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The Day After

Thanksgiving Day is over, but this does not mean that our devotion to thank God everyday should be. In Psalms 34:1, David declared, “I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.” How often do words like "blessed", "thankful," or "undeserving" pass our lips from day to day? I find that in my own conversations I am an expert at utilizing the statements "I want this," "I gotta have that," and/or "I just need a little more." Oh how quick we are to set our hearts on the possessions of this life that we lose sight of the promises of the life that is to come! Black Friday has become our new holiday. On Thanksgiving, we manage to quickly tip our hats to God, while taking a meager glance at the blessings we have already received. Yet, once we feel we have paid enough lip service, we immediately cast our eyes on bigger and better things.
For David, he not only made a commitment to praise God continually, but also he longed for others to join in the anthem of thanksgiving as well. We find in verse 3 that he wrote, “O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.”Truly, one who bears the testimony of a thankful heart, will also be a witness of the gospel. Though our aim is to please the Father alone, our hearts should not be comfortable with leading a solo of praise, but we should desire for souls all around us to become part of the grace filled chorus we now sing.
You see, there was a reason why David was so involved in glorifying God and wanting others to do the same. Verse 8 states, “O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.” His life overflowed with joy and praise, because he experienced the glorious presence of God. Many Christians are not truly thankful, because it has been a long time since they have tasted of and seen God's goodness. Covetousness has blinded their eyes to the eternal matters of life and pride has stifled their hunger for knowing God. They don't try to find the time to sit at His feet in prayer and adoration. It has been far too long since they have nourished themselves with God’s blessed Word. They haven’t sought to know Christ from day to day. They are too busy nibbling on the morsels of empty religion to realize that their is a banquet of blessings waiting for them at the table of communion with Christ! May we learn that to truly praise Him, we must be first seeking our satisfaction in Him alone.
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