Psalm 50

“Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God and keep the vows you made to the Most High. Then call on me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory.” (Psalm 50:14–15, NLT)

What is it that pleases God? What is it that God expects of us? This is the subject that Asaph the worship leader addressed in Psalm 50. The common response was that God required sacrifices. Wasn’t this the reason He gave Israel the Law with its prescriptions for various offerings? But God told them:

“I do not need the bulls from your barns or the goats from your pens. For all the animals of the forest are mine, and I own the cattle on a thousand hills…Do I eat the meat of bulls? Do I drink the blood of goats?” (Psalm 50:9–10, 13, NLT)

God was not asking for more sacrifices. The prophet Hosea would later write:

“For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.” (Hosea 6:6, NKJV)

God delights to show mercy to His creatures. This is why He sent His only Son to die for our sins. So then how can we please God? Asaph tells us to first give Him thanksgiving. It is the sacrifice of praise that God most desires.

Second, if we make promises to God, then we should keep them. I believe that this also includes the promises we make before God to others. Are we keeping the promises we make?

Third, we should call out to God in our times of trouble. Now most of us try to avoid trouble. We pay our taxes, obey traffic laws (sort of), and don’t click on phishing emails and texts. We are good to our neighbor because we want our neighbor to be good to us. We check the oil in our car because we don’t want the engine to seize up. But do you know that God allows trouble in our lives for a greater purpose? When it occurs He wants us to pray to Him so that He can rescue us. Then we can glorify Him by telling others what He has done for us!

We are all capable of giving the sacrifices of thanksgiving, praise and faithfulness. These are the things that most please God. Now that you know this, blessed are you if you do it!