How far does your thanksgiving go?

 Psalm 79:1–13 (ESV):  

1  O God, the nations have come into your inheritance; 

they have defiled your holy temple; 

they have laid Jerusalem in ruins. 

 2  They have given the bodies of your servants 

to the birds of the heavens for food, 

the flesh of your faithful to the beasts of the earth. 

 3  They have poured out their blood like water 

all around Jerusalem, 

and there was no one to bury them. 

 4  We have become a taunt to our neighbours, 

mocked and derided by those around us. 

 5  How long, O Lord? Will you be angry forever? 

Will your jealousy burn like fire? 

 6  Pour out your anger on the nations 

that do not know you, 

 and on the kingdoms 

that do not call upon your name! 

 7  For they have devoured Jacob 

and laid waste his habitation. 

 8  Do not remember against us our former iniquities; 

let your compassion come speedily to meet us, 

for we are brought very low. 

 9  Help us, O God of our salvation, 

for the glory of your name; 

deliver us, and atone for our sins, 

for your name’s sake! 

 10  Why should the nations say, 

“Where is their God?” 

  Let the avenging of the outpoured blood of your servants 

be known among the nations before our eyes! 

 11  Let the groans of the prisoners come before you; 

according to your great power, preserve those doomed to die! 

 12  Return sevenfold into the lap of our neighbours 

the taunts with which they have taunted you, O Lord! 

 13  But we your people, the sheep of your pasture, 

will give thanks to you forever; 

from generation to generation we will recount your praise. 

Can you imagine such devastation? Those who have lived through wars may be able to empathise and understand something of what Asaph saw and experienced. Utter devastation, disgust and despair. Seeing not only your country overrun, but the holy place of God’s dwelling destroyed and the people desperate and dying through violence and neglect, their bodies even eaten by creatures. The sights, the smells surrounding those that remained alive. Living day by day in terror. It is difficult and horrific to imagine. The country of Israel was invaded and defeated, ruined and derided by ‘the nations’. Every person in the country suffered - the faithful and unfaithful, young and old, man and woman went through this trauma. Not only physical suffering but the emotional abuse of being derided and mocked is added to the Israelite’s plight.

Can you imagine suffering in such a way? Let alone suffering in such a way and still giving thanks to, honouring, loving and following God throughout? Asaph does. He describes the situation, and cries out to God for relief, release and restoration of God’s people. Then he exclaims, ‘But we your people, the sheep of your pasture, will give thanks to you forever’. Wow! Amidst the taunts, grief and hardship Asaph and the people with him are still grateful. Are you?

Asaph grasped something of the greatness, mightiness, constancy and majesty of God. He knows God is good and glorious, so much so that he continues to see it even in the midst of desecration, desolation and destruction. Just because the situation is awful, it doesn’t change the nature of God. Asaph understood that God is forever good, and He always loves His people. Therefore Asaph set his mind to seek and worship Him. Asaph acknowledged that God is compassionate and powerful. He is salvation, and remains the Shepherd of Israel no matter where they are, what they have done or are going through. Even though the situation of the nation was shocking, Asaph and the Israelites acknowledged God’s goodness and expressed gratitude to Him. 

God is always worthy of praise. He remains glorious, good and great, loving and protective, strong and compassionate no matter what is happening. In a changing and demoralising world, God is faithful and constant in His love and compassion. Therefore He is worthy of praise no matter what. If the Israelites can 'recount your (God's) praise' forever during the invasion of their territory and the degradation of their people, How much more do you have to be grateful for? 

How far does your thanksgiving go? Will you 'give thanks to you  (God) forever' no matter what you face?

God is near

 Psalm 75:1–10 (ESV):  

1  We give thanks to you, O God; 

we give thanks, for your name is near. 

We recount your wondrous deeds. 

2  “At the set time that I appoint 

I will judge with equity. 

3  When the earth totters, and all its inhabitants, 

it is I who keep steady its pillars. Selah 

4  I say to the boastful, ‘Do not boast,’ 

and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horn; 

5  do not lift up your horn on high, 

or speak with haughty neck.’ ” 

6  For not from the east or from the west 

and not from the wilderness comes lifting up, 

7  but it is God who executes judgment, 

putting down one and lifting up another. 

8  For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup 

with foaming wine, well mixed, 

and he pours out from it, 

and all the wicked of the earth 

shall drain it down to the dregs. 

