The theme of Psalm 33 is clear: Key to a thankful, worshiping heart is learning to rely completely on the Lord. Paul picks up on this theme when he writes, “Give thanks no matter what happens. God wants you to thank Him because you believe in Christ Jesus (I Thessalonians 5:18).”
Genuine thanksgiving is inextricably bound to trust. We will never truly thank God until we first truly trust God. We will not be grateful to God for all that we have until we first recognize that we’re dependent on God for all we have.
By nature, we’re not trusting creatures; rather, we’re creatures of necessity. We trust God when we’re forced to because our problems go beyond our abilities. The rest of the time, we think we get along just fine by ourselves. We don’t resort to prayer and trusting God, because we don’t believe we need to trust God. But the Psalmist affirms that it’s only when we come to the end of ourselves and totally depend on the Lord that we experience genuine praise and thanksgiving.
Praise comes in all forms and with all instruments. David soothed King Saul from tormenting spirits that troubled him by playing the harp (I Samuel 16:17-22). The Levites were appointed to give constant praise and thanks to God. Praise came before a great battle, in II Chronicles 20, as God fights for Jehoshaphat and the people. After which, they came with psalteries and harps and trumpets unto the house of the Lord. When God gives us the victory, it’s an invitation for us to praise God.
We are invited to be creative in our praise—sing new songs. Singing a new song could provide a new outlook; a new way of seeing things; a new occasion and impulse to express how we feel toward God because His mercies are new every morning. Appropriate counsel for a new year!
(We invite your comments. Feel free to share this devotion with your friends and invite them to subscribe by forwarding their email address to the Pastor at: fredjeffsmith@gmail.com)
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