Shout
joyfully to God, all the earth; Sing the glory of His name; Make His praise
glorious. Say to God, "How awesome are Your works! Because of the
greatness of Your power Your enemies will give feigned obedience to You. All
the earth will worship You, and will sing praises to You; They will sing
praises to Your name." Selah. Come and see the works of God, Who is
awesome in His deeds toward the sons of men. He turned the sea into dry land;
they passed through the river on foot; there let us rejoice in Him! He rules by
His might forever; His eyes keep watch on the nations; let not the rebellious
exalt themselves. Selah. Bless our God, O peoples, and sound His praise abroad,
Who keeps us in life And does not allow our feet to slip. (Psalms 66:1-9)
Thanksgiving Thoughts
Thank You, Lord, for Yesterday
The psalmist recalled the mighty acts of God in the past and
called on everyone to: “Come and see the
works of God; His acts toward mankind are awe-inspiring. He turned the sea into
dry land, and they crossed the river on foot. There we rejoiced in Him.” Psalm
66:5-6 (HCSB)
Israel was grateful for its heritage: the patriarchs who
took God at His word and stepped out on faith, the prophets who courageously
spoke the word of God, and the psalmists who sang songs of praise on dark days. Every Christian can thank God for the great
events that have brought us hope for this life and for eternity: the coming of
Christ, the cross, and the resurrection. And, yes, we thank God for our
Christian heritage that has permitted us ready access to the faith. Think of
some of the elements of that heritage:
·
those who labored to transmit the Bible,
·
the founders of our churches,
·
parents and grandparents, who are models of what
Christians should be, faithful pastors and Sunday School teachers,
·
a friend who told us about Christ,
We can say, “Thank you, Lord, for yesterday.”
Thank You, Lord, for Today
The Psalmist continues: “Praise our God, you peoples; let the sound of His praise
be heard. He keeps us alive and does not allow our feet to slip.” Psalms 66:8-9
(HCSB)
In a real sense, the “good old days” never existed. Paul and
other great leaders of the Christian church grieved over conditions in their
time. But they believed God was alive and on His throne, and their actions and
writings have blessed the church and the world for centuries.
Thank You, Lord, for Tomorrow
In the fourth verse of this Psalm, the writer looks forward
to the days ahead, “All the earth will
worship You and sing praise to You. They will sing praise to Your name.” Psalms
66:4 (HCSB)
The Psalmist saw the day when God will reign and the world
will respond to Him in worship. There
will come a day when we all will
acknowledge the awe that God possess.
…so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of
those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth… and that every
tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians
2:10-11
Though we may not be sure of all the details, we know the
end of the story. God’s promises will be fulfilled, and His purposes will be
completed. God is working in history to bring about His ultimate victory. Thanks be to God for His sacrifice, for His
faithfulness and for what He has done throughout history to fulfill His
promises.
Scripture to Claim:
Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, From everlasting even to everlasting. And let all the people say, "Amen." Praise the LORD. Psalm 106:48
