“Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.  Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.” (Psalm 95:1-7a)

Music has always been and import part of worship. When the Israelites had crossed the Red Sea, Moses and the people sang “this song to the LORD: ‘I will sing to the LORD, for he is highly exalted. Both horse and driver he has hurled into the sea.’” (Exodus 12:1) The Psalms is a hymnbook found in Scripture. In Zephaniah, we find God singing. “The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17) Even after being arrested, beaten and put in stocks, Paul and Silas would sing. “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” (Acts 16:25)

When we come to a time of thanksgiving, we should have a song in our hearts, because of who God is and what He has done. Jeremiah would acknowledge the power of God in his prayer, “Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you. . .. Great and mighty God, whose name is the LORD Almighty, great are your purposes and mighty are your deeds.” (Jeremiah 32:17, 18b-18) In the prophecy of Isaiah we see the knowledge of God, He says, “I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’” Isaiah 46:9-10) Through God’s power and knowledge, He sends us salvation through Jesus Christ, this is the Gospel, the Good News.  “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” (Romans 1:16-17) We receive and develop in His righteousness because through Jesus Christ, our sins were placed on the cross and Christ’s righteousness was given to us. “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21) This transformation is reason to rejoice and sing. And it is reason to have a heart that is full of thanksgiving.

But that is not all. Jesus has come to us with a personal touch as He is our Shepherd, and we are under His care. Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. . .. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (John 19:14-15,28-30) All the power, knowledge, and action of God has brought to us salvation and eternal life. Now that is the reason we are to offer Him our thanksgiving. “All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:15)

In the Love of Jesus,

Michael Block