Thanksgiving Devotional 2023

Introduction

Begin with a responsive reading of Psalm 118:1-18

Psalm 118:1–18 KJV 1900

1 O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: Because his mercy endureth for ever. 2 Let Israel now say, That his mercy endureth for ever. 3 Let the house of Aaron now say, That his mercy endureth for ever. 4 Let them now that fear the Lord say, That his mercy endureth for ever. 5 I called upon the Lord in distress: The Lord answered me, and set me in a large place. 6 The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: What can man do unto me? 7 The Lord taketh my part with them that help me: Therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate me. 8 It is better to trust in the Lord Than to put confidence in man. 9 It is better to trust in the Lord Than to put confidence in princes. 10 All nations compassed me about: But in the name of the Lord will I destroy them. 11 They compassed me about; yea, they compassed me about: But in the name of the Lord I will destroy them. 12 They compassed me about like bees; They are quenched as the fire of thorns: For in the name of the Lord I will destroy them. 13 Thou hast thrust sore at me that I might fall: But the Lord helped me. 14 The Lord is my strength and song, And is become my salvation. 15 The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tabernacles of the righteous: The right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly. 16 The right hand of the Lord is exalted: The right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly. 17 I shall not die, but live, And declare the works of the Lord. 18 The Lord hath chastened me sore: But he hath not given me over unto death.

Note that Psalmist began this Psalm by stating

Psalm 118:1 KJV 1900

1 O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: Because his mercy endureth for ever.

Over in James, the Holy Spirit reminds us.

James 1:17 KJV 1900

17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

The object of our thanksgiving is always the Father of lights.

Every gift He gives to us, as His children, is good and perfect. His gifts are desirable in every way and they are completely perfect without any defect or blemish.

Notice also in this Thanksgiving Psalm, that our thanks to God is completely reasonable.

Psalm 118:1 KJV 1900

1 O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: Because his mercy endureth for ever.

God is always good and He is good all the time.

Psalm 34:8 KJV 1900

8 O taste and see that the Lord is good: Blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

Then, note the motivation behind thanksgiving.

Psalm 118:1 KJV 1900

1 O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: Because his mercy endureth for ever.

The whole reason we are thankful people tonight is due to God’s goodness and His great mercy. In fact, note somethings the Psalmist reminds us about God’s goodness and our thankfulness this evening.

We Can Be Thankful that God Answers in Times of Distress.

Psalm 118:5 KJV 1900

5 I called upon the Lord in distress: The Lord answered me, and set me in a large place.

The word distress means any kind of emotional, physical, mental, or spiritual adversity. The great news is this. There is nothing too hard for God. And, additionally, when we call upon Him, He is right there to assist us. Note that Psalmist experienced that very thing. He called upon the Lord in his distress, the Lord answered, and then set Him in a “large place.” The idea of a large place is a vast open place of safety and security. That is what our God does for us. Thus we can be THANKFUL this evening that our God is God Who answers in the times of distress.

Here is another thing we can be thankful to God about.

We Can Be Thankful that God Is On Our Side

Psalm 118:6 KJV 1900

6 The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: What can man do unto me?

I love this thought. God is on my side. There are a lot of things to fear in this world. We often fear men. We fear government. We fear taxes. We fear loneliness. We fear sickness. The list of is immense. However, when we have God on our side, what is there to fear? The Psalmist understood there was nothing to fear. This echoes the same principle found in the New Testament.

Romans 8:31 KJV 1900

31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

Hebrews 13:6 KJV 1900

6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

Such assurance should embolden us to stand for Him. He who has conquered death, hell, and sin is on our side. Thus, we are more than conquerors through Him.

Here is one last thought from this Psalm.

We Can Be Thankful that God Takes Part in Helping Us

Psalm 118:7 KJV 1900

7 The Lord taketh my part with them that help me: Therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate me.

I read earlier Romans 8:31 which argues that if God be for us, who can be against us. It matters not what people think of us. We know He is on our side and He “takes my part with them that help me.” To state it in a simple way, His help outweighs the help of all others. It is good have other’s help. It is far better to have His help. Yes, there are times when we feel the hatred of others. There is no doubt that we live in an evil society. Yet, in the end, it is not man we must be concerned about, it is God. Christ put it this way...

Matthew 10:28 KJV 1900

28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

The wonderful news tonight is the fact, as His child, you have no need to be afraid of Him. He has rescued you and made you His adopted child. Now, He stands beside. He stands ready to assist you. All you have to do is go to Him in prayer. You see His readiness in James 1:5

James 1:5 KJV 1900

5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

Conclusion

In the end, no matter what happens in this old world, God wins! We see this throughout this Psalm.

Psalm 118:14–16 KJV 1900

14 The Lord is my strength and song, And is become my salvation. 15 The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tabernacles of the righteous: The right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly. 16 The right hand of the Lord is exalted: The right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly.

What then must we do? The same as the Psalmist who penned these words.

Psalm 118:8–9 KJV 1900

8 It is better to trust in the Lord Than to put confidence in man. 9 It is better to trust in the Lord Than to put confidence in princes.

We simply put our TRUST IN THE LORD. There is no confidence in men, political parties, or government. They will let you down every time. God, however, will not fail you. He is Good and His mercy endureth forever.