Psalm 9:1-10
I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High. My enemies turn back; they stumble and perish before you. For you have upheld my right and my cause, sitting enthroned as the righteous judge. You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked; you have blotted out their name for ever and ever. Endless ruin has overtaken my enemies, you have uprooted their cities; even the memory of them has perished. The Lord reigns forever; he has established his throne for judgment. He rules the world in righteousness and judges the peoples with equity. The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.
This is a psalm of shouting for victory. The first verse says that "I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart." "With all my heart" means wholeheartedly giving thanks to God. We must give thanks to God for everything that God has accomplished. One time, Jesus healed ten lepers, but only one of them came back to give thanks to the Lord. So, the Lord asked: "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?" I found that we are often one of the nine who received God's grade but forgot to come back to give thanks. When God has responded to our prayer, let's shout praises to Him! Let's give thanks to Him! Let's give him all the glory!
Why do we forget to give thanks? Because our eyesight often only focuses on things that have not been accomplished yet, but ignore the things that He has accomplished. When my daughter was young, one time I brought her out to play on her birthday. I took that day off and spent to whole day with her. We went to the park in the morning and played miniature golf in the afternoon, had a great time together. When we were having dinner, she suddenly recalled that we didn't go see a movie. So, she wasn't happy during dinnertime because she kept on thinking that she did see a movie that day. That's how children are - They only see what they haven't received, but forgot everything that they're already enjoyed.
Aren't adults like that sometimes? We often forget all the grace that God has given us, but only focus on what He hasn't accomplished and things He hasn't given us. May the Lord teach us to give thanks for all things, and sing praises to God all the time. When we sing praises to God, He will fill us with tremendous joy!
Pray with Pastor Tong
Lord, please open my eyes to see what you have already given us. Let our hearts be filled with praise and gratitude, so that we may praise your holy name with all our heart each and every day. I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.