Three Ways to Look at Thanksgiving
Psalm 33
Rudyard Kipling, winner of the Nobel Peace prize in literature and author of “The Jungle Book”, at one time was so popular that his writings were getting ten shillings per word. [about $10!] A few college students, however didn’t appreciate Kipling’s writings. They sent him a letter and enclosed with it ten shillings. It read, "Please, send us your best word." They got a letter back from Kipling, and in big black letters across the piece of stationary it simply said, "Thanks." Now more than merely thanking them for their money, he was truly giving them the best word he could. A thankful and content heart will get you far in a world of ingratitude and discontent.
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Daniel Henderson, the speaker at this past year’s Pastor’s Conference talked about prayer being a threefold expression-inward, outward, and upward. This morning I want to take that simple small outline and apply it to this Psalm. We’re going to change the order a bit though, to go with the flow of the Psalm.
An Upward Look Should Make Us Thankful.
An Outward Look Should Make Us Thankful.
An Inward Look Should Make Us Thankful.
I) An Upward Look Should Make Us Thankful.
1) An Upward Look Brings Thanks for the Presence of God. (5)
He loves righteousness and justice; The earth is full of the lovingkindness of the LORD.
Psalms 46 1 God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. God is omnipresent, meaning He is always with us. He’s everywhere. There’s nowhere we can go where God can’t find us. Now, maybe that thought this morning may not make you thankful for God’s presence, it may make you think a couple things over. But I’m sure when we’re in trouble and we’re hurting, we’re thankful for the presence of God. We should be thankful that we have a God that is always there.
2) An Upward Look Brings Thanks for the Power of God. (4-7)
God is not only omnipresent, but He is also all powerful. I think of the song I learned as a little kid, My God is So Big, so STRONG and so MIGHTY, there’s NOTHING my God cannot do. God can do anything! You know we always hear the questions about the things that God can do. Can God create a rock so big that He can’t lift it? We try to give God human attributes to better understand Him in our human minds. God doesn’t have to use His hands to lift things. He can just speak the word and anything He wants will be moved.
He created the world and everything in it, just from speaking the word. Verse 9 in our text this morning 9 For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.
Read the first chapter of Genesis. Over and over you read “God said”…let there be light…let there be firmament…let there be beasts and birds…let the earth bring forth fruit…etc. The only time it doesn’t mention God speaking something into existence is when it comes to the creation of man. It says God created man in His image and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. God is so powerful, He created all these things with just His word, yet when it came to creating us, He took personal attention and formed us out of the dust and breathed in us the breath of life. That’s something to be thankful for, and also to stand in awe of the power of God also.
3) An Upward Look Brings Thanks for the Plans of God. (10-11)
The psalmist here contrasts the shaky plans of men with the sovereign plans of God.
Jeremiah 29 11 `For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, `plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.
God’s plans are so much better than ours. Yet, most times we think our plan is best. We’d rather venture out on our own path than trust the God who knows and sees the future.
Isaiah 55 8 "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," declares the LORD. 9 "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts. 10 "For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; 11 So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.
God’s plans are going to be accomplished, and we can be thankful for that. We have seen His track record and know that what He says has come true. Therefore, we can look that His plans will come to fruition in the future, and we can be thankful that we serve a God who does know the future and has always had a more wonderful plan for our lives than what we could ever dream.
II) An Outward Look Should Make Us Thankful. (13-17)
1) An Outward Look at Sinners makes me thankful. 13 The LORD looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men; 14 From His dwelling place He looks out On all the inhabitants of the earth, 15 He who fashions the hearts of them all, He who understands all their works.
God sees everything. We’ve already talked about how we can’t escape God. God understands the hearts of men. He made them. God understands our sinful nature. He knows the temptations we face and the desires we have to sin. When God looks at sinners He sees love for that person. He knows whether or not that person will ever make the choice to follow Him or not.
When we look at sinners, we should be thankful. Thankful that we’re no longer where they are. But more than that it should make us want to snatch them from where they are and bring them to safety. An outward look at sinners should make us thankful for salvation.
2) An Outward Look at Salvation makes me thankful.
16 The king is not saved by a mighty army; A warrior is not delivered by great strength. 17 A horse is a false hope for victory; Nor does it deliver anyone by its great strength
In Old Testament times an nation’s might was measured by how many horses or chariots or men a king had at his disposal. The nation of Israel was called to be different though. Their military might wasn’t supposed to be placed in how many chariots and horsemen they had; it was supposed to be placed in God. This is why when David numbered the people, the nation was so severely punished. He was placing His trust for salvation in things other than God. He was becoming like the nations around him. The psalmist is telling us here that we can’t be like that either. We can’t trust in anything other than God for salvation. He’s the only salvation there is.
If we’re thankful for anything this Thanksgiving it should be the salvation we have in Jesus Christ. Coming down to walk and live among His creation, and to go to the cross and pay the ultimate price for our redemption is something we take for granted so often.
There’s no verse attached to these next two, but I felt this being a sermon on thanksgiving and the point of looking outward here, we should include these two things.
3) An Outward Look at Supplies Make Me Thankful.
