A Season of Thankfulness (Part 5)

This is Day 5 in our 5 Days of Thankful Preparation…Thanksgiving Day is here!

I am thankful that my family got to spend time together today and as part of our celebration of thanks, we drew some of these verses out of a jar and shared them with each other. I was blessed by some of the responses.

My hope is that this sequenced release of verses this week has helped to tenderize our hearts with thankfulness and re-center our view of God’s loving care for us.

With each of the following five passages from the Psalms, take time to read it out loud, and then after you finish it, ask two simple questions…

• How does this passage reveal God’s goodness?

• What can I learn from this passage about my gratefulness?

Psalm 118:19-21

Open to me the gates of righteousness,    that I may enter through them
    and give thanks to the Lord.
This is the gate of the Lord;
    the righteous shall enter through it.
I thank you that you have answered me
    and have become my salvation.

His goodness?

My gratefulness?

Psalm 138:1-3

I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart;

    before the gods I sing your praise;

I bow down    toward your holy temple

    and give thanks to your name 
                             for your steadfast love 
                           and your faithfulness,

    for you have exalted above all things

                                  your name and your word.

On the day I called,   you answered me;

   my strength of soul you increased.

His goodness?

My gratefulness?

Psalm 140:12-13

I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted,

    and will execute justice for the needy.

Surely the righteous shall give thanks to your name;

    the upright shall dwell in your presence.

His goodness?

My gratefulness?

Psalm 142:6-7

Attend to my cry,

    for I am brought very low!

Deliver me from my persecutors,

    for they are too strong for me!

Bring me out of prison,

    that I may give thanks to your name!

The righteous will surround me,

    for you will deal bountifully with me.

His goodness?

My gratefulness?

Psalm 145:9-12

The Lord is good to all,

    and his mercy is over all that he has made.

All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,

    and all your saints shall bless you!

They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom

    and tell of your power,

to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds,

    and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

His goodness?

My gratefulness?

Here are just a few of my own answers to the questions asked above:

• Psalm 118… God, in his goodness, answers our prayers. He makes us righteous. Gratitude is an act of righteousness, for we know we are not able to save ourselves, but we have put our faith in the Lord to do what we cannot do.

• Psalm 138… We should be moved to wholehearted thankfulness for God’s wholehearted commitment to keeping his promises and showing his loving kindness to us.

• Psalm 140… God is just towards everyone, not just the powerful and privileged. My gratitude for God’s deliverance will pay it forward to the afflicted.

• Psalm 142… God’s goodness inspires us to hope that he will help…and he does. Gratitude recognizes that God will always deal bountifully with me, so I can deal bountifully with others.

• Psalm 145… Because what God does is good, his works will inspire gratitude to the Lord in our hearts. He invites us to share in his glory, power, and kingdom! Let us enter in by faith!

Happy Thanksgiving from our gathering to yours!

A Season of Thankfulness (Part 4)

This is Day 4 in our "5 Days of Thankful Preparation".

Now, as we travel home, or out of town, to be with friends and family, our gratitude can be tested by traffic, turkey drama, and terrible weather.

It is in exactly such moments that we need to break into our supply of psalms to give us the words of thankfulness with which to lead our hearts into the love of our faithful Savior!

My hope is that this sequenced release of verses this week will tenderize our hearts with thankfulness and re-center our view of God’s loving care for us.

With each of the following passages from the Psalms, take time to read it out loud, and then after you finish it, ask yourself two simple questions…

1. How does this passage reveal God’s goodness?
2. What can I learn from this passage about my gratefulness?

Psalm 106:47

Save us, O Lord our God,
    and gather us from among the nations,
that we may give thanks to your holy name
    and glory in your praise.

His goodness?

My gratefulness?

Psalm 107:1

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
    for his steadfast love endures forever!

His goodness?

My gratefulness?

Psalm 108:2-4

Awake, O harp and lyre!

    I will awake the dawn!

    I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;

    I will sing praises to you among the nations.

For your steadfast love is great above the heavens;

    your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

His goodness?

My gratefulness?

Psalm 109:30-31

With my mouth I will give great thanks to the Lord;
    I will praise him in the midst of the throng.
For he stands at the right hand of the needy one,
    to save him from those who condemn his soul to death.

His goodness?

My gratefulness?

Psalm 111:1-3

Praise the Lord!

I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart,

    in the company of the upright, in the congregation.

Great are the works of the Lord,

    studied by all who delight in them.

Full of splendor and majesty is his work,

    and his righteousness endures forever. (also 118:1-3, 29; 135:1-3)

His goodness?

My gratefulness?

Here are just a few of my own answers to the questions asked above:

• Psalm 106... God’s goodness is committed to saving and gathering his people into a relationship with him and each other. When we pray, do we ask for help so that we will have one more reason to give thanks?

• Psalm 107... Some things are worth repeating because they are important, and sometimes because we are so quick to forget the important stuff. This is one I am thankful is repeated at least 45 times in the Old Testament!

• Psalm 108... God’s goodness permeates all of creation, and when we see it, we can’t keep it to ourselves. Sometimes, expressing gratitude with our words and deeds even gets us out of bed in the morning!