9  But I will declare it forever; 

I will sing praises to the God of Jacob. 

10  All the horns of the wicked I will cut off, 

but the horns of the righteous shall be lifted up. 

What a great way to open a psalm, or even your prayers - to acknowledge and appreciate that God is near. You can utter His name and know His presence. What an incredible reassurance it is to recognise and appreciate God’s proximity. God is near. He is close to you right now, how wonderful! As you realise God’s closeness, can you like Asaph begin to recount God's 'wondrous deeds’? God has done some fantastic things, do you ever stop to consider them and appreciate Him for them? Recounting God’s fantastic works should be easy as there are so many but are you good at crediting God for the great and marvellous things He has done? Asaph says, ‘we recount your wondrous deeds’, there is a communal aspect to sharing what God has done (we). No matter how big or small the issue, do you share your stories of God’s magnificence in your life? Can you imagine the testimony that would be, not only to the church, but the community if we all did that? Surely you have a wonderful story of wonder to that tells about God's goodness - have you shared it with anyone recently?

God is worthy of gratitude no matter what. He has still done incredible things even when life is tough and, ‘the earth totters and all its inhabitants’. God is still just as close and magnificent in those times. Plus He is more solid, secure and trustworthy than those around you and even the solid ground that you stand on! For, ‘when the earth totters, and all its inhabitants, it is I who keep steady its pillars’. God is the strength and power that keeps things going and holds it all together. The Earth and your life will have times when it looks like they are shaky and falling apart, yet you can be assured that God is in control and will hold it all together. When the Earth shudders and disasters happen you can feel shaken, however you can also be sure that God is holding steady.

So, consider; what are you relying on in your life? What do you trust in and lean on to give you strength? It is only God that remains strong and secure throughout all circumstances and generations. He is the One who has already endured all things, do not build your life on or rely on anything lesser than Him. Those who live dishonouring God or in ignorance of His presence are living without His power, love, majesty and strength, are you?

Those who choose to live without God do not have Him holding things steady and do not get to enjoy His wondrous deeds or His glorious presence. Instead they are consumed with themselves and become arrogant, filled up with pride, boastful and drunk (v4-8). Living without God means living without stability, love and peace. So people try to live for something else and make themselves seem important. They try to outdo one another and be better because they are trying to impress themselves and other people. At times it works and they seem to be ‘lifted up’ having gained respect, honour and praise from people. Yet their favour can quickly change and those admired one moment can be despised the next. A life like that does not know stability, unconditional love or peace. Whose approval are you living for? Are you living to impress those around you, vying for acceptance, or are you living a life honouring God and concerned about what He thinks of you?

Not only will the ‘wicked’ who live without God become proud, boastful, resentful and intoxicated, but the promise in this psalm is that they will also be ‘cut off’. This is not without God trying to help them and intervene, verses 4-5 show that God calls to those disregarding Him and acting wickedly - He invites them to live different, but they refuse. One day it will be too late for them to do any different as God ‘executes judgement’. He promises that, ‘the horns of the wicked I will cut off, but the horns of the righteous shall be lifted up.’ All people will be judged, the wicked and the righteous (those that live following God). One set will be ‘lifted up’, the others ‘cut down’. Which fate will you receive? For God is close and He is worthy of great gratitude and love, are you living your life acknowledging and appreciating His presence in the World and your life?

Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things....

Psalm 107

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! 

*2* Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble 

*3* and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south. 

*4* Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to a city to dwell in; 

*5* hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them. 

*6* Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. 

*7* He led them by a straight way till they reached a city to dwell in. 

*8* Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! 

*9* For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things. 

*10* Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, prisoners in affliction and in irons, 

*11* for they had rebelled against the words of God, and spurned the counsel of the Most High. 

*12* So he bowed their hearts down with hard labour; they fell down, with none to help. 

*13* Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. 

*14* He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and burst their bonds apart. 

*15* Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! 

*16* For he shatters the doors of bronze and cuts in two the bars of iron. 

*17* Some were fools through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities suffered affliction; 

*18* they loathed any kind of food, and they drew near to the gates of death. 

*19* Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. 

*20* He sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction. 

*21* Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! 

*22* And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and tell of his deeds in songs of joy! 

*23* Some went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the great waters; 

*24* they saw the deeds of the Lord, his wondrous works in the deep. 

*25* For he commanded and raised the stormy wind, which lifted up the waves of the sea. 

