Daily Devotional for Saturday, August 17

Thanks for God’s Redemptive Works

“Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Sion, and unto thee shall the vow be performed,” Psalm 65:1.

I can remember it like it was yesterday. “Eat your vegetables. There are starving kids in Africa that would love to have them.” I know what Mom was trying to do. She was trying to get me to be thankful for what I had. Rather than rejecting the food in front of me because it was not my favorite, she wanted me to appreciate it. Unfortunately, in my rebellion against the vegetables, I did not show much gratitude.

This psalm is filled with lines of gratitude. It begins with a proclamation of praise that waits for God or is due to God. There are words of thankfulness for God’s salvation and deliverance. Then line by line the psalmist lays out reason after reason for thankfulness in the provision of God. He counted his blessings one by one, and they added up to a great number.

Are you rebelling against some things in your life that God has allowed? Do you find yourself ungrateful at times? Maybe you are at a place in life where you feel left out or left behind. Stop and see what God has done. Begin with your salvation. There is reason there enough to find eternal gratitude. Keep going though. Recall His provision. Remember His help. Recall His gifts. Think big and think small. Think internally and think externally. Write them down if you must, but do not stop until your heart returns to a posture of gratitude. In gratitude and praise we should give God what He deserves.

REFLECTION
Gratitude and praise go hand in hand with God; ingratitude and murmuring go hand in hand with the devil.

Jason Rutherford