Thankful EverydaySample

Thankful Because the Lord is Good

The 100th Psalm tells us that we should be a people who give thanks to God. The writer of Hebrews says this should be our continual practice as stated in Hebrews 13:15: "Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name." That is not only difficult to do but also difficult to even understand. Psalm 100 offers several reasons why we should be people for whom thanksgiving is the posture of our lives.

Perhaps the most powerful reasons are found in the five little words that comprise the beginning sentence of verse five. Those words are "For the Lord is good." It is a simple declaration concerning the essential character and nature of God. The Lord is good. He is not bad; He is not mean-spirited; He is not deceitful; THE LORD IS GOOD!

Consider other things that we know to be true about God. God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and always and everywhere present. These attributes speak of the power and wisdom of God. They say of the comprehensive nature of God that we can't escape. We also know that He is the ruler and the judge—the final arbiter of all things—whose word and will are definite and final. There is an incomprehensible authority, power, and majesty to God, and all of these things are wonderful only because God is good! 

Consider for a moment how terrifying it would be if God were all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-encompassing, but was not always good. What if God was highly inconsistent, prone to react in anger, unpredictable in His righteousness, and played favorites. We would all live in miserable terror.

We would never know what might happen, how God might respond, or how we should relate to Him. Our best hope for any day would be to "not be noticed," if that were even possible. The great hope and joy of our lives are to know that the God who spoke the world into existence is always and forever good.

There is a children's mealtime blessing that begins: "God is great, and God is good." Both of these declarations are true. We usually think of great being better than good, but the goodness of God is better than the greatness of God. Without the assurance of the goodness of God, the greatness (power, authority, etc.) of God would be something to be afraid of. Since God is never less than perfectly good, the greatness of God is to be celebrated.

"God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good." This truth means we can and should be people with thankful hearts.