Thankfulness Awakened

Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our
salvation. Let us come before Him (into His presence) with thanksgiving and extol
him with music and song.
Psalm 95:1-2
A psalm. For giving grateful praise. Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship
the LORD with gladness; come before Him (into His presence) with joyful songs.
Know that the LORD is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His
people, the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts
with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the LORD is good and His
love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations.
Psalm 100
Psalm 107:1-3
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures
forever. Let the redeemed of the LORD tell their story those he redeemed from
the hand of the foe, those he gathered from the lands, from east and west, from
north and south.
Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where they could
settle. They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives ebbed away. Then they cried
out to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He led
them by a straight way to a city where they could settle.
Psalm 107:8-9
Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his
wonderful deeds for mankind, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with
good things.
Some sat in darkness, in utter darkness, prisoners suffering in iron chains, because
they rebelled against Gods commands and despised the plans of the Most High. So
he subjected them to bitter labor; they stumbled, and there was no one to help.
Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.
He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness, and broke away their chains.
Psalm 107:15-16 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his
wonderful deeds for mankind, for he breaks down gates of bronze and cuts through
bars of iron.
Some became fools through their rebellious ways and suffered affliction because of
their iniquities. They loathed all food and drew near the gates of death. Then they
cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He sent
out his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave.
Psalm 107:21-22 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his
wonderful deeds for mankind. Let them sacrifice thank offerings and tell of his
works with songs of joy.

Thankfulness Awakened
Some went out on the sea in ships; they were merchants on the mighty waters.
They saw the works of the LORD, his wonderful deeds in the deep. For he spoke and
stirred up a tempest that lifted high the waves. They mounted up to the heavens
and went down to the depths; in their peril their courage melted away. They reeled
and staggered like drunkards; they were at their wits end. Then they cried out to
the LORD in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. He stilled the
storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew
calm, and he guided them to their desired haven.
Psalm 107:31-32 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his
wonderful deeds for mankind. Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people and
praise him in the council of the elders.
He turned rivers into a desert, flowing springs into thirsty ground, and fruitful land
into a salt waste, because of the wickedness of those who lived there. He turned the
desert into pools of water and the parched ground into flowing springs; there he
brought the hungry to live, and they founded a city where they could settle. They
sowed fields and planted vineyards that yielded a fruitful harvest; he blessed them,
and their numbers greatly increased, and he did not let their herds diminish. Then
their numbers decreased, and they were humbled by oppression, calamity and
sorrow; he who pours contempt on nobles made them wander in a trackless waste.
But he lifted the needy out of their affliction and increased their families like flocks.
The upright see and rejoice, but all the wicked shut their mouths.
Let the one who is wise heed these things and ponder the loving deeds of the LORD.
Psalm 107:43
What has just been listed here (immediately after the first passages in Psalms 95
and 100) is the entire 107th Psalm. It wholly serves as a responsive reading. The
boxed verses serve as thankful responses!
The number of times that thanks (or a variation of the word) is mentioned in
scripture alone should give us indication that this is an important topic to pay
attention to. Well over one-hundred times is the topic centered in on. What we have
just reviewed is but a sampling of it. For example, Psalm 136 is so potent with
thanks that it is as if an echo keeps bouncing back and forth within the walls of the
Grand Canyon. The emphasis that is repeatedly brought out is that our thankfulness
is to always be directed to Gods goodness, mercy, and love. No other subjects even
come close to deserving or drawing out our thanks.
In the Psalms alone, given to us particularly to vocalize thanksgiving, consider these
other passages:

Thankfulness Awakened
Psalm 105:1-2
Oh, give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name; Make known
His deeds among the peoples! Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; Talk of all His
wondrous works!
Psalm 106:1 & 47
Praise the LORD. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
his love endures forever. Save us, LORD our God, and gather us from the nations,
that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise.
Psalm 115:1
Not to us, LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory,
because of your love and faithfulness.
Psalm 117 Praise the LORD, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples. For great is
his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the
LORD.
Psalm 118:1 & 4 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures
forever. Let those who fear the LORD say: His love endures forever.
Psalm 136:1-3, 26
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures
forever. Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the
Lord of lords: His love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of heaven. His love
endures forever.
There is a clear impression displayed in all these psalms, and many others, that
thanksgiving is both an attitude and an action. Thanksgiving is not just a treasure
stored in the heart; it is an action of the mouth (Matthew 12:34-35). We actually see
this all the time but perhaps dont think much about it. It becomes rather obvious
from a persons words and life what they are the most thankful for. They cannot
help but speak of it. They cannot help but steer their lives in the direction of
demonstrating that gratefulness.
In a season (and holiday) of our lives when it seems that food & football, and family
& friends tend to receive the highest priority and attention, I would send out a
clarion call to awaken our thankfulness in this sole regard: Oh give thanks to
the Lord, for He is good; His love (mercy) endures forever!
Although the Thanksgiving meals, fellowship, and celebration are always special,
they are also fleeting. Before we know it the preparations will be made, the meals
will be eaten, leftovers will be stored away, and we will return to our normal activity.
However, lets be honest our normal living ought to be accompanied by
extraordinary thanksgiving, and that thanksgiving does not need to remain generic.
In their early years, children may be taught to pray; Lord, thank you for mommy
and daddy, for my kitty, and for helping me be good today. Later we learn to thank
God for food on the table, warmth and shelter, and our basic needs being met. We
are also prone to be thankful for family and friends, joy and laughter, health and
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Thankfulness Awakened
happiness. Hopefully we come to eventually realize that we should be sincerely
thankful for Jesus Christ, salvation, and His abiding presence in our lives. Indeed, we
are thankful for many things and should be, but becoming intentional, focused and
purposeful about our thanksgiving for this particular reason is quite fitting. Holy
Spirit - awaken our soul and spirit to a deeper appreciation for this that He is good,
and that His love, mercy, and faithfulness endure forever.
Related to this truth, we see also in scripture that our thankfulness is to be in
response to receiving this mercy, love and faithfulness in its fullness; in its
culmination (or at its peak). We receive His kingdom, an unshakeable one, and as a
result out of our thankfulness we are to worship God acceptably with reverence
and awe. Let it be said that worship that is birthed out of shallow or half-hearted
thankfulness, if any, is likely void of reverence and awe. Dare we say that it is
unacceptable?
Notice that the reverent worship in the following verse is spoken of in the present
tense it is not to be reserved for a later date!
Hebrews 12:28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be
shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and
awe
Because His mercy, love and faithfulness will endure forever, I suspect that our
thanksgiving must also. For our thanksgiving to be awakened completely in glory is
one thing, and indeed this will most certainly occur. But may this thanksgiving be
awakened now, fanned into flame today, such that we can worship Him
acceptably, with sincere reverence and awe, now and forevermore. Let us wait no
longer! After all, Jesus prayed Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as
it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:10) So in answer to the prayer of our Lord, may the
most inspired thanksgiving spring forth from each of us, saying; I thank you today,
Father, because you are good, and your mercy, love and faithfulness to me have not
only endured up until now, but will endure forever. From deep within my soul
THANK YOU!