A Song of Gratitude
Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples! Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works! 1 Chronicles 16:8-9 ESV
The director took his place and raised his hands. Although it was early morning, the choir sang and the small group of musicians played. Many smiled–no matter how they may have been feeling. The congregation set aside what had been happening in their lives before they entered the church. Their spirits were lifted, their faith stirred. Time to praise God.
When King David brought the ark of the covenant into Jerusalem, he first offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. Then he appointed some of the Levites to “minister before the ark of the Lord, to extol, thank, and praise the Lord, the God of Israel” (1 Chronicles 16:4).
The musicians played lyres and harps, Asaph as chief, sounded the cymbals, and Benaiah and Jahaziel, the priests, blew the trumpets. Then Asaph and his brothers sang a song of thanksgiving to the Lord that David had composed for them (as recorded in 1 Chronicles 16, verses 8-9 quoted above).
Praising the Lord with music was their job—no matter the time of day, no matter how thankful they felt or what was happening in their lives.
David’s song summoned them to “let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice, look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always” 1 Chronicles 16:10-11. David extended the call of rejoicing: “the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let them say among the nations, ‘The Lord reigns!’”
David even invoked nature: “Let the sea resound, and all that is in it; let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them! Let the trees of the forest sing, let them sing for joy before the Lord” 1 Chronicles 16:31-33.
Wish I could have heard David’s musicians. I used to love being part of a program—sometimes a school musical or a Christmas cantata—with a large group of singers and an orchestra. So much easier to be excited.
Have you ever thanked God with such exuberant rejoicing?
DIG DEEPER:
One way to sing your gratitude is to sing Scripture. Find a musical version of Psalm 57:9-11. A number of groups have recorded this or other ones.
This version of David’s song is a composite based on three psalms: 96:1-13, 105:11-15, 106:1, 106:47-48. What has the chronicler changed to match the concerns of his own community? How would you make the song more up-to-date?
Isaiah 12:6 talks about telling the nations of the glorious things God has done—referring back to Isaiah 11. What glorious things will God do? When will he do this?
A special feature of this gratitude series is a Word Search puzzle based on the featured Scripture verse. Download it here: Giving Thanks to the Lord_word
Nancy J. Baker
Note: This devotion is part of a series on Gratitude.