May 5, 2024

Psalm 107 It Is A Good Thing To Give Thanks Unto The Lord

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Let them give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for mankind, for He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.  

Psalms 107:8-9

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It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord
It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord
And to sing praises unto Thy Name, O Most High

I will praise You, O Lord my God,
With all my heart, with all my heart
And I will glorify Thy Name forevermore with all my heart

For great is Thy mercy for me
And Thou hast delivered my heart from the lowest hell

I will praise You, O Lord my God
With all my heart, with all my heart

It is a good thing to give glory to the Lord
It is a good thing to give glory to the Lord
And to sing praises unto Thy Name, O Most High

~   Written by Judy Horner / Performed by the Hosanna Music Praise Choir  ~

 

What More Could You Need?

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Let them praise the Lord for His great love
and for the wonderful things He has done for them.
For He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.
Psalms 107:8-9

A car?  A house?  An awesome job?  A family?  Romantic husband?  Perfect health?  No debt?  Desires…aren’t they fun things!  Desires can be limitless. Nothing can stop me from desiring to go to the moon or to be a millionaire! (Well…aside from the negative chatter in my head and those people around me who would tell me that you could not…but that’s a totally different topic.)

Desire isn’t all bad; it’s when desire is left unchecked that we can run into problems.  Before any desire, Christ should always reign.  Christ needs to be Number One for everything else to make sense.  As well, we need to be very careful not to mix up wants with needs and to remember that Christ can provide us with all we need.

It’s important to make sure we are trusting God for our needs and not just things. We must focus on the Giver not the given.

Let them praise the Lord for His great love
and for the wonderful things He has done for them.
For He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.
Psalms 107:8-9

Immediately, when I read these verses I thought of the woman at the well (John chapter 4).  Jesus told her He was the Living Water.  Then, I remembered that Jesus also referred to Himself as the Bread of Life, in John 6:35.  Those are some pretty large claims to make.  Jesus wasn’t saying, “I’m all that and a bag of chips!” He was saying, “I’m a never-ending five course meal.”  But! Look what He did!  He went to Calvary for us.  I think it’s safe to say He can make those claims.

So, what do you need Christ for today?  Let Him satisfy you.

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Thank you, Lord, for being all that I need.  And for being able to satisfy any, every, and all my needs.  You are wonderful and worthy of all my praise!  Amen.

Proper Thanks

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Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
For He satisfies the longing soul,
And fills the hungry soul with goodness.
Psalms 107:8-9

I think that one of the first things we’re taught as a child, and one of the first things we teach our own children, is the importance of giving thanks…of saying ‘thank you’.  Two words that carry such weight.  Two words that when not spoken can turn a good mood bad, and that when are spoken can restore one’s belief in humanity.

Giving thanks is definitely an area I would like to work on.  I have a habit of offering a quick “Thanks, God!” when I find the phone I’ve inadvertently covered with a pillow, or when the caller ID displays the kid’s school—and it’s not a call for trouble—but simply a field trip reminder.  When He makes way for a bill to be paid…when He allows me to walk away from a car accident that I should not have survived…when He wakes me up.  Are they always followed with a true ‘Thank You, Father’?  I’ve noticed that I often expect my thanks simply to be known.  In my heart I am giving thanks, but often the expression remains right there, and is not always directed where they need to be.  I’m often rushing through life finding that I feel too busy to give proper thanks.

I know that I need to cultivate a habit of giving true thanks to God—for His wonderful works, for satisfying my longing soul, for easing a hunger that food wouldn’t began to relieve. He has done so much that He deserves thanks to be yelled from mountain tops.

Today I thank Him for His word, for His grace and mercy, for His love that continues despite my short comings.

Let’s pray:
Oh, that men (we, I) would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men (myself, my friends and family)!  For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness.

