For you have made me rejoice, O Lord, by what you have done…
Psalm 92:4a
If you are a believer and love God, I’m sure you can think of many reasons to give thanks to the Lord.
You may be grateful for your family, health, friends, nature, or even chocolate.
Undoubtedly, it’s natural for you to be thankful for these things.
However, Psalm 92 gives us some other reasons to consider.
Let’s look at them now.
Table of Contents
Why Give Thanks to the Lord?
Psalm 92:1 says it is good to give thanks to the Lord. Thank Him in the morning for His lovingkindness and His faithfulness every night. Additionally, thank Him for the things He has done and the magnificent work of His hands. And don’t forget to thank the Lord for His deep and profound thoughts. The Lord is exalted forever!
His Unfailing Love and Faithfulness
The Lord is the Most High. The psalmist says it’s good to proclaim His unfailing love in the morning and His faithfulness every night.
It reminds me of the time in David’s life when Saul sent messengers to David’s house to watch him. They intended to kill him the following morning, but his wife, Michal, told him of the plan. She let him down through a window so he could escape (1 Samuel 19:11-12).
Later, David writes Psalm 59, remembering that night. He begins the psalm by asking God for help. He then describes his dangerous situation, asks God to judge his enemies, and ends by praising God.
Psalm 59:16 But as for me, I shall sing of your strength; yes, I shall joyfully sing of Thy lovingkindness in the morning, for Thou hast been my stronghold, and a refuge in the day of my distress.
Giving thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness and faithfulness every morning and night is an excellent way to prepare yourself for the hardships that will inevitably come.
For we are told to give thanks for all things (Ephesians 5:19-20), and in all things (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
This is challenging to do.
The Magnificent Work of His Hands
David says in Psalm 92:4b-5a that he will “sing for joy at the work of the Lord‘s hands” because they are so great.
He also says, “if I would declare and speak of them, they would be too numerous to count” (Psalm 40:5b).
And that the great works of the Lord are “studied by all who delight in them” (Psalm 111:2).
Later, we read in Revelation 15:2-4 that those who had been victorious over the beast, his statue, and the number representing his name, held harps and sang the song of Moses, and the song of the Lamb, saying:
Great and marvelous are Thy works,
O Lord God, the Almighty;
Righteous and true are Thy ways,
Thou King of the nations.
“Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Thy name?
For Thou alone art holy;
For all the nations will come and worship before Thee,
For Thy righteous acts have been revealed.
I often thank God for His creation when walking or hiking in nature. I stand in awe when I read Scriptures such as Psalm 104 and Job 38-41.
However, His marvelous works extend beyond His creation. Psalm 139 is more intimate and reminds me of four attributes of God:
- He is all-knowing (v.1-6)
- He is present everywhere (v.7-12)
- His power in the forming of humanity (v.13-18)
- His holiness, which judges the wicked and searches the believer’s heart (v.19-24)
A thankful heart will result in telling others what the Lord has done and praising His name.
Psalm 9:1-2 I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.
His Deep Thoughts
How often have you considered the Lord‘s deep thoughts? Listen to the following verses:
Psalm 40:5 Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders which Thou hast done, and Thy thoughts towards us; there is none to compare with Thee; if I were to declare and speak of them, they would be too numerous to count.
Psalm 139:17-18a How precious are Thy thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand…
Psalm 92:5 How great are Thy works, O Lord! Thy thoughts are very deep.
The Pulpit Commentary says:
If God’s works are admirable and therefore precious, so still more are his thoughts–those deep counsels of his, which must have preceded all manifestation of himself in act or work.
Isaiah 55:8-9 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”
Amos 4:13 For behold, He who forms mountains and creates the wind and declares to man what are His thoughts, He who makes dawn into darkness and treads on the high places of the earth, the Lord God of hosts is His name.
Romans 11:34 For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor?
1 Corinthians 2:16 For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he should instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.
1 Corinthians 2:11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of a man, which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.
Micah 4:12a But they do not know the thoughts of the Lord, and they do not understand His purpose…
What these verses tell us about God’s thoughts
- His thoughts toward us are too numerous to count
- They outnumber the sand
- They’re deep
- They preceded His works
- They’re higher than ours
- God reveals His thoughts to those who have His Spirit living inside them
- We can’t know God’s thoughts until He reveals them to us
- Not everyone knows the thoughts of God
Do you see why we would thank to the Lord for His deep thoughts? It’s because everything began first with His thoughts, then resulted in His works and words.
But only those who have received the spirit of God can know His thoughts or understand His ways.
So, when you are thanking the Lord for the things He has done, the ways He has blessed you, or even just the fact of how much He loves you, know they are a result of His thoughts.
It is Good to Give Thanks to the Lord
Final Thoughts
As you can see, Psalm 92 gives us three great reasons to give thanks to the Lord.
One is His unfailing love and faithfulness. Try waking up each morning thanking Him for His lovingkindness and going to bed each night thanking Him for His faithfulness.
Two is the magnificent work of His hands. The Lord has made and done some pretty amazing things, don’t you agree?
And three is His deep, profound thoughts. All of His works and words come from His thoughts. The sixty-six books of the Bible and by the Holy Spirit are how He reveals them to us today.
So, while you are sharing what you are thankful for this Thanksgiving, why not include the three things from Psalm 92?
If you aren’t sure if you have the Holy Spirit, it starts with being born again. And there is nothing more important than that. The one who has been born of the Spirit has the Spirit of God living inside them.