Psalm 100:4-5 – 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 eternal; his faithfulness endures through all generations.
It is good for us to pause on a daily basis to give thanks to the Lord. I have read in more than one place - and I wholeheartedly agree - that thanksgiving is not to be reserved for a day in November, but ought to be something that we do 365 days of the year. Indeed!
It is also good for us to pause at specific moments throughout the year to give thanks. As God laid out a rhythm for the worship life of his people he built in specific days and times and seasons in which they were specifically to give thanks. This holiday is one of those moments in the life of the 21st Century church. We have time off of work. We have time away from school. And, as was the purpose with the ancient holy days (holidays), so it is good for us to take these holidays (holy days) to rest in God’s Word and to worship him just as the psalmist urges us.
So, we invite you to join us to enter God’s house and worship him with us. You have two opportunities!
Wednesday, 11/25: 6:30 pm (in-person)
Thursday, 11/26: 10:00 am (in-person and online broadcast)
We’d love to have you!
Prayer:
Lord God, you continually tell me about your goodness, your love, and your faithfulness. I read account after account of your goodness, love, and faithfulness in the Bible. The Bible reveals who you are on every page. It even reminds us that you do not change; yes, from age to age you remain the same. And yet when things go sideways in my life and don’t turn out as I planned, I doubt it. When painful, unpleasant and even evil things happen in my life, I question your goodness, love, and faithfulness. My words may not say it, but my heart struggles with fear, doubt, and even frustration. It is good for me, then, to hear this encouragement from the psalmist. It is good for me to do what he says: Enter into your presence with thanksgiving and give thanks to you for who you are. Circumstances and conditions always change. But these are no indication of who you are or what you are like. You, Lord, are the definition of what it is to be good. You are good, kind, gracious, and merciful. You love me with an everlasting love and drawn me to yourself with cords of kindness. You always stay true to who you are and what you have promised. From age to age the same – that’s who you are! When I think about who you are and what you have promised, my heart overflows with thankfulness. Teach me, day by day, to enter your gates with thanksgiving. There is always a reason for thankfulness even in the direst circumstances because of who you are and what you have promised. Amen.