For Christians, Thanksgiving is not just a holiday.
It’s a reminder that “thanksgiving” should be the state of our heart all the time.
I’ve been studying the Psalms lately. And Psalm 107 is one of the easiest to pick out a key verse. That’s because the phrase repeats itself verbatim 4 times and is paraphrased 2 or 3 other times:
“Let them thank the Lord for His steadfast love.”
Psalm 107 tells the stories of four groups of people.
The first group has lost their way, seemingly through no fault of their own. They cry to the Lord, and He delivers them. Then we have the key verse — let them thank Him for His steadfast love.
The next two groups have rebelled against the Lord and sinned against the Lord. The same thing happens. They cry out to Him, He delivers them, and they’re told to thank Him.
The last group goes out to sea, and God sends big trouble: a terrible storm. (Why does He do things like that to us?) Again, they cry out to Him, He delivers them, and they’re told to thank Him for his steadfast love.
There’s a life-transforming lesson here for all of us: Whatever trouble you may find yourself in today — even if it’s your own fault — cry out to God. Ask for His forgiveness, praise Him for his goodness, and thank Him for His steadfast love.
And in this special week, let’s look back at our lives and remember some of the times God has delivered us from trouble. Let us thank Him for his steadfast love.
I’ll be making that the theme of Thanksgiving week in my own heart. I hope you will too.
Steve