Blessings In Disguise

The holiday season has once again rolled around and people are wondering where did the year go. It seems like Thanksgiving is over in most people’s minds. The stores are already filled with Christmas decorations, children and grandchildren are already making their lists and wondering what’s going to be under the Christmas tree, and Mom and Dad are already worrying about how they’re going to pay for it. Thanksgiving has become some kind of a pre-season holiday, a warmup for the more important holiday of Christmas … and that’s a shame because the art and practice of “giving thanks” is what separates us from the rest of the animals. Saying “thank you” is a way for us to acknowledge that someone has given us a gift … usually something unexpected or something that we did not earn or do not deserve. As Christians, we are thankful because we know that life itself is a precious gift from God … which is why we give thanks for everything and the holiday of Thanksgiving is a unique and special time where we can show our gratitude to God and thank Him for everything that He’s done and for everything that He has given us.

My Thanksgiving message today is unique … kind of different … because we’re going to be taking a good look at Psalm 131 and then I’m going to ask you to do something for Thanksgiving that you may have never done before. I am going to ask you to not only give thanks for all the things that God has done for you and God has given you … [pause] … but I am also going to ask you to give thanks to God for all the things He HASN’T done for you or given you. You heard me right. This Thanksgiving, I’m asking you to thank God for all the things that He has done for you and given you and I’m asking you to thank God for all the things that He hasn’t done or given you.

I hope you brought your “Owner’s Manuals” with you. Turn with me to Psalm 131. The first thing that you’ll notice is that Psalm 131 is a very short song. It has only three verses. There is a reason for that. Psalm 131 is part of a collection of psalms … or songs … known as “pilgrim psalms” … which are made up of Psalms 120 to 134. You’ll notice that Psalms 120 to 134 all have the words “A Song of Ascent” at the top or beginning of the psalm. Psalms 120 to 134 are psalms or “songs” of “ascent” because they were sung by Jewish pilgrims as they began climbing or ascending the hills around Jerusalem as they made their way to the City of God to celebrate in one of the annual festivals. You’ll also notice that all of the “psalms of ascent” are short … except for Psalm 132 … so that they can easily be memorized. They were sung to prepare the hearts and minds and spirits of the pilgrims for worship at the Temple.

As I’ve already pointed out, Psalm 131 only has three verses so it has not been viewed as important as, say, Psalm 23, Psalm 100, Psalm 121, or Psalm 130 and that’s unfortunate because this little hymn of David is actually a packed jewel. The preeminent preacher Charles Spurgeon described Psalm 131 as “the shortest to read, but one of the longest to learn” (https://www.christianity.com/bible/commentary.

php?com=spur&b=19&c=131). Psalm 131 is made up of three verses and each verse reveals an important trait or quality that I hope will inspire us and prepare us as we make our “ascent” or approach into Thanksgiving and the holiday season.

Look at … or listen to … verse 1, which starts out: “O LORD, my heart is not lifted up, my eyes are not raised too high.” At first this might sound as if David is kind of down or depressed … “my heart is not lifted up” sounds like he has a heavy heart and the fact that his eyes are not raised too high suggests that he’s downtrodden, looking at the ground. In reality, David’s opening statement is a declaration of his humility. The phrase “my heart is not lifted up” means that he is not full of himself … that his heart is not puffed up or swelled up with pride. The Hebrew word that we commonly translate as “proud” literally means “high.” In the Old Testament, it was used to describe “high” trees or “high” mountains. Someone who’s proud is someone who thinks of themselves as one of the tallest trees in the forest or sees themselves as towering over everyone else like an imposing mountain. We mean the same thing when we accuse someone of sitting on their “high horse.”