Series: Give Thanks
Psalm 9:1-2 ESV
Psalm 9:1-2 MSG
Thanking God for gifts seems to make perfect sense.
Of course that philosophy and practice could be due in large part to my upbringing.
Even when I was a very small child I was trained to say “thank you”.
In Sunday school I was taught to give thanks to God.
When saying grace at the table, we say thanks to God for the food. In other words we did not take food for granted.
Psalm 9:1-2 tells us, “I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.”
So, because I was taught to say “thank you” as a small child when someone would give me something, I immediately said thank you. But…it didn’t stop there.
As I matured and I said thank you, I made eye contact with the person and smiled.
I felt grateful for the gift.
More to the point I felt thankful for the person.
In time I came to realize that because of their kindness and love to me, I loved them in return.
Psalm 9:1-2 in the Message says,
“I’m thanking you, God, from a full heart, I’m writing the book on your wonders.I’m whistling, laughing, and jumping for joy; I’m singing your song, High God.”
When I was twenty something I was an avid reader. I read every popular book I could get my hands on about God. I really wanted to dig into the character of God.
Thanks to gifted writers and speakers I came to realize every gift give to me was ultimately from God. I was filled with the fullness of God’s love. There were times when I couldn’t understand how God could love me so much. Even though I didn’t fully understand how God could love me, it made me happy. I was filled with joy.
When my children were born I was overwhelmed with God’s love and joy I experienced through my children. That’s because children love naturally when they are not taught to hate. My children were a joy and we shared lots of love and laughter.
As they grew I was often criticized when they needed to be scolded and I laughed instead. I mean, seriously, sometimes I couldn’t stop laughing because of their creativity. As it turns out, my laughter did not ruin them. They turned out to be fine caring funny human beings.
And so it is with my grandchildren.
We laugh.
We draw pictures.
I happen to think God is laughing with us…
Spiritual Practice: Thank God
Be truly thankful for the gifts God has given you.
In God, Deborah