“THANKFUL”
PSALM 103:1-5
Two men are walking in a field when a bull starts to chase them. “He is gaining, you better start praying!” “I cannot pray in public; I have never been much of a pray-er.” “You better start now because he is almost here.” All the fellow could remember was the prayer he recited as a boy, “For that which we about to receive, make us truly thankful.”
Truth is, that is about how shallow our prayer life can be and reflects how empty our giving of thanks often is. We get full of food and football, but this holiday is about being full of thanks. How will you express your thanks to the Father this week? SCRIPTURE
Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless His holy name. (1). Bless meant to bend the knee. It is our reaction to God’s grace. We are to be full of blessing, full of thanks. What does it mean for you? I want to ask three questions about this Psalm and answer them.
WHO SHOULD BLESS THE LORD?
The Psalmist talks to himself. Your soul is the first audience to which you should speak. What you say to yourself determines what you are and do. When you say, Bless the Lord, O my soul, you know if your heart means what your words say you are doing.
The Psalmist directs himself to bless the Lord. David did not tell the angel to bless the Lord, or the works of Creation to bless the Lord, or other believers to bless the Lord, or the nation of Israel to bless the Lord. David spoke to himself.
He blesses the Lord because he has been blessed. You cannot bless the Lord until you know how and where God has blessed you. Consider the Lord and what He has done in your life.
When most people consider the blessings of God, they are usually horizontal: a life of ease, family, comfort, or food.
If I were to ask, “For what are you thankful?” Typical responses would be: family, freedom, finances. No IRS audits. The boss is retiring. The policeman’s radar was aimed the opposite way. Food! Texas Tech is 9-1! Those are all good, but do not miss the vertical.
Bless the LORD! Forget none of his benefits. Family and comfort are a part of His benefits, but have you considered His spiritual blessings? He forgives, not some, but all your iniquities. He redeems. It means to buy back. He bought back your life from the pit.
Jesus loved you so much, He died on the cross for you. "The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life." (Romans 6:23) Jesus paid a debt He did not owe. You owed a debt you could not pay. God redeemed you. Without God, we are all lost in sin.
"He crowned you with lovingkindness and tender mercies. As a result, we become heirs to the glory of God. Joint heirs with Jesus Christ!" (Romans 8:17) You and I are in the eternal family of God, basking in the glories and riches belonging to our Father.
He satisfies you. No longer do you need to lust for more of this world. He meets your deepest need. When we bless God, we are giving back to Him what He deserves: worship. Thanksgiving is an act of worship, acknowledging God is the giver of every good and perfect gift.
WHAT PART OF MY LIFE SHOULD BLESS THE LORD?
Bless the Lord O my soul, and all that is within me. Thankfulness is to become threaded into the fabric of your being. No cell of your body should be without it. Every ounce of your frame is to be an attitude of thankfulness. I must bless the Lord with every part of my being. All that is within me.
• May my LIPS bless the Lord. Let no evil thing cross my lips, but let me praise Him with my mouth.
• May my EYES bless the Lord. Let my eyes never look on evil, but always lifted up toward heaven. Always looking to Him in praise.
• May my FEELINGS bless the Lord. Let me not feel evil or rebellion, but may my emotions always express all my love, passion, goodness and depth of heart to God.
• May my MIND bless the Lord. Let me not think of wickedness or evil, but may I bless the Lord with all my memory, my reason, my logic my rationality, and my intellect
• May my VOLITIONAL NATURE bless the Lord. Let me never choose sin, nor decide against God. May I always choose to bless the Lord and to make Him first. May my will always be His will. May I always pray like Jesus: Not my will but thine be done.
• May my SPIRIT bless the Lord. Let my spirit never become discouraged or downcast.
• May my BODY bless the Lord. Let me never sin with any part of my physical frame. May every part of my body: its moves, reactions, strength and weakness, bless the Lord.
• May all my INTERESTS bless the Lord. Let the things I want, the things I dream about, the things I desire, and the things which attract me bless the Lord. All that is within me!
WHY SHOULD I BLESS GOD’S NAME?
The Bible contains more than 125 names of God, over 700 names of God the Son, Jesus, and over 125 names of God the Spirit. Many names of God are given because one name is not enough to adequately describe God. Each name describes a different aspect of God’s nature. These are a few of the ways to bless God’s name.
• We bless His holy name, CREATOR. At Thanksgiving, we bless God because He has created fruit, vegetables, and food for our strength and enjoyment. We bless His name because He feeds us and provides for our needs.
• We bless His holy name JEHOVAH for He is LORD, the Self-Existing One who loves us, protects us, guides us and looks after us.
• We bless His holy name, ALMIGHTY. He is the El-Shaddai who is our all-sufficient God. He is mighty to protect us, and mighty to care for us.
• We bless His holy name, FATHER. We have been born into His family and adopted as His children. As father, He cares for us, teaches us, provides for us, and guides us.
• We bless His holy name REDEEMER. We have been forgiven by the blood of Jesus Christ and no longer face spiritual death.
• We bless His holy name, IMMANUEL. He is God with Us in all our struggles. He is with us at work, at home, and at recreation.
• We bless His Holy name, COMFORTER. He is the fire which came upon the disciples on the Day of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit who convicts, regenerates, seals and teaches us.
I came across a copy of a letter written by a woman named Lois Kaufman after the death of her husband and her two subsequent tumor operations. The letter was written to Jesus.
Dear Jesus,
I’ve written a lot of “Thank You’s” lately, but this is my first one to you. Until now I didn’t appreciate your gifts to me these past several months.
Thank you for taking Don home to be with you. Now I’ll never be concerned with what the future holds for him. His days are guaranteed. Thank you for giving him such a wonderful Christmas. Thank you for making his birthday last Sunday his best ever.
Thank you for putting me in the hospital three weeks after he died and showing me the way you could use his death in my life. I wasn’t always sure how to approach others with the Gospel. But now you have given me so many openings, I can hardly handle them all.
Thank you for my most recent surgery and for the lessons it taught me. Especially for showing me how much I needed you. Thanks for letting me see what it is like to face surgery and suffering without you as I watched the difference in the lives of my roommates.
Thank you for the lessons Becky and Lori (her daughters) have learned from this. I could never have taught them the way you did. That’s because of the great Teacher you are. I can’t wait to see what you give them on their heavenly report cards.
You know, Jesus, I wouldn’t have planned my life this way. In fact, I would have planned it just the opposite. I would have sought to avoid death’s knock. I would have ducked out on the surgeries and tried to pretend that Christians were kept well by you all the time. But I would have missed out on so much.
The kids are sorry they couldn’t be with their daddy on Father’s Day, but we were glad he could be with both his earthly and Heavenly Father this year. Oh, I could go on with this letter, but I could never cover everything I have to thank you for. So, I’ll send more, but for now please accept this as a beginning.
Gratefully yours,
Lois