Thank You, Lord, for all You have done. Thank You for doing these things even we fail to thank You as we should. Lord, place Your hand on our hearts and offer a gentle reminder to slow down and give credit where credit is due. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

A Radical Reaction

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May they erupt with praise and give thanks to the Eternal Lord
in honor of His loyal love
And all the wonders He has performed for humankind!
He has quenched their thirst,
and He has satisfied their hunger with what is good.
Psalms 107:8-9 The Voice

“If we complained less and praised more,
we would be happier
and God would be more glorified.”
Charles Spurgeon

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Do we erupt with praise? When we escape from difficult situations, trials, and troubles it is easy to praise God for His grace and mercy and proclaim His goodness. We are aware of His deliverance. Yet as time goes on, and the memory fades, do we continue to praise God for the common, everyday mercies? Do we even recognize them? Are we aware of His hand upon us?

Hebrews 13:15 (AMP) says:
…therefore, let us constantly and at all times offer up to God a sacrifice of praise,
which is the fruit of lips that thankfully acknowledge and confess and glorify His name.

We should constantly and continually be offering up praise. Why?

Ephesians 1:6 (The Voice)
Ultimately God is the one worthy of praise for showing us His grace;
He is merciful and marvelous, freely giving us these gifts in His Beloved.

Psalm 103:2  (Amplified)
Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not [one of] all His benefits.

What would happen if we praised God when irritations arose—when we are exasperated, and down to our “very last nerve”—instead of complaining and bemoaning our fate? Oh, I am not saying there isn’t a valid reason for complaint. But imagine the difference if we brushed that irritation away using praise as our flyswatter, lifting our hearts up in praise of Him. Praise that He is in control, that He loves us. Praise that He has provided everything we need. Praise calms us. Praise quiets us. Praise feeds our soul. Not only would irritation and exasperation vanish, but our souls…our spirits would be filled. We would be refreshed. Like a tall glass of ice water physically refreshes us, praise spiritually refreshes us as we are reminded of His mercy and grace.

An Unfailing Answer

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Let them give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love
and His wonderful deeds for mankind,
for He satisfies the thirsty
and fills the hungry with good things.
Psalms 107:8-9

Two weeks ago, almost three, the area we live in was ravaged by storms. An EF-0 and an EF-3 tornado touched down not far from our home. My husband and I believe that the EF-0 was a spin-up in one community, picked up, came over our neighborhood, and touched back down in a community not far from us as an EF-3. That is our speculation, and it may not be true. It is just a speculation.

However, based on that speculation, we thanked God (when we realized that this was a possibility) that the tornado did not touch down in, or near, our home. We drove over to the community that was hit where an entire neighborhood was destroyed. Other homes were damaged. Trees were either split, uprooted, or just gone. It’s a mess that is going to take a while to clean up.

We ended up in the hallway at a little past 3 am that morning. My son and husband fell back asleep on the mattresses we had pulled into the hallway. My daughter and I played with my phone since she wouldn’t go back to sleep. She is going to be too much like me—if there is something going on, she is not going to sleep. Between selfies (yes, this three year old knows that my phone takes pictures) and games, she was up and away. The family Bible was not far from me either. I was ready (or so I prayed) for anything. I prayed that God would not leave us during the storm, and that He would bring us through those two hours in the hallway unscathed. God answered my prayers.

The Lord does, indeed, love us. He shows us that love in many different ways. His never fails to show us His love, even when we don’t ask for it. He does wonderful things and deeds for us, His children, and we should be thankful for every blessing and miracle that God performs us. God did not have to do this for, but He does because He eternally loves us. He satisfies our needs with the good things that He knows that we need to have a fulfilling and wonderful life. Because of this love, God will never fail us or leave us—no matter how bad (or good) things get for us.

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Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your unfailing love and blessings. Without You, we would be unsatisfied and always seeking that which does not satisfy our spirit. Thank You for being there for us and loving us no matter what we do or what situation we may find ourselves in. In Jesus’ name.  Amen.