40 Days of Thanks - 35

Dr Jim Brown's TruNorth Devotional
40 Days of THANKSGIVING
Day 35 | THE THANKFUL HEART
THE THANKFUL HEART

Psalm 138:1-3
“I will give You thanks with all my heart; I sing praises to You before the [pagan] gods. I will bow down [in worship] toward Your holy temple and give thanks to Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth; for You have magnified Your word together with Your name. On the day I called, You answered me; and You made me bold and confident with [renewed] strength in my life.” 
  (AMP)

King David wrote this gem, and as usual, we can learn at least one reason why David was considered “a man after [God’s] own heart.”  Look at how elaborate his praise of God was.

David said:
(1) “I will give You thanks with all my heart.”

Have you ever watched a 2-year-old give thanks for a birthday present after being prompted by mom or dad? “What do you say?” “Tank-ewe.”   It was there, but the sincerity hasn’t been learned yet.

Further, David was explicitly thankful:
(2) “And give thanks to Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth;
and “on the day I called, You answered me.”


And David was thankful for the results:
(3) “And You made me bold and confident with [renewed] strength in my life.”

We can learn much about being thankful to the LORD from these brief passages in Psalm 138. (YOU might enjoy reading all of Psalm 138, which only has eight verses.)

We must be SINCERELY thankful to the LORD for what He does for us. (Don’t be like the typical 2-year-old.)  It’s helpful to be specific with our thanks to the LORD. He knows what He did, but often, we miss some, which decreases our thanksgiving to the LORD.

And WE need to remember. I know most have shorter and shorter memories today… but remember ALL you can (write them down?) and when you feel God isn’t doing His part, re-read or remember what He has done, and thank Him again.

Prayer: LORD, I am so thankful for You.  Help me to SEE everything You do for me and to give You the thanks You deserve. Amen.
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