Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise Him again- my Savior and my God! Psalm 42: 11, NLT.
Merciful Father, as we come before You on this special day that has been set aside as a day to give thanks, may we show our gratitude to You for all that you have done for us, by spending time in Your presence getting to know what is Your will for our lives. This we pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
We have come to the very last verse in Psalm 42, which also constitutes our Scripture for meditation. As we said at the beginning of the series, the psalm does not end on a note of sadness and despair. The psalmist has lamented, and lain on his bed without being able to sleep. He has shifted between despair and hope. But now, in the final analysis, he stands tall, shoulders erect, chest stuck way out, and he speaks victory!
“I will put my hope in God! I will praise Him again- my Savior and my God!” The psalmist has found the formula to put an end to his discouragement. He will do what we are all encouraged to do; he will “put [his] hope in God.” It makes me think of the wonderful old hymn: “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness; I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name. Refrain: “On Christ the solid Rock I stand; all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand“ (Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal, p. 522, Emphasis provided).
The reason “hoping in the LORD” is such a great thing to do, is because there is no other sure foundation. “All other ground is sinking sand.” And now, he applies the antidote for gloom, praise! “I praised Him in the good times, and ‘I will praise Him again!’ ” When all else fails to lift you up, try praise. It is quite easy to praise the LORD when all is going well. The bills are all paid. The children are getting good grades. “There is love at home.” The real challenge is to praise Him when you are sailing over rough seas, or rather, when the “raging seas are sweeping” over you. But that is just when you need to praise Him. You need to begin to act out what you want to see become reality! So the psalmist determines that he will praise his Savior and his God!
As we enter this day of Thanksgiving, we do so with hearts overflowing with gratitude for all that the LORD has done for us. Maybe you will tire, or, are already tired of the many times I use that phrase. Yet it is a good thing, a very good thing, to give God thanks! I applaud the fact that a special day of thanksgiving has been set aside, but I believe sincerely, that every day should be Thanksgiving Day for the Christian, if for no one else. We know what we have been saved from. Our minds struggle with how much our salvation cost heaven! So we can live giving thanks for our salvation!
May God help us to lift up our eyes and look around us. May we ponder what great things the Lord has done for His people. There is always something to be grateful for. Many of us have lived to see some wonderful things in our lifetime: A man on the moon; organ transplants that save many lives; the successful separation of Siamese twins, to mention only a few. When we are busy counting our blessings, there is usually not enough time to become discouraged. And if we are asked, “Where is this God of yours,” take the time to share Him with the one who asked!
Happy Thanksgiving! Be blessed!