We give thanks to you, O God, we give thanks, for your Name is near; men tell of your wonderful deeds (Psalm 75:1). Learning to say Thank You is a rite of passage through which we all pass as children. The aim of the exercise, of course, is not merely to learn to say thank you but to learn to mean it. In a similar way, most Christians are aware that giving thanks is part of the Christian life. We are to overflow with thanksgiving. But there must be more; there must be a gratitude attitude. We give thanks because God's Name is near. He is present and active in every part of life. We live coram deo - in the presence of God.
It is most obvious in his wondrous works of which men speak: in miracles, extraordinary providences, kindnesses beyond our expectations. It is easy enough to feel thankful when things are going well. However, what is more difficult is to feel just as thankful when everything seems to be going wrong.
In Psalm 75 Asaph gives a number of reasons why believers should continue to give thanks even when things look bleak. Let us consider the reasons he gives.
- Because God chooses his own times. God never is before his time, he never is too late. Much frustration in life stems from the fact that we do not know the details of God's timetable. How impatient we get! Yet even Jesus, on earth, did not know the date of his return. We must learn patience. We must be convinced that God will bring about his will at his appointed time. We must learn to sing with David: My times are in your hands (Psalm 31:15). We can also sing the hymn based upon that line and add: My God, I wish them there and I'II always trust in Thee.
- Because God's judgments are upright. Another comfort for us is that when God's judgments do come, they are always upright. There is no need for an appeal, no possibility of a miscarriage or anything being found incorrect. His judgments are worth waiting for. Because God is always in control. It is not just the prospect of judgment that comforts the believer. 'When the earth and all its people quake, it is I who hold its pillars firm,' the LORD declares. Even when everything seems to be in a state of flux, we must never forget that God is still in absolute control. How can I sink with such a prop As my eternal God Who bears the earth's huge pillars up And spreads the heavens above? The nineteenth century Lutheran Friedrich Tholuck wrote, 'When all around us is in confusion and the firmest strongholds give way, we should still retain the belief that God is only waiting for his set time.'
- Because no man can give ultimate help. In times of trouble it is tempting to turn for help to human expedients. Trouble comes from the north and we look east or west or south for help. But there is no ultimate help to be found in man. Stop trusting in man who has but breath in his nostrils, God says through Isaiah, Of what account is he?
- Because God alone can bring about justice. God brings down one and exalts another. One book in the last century describes the rise and fall of empires as historic ninepins. God removes one great power and raises another as if they were no more than that! A Ceaucescu or a Nebuchadnezzar, a Herod or a Hitler he removes in a moment.
- Because God's wrath is coming on the wicked. God has a cup of foaming, spicy wine which he will pour out for the wicked. There is a day coming when they will be forced to drink his wrath down to the dregs. Thus believers, even in the bleakest times, have every reason to be truly thankful to God and confident in him.
But how is that confidence to be expressed? Asaph closes with three promises and an expectation. We ought to follow him in these thoughts.
I will declare this forever. It is not enough to know these things. We must speak to one another about them and let unbelievers know too. Do such matters come into your conversations? Do they crop up in your letters?
I will sing praise to the God of Jacob. Thankfulness should be accompanied by praise in prayer and singing.
I will cut off the horns of all the wicked. As in Psalm 146:6, this element must also be present. We begin with ourselves, lopping off the horns of wickedness that remain; putting sin to death by the Spirit. But we also have a duty to oppose wickedness wherever it is found.
The great expectation is that the horns of the righteous shall be lifted up. Regardless of how we may feel, this is the prospect for all who have been made righteous in Christ.
This article was originally published in Grace Magazine
