Irvin Wasswa
Tylertown Campus Pastor
Psalm 95:1-4
Oh come, let us sing to the Lord;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
3 For the Lord is a great God,
and a great King above all gods.
4 In his hand are the depths of the earth;
5The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land the heights of the mountains are his also.
What the Lord has been reminding me of in this season is the value of seeing worship as an expression of gratitude to Him. If we know the Lord, we have a reason to thank Him. The truth is choosing to have an attitude of gratitude in these days is imperative as we look to continue to live boldly for Him in this culture.
I love how the Psalmist articulates this attitude of gratitude in Psalm 95. He encourages those there in Jerusalem to praise the Lord together with exuberance! Then he ties in singing and praise with choosing to enter his presence with thanksgiving. As one commentary states:
“In worship the people resolve to draw close to the Lord and rejoice in Him. They come in a spirit of thanksgiving as they recall the Lord’s intervention on their behalf”.
Isn’t that the truth? When we choose to worship the Lord, we can’t help but to have a spirit of thanksgiving because we are able to reflect on who He is and what He has done for us (v.4-5). If we are to look at our lives, it is safe to say that the Lord is great and has done great things. I think of my life and how God brought people to share the gospel with me so I could come to know Him as Savior and Lord at 16. I think of how He called me to ministry my senior year of high school. I thank the Lord for bringing Godly men and women to invest in my life and help grow my faith. Considering all those realities I can’t help but to give thanks to the Lord!
In the same way neither can you. God is so good! He has been good and will continue to be good. No matter the season of life you are in, we have a reason to give thanks to the Lord. So, this morning I encourage you to choose to say thank you to the Lord. Before you do anything else, choose to “enter His presence with thanksgiving”, for who He is, what He has done and going to do!