• Psalm 109… God’s goodness is not far away—he stands next to the needy to save them from those who condemn. So, we stand together to worship the Lord, for our gratitude is too great not to be spoken publicly!

• Psalm 111… The more we study the works of the Lord, the more we see the splendor and majesty with which they are infused. He leaves behind an enduring DNA of uprightness. Great work deserves our wholehearted gratitude, not just a “golf clap”.

A Season of Thankfulness (Part 3)

This is Day 3 in our 5 Days of Thankful Preparation. I hope you are reading these few verses along with me! I wonder how these verses are directing your heart and attitude this week? 

If you are like so many, the stress level can rise significantly with commutes lengthened, not to mention any out-of-town travel (oops, I mentioned it—Portland International Airport expects 67,000 passengers just tomorrow!), shopping, cooking, trying to create lasting memories, etc. I can either get caught up in the madness, adding my own thrashing about to the storm, or allow the oil of gratitude to calm some of the troubled waters around me for the good of others.

My hope is that this sequenced release of verses this week will tenderize our hearts with thankfulness and re-center our view of God's loving map of our life.

With each of the following passages from the Psalms, take time to read it out loud, and then after you finish reading it, ask two simple questions…

1. How does this passage reveal God’s goodness?
2. What can I learn from this passage about my gratefulness?

Psalm 92:1-4

It is good to give thanks to the Lord, 

    to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
to declare your steadfast love in the morning,
    and your faithfulness by night,
to the music of the lute and the harp,
    to the melody of the lyre.
For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work;
    at the works of your hands I sing for joy.

His goodness?

My gratefulness?

Psalm 95:1-3

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!
For the Lord is a great God,
    and a great King above all gods.

His goodness?

My gratefulness?

Psalm 97:11-12

Light is sown for the righteous,

    and joy for the upright in heart.

Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous,

    and give thanks to his holy name!

His goodness?

My gratefulness?

Psalm 100:3-5

Know that the Lord, he is God!

    It is he who made us, and we are his;

    we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving,

    and his courts with praise!

    Give thanks to him; bless his name!

For the Lord is good;

    his steadfast love endures forever,

    and his faithfulness to all generations.

His goodness?

My gratefulness?

Psalm 105:1-3

Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name;

    make known his deeds among the peoples!

Sing to him, sing praises to him;

    tell of all his wondrous works!

Glory in his holy name;

    let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!

His goodness?

My gratefulness?

Psalm 106:1-3

Praise the Lord!

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,

    for his steadfast love endures forever!

Who can utter the mighty deeds of the Lord,

    or declare all his praise?

Blessed are they who observe justice,

    who do righteousness at all times!

His goodness?

My gratefulness?

Here are just a few of my own answers to the questions asked above:

Psalm 92… Thankful living starts the day trusting in God’s love and ends it by rehearing his faithfulness throughout my day. Noticing what God does should produce joy and gladness. My thankfulness is a good response to the steadfast goodness that God shows to me.

Psalm 95... The goodness of the Lord exceeds that of anything or anyone else we might be tempted to worship. I should have a word of thankful praise on my lips when I meet God—not because he demands it, but because (1) He delivered me, and (2) I get to meet the Lord! Wow!

Psalm 97… It is the goodness of God that lightens my soul, enabling me to rejoice instead of cowering in fear at my circumstances. It is a sign that things are right in my life when I rejoice in God and am thankful for everything about him.

Psalm 100… While I may not like being compared to a sheep, God’s goodness gives me a place to belong (we are his people!) and to celebrate the gift of his steadfast love. Because God doesn’t change, he remains faithful to all generations.

Psalm 105… Gratitude is more than saying thanks in the moment of enjoyment, it involves remembrance—a calling to mind of past expressions of his goodness—and declaring them thankfully! God is not a killjoy, but rather the source of all joy!

Psalm 106… The goodness of God’s love doesn’t end, and if we had eyes to see everything he does for us, neither would we be able to express all the praise in response. One way I can show gratitude is to live justly and do what is right for all we encounter.

[This is also posted on my Our Long View blog.]

Psalm 23-B The Lord is My Host

Psalm 23:5-6

    You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies;
     you anoint            my head with oil;
                                  my cup overflows.
   Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
          all the days of my life,
                 and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Comments:

Psalm 23 is usually referred to as “The Shepherd Psalm” for good reason (v.1-4), but it also contains the imagery of the host and honored guest (v. 5-6). This second aspect of Psalm 23 gets very little attention compared to the first. However, there are a number of similarities between the two.

The shepherd shows the sheep hospitality by providing good food, drink, and a comfortable place to rest (v.1-3). The shepherd also offers his sheep protection as they journey on good paths that reflect well on the character of the shepherd (v.3-4).

