Psalms to Make You ThinkSample

Psalm 100

This psalm starts with a call to worship - similar to our corporate times of sung worship, which usually start with a ‘call to worship’ song. On a Sunday morning, a call to worship helps us to come away from the distractions of the week, or even of that morning. It helps us to focus on the Lord and draws us into a place of worship. Sometimes it’s really helpful to do something similar when we sit down to read the bible. Remove all distractions, stop thinking about what’s for dinner or who just texted you, and focus on the Lord. I sometimes find it useful to keep a pen and paper nearby, so that when important things come to mind, I can quickly write them down, and then stop thinking about them instead of focusing on what I’m reading.

This passage instructs us to ‘enter his gates with thanksgiving’. What’s the last thing you told God you were thankful for? Imagine if you woke up today, and you only had the things you thanked God for yesterday. Even on a day when it feels like life is falling apart, I challenge you to look around and find 5 things you can thank God for.

In Isaiah 12, it reminds us to give thanks to the Lord, for He has done glorious things. He made everything! He made you and me, our brains and our bodies, the ground beneath us and the skies above us. All our friends and family, houses and cars, food and drink. We thank Him because he did it all. It’s similar to worship; we worship the Lord and praise His name because he is worthy of our praise. He built it all, and then he gave it all, offering his only son in the greatest sacrifice, so that we may be free from our sin, and live forever in heaven. If you’re struggling to think of things you’re thankful for, then that’s somewhere to start!

This psalm ends by reminding us that the Lord is good, and his love endures forever. I find it crazy to think about that word forever. God existed before space and time, and he will continue to do so once we are done on this planet. There is no end, no expiration date to his love. Especially when we mess up so much along the way, there is no end to his love for us. And his faithfulness continues through all generations. Like your parents, and their parents, and their parent’s parents, all the way back through all the generations, and all the way forward to your children, and their children, and their children’s children.

What can you thank God for today, yesterday, or tomorrow?