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A Heart Full
of Praise I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart.—Psalm 9:1 Tim Thomassen The American colonists who instituted the observance of Thanksgiving did so because of their gratitude for a bountiful harvest, shelter, clothing and the other necessities of life. These early settlers had little in comparison to what we enjoy today, yet they were grateful for what they did receive. There are many today who seem to take blessings for granted. This is not new. The Bible records an account of Jesus and ten lepers (Luke 17:11-19). The lepers were victims of a terrible and ultimately fatal disease. All cried for mercy. All were cleansed. But only one, a Samaritan, returned to give thanks. When we examine our own lives, we should not find such blatant ingratitude. A Disposition of Thanks Shakespeare wrote: “Blow, blow, thou winter wind, thou art not so unkind as man’s ingratitude.” A story is told of a young boy who, when asked to describe salt, said: “Salt is what always spoils potatoes—when it is left out!” Gratitude detracts from life when it is missing. A truly thankful spirit enables one to praise God for all things, even when circumstances are difficult and unpleasant. As children of God, a disposition of thanks should characterize and dominate our lives every day of the year. We should be continually conscious of the Lord’s goodness so that thanksgiving is thoroughly imprinted in our mind and heart. “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits” (Psalm 103:2). The word “bless” (Strong’s #1288) carries the thought of giving thanks and praise. It also includes the idea of kneeling and blessing God, as an act of adoration. Indeed we should bless, as on bended knee, Jehovah, who out of his own divine resources can supply all our needs. Our Lord provides more than enough to satisfy the hearts of all who confide in him and who leave everything in his hands. Such need never be cast down. A man once asked his Christian friend how he was getting along. With a drawn, expressionless face, the other answered, “Oh, fairly well, under the circumstances.” The first man replied, “I am sorry that you are under the circumstances. The Lord would have us living above all circumstances, where he himself can delight our hearts and meet our every need.” Our conditions may not correspond closely to those of God’s people in past ages. Yet we often find ourselves confronted with situations that test our faith and reveal the true climate of our heart. The present circumstances—whatever they may be, and however hard they may press against us—are the best tool in the Father’s hand to chisel us for eternity. We should trust him, thank him and not push away the instrument lest we lose its effect. An Appreciative Heart “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Not only is such a disposition good and healthy, but more importantly it is God’s will for us. How can we rationalize any other position when God tells us that this is the only right and proper course to take? Alexander Whyte, a well known Scottish preacher, always began his public prayers with an expression of gratitude. One cold and stormy day when some in the audience wondered how he could show gratitude during such conditions, he began his prayer, “O Lord, we thank thee that the weather is not always like this.” An appreciative heart brightens a dreary day and shortens the longest night. It not only makes our life and the lives of those around us more enjoyable, but it is more pleasing to the Lord as well. A person whose heart is full of praise and thanksgiving is willing to accept whatever the Lord has given him or allowed to come his way. This individual turns his liabilities into assets, making them work for him instead of against him. Such a person can say with the apostle Paul: “Not that I complain of want; for I have learned, in whatever state I am, to be content. I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound; in any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and want. I can do all things in him who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:11-13, RSV). God Gives Us Everything We should let our light shine brightly every hour of every day. If our heart condition is one of praise and thanksgiving, every task will be easier. The psalmist expresses it well: “Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the lands! Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the LORD is God! It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him, bless his name! For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures for ever, and his faithfulness to all generations.” (Psalm 100:1-5, RSV) The psalmist tells us that God has fashioned us: “Know that the LORD is God! It is he that made us” (Psalm 100:3, RSV). God also cares for us and has his hand upon us and knows our every step. We should trust him and thank him for all that he has done in the past and that he continues to do for us. “Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him, bless his name!” (Psalm 100:4, RSV) This applies to those of the priestly class. Their thankfulness to the Lord for his mercies and blessings should lead them to count not their lives dear unto themselves, but to lay down their lives willingly and cheerfully in his service. One might ask, “How do I go about offering thanks to the Lord? Exactly what does our heavenly Father require and desire of me?” We find such a question asked and answered: “What shall I render to the LORD for all his bounty to me?” (Psalm 116:12, RSV) In other words, what can I give in return or how can I pay for the benevolent treatment that I have received from him? The answer follows: “I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD, I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people. Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints. O LORD, I am thy servant; I am thy servant, the son of thy handmaid. Thou hast loosed my bonds. I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the LORD. I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people, in the courts of the house of the LORD, in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD!” (Psalm 116:13-19, RSV) How beautifully this language expresses the thoughts and sentiments that should be in all the Lord’s people. In these we find instruction and encouragement to assist us throughout our entire earthly course. “What shall I render to the LORD for all his bounty to me?” What indeed, have we to render that we have not received of him? The answer is a simple one: nothing! Consecration, Expression of Gratitude The apostle Paul asks: “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19,20, RSV) Paul further states: “For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords” —yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.”(1 Corinthians 8:5,6, RSV, emphasis added) That everything ultimately belongs to God is illustrated by an incident during the building of the temple: “Moreover, in addition to all that I have provided for the holy house, I have a treasure of my own of gold and silver, and because of my devotion to the house of my God I give it to the house of my God: three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, for overlaying the walls of the house, and for all the work to be done by craftsmen, gold for the things of gold and silver for the things of silver. Who then will offer willingly, consecrating himself today to the LORD?” (1 Chronicles 29:3-5, RSV) David replies in verse 14, “But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from thee, and of thy own have we given thee.” Here David gives us the biblical concept of consecration, recognizing that what we have comes from God and thus we are merely offering it back to him to be used in his service. There is nothing we possess that our heavenly Father has not given us. Therefore the critical issue to resolve is what we should do with what we receive from the Lord. Should we selfishly hoard it? Do we merely expect more of the same? Or do we do as David did, “of thy own have we given thee”? “The cup of salvation I lift up” (Psalm 116:13, Young’s Literal Translation). The Lord desires us to show our appreciation by accepting his salvation: the gift of his love, purchased for us at great cost through the death of his only begotten son. Therefore, the truly thankful will obey his voice by expressing their thanks through faith in Jesus Christ their redeemer. Let us take our cup and lift it up to the Lord. Let us render unto him our reasonable service, a full consecration of heart and life. This is how the Lord wants us to express our thanks, and render the payment due him. It is our sacrifice of thanksgiving. Verse 13 ends with the words, “and call on the name of the LORD.” The Hebrew word for “call” (Strong’s #7121) includes the thought of “call out to.” The implication is that we can trust in God, and rely upon God, whenever we call out to him. James writes what the Lord’s followers know to be true: “Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you men of double mind” (James 4:8, RSV). He who redeemed us at a great price is both able and willing to perfect in us his great salvation. We should not cast away our confidence in him, but rather take him at his word, have faith in his promises and in everything give thanks (Hebrews 10:23; Philippians 1:6; 4:6). In light of this, we should add our voice to that of the psalmist’s and cry out, “O Lord, I am thy servant. I choose to be so. I resolve to be your servant! I will live and die in thy service. Yes, I am thy servant and thine alone. Let others serve whatever master they will—false gods, dogmas of men, worldly pleasures, the acceptance of the world, a prestigious career, or anything else. As for me, I will call upon the name of the Lord!” We have much for which to be thankful. Like the early American colonists, we can praise the Lord for our physical shelter, clothing and bountiful crop. However, our spiritual shelter, clothing, and crop is much more cause for thanks. Our spiritual shelter is the protection of our heavenly Father. We also have his care, his love, and his promises. These far surpass any earthly shelter that we may have. Our spiritual clothing is of a kind and substance unlike any other. We are clothed with the righteousness of Christ. It covers our imperfections and makes us presentable before God. If we are faithful, we will receive the spiritual clothing of divine nature pictured by gold. Prophetically speaking of the bride of Christ, the psalmist states: “All glorious is the king’s daughter within; her clothing is of wrought gold: she shall be brought unto the king in raiment of embroidery” (Psalm 45:13,14, Darby). We have the privilege of being part of the choicest crop that will ever be harvested. We have the opportunity of becoming members of the body of Christ, resurrected as part of the first fruits (James 1:18). If we faithfully drink our cup and pay our vows, then we will have a share in harvesting all of the willing and obedient during the kingdom for which Jesus instructed his disciples to pray: “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth” (Luke 11:2). This then is the reason for a heart full of praise. Yet none of it would be possible without the faithfulness of Jesus. Had he not successfully paid the ransom price, none would have a future life. We are assured by the apostle Paul that our Lord did fulfill the requirements prescribed by his heavenly Father, that God called him forth from death, will call each faithful church member forth from death, and eventually the entire population of the earth: “But, in reality, Christ has risen from among the dead, being the first to do so of those who are asleep. For seeing that death came through man, through man comes also the resurrection of the dead. For just as through Adam all die, so also through Christ all will be made alive again. But this will happen to each in the right order—Christ having been the first to rise, and afterwards Christ’s people rising at his return.” (1 Corinthians 15:20-23, Weymouth). May the Lord help us to render thanks daily and to never forget the benefits the Lord has given us! May our heart truly be full of praise. |