February 10
Reading: Psalm 100
A Psalm for giving thanks.
1 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!
2 Serve the LORD with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!
3 Know that the LORD, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!
5 For the LORD is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.
Psalm 100 is all joyful thanksgiving. Its prescript is “a psalm for giving thanks.” There is not a hint of struggle or sadness.
This psalm is structured around a series of commands. The first four commands begin the first four lines of the psalm. Three more follow in verse 4. Can you find all seven commands? Think about what each one means. Verse 5 closes the short psalm with the threefold reason for our thanksgiving.
In Psalm 92:1 we read, “It is good to give thanks to the Lord.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.” Colossians 3:15 tells us to “be thankful.” In Philippians 4:6 and Colossians 4:2 we are commanded to pray with thanksgiving. In the Bible, God’s people are constantly thanking God in their prayers and letters. Ephesians 5:20 makes it clear that to be filled with the Spirit is to be “always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father.”
Why is thankfulness to God so important?
To be thankful to God is to think and say that you are content with whatever He gives. To not be thankful is to be discontent. Thankfulness chases away covetousness. It leads to generosity. Thankful people are joyful, happy people.
Moreover, thankfulness to God is worship to God. It honors Him. It is your statement that He is good, that you are sure He is good. Thankfulness expresses hope and happiness that the Lord holds your future, and that is good. A thankful heart declares the goodness of God.