Come Into His Presence With Thanksgiving

“If only ___ happened in my life, then I would be happy and content.”

“If only ____ changed, then I wouldn’t be so dissatisfied all the time.”

“If only ____."

How would you fill in the blanks above? I have multiple things I would place in those blanks, things I look to as THE THING that would make my life better. A change in circumstances. An answered prayer. A dream realized. Healing of something broken. A provision. Whatever the “if only” is, it becomes my one focus and keeps me from remembering the goodness of the Lord and rejoicing in what he has done for me.

In truth, my “if-only’s” nurture my discontent.

Psalm 95: An Invitation to Worship

Psalm 95 is a psalm of praise, inviting worshippers into God’s presence. It expounds on reasons why we worship and praise the Lord. At the same time, it also presents a warning as it contrasts the grateful heart with that of a grumbling heart, reminding us of how easy it is to wander into discontentment. At its heart, this psalm shows us how being in God’s presence and dwelling on who he is fosters gratitude and thanksgiving, rather than discontentment.

The psalmist begins with an invitation to worship: “Oh come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! (vv.1-2). This worship is directed to “the rock of our salvation.” When we consider how the Lord has delivered us from sin by his grace, we can’t help but respond in joyful praise. We can’t help but give him the thanks he is due. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.

The author goes on to explain why we worship and give thanks:

• for the LORD is a great God (v.3)

• He is a great King above all gods (v. 3)

• He owns the earth (v.4)

• He created all things; he is our Maker (vv.5-6)

• He is our God! (v.7)

• We are his people, his sheep (v.7)

Our God is greater than all. He created and rules over all things. Everything belongs to him. But he is not a God who rules from a distance; he is very near. He is our God. He knows us and we know him. Even more, he shepherds us. We can’t help but think of Psalm 23 and the tender description of God as a shepherd caring for his flock and of Jesus’ description of himself as the Good Shepherd in John 10. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep…I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me” (John 10:11, 14). What a privilege to worship the God of the universe who knows each of his sheep!

When Hearts Wander

These verses stand in contrast to what comes next in Psalm 95 as the psalmist cautions worshippers to remember their ancestors who wandered from their Good Shepherd. They hardened their hearts at Meribah (v.8). They put God to the test, despite witnessing his wondrous works to deliver them from slavery (v.9). They grumbled and complained and doubted God’s goodness. They did not give him thanks for his faithfulness to them and to his covenant. They were rebellious and hard-hearted. As a result, they did not experience the Lord’s rest (v. 11). They wandered in the desert for forty years and missed out on entering the Promised Land.

Psalm 95 reminds worshippers just how important it is to keep our minds and hearts fixed on the character and works of God and to respond to him with thanksgiving, for we are prone to wander. We so easily forget what the Lord has done for us. Like Israel, we forget the God who rescued and delivered us the moment we hunger. When Israel faced difficult circumstances, they were quick to respond with their own “if-only’s.” “If only the LORD had killed us back in Egypt,” they moaned. “There we sat around pots filled with meat and ate all the bread we wanted. But now you have brought us into this wilderness to starve us all to death.” (Ex. 16:3). They remembered the food they ate in Egypt and longed to return back to slavery rather than trust in the God who owns all the fields of the earth. And we do the same. But praise God for his grace toward those who wander! Our Good Shepherd will never let even one of his sheep go far (Luke 15:3-7). And no one can take his sheep from him: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:27-28).

When we come into God’s presence, dwelling on who he is and what he has done, our discontented hearts are reshaped into grateful ones. We respond in joy and thanksgiving. For he is our God; he know us and we know him.

Photo by Tanner Yould on Unsplash

Give Thanks With Your Whole Heart

Later this month, we celebrate Thanksgiving in the U.S. It’s a time to gather with family and friends and enjoy a feast. It’s a time to give thanks for all our blessings, to express our gratitude for all that we have. When the holiday was first announced by President Lincoln in 1863, it was assumed that such thanks would be offered to God. In our post-Christian culture, people still express gratitude for the good things in their life, but not to the One who gives them all that they have, including their very breath.

For those who profess faith in Christ, what does our offer of thanksgiving look like?

In Psalm 9, the psalmist wrote, “I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.” (vv.1-2). In Hebrew poetry, when two lines are joined together, they are considered a couplet where the second line repeats what is stated in the first line. It echoes the thought in the previous line, providing further information on what the first statement means. In the case of verse one, recounting all of God’s wondrous deeds is what it means to give thanks to the Lord with one’s whole heart. So rather than just verbalizing a general statement of thanksgiving to God, we look back at our life and list or recount all that God has done.

And that’s what the author does in Psalm 9. Some scholars think David wrote this psalm after his win against Goliath; others see it as a psalm recounting God’s deliverance over David’s enemies in general, those enemies who stood against him as he took over the land God promised to his people. In this psalm, David reveals the reasons why he is giving thanks. He recounts the Lord’s faithfulness in delivering him from his enemies (vv.3-6). He describes the Lord’s character and how he relates to his people. (vv.7-10) The Lord is just, righteous, and a stronghold. He does not forsake those who place their trust in him. David then exhorts, “Sing praises to the LORD, who sits enthroned in Zion! Tell among the peoples his deeds!” (v. 11).

