Sunday November 19 to 26
The Sacrifices of Thanksgiving
Psalm 107:17-22
17 Fools, because of their transgression, And because of their iniquities, were afflicted.
18 Their soul abhorred all manner of food, And they drew near to the gates of death.
19 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, And He saved them out of their distresses.
20 He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions.
21 Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
22 Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, And declare His works with rejoicing.
Happy Thanksgiving Week!
Because of my schedule this week I will not be making my daily Pastor Chats the rest of this week. This afternoon I will be flying down to Florida to help move one of my grandchildren from Florida back to Roanoke Virginia on Monday. I will be driving a moving van, towing a car for over 900 miles. I covet your prayers for safe travels. My wife and I will spend the rest of the week with our children and grandchildren in Virginia celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday with them. I hope to resume the chats next Sunday the 26th. I am so thankful for all my friends and everyone who “tunes in” to this daily chat with me seeking to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and live for Him every day!
This is a good week to remember that Psalm 107 begins with an exhortation for us to give thanks! Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever” (v. 1). The rest of the chapter gives us several reasons why we should be thankful. We have already mentioned two of them. Four times in this chapter we read: “Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, And He saved them out of their distresses.” And four times we are told: “Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men!”
In verses 4-9, we are described as someone who is lost and wandering in the wilderness in a desolate condition. We are hungry and thirsty and in a state of distress and hopelessness. But we cry out to the LORD and He delivers us out of our distress! For this we should be thankful!
In verses 10-16, we are described as someone who has rebelled against God and have despised His Word and His counsel. We become slaves in bondage to our sins, the flesh and the devil. We fall down and there is no one to help us! But again, when we cry out to the LORD, He hears us and delivers us out of our distress! For this we should be thankful!
Now in verses 17-22, we are described as someone who has not only wandered and lost in the wilderness, in bondage to our sin because of our rebellion, but we have now lost our health because of our foolish living and our sins. This almost sounds like someone who has become addicted to drugs and alcohol and has lost their appetite, wasted away to nothing and at the “gate of death”, about to die.
But once again, “we cry out to the LORD in our trouble, and He saves us out of our distresses”! I love what it says in verse 20. “He sent His Word and healed them”! The only place in the world we can find true healing for our soul, our mental state, our emotions, is in the Word of God! The Word of God is the Water of Life! The Word of God is the Bread of Life! The Word of God is the Living Word of Life Who is Jesus Christ!
John 1:1-2 tells us that: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.” Then in verse 14, John proclaimed, “And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory…” God sent His Word, Jesus Christ to bring true healing to our weary souls and set us free from our sin! Jesus Himself proclaimed: “And if the Son shall set you free, you shall be free indeed’ (John 8:36).
So, today and all this Thanksgiving Week, may the LORD help us to: “sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare His works with rejoicing.
Have a wonderful day and a great week!
God bless!