Thursday, November 28, 2013
Psalm 107:1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. (Please read the entire psalm.)
THANK HIM FOR BIG AND LITTLE BLESSINGS
At intervals in this psalm the holy writer calls on the people to acknowledge the mercies of the Lord. He repeats the plea four times: "Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!" His plea is prompted by a realization that many aren't inclined to thank the Lord for the blessings He bestows on them, not even for "little" things like food and water.
There are various reasons for this ingratitude. Atheists think they are captains of their own destiny. They say, "If we have in our possession food, clothes, and other material benefits it's because 'we' worked for them. Why thank a God who doesn't exist?" Others would not want to be placed into the category of those who rob God of His glory. Yet they let His mercies lie in unthankfulness because of forgetfulness or because they are "too busy" to worship Him or because they have fallen into the habit of taking His gifts for granted.
Martin Luther once wrote that if the heavenly Father weren't so generous, people would be more thankful. If, for example, He caused them to be born with one leg and, at age 7, gave them their second leg. Or if He caused them to be born with no hands and, at age 14, gave them one hand, then later, at age 20, a second hand. But because He showers His gifts on them all at once, they take them for granted. Especially, the best of God's gifts, the whole ocean of His Word.
What about us? Do we sometimes take the treasure of the Word for granted? Do we appreciate as we should the little things He does for us from day to day? Amidst our celebrating today, let's ask the Lord to bestow on us the gift of a thankful spirit for all blessings, large and small, that He gives us, and hands that move at the impulse of His love to serve Him, the God of our salvation, all our days.
