Picture life throwing curve ball after curve ball at you and your loved ones. Illness, death, accidents, disappointments, and uncertainties often weigh on our hearts and minds. When anxious and depressive thoughts come, it can be difficult for many of us to remain grateful. Perseverating over our problems sometimes becomes our primary focus.
When this happens, it is in our best interest to shift our gaze off of what we see as our problems. Instead, we should focus on who God is and what He has done for us. Despite hardships, our live’s are gracious gifts that God has given us.
Let’s explore Pslam 96 today as we discuss expressing gratitude and living a thankful life. The psalmist shows through this passage an expectation of the coming of Jesus!
Psalm 96:1-4 explains how the Israelites should express their gratitude for God:
- Sing to the Lord a new song
- Bless His name
- Tell of His salvation daily
- Declare His glory and marvelous works among all the peoples
- Praise Him
- Fear Him above all gods
So, these verses show that this gratitude should be shared among all peoples so that it can be a witness of the one true God to the whole world.
Moving on in Psalm 96 verses 7 through 9, the Gentiles are called to join in worship with the Israelites. The psalm looks forward to a time when Gentiles “Ascribe” to the one true God:
- Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength
- Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name
- Bring offerings into His courts
- Worship the Lord
- Tremble before Him
To ascribe means to credit or assign, as to a cause or source; attribute; impute.
So, as you shift your gaze toward God in gratitude, remember this psalm for all the ways you can express gratitude through worship and praise. Yes, your anxious and depressive thoughts seem larger than life, but I challenge you to focus on gratefulness.
Philippians 2:10-11 says,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
With this said, utilize the expectancy of the second coming of the Messiah. At that time, all will be made right! Because of who God is and all He has done, we have great reason to express gratitude and live a thankful life.
Sadness and feelings of defeat may come when hardship hits, but remember not to focus so much on those feelings that you miss the opportunity to worship and praise God.
Keep a heart of gratitude in all things. Trust God’s word in Romans 8:28 when it says,
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose.
Sis, my prayers are with you.
I pray that your gratitude will always outweigh your anxious and depressive thoughts.
YOU SHOULD KNOW:
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