IN WORD We know both by way of Scripture and by the impulses of our hearts that God is to be thanked. There’s no way to understand the profound implications of His grace and still to remain thankless in our attitude. In fact, Paul links gratitude with a true knowledge of God and the desire to glorify Him (Romans 1:21). It’s an inviolable scriptural principle: To know what God has done is to be thankful.
What does that mean for us? Is it simply an attitude of the heart? Though it begins there, we know there should be more. When we’re truly grateful for another person, we want to do things for him or her.
Do we have the same impulse with God? Does our gratitude result in an intense desire to offer some gift to Him as an act of devotion? If so, Psalm 105 gives us at least one natural response to His grace: We can make Him known.
God’s grace is deeply personal, but it isn’t private. Scripture tells us repeatedly that God desires a reputation among our families and among the nations. From the hordes passing through the Red Sea to the recipients of Jesus’ miracles, the natural response to God’s mercy has always been a deep desire to tell about it.
The glimpse that the Bible gives us of gratitude is a spontaneous proclamation of His goodness. If we have no urge to tell, perhaps we have no deep awareness of His works. His goodness is too good to keep to ourselves.
IN DEED Do you have that urge for others to know how good your God is? Then you understand: You’ve recognized His work within you and you’re grateful for it. In all of the overflow that begins this psalm, there’s a direct, vertical worship of God, and there’s also a horizontal relationship with others that gives us ample opportunity to declare what we know of Him.
We are to “tell of all his wonderful acts” (v. 2). The gifts of God are public domain. He is worthy of the highest reputation we can proclaim.
“Thanksgiving is good, but thanksgiving is better.”— Matthew Henry
Additional Reading: Psalm 105:1-7; Romans 1:21
Stay tuned Thanksgiving week 2024 for a devotional thought on Thankfulness every day!
You can also follow us on social media to keep up to date with more Walk Thru the Bible resources all year long!
Try making a list of all the things you’re thankful for. Remember God’s past mercies and write them down. Try composing your own psalm of remembrance. Then read over these things often. Set them to music if it helps. Let your mind be saturated with the goodness of God, and you’ll be amazed at how the goodness of God becomes real.
Read More
Gratitude makes faith strong. Thankful people understand the God who is strong. They see His face and are not afraid. They aren’t just hoping for His goodness. They’re expecting it.
Read More
Gratitude reminds us never to underestimate Him. It reminds us of what He has done, what He has forgiven, and what He has promised. It acknowledges who He is. And it sends us into His presence with joy.
Read More