*26* They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths; their courage melted away in their evil plight; 

*27* they reeled and staggered like drunken men and were at their wits’ end. 

*28* Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. 

*29* He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. 

*30* Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven. 

*31* Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! 

*32* Let them extol him in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders. 

*33* He turns rivers into a desert, springs of water into thirsty ground, 

*34* a fruitful land into a salty waste, because of the evil of its inhabitants. 

*35* He turns a desert into pools of water, a parched land into springs of water. 

*36* And there he lets the hungry dwell, and they establish a city to live in; 

*37* they sow fields and plant vineyards and get a fruitful yield. 

*38* By his blessing they multiply greatly, and he does not let their livestock diminish. 

*39* When they are diminished and brought low through oppression, evil, and sorrow, 

*40* he pours contempt on princes and makes them wander in trackless wastes; 

*41* but he raises up the needy out of affliction and makes their families like flocks. 

*42* The upright see it and are glad, and all wickedness shuts its mouth. 

*43* Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord. 

This psalm covers many analogies for the different ways in which we can experience life. There are snippets of stories encompassing; confusion, wandering, poverty, restriction, rebellion, dismissing God’s way, imprisonment, seeking riches and climbing the career ladder. I am sure each of us can relate to at least one of these situations. They all indicate times we can find ourselves in through life, often when we are not fully following God or times then we are caught up in the trials and sufferings of life. Yet in ALL of these situations, there is an opportunity to cry out to God;

‘Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.’

No situation is too difficult for God to rescue you from. You have never gone too far, gone too wrong, or got too bad for God to intervene. He is just waiting for an invitation to do so. Every time in the variety of situations listed, the people get overwhelmed, fed up and desperate. Ever felt like that? When the people of this psalm realised they were so troubled and distressed that they could do nothing about it, they cried out to God. They were desperate, scared and incapable of changing their circumstances, so they realised they needed supernatural help.

God is greater than any situation you are in. If you do call upon Him, He will answer. Like He does for the people here. He can meet you in the storm and sustain you in the desert, He can pierce the darkness and obliterate sin. If you are fed up with life the way it is right now, why not try crying out to God? He can deliver you from your distress - He can show you the straight path out of the mess, He can calm the storm,  bring healing and rescue. He can release those who feel imprisoned, He can provide nourishment, bring peace and strength. God can make a difference to whatever situation you find yourself in. So, why not ask Him to? 

Then you can take comfort that in each circumstance listed in this scripture, God answers. He provides, guides, heals, rescues and releases those who have ‘cried to the Lord in their trouble’. You may not realise it yet, but God is working out His plan for you and is coming to deliver you from your distress. It is comforting to know that in the many trials of life, that we can call on God. It doesn’t matter if you never have, or if you always have, God still listens and acts. He doesn’t just lend a sympathetic ear, but He provides a rescue plan, a solution to whatever the circumstance is. He is just waiting for you to call on Him to come. 

As well as the repetition of verse 6, after every event, once the people turn to God, this verse is also repeated, ‘Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!’

The work and intervention of God deserves recognition. When God answers the call of distress, don’t forget to acknowledge it and be grateful to Him. For He has performed ‘wondrous works’ in your life, and He will continue to do so when you invite Him in. Being grateful for God’s great, steadfast, enduring love is something we can all do, but do you? Do you call to remembrance the times when God has transformed your life, situations, health, career, your troubled mind? 

Verses 22 onwards demonstrate some ways in which we can glorify God, and we can use these examples to thank God for what He has done in our lives. Don’t forget to thank God for these things. We have a lot to thank God for, but we do not always remember to do it. I think that is why the psalmist repeats this verse. 

I know God has healed me, He has brought peace to my heart and mind, He has provided for me a family, a home, finances when we have had lack, He has given me a husband and children though the path was not easy, He has broken through situations, provided jobs, restored the lives of those around us,  led me, disciplined me, He has given me hope, prepared me, comforted me, given me strength, energy, He has spoken to me, listened to me and kept me going. 

What has He done for you? 

Surely, He deserves our gratitude and our trust the next time a tough situation comes by….

‘Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord.'

Count your blessings

Haman recounted to them the splendour of his riches, the number of his sons, all the promotions with which the king had honoured him, and how he had advanced him above the officials and the servants of the king. 12 Then Haman said, “Even Queen Esther let no one but me come with the king to the feast she prepared. And tomorrow also I am invited by her together with the king. 13 Yet all this is worth nothing to me, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.” 
Esther 5:11–13.

