GIVING THANKS SHOULD BE A DAILY HABIT

I’m reading Psalm 116 each day this week as a reminder of the many reasons to give thanks to God for what He has done and does. How about you doing the same?

ETERNAL PERSPECTIVES        by Sally Bair

Thanks a lot

           

No, I didn’t forget to write about Thanksgiving during its celebrated day. I didn’t forget, but I let other priorities get in the way. However, I did celebrate the day, as I’m sure most of you did.

Besides sometimes allowing ourselves to get so busy we miss the significance and pleasure of certain times, we tend to do the same with God. How often do we tell ourselves we’ll get to our Bible reading as soon as we finish this one, very important task? How often do we gloss over the importance of spending time to thank Him for the day, for our sound mind or for our family?

This Thanksgiving my pastor used Psalm 116 as the basis of his message about why we should give thanks to God. King David, the psalm writer, had many reasons to give thanks. “I love the Lord, because He has heard my voice …” David said. (verse 1) What better reason do we have to love the Lord than that He listens to our laments and our list of needs and our oft-neglected praise?

Countless times David found himself surrounded by threats of death and by sorrow. Yet his troubles never stopped him from thanking God for His help. “Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; yes, our God is merciful.” (verse 5)

God often plucked David from certain death by his enemies and dried his tears when loved ones rejected him. Yet he recognized that God’s salvation encompassed his soul as well. “What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits toward me? I will take up the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord.” (verses 12-13)

The term thanksgiving means public acknowledgment. “I will pay my vows to the Lord now in the presence of all His people,” David wrote. (verse 14) He acknowledged his thanks with passion, sacrifice and boldness, as we too can offer our personal thanks to God and to everyone around us. On Thanksgiving Day many families ask each person around the table to share one item they’re thankful for. Such a tradition is good, and I’m sure pleasing to God. But it’s a drop in the biggest bucket ever made when we think about the infinite list of blessings He has and continues to shower upon us each day, each hour, each minute. A friend, while on her daily walks, thanks God for fifty things. Why don’t we all try it?

Lord, we offer our sacrifice of thanksgiving and praise this day and tomorrow and every tomorrow You bless us with. You alone are worthy. In Jesus’ name, amen.