Giving Thanks and Telling Others (Psalm 9:1-10)

¹ I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart;
I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
² I will be glad and rejoice in you;
I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.

³ My enemies turn back;
they stumble and perish before you.
⁴ For you have upheld my right and my cause,
sitting enthroned as the righteous judge.
⁵ You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked;
you have blotted out their name for ever and ever.
⁶ Endless ruin has overtaken my enemies,
you have uprooted their cities;
even the memory of them has perished.

⁷ The Lord reigns forever;
he has established his throne for judgment.
⁸ He rules the world in righteousness
and judges the peoples with equity.
⁹ The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
¹⁰ Those who know your name trust in you,
for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.

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What struck me in today’s psalm is what David says in the first verse about his response to the Lord’s faithfulness in his life.  The specific occasion appears to be the defeat of his enemies, and justice being served.  But note that David’s response is in two directions:  Praise and thanks directed toward the Lord, and telling of the Lord’s deeds directed at people.

When we experience the Lord’s blessings in our lives – which is every day if we are honest and aware – we are called to respond verbally in two directions:  Praise for God; witnessing to others.  These are two sides of the same response.

So this leads to a bit of self-examination.  First, am I daily cognizant of the Lord’s blessings?  As I said, in this specific case, David was responding to the Lord overcoming his enemies.  For us that would translate into the Lord overcoming evil in all its forms in our lives.  But the Lord’s blessings come in many and various ways, not just providing for our physical needs, but also our relational, emotional, and spiritual needs.  Am I taking these blessings for granted?  It’s so easy in times of stress and uncertainty, such as the times we are in now, to lose sight of the Lord’s blessings that fill our lives every day.

And how am I responding to these blessings?  Am I praising and thanking God, both individually and in my relationships with others?  And am I sharing with others about the Lord’s goodness and faithfulness?  The Lord’s presence in our lives, and the comfort, peace and joy that flow from it, is part of our witness.  “This is what the Lord has done for me.  This is how He has been faithful to me.”  Have I sought to tell of His wonderful deeds as did David?

So my prayer today is that the Lord would lead me to respond to His blessings with praise toward Him and witnessing toward others.

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