Thanksgiving: The Stress Melting Holiday

For the next few moments, I want to stimulate within you a greater desire to give thanks. In order to turn up the volume on your gratitude, I want you to turn to Psalm 118 with me.

Find the largest, fattest chapter in all of your Bible, and turn one chapter to the left ?. Or you could find the shortest chapter in your Bible, and turn one chapter to the right. Either way, end up at Psalm 118.

We’re just a few days away from one of America’s most loved holidays – Thanksgiving. My wife loves the holiday because it doesn’t require all the preparation that Christmas asks for. It’s “the relax and enjoy the calm” holiday! Today, I invite you to consider with me – Thanksgiving: The Stress Melting Holiday.

Psalm 118 is historically connected to the Passover meal. Let me back up: the Jews celebrated a three great feasts every year, at which it was mandatory if you lived within a certain distance to Jerusalem, all the males must attend the feast at the temple. They were the Passover, Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles. For each of those celebrations, there were certain psalms that were recited and sung for the celebrations. And Psalm 113 to Psalm 118, called the Hallel psalms were psalms that were sung at Passover. Think about this: parts of this song may have been sung when God delivered the slaves of Israel from Egypt. Psalm 113-114 would have been sung before the Passover meal. While Psalm 115-118 would have been sung after the Passover meal. So pause to consider this with me: Psalm 118 would have the last song Jesus sang on His fatal night. Was this the last song before Jesus hung on a cross?

Listen carefully to how the psalm both opens and closes: “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his faithful love endures forever. 29 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his faithful love endures forever” (Psalm 118:1, 29).

Let me offer your heart and mind, three reasons to unite together to turn up the volume on your gratitude.

1. I’m Thankful God Stands by Me

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his faithful love endures forever. 2 Let Israel say, ‘His faithful love endures forever.’ 3 Let the house of Aaron say, ‘His faithful love endures forever.’ 4 Let those who fear the Lord say, “His faithful love endures forever” (Psalm 118:1-4).

1.1 God’s Love is Loyal

Just now, you heard the same word repeated 4 times – “faithful love.” In each of the first four verses, you hear the Hebrew word “chesedh.” And each of the first four lines of parallel one another so there is a layering effect- repeated over and over for effect. Your translation may “lovingkindness” or “steadfast love,” no matter. The word is way too rich for any one English word. This word describes a “when the chips are down” kind of love. This is the best kind of love you could imagine.

Did you know that God is a hoarder? Like an avalanches of snow piled high along the roads during a Colorado blizzard, God has hoarded His faithful love in Heaven’s storage rooms. God shows Moses, “the Lord is … abounding in faithful love and truth…” (Exodus 34:6b). It is God’s “chesedh” that chases His children around the back alleys of life: “Surely goodness and mercy (chesedh) shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” (Psalm 23:6). God has a “chase you down” kind of love for His children. One more now… God takes pleasure in people who pin their hopes to his steadfast love: “The Lord values those … those who put their hope in his (chesedh) faithful love” (Psalm 147:11).

1.2 You Have to Say It

I want you to take note of something here in these first four verses. The psalmist doesn’t say, “Feel thanks for the Lord is good.” Instead, the psalmist says, “Give thanks for the Lord is good.” So many people feel it but they don’t say it. Child of God, can you be sit in silence when God’s name is praised? Some of you sit there like a knot on a log this morning. You look as if you’re toad all swelled up. Inside your saying, “Maybe if this preacher does good, I’ll might feel thankful. Maybe if you the music is right, I’ll smile.” If I caught you right after this service and say, “Come by my house this afternoon. I have the best brisket you’ll ever taste and my great-grandfather’s secret BBQ special sauce for you.” After a great big meal, would you leave my dining room table and only feel gratitude? No, you would smile and say, “This was the best dinner I’ve had in such a long time.” You would say it! You couldn’t contain yourself. Now friend, can I say something to you? You cannot just feel gratitude toward God, you’ve got to say it! You’ve got to sing it! You’ve got to shout it! You cannot just feel gratitude; instead, you must sing your gratitude.