A Thanks–giving People

Give thanks to the God of heavens,
for his steadfast love endures forever. – Psalm 136:26

Well Emmanuel, it is good to be back home and I look forward to worshipping with you all in a few short days. Thank you for your prayers while I was away in Rwanda. Needless to say, there were so many good experiences, connections, and thoughts that took place while spending time with over 1300 Anglicans coming from over fifty countries. Again, thank you.

Yesterday morning, I was praying through Psalm 136. One feature of this psalm is the refrain for his steadfast love endures forever. We are called to give thanks to the Lord, and then we are given reason after reason to give thanks, often noting his mighty acts of salvation. [Just as an aside, I wonder what your version of this psalm would look like? Perhaps give it a try, listing all the mighty acts of God's salvation and care in your life, each one followed by the refrain for his steadfast love endures forever.]

Often it is relatively easy to give thanks to the Lord when life is going well, when our relationships are in order and harmony, when we have enough (and most likely a surplus), and on and on that list goes. But this psalm begins and ends, not with the things the Lord has done for us, and therefore we give thanks. Rather it begins and ends–like bookends–with the character of God: his steadfast love endures forever. This is the reason to always give thanks to the Lord. And as we are always to be maturing, growing, being transformed more into the likeness of Jesus, giving thanks to the Lord, especially in times of difficulty or when we don't feel like it, is all the more formative and transformative. We might even say it's redemptive.

To live a life of always giving thanks to the Lord does not dismiss the trials of our lives. But it does set them in perspective. For, as the steadfast love of the Lord endures forever, evil, sorrow, sadness, and their ilk will pass away. Let us join our voices and lives with the saints and give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.

Grace & Peace,

– Matthew+