One of the wonderful things about the celebration of Thanksgiving is all the food! I am sure that at some point in your life, you gathered with family or friends and enjoyed a Holiday feast. Sherry is a great cook, and now the kids often bring their own dishes, so we have an authentic buffet. The food is always so great on Thanksgiving Day, but some of it seems to be even better after Thanksgiving! So, on Friday, we might have turkey sandwiches. I like turkey sandwiches on Friday. They are not bad on Saturday, but by Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, my taste for Thanksgiving leftovers begins to wear a bit thin. I am now craving a pizza. Enough with the leftovers! Sometimes that happens in the Christian life, also. I wonder if our Lord gets tired of thanksgiving leftovers?
Psalms 138:1 “(A Psalm of David.) I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee.”
We could call this a heartfelt thanksgiving. This is more than one day a year. God calls His people to live lives of constant thankfulness. He doesn’t want our leftovers. He should not have to accept a mere acknowledgement that the season for Thanksgiving is upon us, and then we must quickly transition to Christmas! No, as important as the Christmas season is, we must never forsake the spirit of Thanksgiving. I know that commercially, Thanksgiving is just a small bump in the road between Halloween and Christmas, but it shouldn’t be that way for us.
We are called, as Christians, to be different. We are to be a people characterized by wholehearted thankfulness. All of our days should be days of Thanksgiving. As you take a look at Psalm 138, you will find that this Psalm breaks into three sections. Let’s look at what the Psalmist is saying.
The Expression Wholehearted Thanksgiving.
“I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee. I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name. In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul.” Psalm 138:1-3
What is thankfulness? True thankfulness is an expression of godliness. True thankfulness acknowledges that it is God, and not we ourselves, who are the source of our blessings. I submit to you that only a godly man or woman is truly thankful. Thankfulness is a spiritual virtue activated in us by God Himself. A man without Christ really does not know how to be grateful. Oh, he can be thankful for his family or for his health, like anyone else. But, since he doesn’t understand the source of it all, he falls short of real Thanksgiving.
For instance, in Psalm 97:12 we find this admonition: “Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous, and give thanks to his holy name!” So, who is truly qualified to give thanks? It is the righteous. As we recognize that it is only by God’s steadfast love and faithfulness that we have received our blessings, we begin to understand how bankrupt we are in ourselves. Every good and perfect gift comes from God, and a genuine, heartfelt thanksgiving readily acknowledges that.
The Psalmist here says that he acknowledges his thankfulness “before the gods.” What does that mean? In David’s time, the gods spoken of were the false idols of the pagan nations around Israel. These competed for the attention of Israel and the people of the true God. They promised various blessings through their teachings. But their promises were empty, as these were the false gods of those who did not follow our Lord.
These things were false in David’s day, and they are false in our day as well. You see, we have our own Baals and Molechs all about us that call for our attention. These false gods that would seek the affection of the Church also encompass us. We see all around us. They would divert us from the one true God. These are the pagan philosophies and teachings of our day that promise us rewards and blessings if we follow them. That brings us to our second point:
The Experience of Wholehearted Thankfulness.
“In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul. All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O LORD, when they hear the words of thy mouth. Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the LORD: for great is the glory of the LORD. Though the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off.” Psalm 138:3-6
David says that he had called on the true God and was honored to sing praises to the Lord. Because of his knowledge of the Lord, David said he had observed four things. He had learned that God always meets our needs (Verse 3), communicates with His children (Verse 4), has great glory (Verse 5), and regards the lowly (Verse 6). And finally, we notice:
The Endurance of Wholehearted Thankfulness.
“Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me. The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.” Psalm 138:7-8
It’s one thing to speak of a heartfelt thanksgiving when we sense that our souls have been strengthened and things seem to be going well. However, David says here, “though I walk in the midst of trouble…” A heartfelt thankfulness endures in the bad times as well as the good. This is not some fair-weather friend. Even in the midst of trouble, true Thanksgiving endures. Why? Because our thankfulness is not based upon our outward circumstances!
I know that it is not always easy to be thankful on the bad days. You may get up late because the alarm doesn’t go off. You don’t have time to pray or eat breakfast. On the way out of the house, you trip over the dog and smack your toe on the door jam. You get to work late, argue with the boss, and come home at the end of the workday only to find you have forgotten it is your anniversary. Not a good day!
Now, David’s trouble was more severe than losing your car keys. David, the king of Israel, had been exiled from his throne, and people were trying to kill him! One of those people who was trying to kill him was his own son. Yet it is in the midst of this kind of trouble, David says, I give thanks with my whole heart! How could he do that? Because he knew that thankfulness to God does not depend on outward circumstances or success.
Conclusion: God calls on His children to have a deep, heartfelt spirit of Thanksgiving. We serve the same God as David. God calls us to be a people who rest in His steadfast love and don’t waver in times of difficulty. Sometimes we think it’s easy to be thankful when everything is “going right.” But when things don’t go the way we want them to, then being grateful becomes a little more difficult. But God’s love is steadfast for us as it was for David, and though we may walk in the midst of trouble, God’s abiding love and mighty hand are strong to deliver us. The Lord will fulfill His purposes for us, and He will not forsake us.
Thanksgiving is not just a date on the calendar; it is an expression of our hearts. Rather than giving God a few Thanksgiving leftovers, may we learn to thank God from our hearts for His many blessings upon our lives. May we all enjoy a heartfelt Thanksgiving this year.
Dr. Worthington has been in the ministry nearly fifty years and serves as President of Pathway Ministries and Christian Bible College.