Oh Haman!

Haman has just had the unrivalled honour of dining with the king and queen of the known world, and he still gets grumpy!
Do you know anyone like that? Someone who has it all, but is still discontented?

Haman has mounds of riches, honour, prestige, a growing family, a job he loves, lots to boast about, yet he can still find something to moan about! Why is he dissatisfied? It seems everything is going his way - he has prestige, power and possessions, he has most things that people would dream of, yet he focuses on the one little thing that outweighs his contentment. Then that one little niggle is so magnified in his view that it destroys his enjoyment of what is pleasing. It tarnishes his perception of his perfect life.
The little niggle that blemishes Haman’s life is the lowly man that is Mordecai. Of all the aspects of life Haman could be consumed by; power, wealth, prestige, gaiety, responsibility, Haman instead focuses on the one thing that bothers him so he fails to fully enjoy or appreciate the great things of life, why? because of a man. Because of Mordecai. It doesn't really make sense does it? Why would a powerful and influential man be upstaged, angered and jealous of the seemingly poor, unimportant, Mordecai

What is it about Mordecai that bothers Haman so much? Mordecai, materially has so very little, he has little family, little power, renknown or responsibility so what is it about Mordecai that Haman hates so much?

Could it be that every time Haman comes across Mordecai, Haman realises that actually his life isn’t fulfilling, that in fact he recognises that there is something missing? Could it be that Mordecai in his seemingly uninfluenttial, insignificant position shows greater joy and contentment in his life than Haman with all his wealth, power and possessions can attain?

I think that might be it. That for Haman, Mordecai is a constant reminder that his life isn’t as perfect and fulfilling as it would appear. That all of his achievements, prowess and power, actually doesn’t increase happiness. Haman is unfulfilled, empty. Yet he sees Mordecai, who is content with the little he has and with who he is. So, whenever Haman encounters him, he sees something lacking within himself. Haman has to acknowledge the lack of contentment everytime he sees his face. Mordecai is a constant reminder of the unattainable joy and peace. Haman has moments of joy, but not the long-lasting, unshakeable type that Mordecai has.

The one thing Mordecai has is greater than the many things Haman owns, and Haman knows it.

No matter how much Haman tries, whatever promotion he gains, honour he receives, he cannot reach the internal satisfaction that Mordecai has. Haman works and works yet still it is not enough to satisfy. He is invited to feasts, triumphant in wars, yet despite the accolade, pomp and ceremony, he knows something is missing. Then, Haman happens upon righteous Mordecai, sitting contentedly at the gate and he is tormented. Seeing this man of little accord satisfied with what he has, with the work he does, even with his limited status breeds contempt. It is a lot easier to despise the one who reminds you of what you're missing rather than consider your own responsibility for inner contentment.

Mordecai is a constant reminder that Haman will never be or have enough. Mordecai has the one thing that matters and whenever he comes across him, Haman sees his inner self more clearly and he doesn’t like it. Mordecai mirrors what he’s missing - inner confidence and satisfaction.
This seems so unachievable for Haman that the feeling of resentment, anger and revenge grows the more he sees Mordecai. As he faces this contented man, he is forced to acknowledge to himself that all of the pomp and ceremony does not actually provide the internal satisfaction that he craves. The pile of possessions, the life and love of family, the responsibility of position matters nothing and never will if you don't first attain satisfaction within. Without that, life will always be lacking, as Haman found, and there will always be something that's a problem which outweighs the great things of life.

Haman, as we have read, is consumed with Mordecai being the problem. He projects his discontent onto him when, in fact, the problem lies within himself. It is far easier to blame our condition, situation and disappointments upon others. Others may well of had an influence in our circumstances, but we are actually responsible for the condition and response of our heart. No-one else can change that. Haman allowed himself to become consumed with anger and resentment because Mordecai represented all that he lacked. Whereas, if Haman had considered his own heart and what he was missing, using Mordecai as a role model, then there could of been contentment for him too.

Considering all this raises a few questions for our own lives;
Do you focus on the problems and annoyances rather than the achievements, success and positive things all around you?
Are you concerned with how much others have compared to you?
Are you one who displays peace and contentment in all circumstances?
Have you ever thought that others may be looking at you and seeing the peace and contentment you enjoy and they are jealous for it?

What does your life display? Do you live in lack or acknowledge your wealth?

Do not underestimate the great value you have and..
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.’