Having a Heart of Thanksgiving 

A 5-point sermon on Thanksgiving.

“O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever.” (Psalm 107:1)

Introduction: Soul singer Lionel Ritchie was once deeply impacted by a speech in which his father had honored his mother, on their 37th wedding anniversary. In his speech, Ritchie Senior had lovingly given thanks to his wife for sticking by him through the ups and downs of life. Said Lionel, “What a great story because I pass through my house every day and I don’t say thank you. I just take for granted that certain things be done”. That speech moved him to compose one of his best loved songs, ‘Three Times a Lady’.

How much we too forget to express thanksgiving to God for the blessings He gives us. We often take them for granted. In Psalm 107, the author earnestly encourages the people to proclaim thanksgiving to God, by repeating the phrase, “Let them thank the Lord for His steadfast love, for His wonderful works to humankind” on four occasions (Psalm 107: 8, 15, 21, and 31). That’s a good policy for us to follow too.

Proposition: So let us always strive to keep a heart of thanksgiving before our great Creator God

The Psalmist goes on to describe the many ways in which a loving God had been faithful to His children. He does this by reflecting on some of His faithful acts. I would like to draw your attention to 5 of those characteristics through this sermon today. Let’s be thankful for them. 

1) God’s Delivering Power (Psalm 107:6)

“Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress” (Psalm 107:6)

Do you need to cry out to the Lord because of some trouble today? Wherever Jesus went, He brought deliverance to distressed and oppressed people. It seemed like that was His favorite pastime. The Bible reveals the Lord as a God of deliverance and this is clearly seen in the way He delivered His people from the oppression and slavery brought upon them in Egypt. The awesome signs He performed in Egypt were remarkable signs of His delivering power. 

Reflecting on the Lord’s delivering power, the writer of Psalm 107 says, “Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress” (verse 6). In his reflection, he repeats this phrase four times in the psalm (vs 6, 13, 19, 28) .

The writer of Psalm 32 also highlights this truth  in a slightly different way by saying, “You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance”. (Psalm 32:7). Therefore, having a heart of praise and thanksgiving to God through song and speech opens the door for us to encounter His delivering power. (Apparently, today, secular music therapists play sounds that help troubled people in hospitals, special needs classrooms,nursing homes, and similar environments.)

Illustration: I remember the time I had a serious detachment of the retina on my left eye. It led to much discouragement, anxiety, and eventual surgery. The day before the surgery was a difficult one as I kept praying for courage and strength. As I sat praying, the hymn titled “In Christ Alone” began to play on the computer. I had sung that hymn many times before – but in what I believe was a pivotal moment ordained by God, it became a song of deliverance for me. The lyrics; especially the following lines, hit me like a bullet.

“From life’s first cry to final breath/ Jesus commands my destiny”

As those powerful lyrics circled my mind, faith and praise began to rise, and a deep assurance came over me that Jesus alone ‘commands my destiny.’ There was renewed confidence in Christ’s care for me.

Awake throughout the complicated surgery, I silently kept giving thanks to Jesus, knowing my future was entirely in His hands. His peace-giving presence was so strong that I almost fell asleep at one point. Thankfully, the surgery was completed successfully. 

Let’s keep trusting the delivering power of our God. Let’s also be full of thanksgiving for all the deliverance we have experienced so far.

2) His Guidance (Psalm 107:7)

“He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle” (Psalm 107:7)

The Psalmist highlights God’s guidance for His people as He “led them by a straight way”. Similarly, the Lord Jesus revealed Himself as our Good Shepherd who leads His speech tenderly. The guidance He provides will always be the best for our lives. I can think of so many instances where His guidance was pivotal and accurate in my life, my family, and my ministry. Without His guidance, I could have ended up taking seriously wrong decisions. Let me quote from Psalm 32:8 NLT – “The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.” Yes, He will guide us along the best pathway.

Let’s be filled today with thanksgiving for His guidance for “where He guides, He also provides”. Which takes me to my next point.

3) His Provision (Psalm 107:9)

“He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things” (Psalm 107:9)

Are you battling a challenging need right now? The Lord who provided miraculously for His people through their desert wanderings during the Exodus is still the same. He provided them food from the skies and opened up water fountains from rocks. He is still Jehovah-Jireh, the Lord who provides. Hebrews 13:8 tells us that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever”.

Illustration: My second son had bad eczema from the age of one. For many years thereafter, he, and we, struggled intensely with the problem. At one point a Doctor recommended a new Moisturizing Lotion that worked extremely well for him. Of course, we were quite thrilled about it, but there was one problem. It was very expensive. Besides that, there was added medication that we had to purchase regularly.

