(1 Chron. 16:8-13) Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples! Sing to him; sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works! Glory in his hloy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice! Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually! Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles and the judgments he uttered, O offspring of Israel his servant, sons of Jacob, his chosen ones! (ESV)This passage is referred to as David's Psalm (or Song) of Thanks. It is also recorded for us again in Psalm 105:1-6. In fact, if you compare 1 Chron. 16:8-22 and Psalm 105:1-15 you will see that they read almost exactly the same. Passages like this one are good to read this time of the year as we begin to reflect on Thanksgiving and what we're thankful for. David reminds us through this song to give thanks to the Lord and to make known His deeds, to remember His wondrous works and to tell others about them.
There's a great praise song that the choir sang during one of our fall Revival services this past September with Dr. Warren and Shane Mitchell. The song is by Paul Baloche and Don Moen and is called "Thank You, Lord". Let's read some of the lyrics as we think about being thankful:
I come before You today, and there's just one thing that I want to say:
Thank You, Lord, thank You, Lord
For all You've given to me, for all the blessings that I cannot see,
Thank You, Lord, thank You, Lord
With a grateful heart, with a song of praise
With an out-stretched arm I will bless Your name
Thank You, Lord, I just want to thank You, Lord
Thank You, Lord, I just want to thank You, Lord, thank You, Lord
For all You've done in my life, You took my darkness and gave me Your light
Thank You, Lord, thank You, Lord
You took my sin and my shame, You took my sickness and healed all my pain
Thank You, Lord, thank You, Lord
With a grateful heart, with a song of praise
With an out-stretched arm I will bless Your name
Thank You, Lord, I just want to thank You, Lord...
So what has God done in your life? What has He given you? Has He washed away your sin and shame? Has He taken your sickness and healed all your pain? Has He taken away your darkness through the brilliance of His light in your life? What about all the blessings that we just can't see with our natural eyes? Just as King David was encouraging the Israelites to remember all of God's goodness to them through His mighty acts of deliverance and the miracles He had performed while leading the nation into the covenant inheritance of their fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, we need to be encouraged to reflect on what God's done for us-- in our nation, in our church family and in our personal lives. How has God delivered you through the terrible storms and Red Seas of your life? How has He defeated the giants that you have come face to face with? Has He stuck with you as your closest friend when others let you down? How has He provided for you and protected you through the tough times? How has He sent His gentle blessings of love, peace and mercy to you lately? We need to think on these things and be willing to tell others about them. We need to "make known His deeds among the people" with a thankful heart. As we really look at what God has done for us and how He blesses us continually, it's easy to see that God is good, all the time!
With a Grateful Heart,
Joey C.