I wanted to share with you two of the things that I am the most thankful for, as we approach a day that we set aside for giving thanks, my family and God’s word.
My family and I have been memorizing Psalm 100 lately on our daily drive into school each morning. It has been such a joy to hear God’s word come out of my children’s hearts and mouths with such innocence and enthusiasm. Day by day, little by little, their confidence in proclaiming this psalm of thanksgiving has been growing.
Now, we initially chose this psalm because it was relatively short, and therefore easier to memorize. But, what we didn’t anticipate was how intense of an impact this small psalm would have on our hearts as we approached Thanksgiving. So, I would like to share this psalm, with you.
A Psalm of Thanksgiving.
- Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!
- Serve the Lord with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing. - Know that the Lord, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. - Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. - For the Lord is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.
Only five verses, but hopefully you can see, how this small psalm packs a punch, especially if you have been struggling with something lately.
See, there is a constant temptation in our lives to focus on the few things that we don’t have instead of intentionally being thankful for the many things that we do have. And, this psalm is here to help, highlighting one of the things that we can be the most thankful for, a loving God who has provided the way for us to not only approach Him without fear and with great joy, but also the way to be with Him, seated at His table as a son or a daughter, with full rights and privileges, forever.
John 1{12 says, speaking of Jesus, “But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.” Believing plus receiving equals becoming. It’s that simple. God has done all the work. It is finished.
In fact, that’s what Jesus cried from the cross when He was crucified, “It is finished!” The penalty for sin had been paid in full. The full penalty for my sin, for your sin, had been paid in full. Now, do you believe that Jesus did that? Have you received Jesus Himself into your heart and life, as Savior and Lord? Then, the Bible says, clearly, that God has given you the right to become a child of God. That… is something to be thankful for!
A kid of the King.
A kid of the King of kings!
Imagine that.
One of the things that I have wanted my kids to know and be confident in is that they have access to me anytime that they need me. They are my priority. It doesn’t matter how busy I am, or who I am talking to, or what meeting I am in. They know that if they need me, I am there. They have my full attention, my full focus and the full resources of my love towards them. Now, if that is the way that I feel towards my family, how much more so God towards His family?
So, God gave us this psalm, a psalm of thanksgiving, to encourage us that our access to Him is real, and something that we can be really thankful for. Now, although you may not sit down to memorize this passage of Scripture, I do encourage you to read it through a few times. I know how much of a blessing this psalm of thanksgiving has been to me and to my family. I trust it will be a blessing to you and to your family, as well.
A Psalm of Thanksgiving.
- Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!
- Serve the Lord with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing. - Know that the Lord, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. - Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. - For the Lord is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.