After about 3 months I think, I realized that we could not sustain this expense through our income. But since we needed the Lotion, I took it to the Lord in prayer. After praying, I thought of checking on its background. To my shock, I found that the cost in the country of manufacture, Australia, for double the quantity we were purchasing, was roughly 1/4th the price.

To cut a long story short, since that day, we have managed to get all our requirements from over there in small quantities. In the process, we have saved a lot of money that has been put to better use. It was truly an unexpected win and provision for us. (Thankfully, we need very little of it now as my son is doing fine). 

Yes, God’s provision can come through for you too in unexpected ways and through unexpected people or resources. Let’s be thankful for all His provision to us and trust Him today to meet our needs.

  4) God’s Protection (Psalm 107:28-29)

“Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble , and he brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed” (Psalm 107:28-29)

Living in an increasingly insecure world has its real challenges. In the midst of very real dangers and tensions that can crush our peace and increase our levels of anxiety, it’s comforting to know that we can look to our God, the living God, to surround us with His protection.

The composer of Psalm 125 gives us a vivid picture of what God’s protection looks like. He says, “As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people both now and forevermore” (vs2). Yes, we are always surrounded by the protective covering the Lord gives us, similar to the covering He gave His people on the night of the Passover.

In 2 Kings 6:13-17, when the Prophet Elisha was in grave danger in a city called Dothan, surrounded by the armies of the king of Aram, God intervened miraculously. Although Elisha’s servant was terrified by the sight of the vast army surrounding the city. Elishs was however unperturbed. He said, ‘Don’t be afraid, those who are with us are more than those who are with them’ (vs16). The servant thereafter “… looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha” (vs17). God had surrounded His Prophet with His mighty protection.

The same protection is available to us today. God can “Still the storms in our life to a whisper; and hush the waves of the sea”, just as Jesus did on the Sea of Galilee. His protection is further highlighted powerfully through Psalm 91 and scores of other scripture passages. Have you thanked Him today for His protection? Let’s move now to my final point.

5) His Unfailing Blessings (Psalm 107:35-38)

“They sowed fields and planted vineyards that yielded a fruitful harvest; he blessed them, and their numbers greatly increased,…” (Psalm 107:37-38)

God delights to bless you. Never doubt that. Sadly, sometimes the word ‘blessing’ can be looked at in a misunderstood way, particularly because of the over emphasis on prosperity in some teachings and sermons. So, what does the word ‘blessing’ indicate?  

I would like to share some meanings of the word ‘blessing’ that I have come across. Blessing is identified as “receiving God’s favor; receiving His grace, His help and protection.” Also as “God’s approval”, and as “a gift of God that brings happiness or spiritual good”. Unfortunately, as I said a while ago, the word ‘blessing’ is often equated only with material and financial prosperity. It is mostly identified in the form of luxury vehicles, luxury homes, business class travel, billion dollar business deals, private jet planes and so forth. The end result of such thinking is that the many Christians who don’t have such luxuries feel that they are not blessed. What a sad situation! 

 But, being blessed means much more than that in the light of our eternal calling.

 When I encountered the saving grace of Jesus in my life, some of the beautiful blessings I received as a result of God’s favor were – His forgiveness, His amazing grace, a transformed life, the presence of Jesus, the power of the Holy Spirit, peace, joy, a purpose and a hope for living, and freedom from all manner of superstitious and occult practices together with the fear attached to them, and of course eternal life. I was later healed of chronic asthma too. None of these were material benefits but they were powerful blessings and clearly showed God’s favor upon me.

Let’s be thankful to God for all His blessings, big and small.

Closing: As I was reflecting recently over this psalm and planning this sermon, the Lord reminded me of how He had brought deliverance through trials, guidance in difficult situations, provision in unexpected ways, protection from targeted attacks of the enemy, and individual blessings to each of our family members. So much to be thankful for!

May we truly learn to be thankful to God every day. May our hearts overflow continually with gratitude and praise to Him.

With my hands lifted up, and my mouth filled with praise,

With a heart of thanksgiving, I will praise You O Lord.

 May God bless you in this season of Thanksgiving!

Prayer – Lord, may I never forget all the blessings You have given me. Like the Psalmist, help me to overflow with thanksgiving today through worship, a prayer, or a song of praise. Amen.

For another sermon about God’s faithfulness click here.

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