Why be thankful?  King David sang a prayer of thanksgiving to God that is recorded in 1 Chronicles 16.  The Ark of the Covenant had returned to Israel after 20 years in the land of the Philistines. The people longed for God to be among them again.  David set out to bring the ark back into their midst.  David was overjoyed with the return of the Ark and God’s presence among.  David begins with a call for thanksgiving:

Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name;    (for who He is and His accessibility)
    make known his deeds among the peoples!
⁹ Sing to him, sing praises to him;
    tell of all his wondrous works!              (for His wondrous works)
¹⁰ Glory in his holy name;                     (His holiness)
    let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!   (He can be sought and found)
¹¹ Seek the Lord and his strength;          (His strength and presence are with us)
    seek his presence continually!

The song continues with these verses.

Sing to the Lord, all the earth!               (tell of His salvation)
    Tell of his salvation from day to day.
²⁴ Declare his glory among the nations,          (tell of His glory and works among us)
    his marvelous works among all the peoples!
²⁵ For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,   (He alone is worthy of praise)
    and he is to be feared above all gods.         

This praise song ends with this verse:

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;    (God is good)
    for his steadfast love endures forever!      (His love lasts forever)

What about you?   Do you have a song of praise waiting in your heart to give to God?  Thankfully, God loves us to pray scripture back to Him so we can use David’s song of Thanksgiving as our own.  Sing a praise song to Him today and Thank Him for who He is and the mighty things He has done for you.    The simple act of praising God in the midst of our turmoil will bring peace and comfort – try it today!

Linda