“Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!” The call to recognize the Lord goes out to all people, not just believers. God is King over all the earth whether people recognize Him or not.
“Serve the Lord with gladness; come before His presence with singing.” God is not a despotic king who forces us to serve Him. We can serve Him with gladness in our hearts and a song on our lips. Our loving service to Him is in grateful response to His great grace.
“Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture.” Pause and give thanks that we have a God who loves us so much that He created us in His image. Each of us is unique and precious to Him. Like the sheep of which Isaiah wrote, we have gone astray and grazed on deadly pastures. Even so, God sent the Good Shepherd to seek us and return us safely to the green pastures.
“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.” It is most fitting to approach the throne of grace with an attitude of thanksgiving and grace in our hearts. It is common courtesy to thank God for all His blessings before we present Him with our list of needs. The God who blesses us abundantly can also Himself be blessed. When we are thankful, He is blessed. So, “bless the Lord oh my soul, and all that is within us bless His holy name.” (Psalm 103:1)
“For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.” Indeed God is good. Our early Anglo-Saxon forefathers chose the English word “God” for our Creator. It literally means “the good one.” God’s goodness is seen in temporal blessings, but even more in the richness of His mercy and the fullness of His truth. For all these blessings and multiplied thousands beside let us truly acknowledge that our Heavenly Father is worthy of genuine thanksgiving!
l – Terry Morrison