PASTOR’S CORNER, Dr. Jeff Nagell, Friends Church of Liberal
A pastor was invited to share a meal with a family who attended his church. As the serving dishes were brought to the table, the family eagerly dove in to help themselves and proceeded to eat. The minister was surprised no grace was offered, so he bowed his head and gave thanks privately. The mother of the house asked why he did so, and he said “I always give thanks for what God gives,” to which the indignant mother replied “In this house, Daddy works for what we get.”
It is an old story, but it echoes a common sentiment. The phrase “I am a self-made man” gives the impression that somehow, God is removed from any situation which falls within the realm of what a normal human being should be able to handle. To praise, thank or even worship is reserved for religious ceremonies or perhaps to pay homage on a holy day. For those who love God and have found new life in Jesus, every day is a holy day, and the holidays give us special pause to remember how everything we possess is a gift from our benevolent Father. No one in the Old Testament seems to capture that spirit of recognition as completely as the psalmists.
Psalm 107 begins with “Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the LORD tell their story.” Everyone has a story of God. It begins in the womb where we are created by our Father, who knows our days before there is even one of them (Psalm 139:14-16). Our individual life journeys are a series of events where God is calling us to turn to Him, but we have the freedom to tell God “No, not yet,” or even worse, “No God, not ever.” As we come to a point where God overwhelms us with His love and offer of eternal life, we suddenly have a story of redemption. Some have stories of remarkable deliverance, others share about how God rescued them from disease or some self-inflicted behavior. Some are overwhelmed by the goodness of God and see in Jesus the hope of eternal life that begins well before we are laid to rest.
Each person whose life is transformed by the love and grace of the Father who sent His own son to deliver us has a story, and that story results in thanksgiving that begins when we wake up and continues through our sleep. Thanksgiving is the acknowledgement that life is better when we are enjoying God’s presence rather than fighting the notion of there being a benevolent creator.
I have enjoyed the results of the James Webb space telescope – perhaps not $10 billion worth, but it’s worth a lot to hear respected scientists say “We were wrong about what we thought we knew about the universe.” In short, the space telescope was built to find baby galaxies near the origin of the Big Bang, but instead, they found extremely sophisticated galaxies where stray gases and dust were supposed to be. No surprise, since an infinite God lives in an infinite universe.
Which brings us back to giving thanks to God. If space exploration tells us anything, at least we live on a very unique planet that has given us the environment we need to live, grow, and in most cases, thrive. It might sound silly, but thank you, God, for oxygen. Thank you, God, for gravity. Thank you, God, for the Earth yielding fruit and other resources to sustain us. Thank you, God, for the rain that falls from the sky and helps replenish our water resources.
Do we thank God for the good times? Yes! Should we thank God for the difficult times? Especially. The basic premise of belief says to our Creator, “You know me, you know my needs. You gave me life, and you have numbered my days. I will give you thanks.”
The Psalms teach us to thank God in every circumstance. Surprisingly, many of David’s psalms (70 out of the 150), were written when David was on the run. Some of the Psalms have bitter complaints, like David telling God how he is outnumbered by enemies on all sides. In that frank discussion with God, David comes around to acknowledge how God is good and how he is never as alone or desperate as outward circumstances might appear.
No matter who you are, or where you are in life, there is a Psalm for you. Even more exciting, God has a plan for you. You are not alone.
Thank God.
