Gratitude isn’t just being grateful, it is celebrating GOD’s character and the character He places in us.
Gratitude seeps out of the Psalms time and again. “I will praise you, O LORD!” appears over and over. The dedication of the writers is profound.
Psalm 137 struck me this morning… “How shall we sing the LORD’s song in a foreign land? If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill!”
From where does our gratitude flow and to where does it go?
“My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and give praise. My heart is steadfast.” Psalm 57:7 promises the deep and earnest commitment straight from the writer’s heart, aiming for the heart of the Father GOD.
It is vital that we remember to give thanks for all things, both for our own emotional and spiritual health and for the blessing of the LORD. When we bless the LORD we delight Him and it’s handy too that we counter the devil.
As we give thanks we take our minds from ourselves and put our attention on Him. This we do because we are grateful, but it also benefits us in that we find life, joy, peace. Living a self-conscious life draws us toward self-centredness, self-pity.
When we think of ourselves, we lose sight of our blessings and we lose sight of Him who has blessed us. We become full of self, fear, antagonism, anxiety. But when we keep our eyes on Jesus, when we praise the Father and thank the Son, when we touch the heart of GOD by His Spirit, we are divinely blessed.
But we live a life of gratitude not merely because it helps us, and not merely because it conquers the enemy, and not even because GOD is deserving. But we live a life of gratitude because it is a demonstration of love. And love never fails.
Praise the LORD: for wisdom, for grace, for salvation, for joy. Let everything that has breath, Praise the LORD!
Shalom and Amen.