Give You Thanks Forever

LORD MY GOD, I WILL GIVE YOU THANKS FOREVER. Psalm 30.12.

Once I was having a season of meditation and prayer. It gave me an occasion to think about all the good things the Lord had done for me and my family. It was also a time when I thought about all the troubles and trials that God allowed to come into our lives. For a dozen or so of ills and woes that upset us there were literally countless blessings that God had bestowed on us as individuals and as families.

Reminiscing our lives with all its ups and downs will give us much reason to thank the Lord for all His goodness. Looking back, even our troubles and sorrows will cause us to thank God for them. With hindsight, we have seen the goodness they brought about in our lives. They have caused us to depend on God. They have matured us. We have learned patience and tolerance. Whereas we have enjoyed our blessings very much, we have grown but little because of them. But the positive effects of our sufferings have made us the men and women we are today!

While we suffer or when we are in great need, we may not be in the mood for thanking God. Rather we complain and cry out. But David was different. Even when he was in great distress, we find him having an interesting mixture of attitudes and approach to God. You will find that in today’s psalm. He starts off praising and exalting God. He thanks God for His deliverances. Then suddenly he brings his petition and cry to God for deliverance from his present distress. In the midst of his cry, he sings praises to God. He also calls on others to join him and exalt God. You find him also asserting his hope in God that He will surely bring him out of all his troubles.

One may get the impression that David was confused in his misery and didn’t know what he was doing! Have you felt that way? You just do not know what to do when you are in great distress. Talk about being confused and not knowing what to do or what more to do than crying to God.

We need to have a spiritual strategy of survival or we will be depressed or succumb. Learn from King David. It is not trying your luck doing this or that! It has been tested and proved by David many times. To begin with: Praise God. Thank Him for what He has done. Cry out to God and tell Him your problems. Tell God that you will still trust Him in spite of His lack of response or delay to answer. Tell God what you have learned and experienced Him. Then be still and know that He is God and He will act!

Pray and practise with me: Dear Lord, there are times when I am so distressed that I do not know what to do, in spite of my trust, hope, prayer and cry to you. “Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me; O LORD, be my help" (v.10). Amen.