Psalm 107:1 – “O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.”
Only an arrogant individual will purposely neglect to give the Lord thanks. Every breath you breathe comes from God Almighty. Yet there are those who will use the Lord’s air that fills their lungs to curse His holy name. How low! How proud! How coldhearted! How arrogant! How disgusting! I do not know of a sin more gross than neglecting to give the Lord thanks for His many blessings. Every person reading this has something to thank God for; and most of us have very much to thank Him for.
In Romans 1, Paul speaks of the heathen who commit sins that even beasts of the field know better than to commit. When reading this chapter, one may wonder, “How does anyone sink so low?” Paul tells us clearly how a civilized people sink lower than the beasts of the field:
Romans – “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, NEITHER WERE THANKFUL; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.”
Paul clearly makes a connection between the grossest sins committable and neglecting to be thankful. If you are truly thankful toward God, you acknowledge that God Almighty is high above you and your philosophies and ideas. Being thankful toward God requires submission to the mercies of God. You realize that God is good in spite of you, not because of you.
I want to use Psalm 107 as my text, and give the reader four things for which I am thankful.
I am Thankful for What God HAS DONE
Psalm 107:2 – “Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy.”
“Let the redeemed of the Lord say so!” What a privilege it is to be redeemed from the hand of the enemy! I am thankful, first, for what God has done. He redeemed me! He paid for me with His own blood!
I have often said that my salvation is as real to me as any possession I have. I have given my testimony on this blog, so I’ll not expound much here. But I will mention that nothing is more real to me than my salvation.
At six years of age, I went to a Vacation Bible School January 22, 1989 ). When a person was baptized in that church, they became a member of the church. So, at six years of age, I repeated a prayer, got baptized in water, and joined a Baptist church. But I was lost as I could be! I was without Christ.
A few years later, I went to a different Baptist church. I sat on the front row every service. I distinctly remember going home after the services, sitting in my room, and something deep inside me telling me I needed to be saved! That “something” was the Holy Ghost. The Spirit of God was dealing with me, showing me that I needed to trust Jesus Christ to save me completely. I would sit in my bedroom, and think about how I needed to be saved. Then, I would turn it off, saying to myself, “You’ve already said the prayer. You’re all right.” Then, I’d forget about it…until the next service. This went on for a few weeks. Finally, on March 13, 1994 , on a Sunday morning, after the pastor preached a message on the subject of salvation, I went to the front. I told the pastor I needed to be saved. We knelt down, and there I placed all my faith in Jesus Christ and was saved by the grace of God! I am thankful for what God HAS DONE!
God has done more for me than just bestowing upon me spiritual blessings. I am thankful for what God has done for me materially. I am thankful for my health. I know people younger than I am who have diabetes. I know people younger than I am who have had heart surgeries. I am thankful for my health! I am thankful to God that when I open my eyes, I can see. Not everyone can say that. I thank God that I can hear, for that is not the case with everyone! I thank God every time a bill is due, I have the money to pay it! Let us not take anything for granted, but “in everything give thanks!”
I am Thankful for What God Could’ve Done, but DIDN’T DO
Psalm 107:10-13 – “Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron; Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the most High: Therefore he brought down their heart with labour; they fell down, and there was none to help. Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses.”
The psalmist, in the above verses, tell us about a people who sat in darkness, being bound in affliction and iron. Why are they bound? BECAUSE THEY REBELLED AGAINST THE WORDS OF GOD! They were in bondage because of what THEY did! They “made their bed rough;” now they have to “lie in it,” as the old-timers say. But notice this – even though they were afflicted because of their own doings, notice what happened. When they cried unto the Lord, what did the Lord do? Did He say, “I’m sorry, you’re in bondage because of your own sins”? No! When they cried unto the Lord, He saved them out of their distresses! The Lord could have left these people in their bondage and affliction, and He would have been just in doing so! But He didn’t!
Likewise, the Lord could have left me in my sins. BUT HE DIDN’T! He could have let me go my own way and end up in hell! Surely, that’s what I deserve! But He did not do what He rightfully could have done!
I am Thankful for What God CANNOT DO
Psalm 107:20 – “He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.”
“He sent His word!” When I read this phrase, I am reminded that there is something that God Almighty cannot do!
Titus 1:1, 2 – “Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness; In hope of eternal life, which God, that CANNOT LIE, promised before the world began.”
Friend, God CANNOT lie. And I thank Him for this truth! I do not have to worry about what God said not coming to pass. If God said it, it absolutely will happen just like God said it would. God says that He formed man with His own hands out of the dust of the ground (Genesis 2:7). The atheistic professor says that humans evolved from some non-existent ape-like “missing link.” Who is the liar in this case? The atheistic professor is the liar, for God Almighty CANNOT LIE! God said that marriage is between a MAN and HIS WIFE (Genesis ). When a liberal says that marriage can also be between a man and his husband; or between a woman and her wife; tell me who the liar is. It is not God, for God CANNOT LIE! God said that He knows the baby in the womb personally (Jeremiah 1:5). When an abortion doctor says that removing a baby from the womb is no different than removing a gallbladder, who do you suppose the liar is? It is not God, for He CANNOT LIE!
I am thankful for what God cannot do! I am thankful that, in a world of change, there is something that is consistent! What God says will never change!
I am Thankful for What God WILL DO
Psalm 107:29 – “He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.”
“He maketh the storm a calm.” As sure as you are reading this post, you will face storms in this life. You have already faced storms, and there will be more. You will have physical ailments. You will be betrayed by friends. You will have financial troubles. Your marriage will be tried and tested. Relationships with others will be strained. I’m not trying to be dismal; I’m trying to be honest. Storms will come. They always have, and they always will. Hard times will come your way. Get ready for it.
But know this: “He maketh the storm a calm.” Even though there are storms that have not yet come my way, I know that God will bring me through them, as He always has. He will calm the storm! He may let the storm rage for a while before He calms it, but HE WILL calm the storm. “He maketh the storm a calm.” I am thankful for what God WILL DO!
