Giving Thanks For What The Lord Provides

Word-Of-The-Day: ‘I will give thanks to the Lord because of His righteousness; I will sing the praises of the name of the Lord Most High.’ (Psalm 7:17)

Psalm 7 is from David and is a song or lyric he wrote as a lamentation concerning his need for protection from a Benjamite named Cush.  (Not to be confused with the nation Cush, also the name of an old kingdom located in today’s southern Nile region of southern Egypt and northern Sudan.)  David pleads for God to protect him and to provide justice – even if it is upon David for doing wrong.  Regardless of the circumstance, though, David ends Psalm 7 with giving thanks to the Lord, praising Him for His holy righteousness and His omnipotence.

No matter what we have or don’t have in terms of possessions, talents, or abilities, what we do have has all be provided to us by God, with the ‘lowest common denominator’ being our very lives.  David lamented over the situation of having someone – Cush – who apparently did not like David and wanted to harm him, a legitimate concern and need.  Sometimes we lament over situations we create through our wants and desires, not always with a legitimate purpose.  Desires ‘to have’ are possessive, desires ‘to be’ are positional; is having or being always beneficial or blessed?  Not if they are outside of God’s will or plan for your life; if they are of selfish desires they are not.

What we need to be thankful for is what the Lord has provided for us, and what He provides for us are blessings to either bolster our joy in Him or to have us use to glorify Him and bring the Gospel of Christ to others.  God provides what we need; if we need reliable transportation we may think ‘car’ while the Lord may deliver a bicycle or a good pair of walking shoes.  Why?  Perhaps the shoes are better to go door-to-door to provide neighbors the Gospel message than driving past homes without stopping.  We often think convenience while God thinks of the needs of His Creation. 

This Thanksgiving, give thanks to what you have and how the Lord has blessed each of us.  Some have been blessed with much, some perhaps not as much but all of it is a gift from God.  Use what He has provided to His Glory, and praise Him for it!