God supplies us with so much. Philippians 4:19 And my God shall supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. He truly does give us everything we need. Notice I said “need” not want. The verse doesn’t say God shall supply all your wants. God supplies us with everything we need. He even goes farther than that to give us things that we never deserved. Sometimes, He even supplies us with some of our wants. We should be thankful for everything the Lord supplies us with.
4) An Outward Look at Scenery makes me thankful.
Nature is amazing! I look at the season we’re in and just stand in awe of the breath-taking colors that are out there falling all around us. In the summertime, we go to the beach and enjoy the cool ocean on a hot day. The sound of the waves are so calming and relaxing. God is powerful and He is always present, but His wisdom in Creation and the things around us should evoke praise and thanks. Everything in nature is amazing from the way the leaves change their colors to the way the caterpillar changes into a butterfly. There are so many intricacies in nature that God thought of, and we get to enjoy the beauty of them.
In regions of Mexico hot springs and cold springs are found side by side, and because of the convenience of this natural phenomenon the women often bring their laundry, boil their clothes in the hot springs, and then rinse them in the cold springs. A tourist watching this procedure commented to his Mexican guide: "They must think Mother nature is generous to freely supply such ample, clean hot and cold water."
The guide replied, "No senor, there is much grumbling because she supplies no soap."
So many times we’re like that. We grumble about the rain when it messes up our plans, but somewhere a farmer is glad his crops are being watered. God has given us a beautiful world with everything we need in it, yet sometimes we think, like the women at the springs, that we deserve more.
III) An Inward Look Should Make Us Thankful. (18-22)
1)An Inward Look at my Health Makes me Thankful. (19)
If we have good health we have a lot to be thankful for.
Illustration: A 12 year old boy named David was born without an immune system. He underwent a bone marrow transplant in order to correct the deficiency. Up to that point he had spent his entire life in a plastic bubble in order to prevent exposure to common germs, bacteria, and viruses that could kill him. He lived without ever knowing human contact.
When asked what he’d like to do if and when released from his protective bubble, he replied, "I want to walk barefoot on grass, and touch my mother’s hand." We take so much for granted! Mount Pleasant Methodist had a phrase on their church sign for a couple weeks that said, “Feel taken for granted? Imagine how God feels.” We take so many things for granted. It’s said that you don’t miss things until they’re gone, and then that’s when we become thankful for them.
It was Thanksgiving season in the nursing home. The small resident population was gathered about their humble Thanksgiving table, and the director asked each in turn to express one thing for which they were thankful. Thanks were expressed for a home in which to stay, families, etc. One little old lady in her turn said, ’I thank the Lord for two perfectly good teeth, one in my upper jaw and one in my lower jaw that line up so I can chew my food.’
2) An Inward Look at my Heart Makes me Thankful. . 21 For our heart rejoices in Him, Because we trust in His holy name.
Gratitude is an expression of the heart, just like love is. In a sense, gratitude is an expression of modesty. In Hebrew, the word we translate into English as gratitude - hoda’ah - is the same as the root word that can also be translated as confession. To offer thanks is to confess dependence, to acknowledge that others have the power to benefit you, to admit that your life is better because of their efforts.
3) An Inward Look at my Home Makes me Thankful.
Psalm 127:3-5 3 Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward. 4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one's youth. 5 How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; They will not be ashamed When they speak with their enemies in the gate.
Children are definitely a gift from God. Robin talked last week about God attributes and said that he believes God has a sense of humor. Children would be an example of that. God gives them as gifts, but you just can’t return these gifts. No, I’m kidding! I love each and every one of my kids. I’m thankful for the home life that we have. It’s a wonderful thing to see them growing up and learning about Jesus. Matthew has gotten to where he says his own prayer at dinner and he always thanks Jesus for dying on the cross. Even if you don’t have children, I’m sure we all can be thankful for the family that we were raised in and the homes that we were part of.
Conclusion: We have some much around us to be thankful for. We don’t have to look very far to find things to mention. Most of them are things we take for granted every day. There’s a southern gospel song that is entitled, “I get to”. I couldn’t tell you who even sings it, but the one phrase that resounds throughout the whole song is, “There’s a lot of things I don't have to do. I get to.” That’s the way I believe we need to look at things, not just at Thanksgiving, but all year round.
I am Thankful for...
....the taxes I pay
....because it means I’m employed.
for the clothes that fit a little too snug
....because it means I have enough to eat.
for my shadow who watches me work
....because it means I am out in the sunshine.
for a lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning and
....gutters that need fixing
....because it means I have a home.
for the spot I find at the far end of the parking lot
....because it means I am capable of walking.
for my huge heating bill
....because it means I am warm.
for all the complaining I hear about our government
....because it means we have freedom of speech.
for the lady behind me in church who sings off key.
....because it means that I can hear.
for the piles of laundry and ironing
....because it means my loved ones are nearby.
for the alarm that goes off in the early morning hours
....because it means that I’m alive.
for weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day
....because it means I have been productive. [that’s sincere gratefulness]
Sometimes we have to remind ourselves we don’t have to do certain things, we get to. It’s our privilege to. This Thanksgiving, let’s take an honest look at our lives through these 3 avenues (upward, outward, and inward) and truly make “Thank You” the best word in our lives.
