9 January 2023 – Give Thanks And Praise With All My Heart

Give Thanks And Praise With All My Heart

BRD REFLECTIONS

Genesis 10 and Genesis 11; Psalm 9 (NIV)

(Audrey Ng, Chairperson, Children’s Ministry)

READ:

Psalm 9 (NIV)

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.

OBSERVE:

Having read a commentary on Psalm 9 on the Enduring Word, I would like to share some reflections from David’s song, which starts with him praising God:  

1. I will praise You, O LORD, with my whole heart. David recognized that God is worthy of praise with his whole heart. 
2. I will tell of all Your marvelous works. David described an important and often neglected way to praise God: by telling of all His marvellous works. 
3. I will be glad and rejoice in You. HereDavid described a second way to praise God, by simply finding and expressing gladness and joy in Him. 
4. I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High. David listed a third way to praise God with the whole heart, by singing praise to the name of God

I had the privilege of visiting an active volcano, Mount Vesuvius in Naples, Italy, last week, a mountain top experience I had been looking forward to for a few months before my visit. As I read Psalm 9, I reflected how quickly my thanksgiving for the opportunity became filled with apprehension as the realities of the visit set in: it would take 45 minutes to trek to the top, we did not have trekking shoes and the weather was forecast to be cloudy and foggy. I was anxious as I trekked up the mountain with one meter visibility, at an incline of 40 degrees, my feet slipping on the gravel beneath. However, the clouds and fog moved away as I reached the volcano crater, revealing breath-taking views of God’s marvellous creation reminding me of Matthew 17:20.  

APPLY:

1. I will praise You, O LORD, with my whole heart. Praising God with my whole heart should not be conditional on His blessings. God is worthy of unconditional praise with my whole heart. 
2. I will tell of all Your marvellous works. God provided a mountain top experience through his magnificent creation of the volcano. He provided companions who trekked with me and encouraged me, a walking stick made available at the entry gantry, and He cleared the fog and clouds when we reached the crater!
3. I will be glad and rejoice in You. God was good and kind to provide a safe journey, and I rejoiced at the view He provided at the top of the mountain!
4. I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High. I could not help but praise God for the amazing work of His hands. As I stood there, feeling very small, I thanked Him that he cares for me.

DO:

1. I want to praise Him who is worthy of the highest praise, with my whole heart. I want to be aware when my praise is half-hearted or conditional, to confess that and submit to the Spirit’s renewal of my heart and mind.
2. I want to praise Him by remembering and testifying to the great things God has done.
3. I can express gladness and joy in God, celebrating His goodness, greatness, providence and kindness.
4. I was made to sing praises to the most high God, to honor and celebrate the character and nature of God.

PRAY:

Dear Father in heaven, 

I will give thanks to you with all my heart, and with all my life. Help me to remember and tell of your goodness. Let the joy of the Lord always be my strength and praise be on my lips every day.

In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.