Monday Musings ~ Every day is Thanksgiving

I've been reading through the Psalms and as I read through Psalm 50, I noticed a familiar theme.

Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving. 

Psalm 50:14

He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me. 

Psalm 50:23

This Psalm addresses Israel's willingness to readily sacrifice bulls and goats, but neglect to do the very thing that God really wanted them to do -- have a thankful heart.

It is a good reminder that God does not need anything.  Everything belongs to Him.  He is not hungry or thirsty.  He is not looking for a need to be met.

He does, however, know what we need 

and in this case it was a sacrifice of praise.

It is not difficult to praise God when things are going well, although, we can forget to do so.  We can begin to think that we have achieved much ourselves.  We forget that every good gift comes from the Lord.  With that said, when things work out, go as we wished and come together, we find it easy to thank God.

During difficult times, we may instinctively turn to God, pleading for help, strength and peace.  It takes faith and trust to move beyond that place of pain to a place of thanksgiving and praise.

Psalm 51:17 says "The sacrifices of God are a broken and contrite spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise."

Faith and trust are exercised in the midst of heartache and struggle

      in the midst of "I just don't understand this"

           in the midst of injustice

                in the midst of fatigue

                                      frustration

                                            difficulties 

                                                      and

                                                         confusion.

The ability to praise God in every circumstance actually lifts you up above it - where you will perhaps have a more accurate (if not heavenly) view of the situation.

Our praise and thanksgiving demonstrates our trust in a good, loving, all powerful, all knowing Father who is always for us -- continually forming His Son in us.

If only our most joyous moments and our moments of deepest despair would both direct us to look to God and offer Him praises of thanksgiving!

He draws near and we see Him more clearly.

And in that moment -- 

we become more like Jesus.