O Give Thanks
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Turn to and read Psalm 136:1.
In an article entitled, “Why Gratitude Isn’t Just for Thanksgiving,” the author states that,
Being thankful is strongly linked with both mental and physical health – and can help to relieve stress, depression and addictions, among other conditions.
http://healthland.time.com/2012/11/22/why-gratitude-isnt-just-for-thanksgiving/
Could this be why we are so “stressed out” as we saw this morning - because we find it difficult to be thankful for mass murders, acts of terrorism, etc.?
Another article states,
Day in and day out, when we turn on the radio, TV, or scan the internet headlines, we’re bombarded with negativity and what’s wrong in the world. It’s no wonder stress is an ongoing problem for so many—60% to 90% of all doctor visits are stress related. Chronic stress, caused by ongoing negative emotions, can weaken your body’s immune response and increase the likelihood of illness and disease.
What if there were a magic potion that could reduce stress, improve your mood, and improve your sense of well being? Turns out, there is. According to researchers at John Hopkins University, positive emotions, like gratitude, have stress-reducing, health-bolstering effects on your health, even if heart disease runs in your family. That’s right. In spite of known risk factors, those with a positive outlook were one-third less likely to have a heart attack or other cardiovascular event within 5–25 years than those with a negative outlook.
https://www.farmersalmanac.com/thankful-health-benefits-33352
The word, “thanks,” is used in God’s word in 71 verses.
The word, “thanksgiving,” is used 27 times.
The specific phrase, “O give thanks unto the Lord,” is used 10x in the Bible and all 10x were written by King David. Four of those instances are recorded for us in Psalm 136.
The Hebrew word that is translated, “O give thanks,” is also, in other verses, translated “praise.”
I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: And I will glorify thy name for evermore.
O Give Thanks
O Give Thanks
O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: For his mercy endureth for ever.
Giving of thanks is an act of worship. It isn’t simply a psychological or emotional exercise.
Giving of thanks & having a grateful attitude should not be motivated by the benefits which we might derive from it.
Giving of thanks should be spiritually motivated.
Unto the Lord
Unto the Lord
The object of our thanks & the recipient of our thanks should be none other than the Lord.
Even the world understands that our gratitude has a recipient.
Gratitude is
An emotion of the heart, excited by a favor or benefit received; a sentiment of kindness or good will towards a benefactor; thankfulness. gratitude is an agreeable emotion, consisting in or accompanied with good will to a benefactor, and a disposition to make a suitable return of benefits or services, or when no return can be made, with a desire to see the benefactor prosperous and happy.
Giving of thanks should not be dependent upon the physical or material even though there are so many “obvious” things that we are thankful for.
If our gratitude is dependent upon “things” then our gratitude will be gone when those material things are gone.
Psalm 136:1 begins with the statement, “O give thanks unto the Lord; for He is good…”
Even though we generally give thanks for such things as our possessions, our family, etc. those things are not needed in order to still have a grateful spirit.
Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped,
And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return thither: The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.
Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.
I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
One way in which we can cultivate this kind of attitude is to lower our expectations. This was demonstrated by Paul in the passage from Philippians that we just read.
Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.
This is important because one of the many ways in which we lose our gratitude is when our expectations are not met.
Expectations in the workplace.
Expectations in our home.
Expectations in our relationships.
And when our expectations are not met we find ourselves developing a critical and complaining spirit instead of a grateful spirit.
And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah.
And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?
The Apostle Paul states it this way:
But godliness with contentment is great gain.
For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
Our giving of thanks should be dependent simply upon two things:
Our giving of thanks should be dependent simply upon two things:
For He Is Good.
For He Is Good.
For His Mercy Endureth For Ever.
For His Mercy Endureth For Ever.
David did list “things” that God had done:
Creation
The Exodus from Egypt
Provisions in the Wilderness Wanderings
The Promised Land
However, David’s thanks began with God’s goodness and ended with His mercy.
O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: For his mercy endureth for ever.
O give thanks unto the God of heaven: For his mercy endureth for ever.
One of the characteristics of God that so many tend to doubt is His goodness. Individuals will many times make statements such as, “If God is so good, why did He…?”
Most things that often cause us to doubt God’s goodness should really be attributed to the fact that we live in a world that has been affected by sin.
That is why it is important for us to not only remember the goodness of God, but also His mercy.
Turn to and read Lamentations 3:21-25.
Closing: Dr. Robert Emmons, professor of psychology at the University of California, Davis, and the world's leading scientific expert on gratitude wrote that gratitude...
...can lower blood pressure, improve immune function and facilitate more efficient sleep. Gratitude reduces lifetime risk for depression, anxiety and substance abuse disorders, and is a key resiliency factor in the prevention of suicide.
https://health.ucdavis.edu/medicalcenter/features/2015-2016/11/20151125_gratitude.html
However he told the Wall Street Journal that in order to reap all of its benefits, feeling gratitude must be ingrained into your personality, and you must frequently acknowledge and be thankful for the role other people play in your happiness:
The key is not to leave it on the Thanksgiving table.
In other words, we must develop a year round “attitude of gratitude!”
By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.
O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: For his mercy endureth for ever.