Isaiah 51:3  The Lord will comfort Israel again
    and have pity on her ruins.
Her desert will blossom like Eden,
    her barren wilderness like the garden of the Lord.
Joy and gladness will be found there.
    Songs of thanksgiving will fill the air.

Isaiah was an Old Testament prophet that delivered severe messages to the people of Israel due to their sin filled ways.  He also delivered messages of great hope to a people facing God’s discipline which resulted in deportation to Babylon for 70 years.  Isaiah knew that God would bring them back and restore them after their time of discipline.  Isaiah 53 speaks of God’s promise to redeem them and fill them with joy.  He knew that their joy would result in thanksgiving and praise.

Do you cherish the times of restoration given by God?  Do you soak up God’s comfort? The people of Israel allowed God to teach them during their exile so they returned stronger and more fully committed to God.  He gave them words of comfort in their future restoration to give them hope during their exile.  Do you allow God to comfort and restore you?  Are you comforted by God’s grace and mercy? Comfort comes from God to help us through times of trial.   Restoration always results in praise to the Restorer for His grace and mercy.  Let thanksgiving and praise be on your lips as you look to Him with a grateful heart.

Linda

Psalm 50 brings to life who God is and what He alone does for mankind.  As believers we are told in verses 14 and 15 the part thanks plays in our attitude towards God.

Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God,
    and keep the vows you made to the Most High.
Then call on me when you are in trouble,
    and I will rescue you,
    and you will give me glory.”

God desires us to live a life filled with thankfulness, making thanks a sacrificial offering to God.  It is not to be an after thought of faith but a living sacrifice always on our lips.  Thankfulness on our lips brings honor and glory to God.  Hearing our thanks, God promises to always to be ready to hear our pleas.  God loves us and desires to hear from us- both thanksgiving and petitions.  Remembering to put thanks and praise before petitions is honoring to God and puts things in perspective.  He is the God who is able to do all we ask, let us thank Him even before we ask.  

Later in the Psalm the unbeliever or the one who has fallen away from God is addressed.  16 “But God says to the wicked: 22 Repent, all of you who forget me, 23 But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me.     If you keep to my path,    I will reveal to you the salvation of God.”    Here God is reminding us again that thanks honors Him and will point us towards salvation.  It does not save us but turns us around and points us to God, the only one who can save us in Jesus Christ.  James 4:7-8a says it this way: “So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸ Come close to God, and God will come close to you. ”    God wants us to draw near to him with repentance and thanksgiving on our lips.  He promises to reveal himself to us and show us the way of salvation.

  I was convicted by this What if… thought today.   May you have thanksgiving on your lips all day; it is honoring to Him!

Linda

You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing.
    You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy,
that I might sing praises to you and not be silent.
    O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever! (NLT)

David described his state of thanksgiving as being eternal in Psalm 30:11-12 .  Why was he going to be thankful forever?  Earlier in the Psalm David said God had lifted him out of the pit, saved him from his enemies, healed him physically and spiritually, had shown him forgiveness and favor.  David had experienced God’s forgiveness as he mourned over his sins.   Paul quotes David’s Psalm 32 in Romans 4:7-8 ““Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.  Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord will never count against them.”  Experiencing God’s forgiveness, seeing that God had covered his sins and that his sins would never be used against him in judgement made David eternally thankful and filled him with joy.

What about you?  Have you experienced God’s hand lifting you out of despair or trouble, have you been rescued by God from your enemies or really bad situations, has God touched you physically or spiritually to heal you, have you been given favor by God, blessings you did not expect and in no way deserved?  God had shown himself faithful to David and David recognized this.  His responds was eternal thanks that was filled with joy.  What is your response to God’s grace and forgiveness in your life?

Begin today to cultivate a spirit of thanksgiving that is based on God’s grace and forgiveness.  You will experience joy from now to eternity.

Linda

David was the anointed king of Israel, yet he fled from Saul the current king for 13 years.  Pursued and persecuted by Saul, David did not lose heart but placed his trust in God and gave Him thanks.  He knew that God would make him king as promised when the time was right.  Psalm 28 is one of several psalms David wrote that show his reliance, dependence and complete trust in God.  As David looks at what is happening around him, he sees the Lord as his strength and shield.  He proclaims his trust and joy inc the Lord.  His Lord fills him with joy and thanksgiving for all He has done for him.

When the returning Jews finished repairing the temple, they had a celebration.  Ezra describes the scene in Ezra 3:11.

And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord,

And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.

 

How does this scene speak to us today?

1.   We see our response to God is to be spontaneously one of praise and thanks.  What is your reaction when God uses you to accomplish the big and little things in your life?   Is you response one of praise and thanksgiving giving God the credit?
2.   We see that Ezra led them to praise God for who He is, His character.  Ezra knew that all good things come from God and being good is innate within His character, it is part of Him. He also knew that God was always steadfast- unwavering, in His love for His people.  In Old Testament times, His people were the Jews who loved and obeyed His commandments and believed that He was their God.  Today, His people are all believers and followers of Jesus.  Through faith in Jesus we become members of His family and belong to Him.
3.   Ezra knew that any foundation in this life must be placed upon something solid and unwavering.  God is that foundation and provides a place for our steadfast devotion and love that will result in bringing glory to Him.  Is your faith place in Jesus?   Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 3:11 “For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”  He also wrote in 2 Timothy 2:19 “But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.”  Is Jesus your solid foundation?

I pray that today you can thank and praise God for who He is and what He has done for you.  Let His praise and thanksgiving be on your lips.  Think about where you are building your life and whether you are on solid ground with Jesus or on sinking sand-the world and all its values.

Have a blessed day filled with praise.

Linda

As I was meditating on the need for thankfulness in my life, I thought- is thankfulness a daily occurrence?  Do I do more thanking than complaining?  Scripture is specific on the need for thankfulness in our lives.  In Old Testament times, the priests went to the temple daily and offered sacrifices with an attitude of thankfulness and praise.  1 Chronicles 23:30  And they were to stand every morning, thanking and praising the Lord, and likewise at evening,    This same attitude was expressed by Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:18  “ give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

How do you get yourself into a thankful mood or attitude?  Does it come with prayer, bible reading, singing or listening to Christian praise music?   Does it come to your mind each day, during the day or is it a rare occurrence?  Christ wants us to have an attitude of gratitude because of……….  Think for a few minutes about what Christ has done for you- He has given you salvation, claimed you as His own, a heavenly home is being prepared for you, He is with you 24/7, His spirit lives inside of you encouraging, prodding and molding you to be more and more like Him,  He promises to guide, guard, protect and defend you, He loves you beyond measure…     That is why, He desires that we have an attitude of gratitude as we go about our daily lives.  It will keep us focused on Him- His power, His sovereignty, His love instead of on all the problems we face each day.  God knows that keeping our focus on Him will free us to live without FEAR and be filled with HOPE.

Be filled with gratitude today and be free in Him.  Joyce Meyers gives us words to think about and challenges us to be delivered!

Linda

 

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