Serve the LORD with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
Know that the LORD, He is God.
It is He who has made us and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him and bless His name.
For the LORD is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.
Psalm 100, NKJV
That shout that I talked about the other day, it's not an arbitrary shout. It's not random, unreasonable, or indistinct noise that serves no purpose. It's not making noise for noise sake, or being loud for loudness sake. It is a directed shout, a purposeful shout, a cry of triumph heavenward to the One who has given us all things. Our God is the object of our praise because He is the source of our victory, the reason for our joy, the purpose and direction in our lives. The Bible says He is worthy of our praise because He is the creator of all that is, and we exist for His good pleasure.
The name that is used here for God is translated LORD in the English versions of the Bible, but it is really the ancient covenant name God used when communicating with His people. It is the name Yahweh, or more correctly YHWH, which means "the one who exists", or perhaps more familiar to us, "I AM THAT I AM". One of my preacher friends likes to put it this way: He is whatever you need Him to be whenever you need Him to be that.
YHWH is such a sacred name that it is never written or spoken out loud by a proper Jew. Many Jews or Christians with a Jewish flavor, substitute writing G-d for God and saying HaShem, which means "the name" instead of saying God. In the old translations, the name YHWH was given the vowel points from the word Adonai, which means lord, and that combined name is often rendered Jehovah, which is another familiar name to us.
He is Jehovah Jireh, our provider. Jehovah Nissi, our banner of victory. Jehovah Tsidkenu, our righteousness. Jehovah Rapha, our healer. Jehovah Raha, our shepherd. Jehovah Shalom, our peace. Jehovah Shammah, our omnipresent God. Jehovah Sabaoth, our protector.
He is the object of our praise, the one to whom we direct that triumphant shout, and since He is never far from us and always available when we call, He should never be far from our thoughts or our heart when it comes time to give thanks.
Today, I'm thankful for the wealth that I have in my friends, who have made this week such a blessing to me.
I'm thankful for the many wonderful greetings and gifts I received from my friends and family, which made this a very special birthday.
I'm thankful for all the prayers and wishes for the blessings of God in my life for the coming year. I receive!
What are you thankful for today?
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