July 11, 2015
Today’s reading from Encounter with God

A Thankful Celebration

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Opening Prayer

O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth. I raise my thanks to You.

Read 1 Chronicles 16:7-36

[7] That day David first appointed Asaph and his associates to give praise to the LORD in this manner: [8] Give praise to the LORD, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done. [9] Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. [10] Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. [11] Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always. [12] Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced, [13] you his servants, the descendants of Israel, his chosen ones, the children of Jacob. [14] He is the LORD our God; his judgments are in all the earth. [15] He remembers his covenant forever, the promise he made, for a thousand generations, [16] the covenant he made with Abraham, the oath he swore to Isaac. [17] He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as an everlasting covenant: [18] “To you I will give the land of Canaan as the portion you will inherit.” [19] When they were but few in number, few indeed, and strangers in it, [20] they wandered from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another. [21] He allowed no one to oppress them; for their sake he rebuked kings: [22] “Do not touch my anointed ones; do my prophets no harm.” [23] Sing to the LORD, all the earth; proclaim his salvation day after day. [24] Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. [25] For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods. [26] For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the LORD made the heavens. [27] Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy are in his dwelling place. [28] Ascribe to the LORD, all you families of nations, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. [29] Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering and come before him. Worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness. [30] Tremble before him, all the earth! The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved. [31] Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let them say among the nations, “The LORD reigns!” [32] Let the sea resound, and all that is in it; let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them! [33] Let the trees of the forest sing, let them sing for joy before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth. [34] Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. [35] Cry out, “Save us, God our Savior; gather us and deliver us from the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name, and glory in your praise.” [36] Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Then all the people said “Amen” and “Praise the LORD.”

Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Reflect

“Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness” (Col. 3:15, The Message).

We don’t always remember to be thankful in the exhilaration of joyous events (Luke 17:11-19). It’s easy to be swept away and forget that we owe the good things we experience to others and to God. But before he and the people dispersed, David allocated to Asaph and his associates the significant task of giving thanks to the Lord. He gave them ongoing responsibility for service to God before the Ark of the Covenant in Jerusalem, while Zadok the priest had oversight of the sacrificial system still operating at the old tabernacle in Gibeon (1 Chron. 16:37-43).

The focus of the thanksgiving is praise to the Lord–for what he has done and for who he is. It reads like one long poem, but it is actually a composite of three poems also found in the Psalms (Psa. 105:1-15; 96:1-13; 106:1,47-48). The contents, while somewhat Israel-centric, are timeless. Thanksgiving is active and explicit; a string of diverse verbs exhort God’s people to participative endorsement of the specific wonders the Lord has done on the nation’s behalf (8-12,28,29). Thanksgiving looks both backward and forward; what God has done for his people in the past (15-22) foreshadows what he will do in the future (34-36). Thanksgiving is not just national (12,13) but international (8,14,23-24) and cosmic (25-27,30-33). Thanksgiving is for God himself and not just for what he has done (25-29). After such a litany of praise, it is no wonder the people responded together: “Amen,” “Praise the Lord” (36)!

Unlike most of our prayers, there is only one request (35). The petition to save, gather and deliver was not a self-centered plea for safety and security among hostile nations. It was a heartfelt cry that God would be honored and praised forever because of the gathering together of his faithful people.

Apply

Compose a personal prayer of gratitude to God for who he is and what he has done. Write it down and read it out loud to him.

Closing prayer

Heavenly Father, it is a good thing for me, Your child, to raise my voice in praise to You. I gladly do it now.

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