The host similarly provides a meal (table and cup, v.5-6) and appropriate refreshment and honor to the guest (v.6) as seen in not just the table preparations but the anointing with oil. However, the Lord as our Host does more than that. In the ancient Middle Eastern culture “the law of hospitality” was supreme and made the host responsible to offer protection to those who shelter in his home. The Lord as host in this psalm not only protects the guest from enemies but vindicates the guest in their presence (v. 5). This is no hurried meal snatched in the anxiety of imminent attack, but a humanized form of the rest experienced by sheep whose shepherd has led them to green pastures. Spurgeon, the great 19^th Century preacher, when commenting on this psalm, wrote,

“When a soldier is in the presence of his enemies, if he eats at all he snatches a hasty meal, and away he hastens to the fight. But observe: ‘Thou preparest a table,’ just as a servant does when she unfolds the damask cloth and displays the ornaments of the feast on an ordinary peaceful occasion. Nothing is hurried, there is no confusion, no disturbance, the enemy is at the door and yet God prepares a table, and the Christian sits down and eats as if everything were in perfect peace.”[1]

He leads us to his house and there, where everyone can see, he makes it clear that we not only are under his protection but are honored by his relational hospitality. Yet some might think that this is only our 15 minutes of fame and that soon we will be out on our own again. This is not what the psalm teaches. Nor is it like western hospitality that is done from a carefully orchestrated distance of individualism. Derek Kidner comments,

In the Old Testament world, to eat and drink at someone’s table created a bond of mutual loyalty, and could be the culminated token of a covenant…So to be God’s guest is to be more than an acquaintance, invited for a day. It is to live with Him.” [2]

The Lord is our host, both now and in the future. The psalmist makes it clear that he was currently participating in the banquet and would continue to enjoy “dwelling” with the Lord in the future, even forever.

This Lord who is our Host, is Yahweh, the covenant-keeping God, who has been revealed in the person of the Son, Jesus Christ. He is the Good Shepherd (John 10:11-18) and he is the one who has gone to Heaven to prepare a place for us and will come back for us one day and take us to the table he has prepared (John 14:1-3).

In being the Lord our Host, God in Christ by the Spirit invites us into the Trinitarian community where we find protection, honor, refreshing, and justice that remains. But what does this mean for those of us who follow such a Shepherd and worship such a Host? When followers of the Way were first called Christians it was intended in a derogatory sense (Acts 11:26) but accurately described their commitment to live as “little Christs” determined to do what Jesus had done. Early Christian hospitality and care for the poor are renowned as they provided food, shelter, and medical care while working for justice for all whom they met even when there was no Motel 6 leaving the light on for them. They were givers more than takers, despite living under the often brutal persecution of the Roman Empire. Could John 14:12, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do because I am going to the Father” have applied to hospitality? I think so.

So how do we become better hosts in today’s world? What will we risk? Whom will we protect and provision and send on their way and who will we allow to heal and help in our midst? Do we only open our homes and our lives to those who agree with us, look like us, and provide us some benefit? Or do we take Jesus’ words to heart, loving even our enemy for the sake of Christ?

How can those who don’t know the love of the Good Shepherd and Host learn about it and respond if not to that love as seen in us and extended to them? How will they know the welcome of the Divine community if not embraced by the outposts of such community here on earth? In what ways should we welcome the beggar at our gate? I think we have a lot of reflection, thinking, and work to do.

Is not the best diplomacy that of shared life and the honest and unguarded table? Will those who are open get burned in the process? Probably, but a better question to ask is, will those whose minds and gates are closed to the alien miss out on what God is doing? Absolutely.

This week we set aside a day to give thanks for what we have received from the Lord our Host. I have to confess that while I am often timid I am learning to open my eyes to the wonder of relational hospitality. In fact, I wonder what the Lord will do in our midst in the year to come. But first, I have to come into his midst by grace through the Word and the Spirit. Let’s encourage each other in this adventure!

^“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:24-25)

---

[1] Charles Spurgeon’s Treasury of David Vol. 1, page 400.

[2] Derek Kidner, Psalms 1-72, Tyndale OT Commentary series

Psalm 135 The Lord is good!

Psalm for Today = 135:3-4
³ Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good;
    sing to his name, for it is pleasant!
⁴ For the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself,
    Israel as his own possession.

Comments:

Praise is to worshipfully declare what is true about God and honor him for it. 

Thanksgiving is to gratefully declare what God has done for you. 

They are often as hard to separate as two sides of the same coin. What attributes of the Lord do we see mentioned here in this brief passage? 

The psalmist says that He is good and that his name/character is pleasant, which sounds familiar to readers of this blog. Just a couple of days ago, my post on Psalm 133 was entitled, “Good and Pleasant” as a description of brothers dwelling in unity. So we see in Psalm 135 that God is described using these same two words. It is as if when we dwell together in unity that God is there in our midst. This passage reminds me of two others: 

First, it reminds me of Matthew 18:19-20,

 “Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask,

                     it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.

For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”

Second, it reminds me of the commission that Jesus placed upon the Gadarene man who had been delivered from a legion of demons, telling him that he should go home and tell everyone the great/good things that God had done for him.

·         Mark 5:19 “Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.”

·         Luke 8:39 “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.

These passages are consistent with Psalm 135:4. God is good and pleasant because he chooses people to be his own!

Questions:

What is good and pleasant about the Lord? Take time to list at least five attributes.

What are the good things that God has done for us? Take time to pray and ask God to give you an opportunity to tell someone today about the great things that God has done for you!