Good morning! Happy Thanksgiving!!!! Merry Christmas!!!!! Happy Holidays!!! I love this time of year!
Question of the Day: What are you thankful for and why?
Today we were supposed to be studying 2 Samuel chapter 16. However it is a challenging chapter, and I decided not one fit for Thanksgiving Sabbath. So we are taking a break and will spend some time listening to David himself. Today on this day when we should be tuned into our gratitude toward God we will study Psalms of praise! Psalms of thanksgiving.
Before we read the Psalm I want us to listen to a song.
The whole point of this song, is that we have a choice about what we pay attention to. We have a choice about what we see. Are we going to be Christians who see the ick all around us or the glory of what God is doing... the wonder?
We will start with Psalm 138.
A David Psalm
138 1-3 Thank you! Everything in me says “Thank you!”
Angels listen as I sing my thanks.
I kneel in worship facing your holy temple
and say it again: “Thank you!”
Thank you for your love,
thank you for your faithfulness;
Most holy is your name,
most holy is your Word.
The moment I called out, you stepped in;
you made my life large with strength.
Angels listen as I sing my thanks.
I kneel in worship facing your holy temple
and say it again: “Thank you!”
Thank you for your love,
thank you for your faithfulness;
Most holy is your name,
most holy is your Word.
The moment I called out, you stepped in;
you made my life large with strength.
4-6 When they hear what you have to say, God,
all earth’s kings will say “Thank you.”
They’ll sing of what you’ve done:
“How great the glory of God!”
And here’s why: God, high above, sees far below;
no matter the distance, he knows everything about us.
all earth’s kings will say “Thank you.”
They’ll sing of what you’ve done:
“How great the glory of God!”
And here’s why: God, high above, sees far below;
no matter the distance, he knows everything about us.
7-8 When I walk into the thick of trouble,
keep me alive in the angry turmoil.
With one hand
strike my foes,
With your other hand
save me.
Finish what you started in me, God.
Your love is eternal—don’t quit on me now.
keep me alive in the angry turmoil.
With one hand
strike my foes,
With your other hand
save me.
Finish what you started in me, God.
Your love is eternal—don’t quit on me now.
This is a beautiful Psalm of thanksgiving. At the beginning of this Psalm I hear David yelling this... So if I were directing someone in reenacting this passage it would go like this:
At the top of your lungs.... with arms outstretched.... "Thank you! Everything in me says Thank you!!!! Listen up Angels!" (looking up as you say thank you! With a huge smile on your face..)
Have you ever with arms stretched out yelled thank you to God?
Seriously?
Maybe you should.
Maybe we should!
Not here....
Why are we often so buttoned up that we wouldn't with arms out stretched yell thanks to God?
What would it take to get us there?
What got David there?
Why was he so able to be so exuberant with his praise?
Continuing to the next verse...
(Fall to your knees, and with intensity but less exuberance. Make sure to raise your head and say the lines with great emotion.) "I kneel in worship facing your holy temple and say it again: “Thank you!” Thank you for your love, thank you for your faithfulness; "
(Then start to get back up and now less emotion and more simply.... continue....) "Most holy is your name, most holy is your Word. The moment I called out, you stepped in; you made my life large with strength. When they hear what you have to say, God, all earth’s kings will say “Thank you.” They’ll sing of what you’ve done: (now increase in volume and intensity!) "How great the glory of God!” (Then switch to a teaching voice...) And here’s why: God, high above, sees far below; no matter the distance, he knows everything about us. When I walk into the thick of trouble, keep me alive in the angry turmoil. With one hand strike my foes, With your other hand save me.
(Then with arms out stretched again, looking up with a tender plead....) "Finish what you started in me, God. Your love is eternal—don’t quit on me now.
I really believe that if we would pray like this, if we would let our thanksgivings be always on our lips, if we would always first and foremost praise God, then we would be open to God doing the work in us that he is so desiring to do!
It is key!
Being Thankful is key.
Not feeling thankful, but being thankful.
How do we do that when things are falling apart, and we are finding it hard to be thankful?
Why do we give Him thanks?
Not because of our circumstances but because of who He is. That never changes!
He is always worthy of praise! We don't have to have great circumstances to praise Him!
Let's read one more Psalm.
Psalm 100
A psalm. For giving grateful praise.
1 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his[a];
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
2 Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his[a];
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Again notice that it is the greatness of God that we are thankful for. I am not suggesting we shouldn't be thankful for all the other blessings that we have received from Him, we should. I am saying that if you ever find yourself in a place where you are having a hard time finding things to be thankful for, we always have the never changing greatness of our God! I am suggesting that when we have lists to thank him for at the top should be our praise of Him, in the middle should be our praise of Him, and we should finish with our praise of Him.
If you are in class or reading this online, will you make a new commitment to being thankful! To living thankful!
I would like to challenge us all to spend from now until the new year focusing on the greatness of our Lord! Spend sometime each day just recounting the majesty, the power, the glory of our God. Use song, prayer, scripture, but let it be first and foremost in your heart and mind!
Post here on the blog your thankfulness, post it on facebook, instagram, or snapchat! Or just stand in your yard and with your arms raised at the top of your lungs say "Thank you!"
If you are in class or reading this online, will you make a new commitment to being thankful! To living thankful!
I would like to challenge us all to spend from now until the new year focusing on the greatness of our Lord! Spend sometime each day just recounting the majesty, the power, the glory of our God. Use song, prayer, scripture, but let it be first and foremost in your heart and mind!
Post here on the blog your thankfulness, post it on facebook, instagram, or snapchat! Or just stand in your yard and with your arms raised at the top of your lungs say "Thank you!"
 |
| Add caption |
Comments
Post a Comment