O GIVE THANKS

Psalm 75:1  We give thanks to You, God, we give thanks, For Your name is near; People declare Your wondrous works. (NASB)

The book of Psalms shares the writers passionate expressions that draws us closer to the reality of our faith, that God is with us. They are not mere songs…like the music we listen to on the car radio or our cell phones. These songs express our spiritual connection with our Creator. When the Psalmist sings, he is expressing our intimate relationship with Jehovah God. This is not a mere melody. It is the poetry of praise.

O GIVE THANKS

Psalm 75 is a psalm of thanksgiving. Its first precious verse sings out, “Unto thee do we give thanks”. The God-inspired chief musician of Israel, sings what is on his mind and in his heart as his music draws us closer to the One who controls the world and everyone in it.

There is no greater comfort than to know that God is near and known. We don’t pretend to have the complete knowledge of God…for who among us is as wise as God. The Bible declares that it is impossible to know everything about God.

· Job wrote in Job 11:7 “Can you by searching find out God?”

· Isaiah wrote: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:9)

· David wrote: “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.” (Psalm 139:6)

Despite man’s limited knowledge of his Creator, our songwriter, still sings with an undaunted spirit. His praise is impervious to the taunts of the stiff-necked people who reject the almightiness of God (verse 4 and 5). He is fearless in his affirmation of praise and thanksgiving to the Lord who sits high and looks low. And just like him, and Job, and Isaiah, and David…we too know all we need to know, to give thanks today.

We give thanks because it is our duty.

Did you know that your thanks is the fruit of your relationship with God? If you are thankful, you are bearing fruit. Praise and thanksgiving are the offspring of our connection to the Vine. We give thanks because…We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

The song writer is intoxicated. He is intoxicated with his duty as a child of God. His desire is to use his musical talent to express perfect praise. He says, “Unto thee O God do we give thanks.” We give thanks without reservation. We give thanks without hesitation. We give thanks without shyness. We give thanks without vacillation. We give thanks without indecision. We give thanks without faltering. We give thanks because it is our duty to give thanks to the Lord.

Then we give thanks because God is near.

Asaph says, “Thy name is near…” The Bible is a complete record of God’s presence among men in both word and deed. The living voice of the prophets and the scripture’s record have brought God near to us.

But nearness through knowledge is incomplete. Asaph says God Himself is near. He is not a mere force or influence. He is not some opportune organizer waiting for a chance to interject His power. God is AT HAND. He is ever-present…in the present…in our midst. He is the Source of all life, and the One who sustains it. He is Omnipresent…He is everywhere, all the time. God is at hand, whether you are asleep or awake. God is at hand, whether your eyes are closed or open. God is at hand, whether you know Him or reject Him.

There is comfort in knowing that the Lord God is near. Ask David. David said…

· “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? (Psalm 27:1)

· “The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart, and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.” (Psalm 34:18).

· “The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon Him, to all that call upon him in truth.” (Psalm 145:18)

How near is God to you? Can’t you feel His presence…in this sanctuary…in your heart? Isn’t He just a whisper away…ready to receive you in prayer and hear your every request? When your faith speaks, God hears. When your faith believes, God delivers. When your faith trusts, God honors. When your faith moves, God ministers. When your faith needs, God provides. When your faith obeys, God performs. Only the nearness of God can grant us unwavering peace. The Apostle Paul said “Let the peace of God rule in your hearts”. If you do, you will be thankful (Colossians 3:15).

There’s something else notable here. God has a name. “His name is near”. For us, names are labels that help us to recognize and differentiate one from another. But not so with God’s name. There is none like Him! He is EL. There is no other. He is Jehovah. There is no other. He is the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. There is no other. He is the Rock. There is no other. He is the Horn, the Refuge, the King and our Father. There is no other. There is power, and justice and grace expressed in His name, unlike any other. HIS NAME IS NEAR!

We give thanks to God because it is our duty, and we give thanks because God’s name is always near. But then…

We give thanks for God’s wondrous works.

What did the Levite songwriter know of God’s ‘wondrous works’? He knew of the history of the marriage between God and His chosen people. God’s wondrous works were passed down from generation to generation. He knew that…

God called Abraham from Ur of the Chaldees to a place He prepared for His people. God used Moses to upend the courts of Pharaoh. God used the blood of the lamb on the doorposts, to free His people. God parted the Red Sea; then drowned Pharaoh’s army. God fed the Hebrews in the wilderness; they lived on manna and quail for 40 years. He knew that… When they had no way, God made a way. When they had no hope, God is hope.

When they had no joy, God is joy.

When they had no peace, God is peace.

When they had no strength, God is strength. When they had no remedy, God is the remedy.

We don’t know the actual events that inspired Psalm 75. Suffice it to say that trouble was lurking. It could have been war. It could have been political strife. It could have been moral corruption. Whatever the external pressures, the song writers faith expresses confidence in the continuation of deliverance at the hand of God.

The Psalmist David wrote, “The Lord is righteous in all His ways, and holy in all His works.” (Psalm 145:17). David was able to make that claim because he had many a firsthand experiences with the Lord. That’s why he wrote, “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth” (Psalm 34:1).

We give thanks today…and every day. In fact, we take every breath with a thankful heart. But let me add just one more point to this celebration of thanks to God.

We give thanks out of duty, or because God is near…or even because of the wondrous works He has performed in our lives and the lives of others.

We also give God thanks for our future.

The song writer is able to give thanks because he anticipates a joyful future with the Lord. He trusts God as the Righteous Judge of all mankind.

I trust God with my future…do you? You can trust God with your future if you accept His Son as your Savior. It doesn’t matter what things look like down here. It will be worth all the obstacles you will have to overcome. It will be worth all the demons you may have to defeat. It will be worth all the earthly pleasures you will have to miss. It will be worth all the temptations you will have to conquer. It will be worth all the habits you will have to break. It will be worth all the battles you will have to fight and the burdens you will have to bear. We are thankful now, for what’s coming later. We are thankful for our eternal home with Christ. Paul says, “Behold, I show you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”

Now that’s something to be thankful for. Your future is Oh so bright! Christ will invite you into heavenly glory. Christ will invite you into heavenly harmony.

We give thanks because it is our duty.

Then we give thanks because God is near.

We give thanks for God’s wondrous works.

We also give God thanks for our future.