The Language of a Thankful Heart: Cultivating Gratitude

How do we express the gratitude we feel?  Our spirit of thankfulness should extend beyond a single holiday, for it can sustain us through life’s difficult days and challenging seasons.  But how do we cultivate such a spirit, the kind of thankfulness that not only wells up in times of joy, but also prevails in times of sorrow?  

Such thankfulness comes from a devoted heart; and a devoted heart comes from a determined focus; and a determined focus comes from a diligent study of God’s Word and a dedication to prayer.  It is by the Word of God and communion with Him that we grow in grace and increase in knowledge of the Lord (2 Peter 3:18).

The Language of the Heart

The Bible offers a powerful guide to help us cultivate gratitude and thanksgiving.  It is the Book of Psalms.  The Psalms are the prayer and songbook of God’s ancient people, Israel — a rich collection of poems and hymns written by David (73 psalms), Asaph (11 psalms), Solomon (2 psalms), Moses (1 psalm), Heman the Ezrahite  (1 psalm), Ethan the Ezrahite (1 psalm), and 50 unknown psalmists.  More than just ancient literature, this book provides a divine example of how to approach a holy and awesome God.

Athanasius, a 4th-century theologian, described the psalms beautifully when he wrote,

 “Most of Scripture speaks to us. The Psalms speak for us.”  

The Book of Psalms provides us with words when we don’t know what to say.  It reveals our emotions when we’re unsure of how we feel. It reminds us that we are not alone and gives comfort to the hurting heart, hope to the despairing soul, peace to the troubled mind, and strength to persevere in the truths of God.

Transform your Thanksgiving reflections this year from a simple list of what you have into a profound dialogue with the Giver of all things.

Psalms of Rejoicing

The Psalms give words to the full spectrum of human experience, and the glorious hymns of praise are arguably the best known psalms [Psalms 8, 9, 18, 19, 23, 24, 29, 30, 33, 34, 40, 46, 47, 48, 65, 66, 67, 75, 76, 92, 93, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 103, 104, 107, 111, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 124, 134, 135, 136, 138, 139, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, and 150.]  These psalms bring rejoicing in exalting God for who He is, all He has done, and His love, mercy, and grace for us.

While the psalms of praise are the best known, the psalms of lament outnumber them.  [Psalms 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 17, 22, 25, 26, 27, 28, 31, 32, 35, 38, 39, 41, 42, 43, 44, 51, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 63, 64, 69, 70, 71, 73, 74, 77, 79, 80, 83, 85, 86, 88, 89, 90, 94, 102, 109, 120, 130, 139, 140, 141, 142, and 143].

An Honest Path from Lament to Praise

In the psalms of lament, the psalmists were not afraid to cry out to God in their suffering, to question His silence, or to plead for Him to work in them and in their circumstances. The psalms of lament teach us that authentic faith does not require us to pretend everything is okay. Rather, we are invited to bring our brokenness, our confusion, and our grief directly to God.

However, while the psalms of lament express despair, they rarely end that way. They model a powerful spiritual movement, brought about by faith and trust in God, that transforms grief into joy, complaint into confidence, and despair into delight. These psalms guide the worshiper from a place of raw honesty about their pain toward a steadfast hope and trust in God’s character and promises. The journey is the foundation of enduring gratitude, reminding us that God is an ever-present help in times of difficulty. True thankfulness is born from the assurance that no matter our circumstances, our story ends in praise.

One of my favorite quotes is from Reverand John Claypool (1930-2005), “With God, the worst is never the last.”

[Having focused only on the psalms of praise and lament, let me share with you that the remainder of the psalms fall into these categories:  Torah or Wisdom Psalms 1, 19, 37, 49, 112, 119; Royal or Enthronement Psalms 2, 20, 21, 45, 72, 110; Psalms of Trust and Confidence Psalms 11, 16, 62, 91, 121; Historical Psalms 78, 105, 106; Psalms of Zion 84, 87, 122; Imprecatory Psalms 35, 58, 109, 137. ]

An Unshakeable Foundation

These three words are the ultimate claim of the Psalms and the entire Bible: “The Lord Reigns!”

No matter who or what seems to hold power in the world, God is the rightful, just, and sovereign ruler over all. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and the Psalms are a book of assurance that we are never alone and can always depend on the unchanging reality of the Lord’s righteous reign.  The psalmists point to the Lord’s reign through several key themes. 

• Creation, recognizing that He made everything and sustains it with His power and wisdom (Psalm 104). 
• Salvation, recounting how He has defeated evil and redeemed His people (Psalm 98). 
• Judgment, trusting that His wisdom is righteous and universal (Psalm 96). 
• Relationship, finding comfort in being God’s people, the flock under His personal care (Psalm 100:3). 

When we root our thankfulness in who God is, what He has done, and His faithfulness to us, we build our hope on a sure and solid foundation.

The Ultimate Gift: A Promised King

Finally, many Psalms possess a prophetic message.  Many contain prophecies that foretold events of Jesus’ first coming — events that have been perfectly fulfilled.  There are also many psalms with prophecy yet to be fulfilled, but we can trust that they will be fulfilled.  There are 21 psalms identified as being distinctly prophetic: Psalms 2, 8, 16, 22, 24, 34, 35, 40, 41, 45, 68, 69, 72, 78, 89, 91, 97, 102, 109, 110, and 118.

Where to start?

As you gather with loved ones to celebrate Thanksgiving, let the ancient words of the Psalms guide you into a deeper, more joyous gratitude.  One of the best psalms to do is Psalm 100.  It reflects the core themes of our Thanksgiving holiday. The psalm begins with a call to acknowledge the Lord (v. 1) and an encouragement to worship with gladness and “joyful songs” (v. 2). It then reminds us of our relationship with God (v. 3) and instructs us to come to Him in thankfulness with praise (v. 4). The psalm concludes by affirming the goodness and enduring mercy of our God (v. 5).

Psalm 100:1Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands! (v. 2) Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. (v. 3) Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. (v. 4)Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. (v. 5) For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.

Take time to prepare your hearts for Thanksgiving and for giving thanks.  Join with us in Singing Praises of Thanksgiving.

1. Singing the promises of God song.

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