Asher's Blog

At the beginning of this week, I did something I hadn’t done in years, I read my paper Bible. For a long time, I had gotten used to reading Scripture on my iPad or iPhone, usually in short bursts between meetings or late at night before bed, but on this particular day, I reached for my physical Bible, the same one I had recently brought back home from Lagos. Interestingly, I don’t even remember having a strong reason for bringing it back with me; I just did, without much thought, and only now does it feel intentional.

As I read through a few chapters in Psalms, I came across Psalm 50:14–15, and it stopped me in my tracks. In the New International Version, it says:

“Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High, and call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”

Something about those verses lingered with me, particularly the phrase “sacrifice thank offerings to God.” I found myself asking God to teach me what that truly meant, while at the same time reflecting honestly on any vows I may have made, spoken or unspoken, that I hadn’t yet fulfilled.

I knew there was something deeper about the idea of a sacrifice of praise, but I also knew I didn’t want to assume I understood it simply because I’d heard the phrase before. If God was going to place value on it, and if there was a reward tied to it, then I needed clarity for myself. I was genuinely desperate to understand it properly, because deep down, I realised that I didn’t truly know what a sacrifice of praise really was.

Then, interestingly, just about a day later, I found myself listening to someone I had never listened to before, on a program I wouldn’t normally tune into, and in that moment, the answers I had been seeking came together in a way that felt unmistakable.

I learned that the sacrifice of praise is called a sacrifice for a reason, because human beings are the only ones who can truly offer it. In heaven, angels don’t need to offer praise as a sacrifice, because everything there is already perfect, complete, and aligned with God’s will. But here on earth, we live by faith, not by sight, and our obedience to God often requires us to trust Him in the middle of uncertainty. So when circumstances suggest despair, when others are saying there is a casting down, and yet we choose to glorify God and declare that there is a lifting up, that act becomes a sacrifice of praise. And it is not something done once in a while, it must be done consistently.

This year is a particularly ambitious one for me. We are turning on all cylinders, pushing forward with clarity and conviction, and one of the most consistent prayers I have brought before God is for wisdom and for mighty grace, not just to dream, but to execute well. And as I make these requests with a humble heart, I am choosing to thank God in advance for His answers.

There are moments when my decisions may not look logical to everyone watching from the outside, and there are times when the outcomes may not yet reflect what I’m believing for, but I trust deeply that God has already answered me. Because of that, I choose to see what He sees, to walk with confidence in His timing, and to rest in the truth that He is never late. He upholds all things by the power of His word, and that includes my life, my work, and every responsibility entrusted to me.

So let us rejoice, without ceasing. Let us offer Him a sacrifice of praise, even when it feels uncomfortable, even when it feels premature, and even when the evidence hasn’t yet caught up with our faith.

Hallelujah.
Amen.

Ps: This is supposed to be 08 01 26