In our blog series on the Psalms, this week we think about Psalms of thanksgiving. While there are some psalms of thanksgiving which are easy to identify (Psalm 8, 92, 145, 150), there are others which start with some kind of complaint, lament or problem but end with praise for God’s great answer (Psalm 30, 57). Suffice it to say that there is a lot of praise and thanksgiving in the psalms.
One way of reading scripture regularly is to include one Psalm (or in the case of Psalm 119, one section of that Psalm) in regular Bible reading. There are blog posts about the other types of psalms, so I’ll address the value to my own soul of the psalms of thanksgiving. These great psalms of praise often reframe my thinking. What do I mean by that? Sometimes I awake and my God is very small and my problems are very large. These great psalms of praise remind me that my God is very great, and everything else is small next to him. These psalms also remind me of the mighty deeds of God in my own life. God is mighty and awesome always. My perception of His greatness is often faulty. The psalms of thanksgiving set my heart right!
Here is one of my favorite psalms of thanksgiving.
Psalm 145 A Song of Praise. Of David.
I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable.
One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts. On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate. They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds, and I will declare your greatness. They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.
The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The LORD is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.
All your works shall give thanks to you, O LORD, and all your saints shall bless you! They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom and tell of your power, to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations.
The LORD is faithful in all his words and kind in all his works. The LORD upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing. The LORD is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works. The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them. The LORD preserves all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.
My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD, and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.
I like the powerful words and images: unsearchable greatness, mighty acts, glorious splendor, awesome deeds, wondrous works, abundant goodness, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
That gets me thinking and believing the true things about our awesome God
In Him,
Don