“1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. 2 Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story- those he redeemed from the hand of the foe, 3 those he gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south.”
God has been good, and because he is the same today, tomorrow, and forever, his goodness will never change. Today is a day to reflect and tell our stories about the goodness of the Lord. He has redeemed us and gathered us from different families, nations, and communities through the perfect blood of his son, Jesus. I am not sure we can fully express how much we can thank this God for all he is, has been, and done, or will do for us. There are no words, but we can say thank you, Lord, for everything.
Psalm 100:4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!
Hebrew 13:15: Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.
When I reflect backward, I can only imagine what 2024 has been for each and every one of us. If we look back, we can surely say that, in all, we are here because God has been with us. God has not only been with us, but he has kept us(Job 12:10), provided for us (Gen. 22:14), battled on our behalf ( 1 Samuel 17:47), favored us in places where we had no business being there (Esther 2:9, 17-18) deflected the arrows of our enemies (psalm 18:14-19)healed us, made a way for us, (Isaiah 43:19), strengthened and shielded us(ps. 28:7), given us peace ( jug6:24, Col. 3:15), our righteousness ( ps 7:17), being good and loved us (ps. 107:1), for all the victories (1 Corinthians 15:57).
Therefore, as we begin our prayer/fasting today, the best thing we can give God is a sacrifice of praise, worship, and thanksgiving. Use this day to list and reflect on the things God has done for you, and indeed, you will see every reason to thank him.
Isaiah 12: 1- 6 “1 You will say in that day: I will give thanks to you, O Lord, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, that you might comfort me. 2 “Behold, God is my salvation. I will trust and will not be afraid, for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.” 3 With joy, you will draw water from the wells of salvation. 4 And you will say on that day:
“Give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the peoples, proclaim that his name is exalted. 5 Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; let this be made known in all the earth. 6 Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.”
Today is not a day to ask God the why, what, and when questions. It’s a day to put off everything and worship like David. Below is a list of ways we can come before God in praise and worship.
1. Come broken: Psalms 51:16-17 “16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. 17 My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.”
2. Focused only on the Lord, putting aside everything and everyone.
3. Come with a heart of deep appreciation:
2 Samuel 6:12-15 “12 Now King David was told, “The LORD has blessed the household of Obed-Edom and everything he has, because of the ark of God.” So David went to bring up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing. 13 When those who were carrying the ark of the LORD had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. 14 Wearing a linen ephod, David was dancing before the LORD with all his might,15 while he and all Israel were bringing up the ark of the LORD with shouts and the sound of trumpets.”
God has kept us until now, and by his grace, we will see tomorrow. Therefore, so long as we live, it’s time to praise, worship and be thankful. Psalm 146:1-2 “1 Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, my soul. 2 I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.”
Give God praise because, in him, all things were made, even the life that we live. John 1:3-4 “3 Through him all things were made; without him, nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.”
We praise God because he has been in our midst through everything we have been through. Zephaniah 3:17: “The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.”
Some may have been or are still in the valley of the shadow of death, that place where you think God cannot reach. Trust him and praise him today, for his rod and staff cannot fail. Psalm 23:4: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
We praise God because he loves us beyond our comprehension. 1 John 3:1: “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.”
We thank God for everything for it has only been by this grace given to us. 1 Corinthians 1:4-5 “4 I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, 5 that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge.”
Finally, we thank God because there are many people out there wondering what to do with their lives. Yet it has pleased God to qualify us to share in his inheritance. This has not been because of anything we have done to merit this, but his love, mercy, and grace. Colossians 1:12 “and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.”