Thanksgiving for God’s Everlasting Mercy

“Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. The Lord is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation. I shall not die, but live, And declare the works of the Lord. I will praise You, for You have answered me, And have become my salvation. The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing; It is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day which the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it. Save now, I pray, O Lord; O Lord, I pray, send now prosperity. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! We have blessed you from the house of the Lord. God is the Lord, and He has given us light. You are my God, and I will praise You; You are my God, I will exalt You. Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.” (Psalm 118:1, 14, 17, 21-26, 28-29. NKJV) [Read Psalm 118]

The choice of today’s scripture is the Lord’s doing! I wanted to include the whole marvelous 118th Psalm in the scriptures written above. I hope you take time to read and absorb the truths of the whole psalm. When I planned this series on the Thanksgiving Psalms (in the progression through the 17 psalms categorized as thanksgiving) the 118th fell on Thanksgiving Day! How appropriate that at the top of our thanksgiving list should come God’s everlasting mercy that this psalm so aptly praises, His mercy that brings us salvation! Our hearts should exalt as we proclaim: “Thank You, Lord, for my salvation! Thank You, Lord, for Your unmerited mercy and grace that provided the way for me to be restored to You, to have abundant life in my earthly sojourn, and eternal fellowship and favor with You! This knowledge is marvelous. With the psalmist I say, sincerely and with an overflowing heart: "Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! Because His mercy endures forever. I will praise You, for You have answered me, And have become my salvation! God is the Lord, and He has given us light. You are my God, and I will praise You; You are my God, I will exalt You.”

So many verses in this marvelous psalm have a special meaning for me, and in my “much and long-used” Bible, notes I’ve written in the margin recount how I claimed the promise of certain verses and prayed them, gaining strength from the Lord. “In my anguish I cried to the Lord and He answered… (v. 5). Too many times to enumerate, that verse has reminded me that I can go to the Lord in times of deep anguish and He hears and brings solutions. The key is to rely on the Lord! He is an ever-present help in trouble.

We have only to turn to Him in trust. “The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid” (v. 6). Fear can be paralyzing and detrimental. There is no need to fear (this does not negate our logical use of caution). God is present to guide through fearful situations and decisions. Thank Him even in advance as you face fear, whatever its cause.

“It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man” (v. 8). How can we receive this refuge from the Lord? “Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path” (Ps. 119:105). Become familiar with the Word; use it daily as your guide to righteousness and truth. Thank God today for the refuge He gives you and for His Word that gives you light.

“I shall not die, but live, And declare the works of the Lord” (v. 17) Three crucial times I claimed this verse personally. On November 17, 1993 as my dear husband Grover underwent five bypasses heart surgery; on December 30, 1999 as I had aneurysm surgery; and again on August 30, 2007 as I myself had five bypasses heart surgery. I was given the assurance that we would live for, as the spiritual song declares, “God’s not finished with me yet!” And I thanked God for life restored!

This Psalm has Messianic references. Verses 19-20 and 26 remind us of Christ’s triumphal entry into the city of Jerusalem as the crowds waved palm branches. Verse 22: “The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone” Jesus came unto His own and was rejected; but God lifted Him up, exalted Him and gave Him a name and a position (capstone) which is above every name! “This is the Lord’s doing; It is marvelous in our eyes!” (v. 23).

As I awake each morning, I exclaim in my heart: “This is the day which the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it!” (v. 24). This starts my day with the Lord. I can look forward to the day, anticipating what God will do in it and what He will lead me to do. Today is a special day set aside in our year for Thanksgiving. It is one of our dear American holidays, filled with family gatherings, a feast of good food, a day to be grateful, count our blessings and rejoice! Let us cultivate the habit of being filled with gratitude every day that we live. Indeed, God makes and gives us every day! Let us return unto him the sacrifice of gratitude! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving on this day set aside for it—and every day!

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Thursday, November 25, 2010