On being grateful
May 13, 2023 - Saturday, Fifth Week of Easter
Psalm 100:1b-2, 3, 5
One of the most beautiful words in the world is “thank you” and the practice of being grateful has many health benefits from improving our mood and immunity to relieving anxiety and depression. The ancient Christian monks recommended it as an antidote to jealousy. Instead of comparing ourselves with others and getting jealous, we can count our blessings and become grateful. Psalm 100 is a psalm of thanksgiving to the Lord.
Years ago, Don Moen compose a song: “God is good all the time”. The singer was inspired by two passages from the Bible. The first comes from the prophet Isaiah and invites us to trust in Him even if we are in dire straits. God’s promise goes like this: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze” (Is 43:2). The second one comes from the book of Lamentations and it summarises the entire message of the Bible: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end” (Lam 3:22).
The truth that the Lord is good is proclaimed by the psalmist and it is the main reason for offering our thanksgiving to the Lord. For the Jewish reader God’s goodness is evident in their election as His “treasured possession among all peoples” (Ex 19:5). But, following the Greek version of this psalm, we can say that our very existence is the proof of God’s goodness. The Greek translator rendered verse 3 of this psalm in this way: “Know this: the Lord, He is God; He made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture” (Ps 100:3, LXX).
As we move to the New Testament, we further see the evidence of God’s goodness in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Now, we know that the Lord did not only make us, but he also saved us. As we could not make ourselves, so we also could not save ourselves. We have been created and redeemed by God’s grace. And so we thank our Lord Jesus Christ for making us a new creation, for the privilege of being his disciples. We have come to him with great joy and serve him with gladness. As our Good Shepherd, he brought us to the waters of baptism, refreshed our souls and renewed our lives (see Ps 23:2-3). In Jesus Christ, our Lord, we see God’s goodness, steadfast love, and faithfulness. And so we come to the gates of the Church with thanksgiving in our hearts and gratitude on our lips. Lord Jesus, we thank you for everything.