Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Giving Thanks Always

We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks, For Your name is near; Men declare Your wondrous works.” (Psalm 75:1)


It’s hard to believe that the year is drawing to a close and now the observance of Thanksgiving is upon us. Soon the smells of the day will be surrounding us. The car doors will closing outside while the cacophony of conversations, children’s laughter and football on television will be filling the house. Just the description calls up a longing second only to the Christmas experience for most of us.

The one dynamic that separates Thanksgiving from all other holidays is the central focus from which its name is derived. This is a time purposefully set aside to give thanks to God for the many blessings He has given to us throughout the preceding year. It is an opportunity to stop from our busyness and take inventory what we have that others less fortunate than ourselves do not and be grateful, not because of the disparity, but, rather, because we have the ability to bless others out of our bounty. This is not a holiday to celebrate self-centeredness. It is a reminder to be selfless in our generosity.

There is an interesting play on words when we insert but the one word “when” into the text above: “For Your name is near (when) men declare Your wondrous works”. To do so makes it a parallel to the text, “O Thou who inhabits the praises of Israel (His people)” (rf. Psalm 22:3 KJV). You see, we never realize how close to God we really are when we authentically and sincerely thank Him for all He is to us and for what He truly has blessed us. He delights in hearing from us how much we appreciate Him and the gifts that He has given to us. We know how much we are blessed when those to whom we have given special items tell us how much those things mean to them. How much more does our gratitude mean to our Heavenly Father? How much more does He just want to hear from our lips how much we really love and adore Him?

Thanking God should never be a chore nor a matter of compulsion. To give God thanks should never become a ritualistic action on our part, said in words but devoid of heart and meaning. Rather, we should be in a constant attitude of thanksgiving, always aware of God’s presence, ever-seeking the blessings He gives to us on a daily basis, never failing to be grateful for littlest things that show His love to us. In this way, celebrating Thanksgiving is but a corporate expression of what we do on a regular basis, knowing that as we thank Him for Who He is and what He has done, He is there awaiting our gifts of thanks and praise, desiring to show us even more acts of love and mercy.