Letter From The Pastor

“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever!”
Ps 136:1 ESV

As we are in the Thanksgiving season, allow the scriptures to guide you and spur you on in
giving thanks!
Psalm 136 can serve as a great pattern for us to begin to use during this Thanksgiving season.
Give thanks for:

1) Who He is
“His steadfast love endures forever” is repeated throughout the Psalm, which is the obvious
underlying focus of the psalmist’s grateful heart. That steadfast love is also translated “mercy”,
“faithfulness” and “loving kindness”. This is a love and faithfulness that is not experienced
anywhere else in all of creation. It is second to none. It was from that motivation that
salvation’s plan was drawn for you and for me. Praise the Lord for that immovable, never-
changing, deep love for us!
“He is good, He is God of gods and Lord of lords” (v2-3)
He is good – all together right, pure, free from sin, malice, manipulation and ill-intent. And there
is none like Him. There is none His equal in power and wisdom. All kingdoms and authorities
are nothing compared to Him. All are subject to Him and all will bow the knee to Him now or
later. (How cool that that’s the One who has steadfast love toward us who are His!)
2) What He has done
In verse 4 the psalmist speaks of the “great wonders” that God does. From verse 5 on, some of
the many works of the Lord are recounted: from creation, to the exodus, to the deliverance and
provision in the wilderness. This is, indeed, an example of the song, Count Your Blessings. It is
a great call for us to remember what the Lord has done. Sure, remember the many things He
has done throughout the scriptures, and even in the lives of others. But what has He done in
your life? I encourage you to make a physical list of those things. Have a couple of pieces of
paper, because it’ll probably get long !
And certainly, the mightiest work of the Lord that should be on the top of that list is what He has
done for us in the work of Christ on the cross for us. How “for our sake He made Him to be sin
who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor 5:21 ESV).
He has brought us from darkness to light, from death to life, and has adopted these former
enemies of His as His sons and daughters!
Gratitude wells up and spills out when we keep the Lord and His gospel ever before us!

“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever!”

Ps 136:1 ESV