LIVING WORD DEVOTIONAL
By Pastor Mensa Otabil
Thursday 5th August 2021
SACRIFICE OF THANKSGIVING
Scripture Reading: Jonah 2:1-10
But I will sacrifice to You With the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay what I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord.” (Jonah 2:9)
These are the last words Jonah spoke in the belly of the fish. After he prayed this prayer, the Lord commanded the fish to vomit him out on dry ground.
- Jonah committed to thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is an expression of faith. Jonah gave thanks to the Lord, and then experienced His deliverance. He did not wait to see the miracle he had prayed for before thanking the Lord. His thanksgiving was a sacrifice – it was an offering to God.
What would you do if your boss called you to his office with the good news that the board of your company has approved your appointment to a new position, with a huge increase in your salary? It is very likely that you would smile broadly, probably give him an enthusiastic handshake or a hug with profuse words of gratitude.
After you leave his office, you would probably write him a letter of appreciation, thanking him for his generosity. At that point you would not have received a formal letter but you would have thanked him ‘in advance.’
Similarly, God wants us to learn to thank Him in advance of He doing what He has promised to do. If we trust that the Lord will do what He says He will do, we thank Him for it. You can begin thanking Him now, because He will certainly do what He has promised in your life.
- Jonah committed to paying his vows. Honouring your promise to God is an act of thanksgiving. Many times people make a vow to God when they are in trouble and forget to pay the vow when God delivers them.
The God of our past is also the God of our present and our future. If He has done it before, He will do it again. God is faithful and will keep his word, you can be thankful now for what he has promised to do in the future.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, you are the God of my past, present and future. I offer my sacrifice of thanksgiving to you and honour my vows. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
