Thanksgiving
“Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.” Psalm 100.4
“Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.” Psalm 100.4
Lee Greenwood opens his most famous song with the words:
“If tomorrow all the things were gone
I worked for all my life
And I had to start again
With just my children and my wife….”
The words are from the song: “God bless the USA,” and draws the listener to contemplate the many blessings of living in this most unique nation. As I was perusing my Facebook page, I ran across another statement that caused me to pause and think. It went something like this: “If I woke up tomorrow morning and had only those things I thanked God for today, what would I have left in my life?”
There are so many blessings in our lives that we often forget to be thankful for them – we take them for granted. We come to God’s throne of grace with our requests – the things that cause us fall on our knees.
Psalm 100 offers a wonderful recipe for how we should approach God. While it is true that God is a present help in times of trouble (Psalm 46.1), I’m certain that He is also available when we simply want to thank and praise Him for His goodness. God is more than always available; He longs to hear from us. (I Peter 3.12; I John 5.14, 15)
Notice how this wonderful Psalm of Praise is ordered:
Entitled “A Psalm of Praise,” this Psalm begins with “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord.” The verb here is a “causative” expression. In other words, there is something preceding this statement that elicits an outburst of praise. Looking back, the psalmist sees the goodness and the greatness of God.
Verse 2 offers statements from the psalmist suggesting our approach to God based upon our reasons for praise. We are to “serve” and “sing.” I’m thankful that this singing isn’t necessarily worthy of great adoration. It is to be a “joyful noise” – a verb meaning to shout, to sound a blast. The term occurs thirty-three times in the Old Testament and was utilized fundamentally to convey the action of shouting or the making of a loud noise. As we serve and sing, we are to do so excitedly as we recognize God’s blessings in our lives.
Verse 3 tells us of our purpose: We are created by God and have purpose. Notice the two references to the Almighty. “LORD” (all caps – Jehovah) speaks of the Personal God who knows us and who is our Savior-God. “God” (Elohiym) speaks of the Powerful God who is able to accomplish His plan. We have reason to shout because the Personal, Loving God is able to do all that He has promised. (Hebrews 7.25)
Verse 4 invites the believer to enter through the gates and into His presence. We do not worship a foreign god who stands apart from us. He invites us to approach Him with praise and thanksgiving.
Verse 5 promises us that God’s character, does not, yea, cannot change. He transcends everything this world has to offer. He is always good and merciful. His will is always best. He is all about blessings those who come to Him in faith.
For all of this we can make a joyful noise. As you come before Him, maybe a heartfelt shout is in order.
“If tomorrow all the things were gone
I worked for all my life
And I had to start again
With just my children and my wife….”
The words are from the song: “God bless the USA,” and draws the listener to contemplate the many blessings of living in this most unique nation. As I was perusing my Facebook page, I ran across another statement that caused me to pause and think. It went something like this: “If I woke up tomorrow morning and had only those things I thanked God for today, what would I have left in my life?”
There are so many blessings in our lives that we often forget to be thankful for them – we take them for granted. We come to God’s throne of grace with our requests – the things that cause us fall on our knees.
Psalm 100 offers a wonderful recipe for how we should approach God. While it is true that God is a present help in times of trouble (Psalm 46.1), I’m certain that He is also available when we simply want to thank and praise Him for His goodness. God is more than always available; He longs to hear from us. (I Peter 3.12; I John 5.14, 15)
Notice how this wonderful Psalm of Praise is ordered:
Entitled “A Psalm of Praise,” this Psalm begins with “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord.” The verb here is a “causative” expression. In other words, there is something preceding this statement that elicits an outburst of praise. Looking back, the psalmist sees the goodness and the greatness of God.
Verse 2 offers statements from the psalmist suggesting our approach to God based upon our reasons for praise. We are to “serve” and “sing.” I’m thankful that this singing isn’t necessarily worthy of great adoration. It is to be a “joyful noise” – a verb meaning to shout, to sound a blast. The term occurs thirty-three times in the Old Testament and was utilized fundamentally to convey the action of shouting or the making of a loud noise. As we serve and sing, we are to do so excitedly as we recognize God’s blessings in our lives.
Verse 3 tells us of our purpose: We are created by God and have purpose. Notice the two references to the Almighty. “LORD” (all caps – Jehovah) speaks of the Personal God who knows us and who is our Savior-God. “God” (Elohiym) speaks of the Powerful God who is able to accomplish His plan. We have reason to shout because the Personal, Loving God is able to do all that He has promised. (Hebrews 7.25)
Verse 4 invites the believer to enter through the gates and into His presence. We do not worship a foreign god who stands apart from us. He invites us to approach Him with praise and thanksgiving.
Verse 5 promises us that God’s character, does not, yea, cannot change. He transcends everything this world has to offer. He is always good and merciful. His will is always best. He is all about blessings those who come to Him in faith.
For all of this we can make a joyful noise. As you come before Him, maybe a heartfelt shout is in order.
Copyright © 2024 Dr. John H. Hill, All rights reserved.
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