Exodus 15:1-21
“Then Moses and the sons of Israel sang this song to the LORD,”
The people sang a song of praise; a song of thanksgiving. We are to give thanks as well. We sing when we go to church. That is good and appropriate. We corporately give thanks for His goodness. We should also give thanks in our week. It’s not like some faiths which give a time throughout the day. Today’s story holds the answer. God delivered them and they gave thanks. We teach our children to give thanks when someone gives or does something for them. We are to do the same thing for God.
What can we give thanks for? Plenty. As we begin to break things down, He has done and is doing things for us constantly. We believe that He is the creator and the sustainer of life. If this is so, then He is everywhere at all times busy managing creation.
We can mentally think about all that He does and give thanks. A more natural way is to monitor our joy. If we analize those things in our day that make us happy, they can be traced back to God. For example, a song comes on the radio that we haven’t heard for years. God created the singer and has given people the intelligence to record and broadcast it. Thank Him for that song. We are eating a tasty meal. He has created those animals or those crops that are so satisfying. Give Him thanks for that food. We had a fun conversation with others. He has created them and our need to socialize. Give Him thanks for those friends. I’m not stretching the idea. If anything, I’ve not gone far enough. Paul says in Acts 17:28, “In Him, we live, move and have our being.” We can’t do anything without Him participating. This isn’t obvious to our senses, but He’s all encompassing.
A person in love leaves gifts for his/her sweetheart to discover. That’s how God is. He loves us. As we go throughout our day, all the things that bring us joy can be traced to Him. Thank Him.
As we develop this lifestyle of gratitude, we begin to thank Him for all things. He also brings difficulties to us for our growth. If we are in the habit of being thankful, we begin to thank Him for His work in us. Casting Crowns has a song lyric, “Praise Him in the storm”. This is a higher level of maturity.
Lord, thank You for all the blessings You leave in our paths. Give us eyes to see them and rememberance to Give thanks.