But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run,
and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Isaiah 40:31
Are you weary with all that is going on in America today? As followers of Christ, we know that nothing surprises God. He is in control. He has a plan. When you are feeling low or overwhelmed, I encourage you to dig into Scripture. One of the most vital things we can do in these uncertain times is to take an eternal perspective.
We have entered November, a month when traditionally we take time to reflect on all that we are grateful for. Even in a year like 2020, we can find so much for which to be thankful. Psalm 136 is a Psalm of thanksgiving which begins with the verse: “O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth forever,” Psalm 136:1. Further, every verse in this Psalm concludes with the phrase, “for his mercy endureth forever.”
Charles H. Spurgeon, the great preacher of the nineteenth century, said the following about Psalm 136 in his work, The Treasure of David: “We know not by whom this Psalm was written, but we do know that it was sung in Solomon’s temple (2 Ch. 7:3,6) and by the armies of Jehoshaphat when they sang themselves into victory in the wilderness of Tekoa. From the striking form of it, we should infer that it was a popular hymn among the Lord’s ancient people.”
Thus, ancient Israel, after the bondage of Egypt, the wandering in the wilderness, and fierce warfare to conquer their Promised Land, found reason to thank and praise God, as should we.
The word “mercy” is especially significant when used in the Psalms, for it indicates God’s love for His people. He has made a covenant relationship with us, and He is loyal to that covenant.
Jesus stressed the importance of thankfulness when He healed ten lepers in Luke Chapter 17. Of the ten, only one returned to thank Him. This man happened to be a Samaritan, a natural enemy of the Jews, but he was grateful enough for this miracle to thank Jesus, a Jew, for this miraculous cleansing.
Jesus Himself expressed thanks to His Heavenly Father. As part of His prayer when He raised Lazarus from the dead, He said, “Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me” (John 11:41). At the Last Supper, He took time to give thanks for the elements of the first Communion service (Matthew 26:27), although He was just hours from the events that would ultimately lead to His death on our behalf.
No matter how bad times are—as a whole, or for us as individuals—we can find something about which we can express our thanks to God. If nothing else, we can be thankful that He has led us by His Holy Spirit into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ that has provided us with an eternal home in glory. We can thank Him for the opportunity of living in a nation that allows us the freedom to vote. We can thank Him for family and friends who are a reflection of His love for us. May we be mindful of these things.
“In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you,” 1 Thessalonians 5:18.