Give Thanks!

O give thanks to the Lord , call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the people.PSALM 105:1 AMP

As always, David would encourage us all to give thanks to God on a regular basis. His own life was a living testimonial to the blessings, benefits and rewards attached to a life of praise. More than half of the Psalms, of 150 chapters are either directly attributed to David or related to his song leaders. It then tells me that if I am to have an experience of God's testimony about David's life, I must learn to live like he did.

Of course, David was far from perfect. There were times in his Psalms he asked God to deal with him based on the integrity in his heart and the cleanness of his hands. We all know how that ended. At no time can I come to God, claiming strength, power or abilities; I cannot lose sight of the fact that wherever I stand, it is God alone that helps me up. When I am tempted to look down on other people, or to think there's something perfect in me, I am reminded that I am all I am simply as a function of God's grace and mercy.

I think David got it right towards the end of his Psalms. His words tuned more towards God's grace than his own 'righteousness'. His words recognised the supremacy of God over all creation and his power over the course of man's life. Have I come to the same conclusion, or do I still think I have control over what happens to me? And in that understanding, today's extract is penned: 'O give thanks to the Lord'. No matter what has gone before, give thanks. No matter how bad it looks now, give thanks. I serve a God who is fully in charge, no matter how bad things look, and he is the One who has been keeping it all together since the beginning of creation. Long before I was born, he holds it all up, and long after this world ceases to exist, he won't stop being God.

So, I relax. I use every opportunity to talk about who he is and what he has done. I can testify that I stand here, solely by the grace of God, not because of any inherent good in myself. Lord, I am grateful. What's your testimony? His time of favour is here.