A Season of Thankfulness (Part 5)

This is Day 5 in our 5 Days of Thankful Preparation…Thanksgiving Day is here!

I am thankful that my family got to spend time together today and as part of our celebration of thanks we drew some of these verses out of a jar and shared them with each other. I was blessed by some of the responses.

My hope is that this sequenced release of verses this week has helped to tenderize our hearts with thankfulness and re-center our view of God’s loving care for us.

With each of the following five passages from the Psalms, take time to read it out loud, and then after you finish it ask yourself two simple questions…

• How does this passage reveal God’s goodness?

• What can I learn from this passage about my gratefulness?

Psalm 118:19-21

Open to me the gates of righteousness,    that I may enter through them
    and give thanks to the Lord.
This is the gate of the Lord;
    the righteous shall enter through it.
I thank you that you have answered me
    and have become my salvation.

His goodness?

My gratefulness?

Psalm 138:1-3

I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart;

    before the gods I sing your praise;

I bow down toward your holy temple

    and give thanks to your name 
                             for your steadfast love 
                           and your faithfulness,

    for you have exalted above all things

                                 your name and your word.

On the day I called, you answered me;

    my strength of soul you increased.

His goodness?

My gratefulness?

Psalm 140:12-13

I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted,

    and will execute justice for the needy.

Surely the righteous shall give thanks to your name;

    the upright shall dwell in your presence.

His goodness?

My gratefulness?

Psalm 142:6-7

Attend to my cry,

    for I am brought very low!

Deliver me from my persecutors,

    for they are too strong for me!

Bring me out of prison,

    that I may give thanks to your name!

The righteous will surround me,

    for you will deal bountifully with me.

His goodness?

My gratefulness?

Psalm 145:9-12

The Lord is good to all,

    and his mercy is over all that he has made.

All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,

    and all your saints shall bless you!

They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom

    and tell of your power,

to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds,

    and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

His goodness?

My gratefulness?

Here are just a few of my own answers to the questions asked above:

• Psalm 118… God in his goodness answers our prayers. He makes us righteous. Gratitude is an act of righteousness for we know we are not able to save ourselves, but we have put our faith in the Lord to do what we cannot do.

• Psalm 138… We should be moved to wholehearted thankfulness for God’s wholehearted commitment to keeping his promises and showing his lovingkindness to us.

• Psalm 140… God is just towards everyone not just the powerful and privileged. My gratitude for God’s deliverance will pay it forward to the afflicted.

• Psalm 142… God’s goodness inspires us to hope that he will help…and he does. Gratitude recognizes that God will always deal bountifully with me, so I can deal bountifully with others.

• Psalm 145… Because what God does is good, his works will inspire gratitude to the Lord in our hearts. He invites us to share in his glory, power, and kingdom! Let us enter in by faith!

Happy Thanksgiving from our gathering to yours!