You are my God, and I will give you thanks. You are my God; I will exalt you. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his faithful love endures forever. Psalm 118:28-29
Celebrate His Goodness
In Psalm 118, the psalmist acknowledges and celebrates the goodness of God, and invites us to do so as well. This Psalm is filled with beautiful words that describe the wondrous things God does for us.
Typically we spend more time thinking about what we don’t have and what God isn’t doing or hasn’t done in our lives. We don’t spend enough time thinking about what God has done and giving Him praise.
In reading this Psalm we can find that we have lots of reasons, similar to the psalmist, to give thanks to God. In verses 1-4, he repeats the phrase “His faithful love endures forever…”
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his faithful love endures forever. Let Israel say, “His faithful love endures forever.” Let the house of Aaron say, “His faithful love endures forever.” Let those who fear the Lord say, “His faithful love endures forever.”
It is good news for all of us and something to celebrate that no matter what happens, our God is faithful and His love endures forever. That is one constant that we can always count on.
There are many other reasons the psalmist gives for praising God.
He answers me…v5
He is for me; I will not be afraid…v6
He is my helper…v7,13
He is a place of refuge…v8
His name is powerful…v10-12
His right hand that does mighty things…v15,16
He disciplines me…v18
He gives salvation…v21
He is the cornerstone, or stabilizer of the foundation…v22
He made this day…v24
He blesses us…v26
He is our God…v28
He is good…v29
His love for us will endure forever…v29
Are you thankful like the psalmist for the works of God in your life? Do you take any of these for granted – expecting God to do these things without giving it much thought? How many of these things that God does for us do you not use as He intended. For example, do you find refuge in Him? Do you call on Him and believe in the power of His name? The things the Lord does for us are gifts. He doesn’t have to do anything for us – He is God after all. He does these things for us because He loves us and He is good. He cares for His children and desires good things for us. Embrace the good gifts He gives.
After the Message…
Read Psalm 118 all the way through and as you read it, really think about the things that the Psalmist says about God and His goodness.
Write down some ways that God has been good to you.
Pray Psalm 118 back to God as a prayer of thanksgiving.
