“Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks, unto thee do we give thanks: for that thy name is near thy wondrous works declare.”
I don’t know how many times I have read this verse, but I know that I have read it at least once a year for many years as I have read the Bible through, and probably more than that while just rummaging through the Bible. When I read it this morning it just jumped out at me. If you have never had that experience, you will not understand. If you have had the experience, you know what I mean. I saw meaning there that has escaped me before, and that is what I am sharing with you today. The psalmist, in this case Asaph, gave thanks to the Lord. He not only wrote of his thankfulness once, but he repeated it. He is speaking for the congregation of Israel, and as they sang the psalm together, they were giving thanks to God. They had a lot to be thankful for. A cursive view of Israel’s history will reveal this truth. They had been delivered from Egyptian bondage by the mighty hand of God. They had been fed and clothed in the desert during their forty year sojourn from Egypt to Canaan. Time and time again, God led them and rescued them. Asaph was looking back on all of this, remembering that they had rebelled against the goodness of God, yet God maintained His relationship with them. Like Asaph, and the Ancient Jews, we have a lot to be thankful for. God sent Jesus to be the remedy for the sin problem that has plagued humanity since Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden. We can be saved from our sins through the blood of Jesus. Like Israel, we do not deserve what God has done and is doing for us, but in His grace, God continues to love and sustain us. We need to be thankful for God as well for all that He has done in our lives. Let’s thank God and praise Him for all that He is, and for all that He does in our lives. Count your blessings today and give thanks. The main thing that Asaph thanked God for was His nearness: “Unto thee do we give thanks: for thy name is near…” “Thy name is near,” is Asaph's way of saying that God Himself is near. One thing that we need never fear is that God will disappear or go away. There is an old spiritual that says, “My God is near me, all the time.” The nearness of God is an undeniable biblical truth that we need to hold close to our hearts. God will not forsake us. If God/Jesus feels far away from us, it is not His fault. God has never moved. I cannot explain it, nor do I desire to, but we need to know that God is everywhere all at the same time. He is near us each day, and He is near those who live far away from us. God is present throughout all of His universe. Asaph wrote, “For that thy name is near thy wondrous works declare.” I see two aspects of this promise. One is that the nearness of God declares His wonderful works. Because of God’s nearness we get an up close view of His wondrous works. Another translation of this is, “Men tell of your wonderful deeds.” The nearness of God demands that we tell of His wonderful deeds. This means that out of the thankfulness of our hearts, we should tell others about what the Lord has done for us. Today, we call this witnessing. We should not keep secret what God has done in our lives. We should give testimony of our personal experience of salvation through Him, and of the many ways that He has manifested Himself in our lives. People need to know what God can, and will, do in their lives. Join Asaph in your thankfulness for His nearness and for His “wondrous works.” Bro. Joe
1 Comment
Margaret M Jones
11/26/2015 09:35:07 am
I am so thankful, in all things. Happy Thanksgiving
Reply
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
All
Archives
September 2021
|