Your Daily Devotional for November 23, 2006

 

November 23, 2006

 

 

Giving Thanks: On Thanksgiving Day

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.”

 Psalm 100

 

Today is Thanksgiving—an anticipated day when families join together to carve the turkey, eat delicious food, and enjoy each others’ fellowship. Most importantly, today is a day when we can give thanks to God.

 

Our passage today reminds us to “be thankful unto him, and bless his name.” No matter what circumstances we are going through, we can always find a way to give thanks. 

 

When we give thanks it reflects an inner heart attitude.  Our passage says to “make a joyful noise unto the Lord.” Joy is something that comes from the Spirit of God—from the inside out.  One hymn writer states, “When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed, when you are discouraged thinking all is lost, count your many blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.”

 

Sometimes we can get caught up in thinking on the negative, instead of on our blessings. When we take the time to count our blessings, it really will surprise us what the Lord has done!

 

Giving thanks also represents an acknowledgment of the sovereignty of God. Verse three in our passage says, “Know ye that the LORD he is God.” Sometimes we may wonder why a certain trial has entered our lives, but God’s Word says to give thanks in everything. God understands what we are going through.  He knows our situations and how we are feeling. When we give thanks it represents the fact that we acknowledge God’s goodness and His sovereignty in our lives.

 

Lastly, Giving thanks releases worship to the Lord Jesus Christ.  Verse four says, “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.” When I have a heart that is right and I understand the sovereignty of God—that all the circumstances that I’m experiencing are under His control—then I can truly enter His gates with thanksgiving and say He is a good God.

 

A story is told of Matthew Henry who was once robbed as he rode horseback to preach the Gospel.  The robbers took his money, and at first Matthew Henry was startled and shocked, but that night he wrote in his journal these words.

 

“I must be thankful today. First, I’m thankful because I was never robbed before. Second, I’m thankful because they took my wallet and not my life. Third, I’m thankful because they took everything I had, and it wasn’t much. Fourth, I’m thankful because I was robbed, not the one robbing.” 

 

What are some things you should thank God for today? There is always something for which we can be thankful! Remember on this Thanksgiving day that the Lord is good, and thank Him for His goodness towards you!

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