Each year on last Thursday of November, we celebrate Thanksgiving. A day where all over America families get together and share a meal, watch some football and get ready for shopping. Between the turkey, traffic & trimmings, we may pause to Thank God ,maybe say a grace over the meal and then we get back to LIFE. I wonder how many of us truly take a moment to reflect on our life and thank our savior Jesus for all the blessings? oops I said JESUS, a word that is taboo in our society today. Oh today many will say ” I am thankful” or ” I give thanks” maybe some one will simply say THANK YOU OR I AM BLESSED. You see we live in world where many do not even acknowledge GOD. Many in today’s society do not even want to give honor to one who is the source of all blessings. Well I just like to stand up for those who believe in GOD. Every good thing I have comes from him. Psalmist teaches how we should thank God and Psalm 116 is a great illustration of thankful heart.
I love the Lord , because He has heard My voice and my supplications.
It is not enough that we say “I am thankful to God but go further and say why. Psalm 116 is believed to be written by King Hezekiah. He wrote this after he prayed to God to heal him and God added 15 years to his time. As you can see in first verse he mentions the answered prayers. He goes on to say
2 Because He has inclined His ear to me,Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.3 The pains of death surrounded me, And the pangs of Sheol laid hold of me; I found trouble and sorrow.4 Then I called upon the name of the Lord: “O Lord, I implore You, deliver my soul!”5 Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; Yes, our God is merciful.
To me this is perfect example of thankful heart. He knew exactly how he was healed. This is same God we worship. He still answers prayers if you call out to him. He is merciful.
6 The Lord preserves the simple; I was brought low, and He saved me.
7 Return to your rest, O my soul, For the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.8 For You have delivered my soul from death, My eyes from tears, And my feet from falling.9 I will walk before the Lord In the land of the living.10 I believed, therefore I spoke, “I am greatly afflicted.”11 I said in my haste, “All men are liars.”
Again he list all the things he is thankful for. There is no doubt in his mind about who is in charge of his life & soul. Do you have similar conviction? As you examine your life & family, are you as sure as him that God’s hand is in all the blessings?
12 What shall I render to the Lord For all His benefits toward me?
How can we repay God for his abundance mercy and grace? In next few verses we find the answer.
13 I will take up the cup of salvation, And call upon the name of the Lord.
God gave us Jesus his only son who shed his blood for all of us and we are washed in his blood. Jesus death on cross and resurrection is our salvation. At the last supper Jesus said ” Do this in remembrance of me” . Communion is not just some ritual we perform on every first Sunday but rather an invitation to dine with Jesus. He wants us to spend time with him , reflecting on the our salvation and how we were are free of bondage of sin. Those of us who are saved should be growing in our relationship with Jesus by being in communion with Christ and those who are not yet saved , they should taste the cup of salvation and become part of everlasting life.
14 I will pay my vows to the Lord Now in the presence of all His people.
One day a man was stranded on deserted highway. He tried all he could to get car started. It had been few hours and he had not seen single car. It was getting dark and it had started to snow. He knew he had no option so he started to pray. He reflected on his life and how he was living and started to talk to God. As many of us do when we are in trouble, he prayed to God and said if you get me out of this jam, I will change. I will be more obedient Christian, I will attend church, read my bible etc. As he was praying, he saw a headlight of car approaching and so he said oh God never mind I GOT THIS.
Many time we do the same thing. As we are going through difficult time, we start to pray and as soon as we resolve it we go back to our old ways and never fulfill the promises we made. Instead of giving glory to God we point to other factors for the success. If we are praying for healing and receive it, we say new pill did the trick or my DR is so good. If we find Job then it is our experience and our education. I can go on but the point is, we forget to honor God. Psalmist here say I will pay my vows to the Lord and do it NOW in front of all people. I pray as we celebrate thanksgiving and go into Christmas season, if there are unfulfilled promises please keep them because it is for our benefit.
15 Precious in the sight of the Lord Is the death of His saints.
Paul puts it this way ” For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain”.
In 1 Corinthians 2: 9 “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”[b]—the things God has prepared for those who love him.
Those who are born again have promise of eternal life. We can not even imagine the glory and beauty of heaven. Paul had traveled to 3rd heaven ( 2 cor 12:2) and thus he said for me to die is gain. The shortest verse in bible is John 11: 35 ” Jesus Wept”, why did he cry for Lazarus? Oh his sisters would be overjoyed, those who were at tomb would instantly believe but perhaps Jesus cries for Lazarus knowing he would be back on earth and leaving heavenly glory. Lazarus was dead for 3 days and no doubt enjoying heaven but now Jesus was calling him back to earth. So yes Jesus wept for Lazarus but not his death but him coming back to sinful world. Psalmist if as assumed is king Hezekiah knew what he gave up when 15 years were added to his life. In those 15 years, he gave birth to Manasseh, who would be the worst king in Judah. Not only that but Hezekiah was the one who gave tour to Babylonians of treasure of Jerusalem which they would later come to get and destroy the temple and take people captive. For those on earth,our loved once death is a tragedy but God looks at it differently. He knows best place for us to be is in heaven with him.
16 O Lord, truly I am Your servant; I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant;
You have loosed my bonds.
Here we see a change of heart in the psalmist. He is no longer going to tell God what to do. He wants be a servant. We all need to learn this lesson. Oh we can take our problems to God in prayer. we can talk to him but I am not going to demand. I am not going to advice on how to solve my problems. I am going to trust your plan for me even if it takes me to places I don’t like. I will submit to your will and abide by it. Psalmist had total different perspective on life. As before sickness he wanted to live but now he just wanted to be in presence of God wherever he was and serve God. It is interesting that he says you have loosed my bonds. Lots of people feel, Following God restricts them but in reality it loosens the bondage of sin. We no longer are slave to sin but become heirs with Jesus.
17 I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving, And will call upon the name of the Lord.18 I will pay my vows to the Lord Now in the presence of all His people,19 In the courts of the Lord’s house, In the midst of you, O Jerusalem. Praise the Lord!
I urge you not just on thanksgiving but each day thank God for your salvation. Spend time with Him in prayer and reading His love letter to us (scripture), We can keep our vows and finally submit to him in all your ways and embrace his plan for our life. He is faithful even when we are not. Amen.
only savior jesus 