Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever.
Psalm136:1-3
Our God is good. He is the God of gods and Lord of lords. And He is a loving God, whose love endures forever!
Let us hold out this good God for all the world to see. He is worthy of our praise!
The true God does not teach others to hate, but to love instead.
He does not teach others to kill, but forbids it in His commandments.
And He teaches us to be grateful for His love, as he lives on the inside of us by His Spirit.
This past weekend, we gave thanks to our good God many times over.
First, we had two sleepovers with several of our precious grandchildren. And then on Friday our youngest granddaughter turned one! We celebrated together with much joy!
On Sunday, we could be in church twice in freedom to worship God.
We went on a 3 km walk after church on Sunday afternoon. We saw so much beauty it filled our senses to the brim. God’s goodness seemed to permeate every step we took. When the sun is shining upon the earth and copious colour radiates from every leaf cell to be found, it is hard not to be thankful.
My thoughts went to those in tougher circumstances, and I realize it can be downright hard to give thanks. Our circumstances make a difference. However, it also occurred to me that no matter the circumstances, no one can take away the joy of the LORD in our souls.
And that is what we must cling to in good times and in perilous times. And I think to do what David did would be a splendid exercise of faith. He recalled God’s goodness to him and built himself up in those memories.
We can find one example of this in Psalm 30 verses eleven and twelve. Here David says to the LORD, “You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. LORD my God, I will praise you forever.”
On another occasion, David voiced his praise to God this way; “But I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress.” You will find these words in Psalm 59:16.
So regardless if we are enjoying God’s creation on a glorious day, facing some giants we’d rather not face, or some situation that tests our ability to be grateful, we can and should rely on God to get us through. He is why we are grateful.
And as we go on our daily travels, wherever that may lead, we can recall the comforting words of Psalm 136:1-3.
Say along with me won’t you … I
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever.
We always have forever to look forward to with our God.
That is good news indeed.
What are you giving thanks for today?