⁷ Then on that day David delivered first this psalm to thank the Lord into the hand of Asaph and his brethren.

⁸ Give thanks unto the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people.

⁹ Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous works.

¹⁰ Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord.

¹¹ Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his face continually.

¹² Remember his marvellous works that he hath done, his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;

¹³ O ye seed of Israel his servant, ye children of Jacob, his chosen ones.

¹⁴ He is the Lord our God; his judgments are in all the earth.

¹⁵ Be ye mindful always of his covenant; the word which he commanded to a thousand generations;

¹⁶ Even of the covenant which he made with Abraham, and of his oath unto Isaac;

¹⁷ And hath confirmed the same to Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant,

¹⁸ Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance;

¹⁹ When ye were but few, even a few, and strangers in it.

²⁰ And when they went from nation to nation, and from one kingdom to another people;

²¹ He suffered no man to do them wrong: yea, he reproved kings for their sakes,

²² Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.

²³ Sing unto the Lord, all the earth; shew forth from day to day his salvation.

²⁴ Declare his glory among the heathen; his marvellous works among all nations.

²⁵ For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised: he also is to be feared above all gods.

²⁶ For all the gods of the people are idols: but the Lord made the heavens.

²⁷ Glory and honour are in his presence; strength and gladness are in his place.

²⁸ Give unto the Lord, ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength.

²⁹ Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

³⁰ Fear before him, all the earth: the world also shall be stable, that it be not moved.

³¹ Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice: and let men say among the nations, The Lord reigneth.

³² Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof: let the fields rejoice, and all that is therein.

³³ Then shall the trees of the wood sing out at the presence of the Lord, because he cometh to judge the earth.

³⁴ O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.

³⁵ And say ye, Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather us together, and deliver us from the heathen, that we may give thanks to thy holy name, and glory in thy praise.

Adjust your thinking to view Thanksgiving as a monument established to remind you of the great things your God has done.  You see this in the Old Testament over and over.   Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob all built alters to represent moments when God intervened in their lives.  The purpose of these structures was Worship of God and a reminder of what God had done.

Let’s take a look at one example:

Joshua 4:4 When all the nation had finished passing over the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, 2 “Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man, 3 and command them, saying, ‘Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests’ feet stood firmly, and bring them over with you and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight.’” 4 Then Joshua called the twelve men from the people of Israel, whom he had appointed, a man from each tribe. 5 And Joshua said to them, “Pass on before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take up each of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, 6 that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ 7 then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever.” English Standard Version (ESV)

By placing the stones in the water, the people who crossed the river and their children would remember the miracle God preformed at that place and at that time.

Thanksgiving represents a monument to God because he deserves our worship, but also because it our recognition of what God has done.  It serves as an on going reminder that God intervenes in our life for our good.  When you give honest thanks you acknowledge His acts. Your mind isn’t racing to come up with a wild explanation as to how things occurred.  The river didn’t just coincidently dry up just as the people of Israel decided to walk across.  It is easy to forget what God has done in our pasts when times get hard.  Thanksgiving, which focuses on thanking God for the great things he has done, reminds us that God acted in the past and will act in our current situation.

Exercise:

I would like to make a suggestion that as we go through this study on thanksgiving that you set out a bowl on your kitchen table or in another place where you frequently pass.  Using rocks, marbles or some similar object drop one item into the bowl every time you think of something for which you are grateful to God.  The bowl becomes your monument to the goodness of God.

If you look at several of the Psalms you will note David would speak with God concerning his need for God’s help, his need for God to intervene.  David in the same psalm typically recites when God has in the past acted on David’s behalf.  He builds his faith towards the future by reciting what God has done in the past.

This is the pattern for growing into faith and for growing into a person who is able to do those things, which God requires of them.

Altar of God            3:34            Josh Bates            Album:  Glory Revealed

Let’s start with what Thanksgiving, for the purpose of our discussion, is not.  We aren’t talking about a table full of turkey, dressing (cornbread) or lots of cranberries.   We aren’t talking about a quick bowing of your head and a series of words expressing gratitude for the food. We are not even talking about a prayer where you thank God for answering the desire of your heart.

We are talking about a way of life.  The developing of habits which will bring us into a deep and honest relationship with God.  Thanksgiving as a way of life represents a person attuned to the actions of the Lord from day to day, from hour to hour and from minute to minute.

Thank about a first love in your life.  A crush you practically worshiped.   You live those early days of falling in love concentrating on everything about this person.  Do you remember those goofy days of oohing and ahhing over everything they say and do?  Do you remember wanting to spend all your time with one person.

Time dulls this first love.  You either grow deep into a real love as true friends or you grow apart.   True friends appreciate one another.  They want to spend time together.  The early giggly love fades and a deep thankfulness for the other person settles in.

Christians know those mountain top moments with God.  Those times when we are filled with an over the top love for the Lord.  Maybe it was when we first accepted Christ as savior, an answered prayer, a time when Jesus pulled us back from a life headed into misery.

The first love moments die if we do not build a lasting friendship based on love and admiration.  We have to be willing to spend time with the Lord, to keep our eyes on the beautiful things He does, to stay grateful He is part of our lives in the day to day.  Or we will grow apart and the love will die.

Revelations 2:4-5   Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left they first love.  Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

EXERCISE:

Make a list of your mountain top times with Jesus.  Those moments when you were almost giggly about what God was doing in your life.  This list is only for you, but try to put the details in about what caused the experience and how you felt.

New Play list Songs

Love Song for a King 3:23 Caleb Rowden

I Love You, Lord 3:20 The Maranatha Singers Songs 4 Worship: Holy Ground (Disc 2)

O, How I Love Jesus  Randy Travis Glory Train, Songs of faith

Give Thanks to the Lord                     Richie Furay            In My Father’s House