Topic: Thanksgiving
Begin Thanksgiving by reading Psalm 138:1-3. Did you notice that this Psalm is about Thanksgiving? The Bible explains that a thankful heart is the overflow of God’s presence.
There are three qualities of a thankful heart that are found in Psalm 138.
1. Whole heart of thanks. Verse one says, “ I will give you thanks with all my heart…”
King David learned that praise isn’t supposed to be half-hearted. Rather it is to be with one’s entire heart. He says it several times.
Psalm 9:1, “I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart; I will tell of all Your wonders.”
Psalm 111:1, Praise the Lord! I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart, in the company of the upright and in the assembly.”
Half-hearted praise, therefore, is insincere praise. It’s praise without worth, and not worthy of those who call themselves believers in Jesus Christ. If this then is so important, that is, to thank God with the whole of our hearts, then what does a whole heart mean? It’s praising God with the entirely of who we are. It’s leaving nothing behind but unreservedly giving praise to God. Another way this could be described is that a whole heart is a heart that praises God alone. This means there’s a readiness on our part to praise the one true God, thus making it contemptible to worship or praise anything or anybody else.
2. Humble heart of thanks. Verse two says, “I will bow down toward Your holy temple…”
You might be wondering what a thankful heart has to do with a humble heart. It’s found in the Hebrew word for “worship.” It means to bow down in reverence. It means to bring down, to have an attitude of lowliness. Psalm 95:6 says, “Come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.” It is such a humble heart that God takes notice of, as David continues saying in Psalm 138:6, “For though the Lord is exalted, yet He regards the lowly…”
Humility isn’t denying who God made us to be; rather it’s being honest about who we are before the Almighty God, that is, our weaknesses as compared to His strength. It simply means having a right understanding of our human condition as sinners in direct comparison to God’s holiness and righteousness. Humility is often referred to as the greatest virtue a man or woman of God can possess, because it’s getting the focus off us and onto the One who truly deserves it, that is, Jesus Christ.
3. Encouraged heart filled with thanks. Verse three says, “On the day I called, You answered me; You made me bold with strength in my soul.”
To be encouraged when pain and problems threaten to swamp our souls, we need to start speaking encouraging words to our hearts as well, which is what David continued to do throughout his life. Psalm 42:11 says, “Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God.” Literally, David counseled his emotions. He was telling his emotions what to think and how to respond to the crisis. Our hearts are encouraged with the truth that God hears and answers.
We can only have a thankful heart when we focus on God through reading His word and finding out just how great and marvelous He really is.
See you Sunday,
Dr. Scott Kallem