A Life of Thanks-GivingSample

Changing Perspective

Is  the current wave of bad news, corruption and crime getting you down?  Yesterday on the radio, the talk-show host invited people to phone in and talk about what they wanted a vacation from, because, (and she  said  this many times) "we are so depressed, discouraged and really, really tired". People phoned in wanting a vacation from traffic, tough jobs, job-searching, crime, corruption, politicians, high costs, tiredness and discouragement. 

In Psalm 28 David also expressed his need for a vacation: He felt he was like those going to the pit. He needed to cry for mercy and call for help. He was exhausted by wicked people who "speak cordially, but harbour malice in their hearts and show no regard for the works of the Lord." David longed for them to reap the rewards of what they sowed, and you sense his frustration at the injustice of their ongoing evil.

The turning point of the Psalm is not the moment that evil is dealt with, but the relief of knowing that God had heard him. The seventh verse contains this beautiful parallelism:

The LORD is my strength and my shield;

   my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.

 My heart leaps for joy

   and I will give thanks to him in song.

In these four lines we have a fact, a decision, a consequence and another decision.

The fact is that the LORD is our strength and shield. This truth is greater than the evil and pain in our lives. The decision David makes is to trust in the Lord. The consequence is that David is helped to the extent that his "heart leaps for joy". This leads to his second decision - to offer praise in song.

To give thanks is to shift our perspective. To give thanks in tough times only  happens when we have turned our heads away from the realities that vex us and  turn our faces to One who is greater. And then our need to sing silences the need to whine.

If you need a vacation from the "stuff" that's vexing you, read Psalm 28.