend’s house in the hills of San Diego, I settled into her guest room and opened a brand new journal. On its opening page I wrote out Psalm 100 in its entirety. I did not know at the time that I would start my next book with that same passage.

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.” (Psalm 100:4, NIV)

This November, I invite you to enter into our your Thanksgiving season giving God your thanks and praise… and continue all month long! Join me for a 30 Day Ask Fast as we read the daily devotional, A Sacrifice of Praise and Thanksgiving together. 

You do not need to be in a place of pain to join me — the practice of turning our petitions into proclamations of praise is a Spiritual discipline we could all use! 

Sign up for this 30 Day Ask Fast at wendyspeake.com/praise

Then hop on over to Amazon and grab a copy of the daily devotional, A Sacrifice of Praise and Thanksgiving.

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