Exalting God in a spirit of Thanksgiving

A Thankful heart is one that Recognizes the role of God in Deliverance (Ps 30:1-3)

Explanation: The Psalmist is exalting and lifting up the Name of his covenant God because God had worked a deliverance for him. He recognized that God was the One who brought about his current situation. The psalmist had been going through hardship and he realized he could not mange the situation himself. In his despair and helplessness he had cried out to God. In his weakness, He turned to his Covenant God, and Yahweh responded to his prayer for help.

Illustrate:

Argument: The psalmist was wise enough to see God’s hand and his response was one of praise and exaltation. He did not try to take credit for fixing the problem. Note his language about God’s actions

You have drawn me up

You have healed me

You have brought up my soul

You restored me to life

Application: We live in a world that promotes self-effort. We are proud of our abilities and often we take credit for outcomes that we were powerless to bring about. It is good for believers to acknowledge - to ourselves and others - that God is to praised for His work of deliverance in our lives.

Prior to recognizing His hand of deliverance, we are to come to the Lord in humility, seeking His favor. Confessing our inability is the first step. Are you crying out to God with a broken spirit or are you trying to ride out your storm on your own?

A Thankful heart will proclaim the Goodness and mercy of God to others (Ps 30:4-6)

Explanation: The psalmist took the next step: once he recognized that God was the source of his deliverance, he gave Him praise. He also instructed others to praise God with him. Note that the psalmist is addressing this to fellow believers: “O ye saints of His” (v. 4a) Believers should be the most thankful people in the world! AND we should be telling others the reason WHY we are so thankful!

The psalmist instructs his listeners to give thanks and then adds a modifier. Believers are to give thanks as they remember His holiness (v. 4b). The psalmist is focusing on the character of God. He is reminding the people that Yahweh is not a sentimental, wishy-washy deity who just wants everyone to be happy. The biblical God is One who is holy and righteous in all aspects of His being. Thankfully for us, He is also a God of mercy and grace.

The psalmist references the anger of God and contrasts it with His favor (v. 5). He instructs his listeners that God’s anger is temporary, but His favor is for a lifetime. This observation seems out of place in this psalm until we arrive at v. 6 and encounter the issue of sin in the psalmist’s life. We discover that the psalmist had become prideful, thinking that his good station in life was the result of his own resourcefulness. He forgot that God was the One who allowed him to prosper in this life. He forgot that His very next breath was dependent upon God’s grace and favor (cf Job 12:10)

Argument: The psalmist was a worshiper of God and a faithful member of the Covenant people of God. He had an existing relationship with Yahweh based on faith. This relationship gave him the grounds to declare that God’s anger lasts for a moment, and His favor for a lifetime. This truth is for those who are in covenant relationship with God through Christ. Outside of Christ, there is only despair, hopelessness, and a terrifying future apart from the presence of God (John 3:36)

Application: In his prosperity the psalmist fell to the sin of pride. For most of us, the wise request of Agur should channel our own requests of God.

Proverbs 30:7–9 KJV 1900

Two things have I required of thee; Deny me them not before I die: Remove far from me vanity and lies: Give me neither poverty nor riches; Feed me with food convenient for me: Lest I be full, and deny thee, And say, Who is the Lord? Or lest I be poor, and steal, And take the name of my God in vain.

A thankful heart will make good use of the time that is given (Ps. 30:8-12)

Explanation: The psalmist returns to addressing God directly. The man has come through his storm and it has changed his perspective. He has confessed that his sinful pride brought the displeasure of God and he has been humbled. The result is one who is more keenly aware of the grace that God has shown through the gift of extended time. In verse 9, he asks God a rhetorical question about the abilities of one who has died. The answer is “no;” a dead person cannot offer praise to God.

We must realize that God cannot be manipulated through human reasoning. The psalmist did not deserve the time extension; God healed him out of grace and according to His own perfect timing. The point the psalmist is making is that he knows that he has been given a gift and he doesn’t plan on wasting it. He is going to use whatever time he has remaining to serve God and to be a witness to others. He is going to find joy in the journey and praise His God.

Example: Tim has in the past, and continues in the present, to give a witness to God’s grace in his own life through the extension of life.

Sadly, there are many people who disregard His grace and continue to reject Him, even when they continue to enjoy the benefits of common grace.

Application: You may not have been brought to the point of death and then been given another chance, [At least not that you are aware of], but God is to be praised for every moment that we have been given. A thankful heart should be evident in His children!