40? 50? 10,000? How many reasons can we name to be grateful?
By Dean Collins
Matt Redmon gives 10,000 reasons and the psalmist only 40 or 50. But I think they agree.
Psalm 103 is a song of thanksgiving, and the psalmist's words pour out gratitude for all the Lord has done. There was no intention to name all the reasons to be grateful to God in this psalm, but it is here to remind us of the overwhelming amount of generosity God has for his creation. The songwriter Matt Redmon’s lyrics suggest we could name 10,000 reasons and more to praise and thank God.
But we tend to forget. We get lost in the “woe is me” syndrome. It’s my back, my kids, my job, my finances, the government, youth, old age, healthcare, and on and on with our complaints and our difficulties. And before we know it, we become worthless to ourselves and to anyone else, too. Then in our misery, our gratitude shrinks.
All he does
David calls us to see God and remember all he does for us and offer praise to God and words of gratitude. Gratitude changes everything. It moves us from the floor of pity to the pinnacle of praise. And lifting up God pulls us up as well.
Listen to the categories David mentions. These are just some of the 10,000 and more blessings that come from our Father in Heaven.
He forgives not some but all of your iniquity
He provided complete healing of body and soul
He paid for your sins and pulled you out of the pit
He crowns you with his love every day and never quits
He allows you to experience satisfaction in the center of his will
He gives new energy to soar like an eagle
He is slow to anger when we sin and merciful when we fall
He loves us with the perfect love of a father
And on and on
What we can do
And beyond these powerful categories, you know specifics. Today read this psalm out loud. Look around you. Look inside yourself. Look outside. Click here to listen to Matt Redmon’s song and write down or declare out loud your reasons to thank the Lord. Then praise his name.
Don’t stay in the pit when God is offering the palace. He loves you completely and will never ever stop!
Heavenly Father, today we begin this day with thanksgiving. You are a gracious and generous Father and have truly given us more than we can even remember. Forgive us for the many days we have forgotten to say thank you. Forgive us for the days we believed it was our efforts and not your blessing. Forgive us for the days when you have blessed us and we have withheld from others. With the words of the doxology of old, we say
Praise God from whom all blessings flow
Praise Him all creatures here below
Praise Him above Ye heavenly hosts
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
Amen
Your time with God’s Word
Psalms 103 ESV
Photo by ChristiTolbert at istockphoto.com
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