Thanksgiving Thoughts

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)

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. Phillipians 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