Psalm 111:1-9 (ESV)
Praise the Lord!
I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart, in the
company of the upright, in the congregation.
Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight
in them.
Full of splendor and majesty is his work, and his
righteousness endures forever.
He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered; for the
Lord is gracious and merciful.
He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his
covenant forever.
He has shown his people the power of his works, giving them
the inheritance of the nations.
The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his
precepts are trustworthy; they are established forever and ever to be performed
with faithfulness and uprightness.
He sent redemption to his people; he has commanded his
covenant forever. Holy and awesome is his name!
I
have a book in my personal library entitled, “Habits
of the Heart.”
I don’t remember all the content of the
book but I love the title because I believe the most important habits we
develop are habits of the heart.
I
know we all need to develop healthy physical habits like brushing and flossing
our teeth; exercising regularly and getting enough rest; but it’s even more important to develop
healthy spiritual habits of prayer, worship and thanksgiving.
I
found this short piece on the internet:
To live rightly in the presence and communion
of God is to live in a state of constant thanksgiving. For from Him we receive
all that we have – our life and existence, all good things, the hope of redemption,
and the joy of communion. The offering of thanksgiving is the acknowledgement
within our heart that we ourselves are not the author of any of these things,
but are rather the recipients – those who receive gifts from God.
The
Apostle Paul says it this way:
Ephesians
5:19-20
Speak
to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in
your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything,
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Did you notice that phrase: “always giving thanks to
God the Father for everything...?”
That sounds like a habit of the heart; the
habit of thanksgiving.
If we go back to Psalm 111 we see several hints as to how to
develop this particular habit of the heart.
I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart, in the
company of the upright, in the congregation.
In other words, I will make a habit of sharing worship as
part of a congregation of similarly committed people.
Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight
in them.
Full of splendor and majesty is his work, and his
righteousness endures forever.
He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered; for the
Lord is gracious and merciful.
I
will make a habit of studying the works of the Lord. I will pay attention to
what God has made and done and will make a habit of thanking him for his grace
and mercy.
He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his
covenant forever.
This
one is perhaps the easiest! I don’t know about you but I eat at least three times a day
and each time I take food to my lips is an opportunity to express thanksgiving
for God’s provision.
He has shown his people the power of his works, giving them
the inheritance of the nations.
He sent redemption to his people; he has commanded his
covenant forever. Holy and awesome is his name!
The
three phrases: “the inheritance of
nations; his redemption; his
covenant”
all refer to the promise of
salvation.They point to the hope of the gospel itself.
So,
how do we develop the habit of thanksgiving in our lives?
We
worship with a congregation every week.
We
pay attention to and study the works of the Lord. We train our hearts and eyes
to notice the beauty and mercy of God in the things and people all around us.
We
connect the provision of food to thanksgiving to God.
We
remember often the great hope of salvation promised in the gospel.
Finally,
we make a habit of expressing our thanksgiving to God in worship and prayer;
and to others in word and deed.
Ask
God to help you learn the habit of the heart called thanksgiving.
Pastor
Brian Coffey
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