Gratitude

Introduction

Our series on worship has tried to focus on the nature of God and our response to him. Worship is not only about doing certain actions but it is about our attitude as well. Our worship is directly related to our understanding about God. What we understand about him reflects our worship. If we understand his desire to be in relationship with us; if we understand he is holy; if we understand that he is above all; if we understand how awesome he is; then our worship will reflect hearts turned to honor him.

Dwight and I have tried to challenge us to think about how we approach this time together. We have tried to challenge us to come prepared for worship rather than waiting to see what will happen. I want to challenge us this morning with another aspect of our attitude. I want to concentrate today on gratitude. If we enter with an attitude of thankfulness, then we can know that we are worshiping with our minds focused on praising God. I want to use Psalm 23 as a springboard for our lesson. While not often thought of as a thanksgiving psalm, it is intended to praise God for his faithfulness. It is a psalm that we know by heart. Let’s read it together.

Thankfulness

To dissect the psalm is to take away the beauty of the language and thought. But to ignore some of the specific phrases is to miss the depth of meaning and insight. Notice if you will that because God is our shepherd, we do not lack anything. Isn’t that the basis of thanksgiving? A recognition that all that is needed has been provided? How wonderful it is when God’s people understand that what we need is sufficient and that God is the provider of all that we need. The psalmist tells us that God leads, restores, and guides. What more could we want?

The psalmist is reminding us that there is nothing that can steal our gratitude. We are thankful in all things. We are thankful even for the down times because it allows us to learn to depend upon God even more. As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 12, it is in our weakness that we are strong. Our strength comes from God and our worship is a time to remember that it is not by our might or by our strength but by the Spirit of God. We can be thankful in all circumstances because God is leading, restoring and guiding us. He provides all that we need. We lack nothing.

Verse 4 even speaks to that time that brings fear—death. But it isn’t death itself, but the shadow of death. There are worse things than death and the psalmist speaks of those things. God never leaves us during those times. He is our comfort. He is that which holds us in place—the staff; and he is that which drives away the horrors—the rod. But he wants to comfort us for he promises to never leave us. Our worship is a time to remember the times in which we thought we were alone only to discover that God had never left us. Our worship is a time to bring praise on the one who comforts when nothing else will comfort.

Even when we are confronted by those who do not care for us. When one speaks evil against us; when one harms us; God shows and reveals his favor. And all we can ever hope for is to be in the presence of God forever. This psalm expresses thanks in ways that reminds us that God is faithful. He never forgets us and he never leaves us. He actively pursues us and does what is best for us.

Worship

So when we enter into this assembly, there should be a thankfulness in our attitude. We should be able to recount some of the things that God has done for us this past week. It should be a time of great thanksgiving as we remember how God has lead, guided, and restored us. How he has provided all that we needed.

Don’t let anyone or anything steal your gratitude. Thanksgiving is a good thing to be dedicated and determined to do. God never tires of hearing from thankful children. So how do we increase our thankfulness? Let me suggest three ways.

First, when we pray, be specifically thankful first before you make requests. As parents we grow weary of our children asking for more when they are not thankful for what they have already been given. Let us not weary our Father by continually asking for more when we haven’t expressed thanks for what he has already done.

Second, learn to complain less. When we complain, we push our thankfulness away. The two cannot coexist. For every complaint, follow it with a voice of thanksgiving. Thankful people find it difficult to complain. Even the psalmist recognized that not everything was going to be right. But he thanked God for his comfort in the face of discomfort.

Third, learn to give. Thankful people give. Thankful people realize how much they have already been blessed and they in turn bless others. I’m not talking about just money. We give compliments, encouragement, hugs as well as money. Our blessings are shared with those who need to be blessed.

Let us be thankful now as we celebrate what Christ has done for us. The Lord’s Supper.

Let us pursue thankfulness as God has pursued us so that we might be in relationship with him. Invitation.

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