Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Never forsaken, never alone.”
Our Bible verse for today: “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His faithful love endures forever.” 1 Chronicles 16:34 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “Don’t forget to praise God.”
How quick we are to ask for God’s help when we’re faced with trials and tribulations. And that’s a good thing. We should call out to God and ask for His help. But are we equally quick to thank Him and praise Him after the fact? Do we remember to give Him credit and thanks once He has delivered us?
David, his followers, and the entire nation of Israel, had gone through a dark and troubling time. Old King Saul had become paranoid and psychotic. In his delusional state he had slaughtered priests, attempted to kill his own son, accused his closest followers of betraying him, and he had marked David for assassination. On several occasions Saul even took his army on expeditions into the wilderness in an attempt to hunt down David and kill him. It was a turbulent and troubling time for the entire nation.
Ultimately Saul was killed in battle and the people made David their new king. It took a little while to get everything sorted out and settled down but finally, in 1 Chronicles 15, we read that the nation was united, David was in place in Jerusalem as the King, and the Ark of God was finally returned to it’s rightful place in the city of God. So in chapter 16 David declared a day of thanksgiving. There was a huge parade, there was singing and dancing and feasting, and David led the people in a wonderful prayer of praise and thanksgiving as they rejoiced and gave thanks for what the Lord had done.
There’s a lesson in that for us. When God brings us through our own dark and troubling times we need to make it a point, after the fact, to thank and praise Him for it. I know that in my own life I am often guilty of making a very big deal on the front end of how much I need God’s help, but then I make a much smaller deal, or forget altogether, about thanking and praising Him once he has delivered me.
Our God is faithful and He does come through for us. We need to be sure we don’t forget to praise and thank Him once He has.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 