To give thanks with our whole heart is to do more than just say, “Thank you”; it is gratitude that bubbles up from deep inside our heart. It’s the response of those who know that all good things come from the Father in heaven. It’s the response of the humble—those who acknowledge that God alone is the source of all that we have. Further, when we give thanks, it’s not so much about the gift itself, but about the Giver, for as the psalmist wrote, “I will be glad and exult in you” (v.2). This is what makes the gratitude of a Christian different from other expressions of thanksgiving. We give thanks and rejoice in God; the non-believer rejoices in the gift.

When we give thanks during this season of Thanksgiving, let us recount the things that God has done, not just the things done for us today, but even the things God has done for us in the past. The Puritan preacher, Matthew Henry, wrote in his commentary, “When we give thanks for some one particular mercy we should take occasion thence to remember former mercies and so to show forth all his marvellous works.”

This Thanksgiving, let us ask: How has God been faithful to me in my life? How has he provided? How has he comforted? How has he sheltered? How has he delivered? “The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you” (vv. 9-10).

As we recount his wondrous deeds, let us give thanks with our whole heart.

Photo by Adam Winger on Unsplash

A Thanksgiving Prayer

“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever” (Ps. 136:1).

It’s that time of year when we gather with friends and family and enjoy a Thanksgiving feast. It’s the time of year where we share with one another what we are grateful for— when we reflect on all the good things we’ve enjoyed the past year. We find ourselves listing the people we cherish, the gracious provisions we’ve received, and the prayers God has answered. We remember experiences we’ve enjoyed. We remember how God has provided for our needs. We remember the people he brought into our lives to encourage us. We remember hard journeys we’ve taken and how we’ve come out on the other side. These are all good things, things for which we ought to rejoice and give thanks to the Lord.

Yet believers are called to give thanks, not just once a year, but all the year through. In fact, it is God’s will that we give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thess. 5:18). And while we do give thanks for all that we have received, for answered prayers, for all we enjoy in life, we also give thanks even when we are empty handed. Psalm 136 reminds us to give thanks to the Lord, not just for what he provides, but also for who he is.

This psalm tells us to give thanks because:

• He is good and his love endures forever (v.1)

• He is God above all gods, Lord above all lords (vv. 2-3)

• He created all things (vv.4-9)

• He acts in history to bring about his purposes and redemption (vv.10-22)

• He saves and provides for his people (vv.23-26)

On this side of the cross, we can add to this list God’s greatest act of redemption, the sending of his Son to die on the cross for our sins. We can add his Spirit at work in our lives to make us new. We can add the promise and hope of eternity forever with him.

Some years when Thanksgiving rolls around, we might have many things on our list for which to give thanks. Other years, we may find ourselves in the midst of deep sorrow and suffering and find it harder to create that list. Whatever our year has been like— whether our hands are full or empty— we raise them up in praise to give thanks to the Lord for who he is.

He is good and his love endures forever.

Father in heaven,

You are good and your love endures forever. I come before you with a heart filled with sorrow from life lived in a fallen world. I come before you with worries and fears. I come before you uncertain about the future. Some days it’s hard to see the good among all the bad.

Even so, you are good and your love endures forever. I give you thanks and praise you for who you are. You are always good and only do what is good. I see this in your sovereign care over all you have made. I see this in your perfect Word and in your work in my life. I see this in your faithfulness to your covenant promises. Thank you for your steadfast love for me. You chose me, saved me, changed me, and secured me. I am yours forever and nothing and no one can take me from you.

Thank you for Jesus, for who he is and what he has done in his life, death, resurrection, and current reign over all things. When I stop and dwell on this, I am overwhelmed with thanksgiving. When I consider his humility and suffering on my behalf, I am astounded anew at the wonders of his grace. When I focus my heart on him, on how he is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature (Heb. 1:3), I hunger to know more of him. I pray you would give me “the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him” (Eph. 1:17).

For you are good and your steadfast love endures forever.

Forgive me when I forget who you are. Forgive me for focusing on the things of earth and not on your rule above it. Forgive me for doubting your love and care for me. Forgive me for living in my own strength, rather than resting in yours.

I pray Psalm 136’s song would the constant refrain of my heart. Help me to sing each day: you are good and your love endures forever.

In Jesus’ name, amen.

Singing Mary's Song of Thanksgiving

"My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever." (Luke 1:46-55)

This familiar Christmas passage is often called Mary's Song or the Magnificat which is Latin for magnify. Mary sings this song in response to Elizabeth's exclamation of blessing to her when she arrived for a visit and when John the Baptist leapt in Elizabeth's womb, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb." Mary sang this song to magnify or to extol God. When we magnify something, we make it bigger, so we can better see it. Like a magnifying glass. Or when someone is put up on the jumbotron at a ball game, so everyone can see their silly dance. In the case of this song, Mary is narrowing in on the greatness of God. She is filled with wonder at what God is doing and can't help but bubble over into praise.

What makes this song all the more remarkable is the challenges and trials she likely went through before her visit to Elizabeth. She had probably been ostracized by many in her community. We don't know how her family responded, but they had every legal right to reject her, or worse. We know from the book of Matthew that Joseph wanted to divorce her after he heard the news of her conception. We should also remember where Israel is in her history. Since the exile, they have not had a king on the throne. The prophets have been silent since Malachi. Romans rule the world and their land. So in many ways, it's a dark time, for Mary and for her people. Yet as we see, she sings a song filled with wonder and thanksgiving…

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