Thanksgiving Scripture - Nov 22

Annual Bible Reading Plan:

DAN.3
ACT.2

2024 Thanksgiving Month Day 22:

Giving Thanks To God With A Whole Heart
(Psalm 138:1-8)
(Memorize verses 1-3)
1 I will praise You with my whole heart;
Before the gods I will sing praises to You.
2 I will worship toward Your holy temple,
And praise Your name
For Your lovingkindness and Your truth;
For You have magnified Your word above all Your name.
3 In the day when I cried out, You answered me,
And made me bold with strength in my soul.
4 All the kings of the earth shall praise You, O Lord,
When they hear the words of Your mouth.
5 Yes, they shall sing of the ways of the Lord,
For great is the glory of the Lord.
6 Though the Lord is on high,
Yet He regards the lowly;
But the proud He knows from afar.
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me;
You will stretch out Your hand
Against the wrath of my enemies,
And Your right hand will save me.
8 The Lord will perfect that which concerns me;
Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever;
Do not forsake the works of Your hands.

Reflection:
David was a man after God’s own heart, and he deeply understood and practiced thanksgiving. In today’s psalm and many others, David emphasizes an important aspect of thanksgiving: “I will praise You with my whole heart” (see also Psalms 9:1, 86:12).
David was able to praise God wholeheartedly because he recognized that God’s deliverance and mercy were not in vain. Rather, they were given so that he might proclaim all God’s marvelous works (Psalm 9:13-14). Through Psalm 138:1-3, David provides us with a few reminders and examples of how to praise God with a whole heart:
- Sing praises before the gods: Wholehearted thanksgiving involves refusing to allow anything or anyone to take God’s place as our Savior and Lord.
- Worship toward God’s holy temple: To praise Him wholeheartedly is to pursue living in His presence, worshiping Him in spirit and truth, and honoring Him as God.
- Remember God’s lovingkindness and truth: Wholehearted thanksgiving means recounting His faithful acts and praising His name for them.
- Treasure and give thanks for God’s Word: Those who thank God with their whole heart value His Word, knowing that He magnifies His Word above all His name, and through it, He answers, strengthens, and encourages them.
Lord, help me also to be one who praises You with my whole heart, for You are a God Who hears prayer and “will perfect that which concerns me.” Amen.