Thursday, August 26
Praise and thanksgiving
Scripture: Jeremiah 51-52, Psalm 100, 1 Peter 4
Psalm 100:4–5
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Observation
This short, lovely psalm is a call to joyful praise and thanksgiving.
The call to “enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise” reminds me to begin my prayers with praise and thanks. It is so easy to only ask and forget to thank, or to vent my frustration and grumble (God is a good listener) without praise. I need this reminder!
The psalmist gives the reason for praise and thanksgiving in v. 5. “For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” That is worth memorizing and repeating at the start of each day, at the beginning of my prayers.
Application
This is such a difficult time. There is so much tension and division, even among friends and between believers. In the midst of darkness, this is a beam of light: the Lord is good and his love endures forever and his faithfulness continues through all generations!
So today, I’m going be giving thanks and rejoicing in the Lord all day! I know my spirits will lift when I choose to rejoice and give thanks.
Prayer: Thank you Lord for your goodness, for your faithfulness! I’m forever grateful. I see your care in so many ways and I rejoice in you!