Psalm 9:1

Verse of the Day Devotion: Psalm 9:1   

“I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart; I will tell of all Your wonders.” – Psalm 9:1

Today is Thanksgiving.  History.com gives us a brief synopsis of the beginning of this holiday.  “Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday in the United States, and Thanksgiving 2020 occurs on Thursday, November 26. In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Native Americans shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. For more than two centuries, days of thanksgiving were celebrated by individual colonies and states. It wasn’t until 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held each November.”

They had much to celebrate what with the colonies landing safely on this new continent as well as fellowshipping with a Native American tribe, sharing their thanks for the autumn harvest.  And I do not wish to minimize this, However, when we look in Psalm 9, we see so much more we can be thankful for.  We see in our focus verse that David was extremely thankful for all that God has done.  This is noted by the phrase “with all my heart”.  He is saying that he is thankful with everything he has.  Not with divided affection or with partial gratitude.  What is meant is that with everything he is and with all that he has, he will be thankful to God.  Then he says, “I will be glad and exult in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.” Psalm 9:2.  And not only will he give thanks, but he will exalt and express joy regarding the Lord. The Lord brought him great joy which he expressed here. 

Then He lays out some of the attributes of God that have been displayed that he rejoices and exults in.  “But the LORD abides forever; He has established His throne for judgment, And He will judge the world in righteousness; He will execute judgment for the peoples with equity. The LORD also will be a stronghold for the oppressed, A stronghold in times of trouble; And those who know Your name will put their trust in You, For You, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.” Psalm 9:7-10.  Notice these wonderful attributes.  He abides forever, He executes judgement with fairness and equity.  He is a stronghold to the oppressed, and in times of trouble.  We can trust Him in all things, and He will never forsake those who seek Him. 

In other places, the same declaration of praise to God is found.  “Praise the LORD! I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart, In the company of the upright and in the assembly.” Psalm 111:1. And, “speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father;” Ephesians 5:20.  He was filled with gratitude for all that God is, what He is doing, and His love and mercy toward him. 

Let us take time to look back and see all that God has done for us; how He has saved us from the penalty of our sins. How He has protected us through troubling times, has supplied our every need, and fulfilled every promise He has made to us. No matter our need, He is there to meet it.  “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19.  Let each of us take time on this Thanksgiving in giving thanks for everything He has done for us.  For we have so much to be thankful for in all He has done, and the love He shows us. 

Happy Thanksgiving to all and I pray it will be a wonderful blessing to everyone.  God blesses us with blessings all the time, and sometimes we do not see it that way.  However, remember these words which are so beautiful in what they express.  “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.  For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.” Romans 8:28-30.   

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

Psalm 118:1

Verse of the Day Devotion: Psalm 118:1  

“Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting.” –  Psalm 118:1 

This is one of the more well-known verses in the psalms.  It is a call for us to think of all the blessings He has provided for us and to acknowledge that He has given them freely and to praise Him in all thankfulness.  When I think back on my life, many wonderful blessings come to mind.  How I grew up in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains and remember being able to look out and see Mt. Rainier filling the sky.  How in some of the most difficult times in my childhood, I came out ok.  I knew of God but did not truly know Him, but now I realize that God was there all the time.

There are so many things to be thankful for, I never am able to list them all.  However, the greatest thing I have to be thankful for was when He revealed Himself to me during one of the hardest times  of my life.  I was in the Air Force in Homestead, FL and had put myself in a very difficult situation.  I had no idea what I was going to do.  I finally just cried out to God telling Him I needed proof He actually existed, for I was starting to seriously doubt it.  And at that moment, He made Himself known in a powerful way.  Soon after, He delivered me from these trials and brought me to a good place.  “From my distress I called upon the LORD; The LORD answered me and set me in a large place.  The LORD is for me; I will not fear; What can man do to me? The LORD is for me among those who help me; Therefore, I will look with satisfaction on those who hate me.” Psalm 118:5-7.  When I look back, I found these verses became real to me.  He delivered me from the distresses I was going through and I realized that I need to trust in Him and not in men, for many times they had let me down.  Not to say that I do not trust people, but as verse eight says, “It is better to take refuge in the LORD Than to trust in man.” Psalm 118:8.  I came to learn that if I trust Him, He will provide what I need, and people I can truly trust.

I know that I am not the only one who has experienced something like this, and I can assure you I have had more than this one.  Each one of us, as children of God, can look back and see times when we find ourselves in difficult situations and had no idea what to do.  As stated above, I can look back and see many times where God brought me through trials, I found myself in.  And I know you all who are reading this can do the same.  Take the time to see all the wonderful things God has done for you when you struggled to know what to do.  And along with this, remember how He sent His only begotten Son to pay the penalty for our sins when there was nothing, we could do to pay it ourselves. 

In my life, and I am sure you can say the same, there is more that I have to thank Him for than I can recall. And I am so thankful that He is always near me, guiding me through all situations as only He can.  And as the writer of this psalm says, I also can testify, “You are my God, and I give thanks to You; You are my God, I extol You.” Psalm 118:28. And let us always remember our focus verse, which the writer made the first and last verse in this chapter, “Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting” Psalm 118:29  

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.