Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story—
those he redeemed from the hand of the foe.
Psalm 107:1-2
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There is an interesting connection made in Psalm 107: Giving thanks to God and Telling others about it.
This makes sense to me. When we find something we are grateful for and excited about, we are quick to share it with others.
When we eat a delicious meal at a new restaurant, we tell others to try it. When we read a great book or watch a good movie, we recommend it to others. When we discover a new hobby, we invite others to join us.
Gratitude and sharing that goodness with others is a natural connection.
And so it would make sense to me that God would routinely make that connection concerning our relationship with Him.
Psalm 107 is not the only place where the connection is made. We can find it all throughout Scripture:
1 Chronicles 16:8: Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done.
Psalm 9:1: I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
Psalm 96:2-3: Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
Isaiah 12:5: Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world.
Colossians 3:16-17: Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
But here’s what is interesting about all those verses. The Holy Spirit moves the conversation beyond connection to instruction.
Look at the verses again. God doesn’t just tell us that our gratitude should spill over into telling others. It tells us it must. It is part of our duty and calling.
As followers of Christ, whenever we recount His blessings in our life (and I hope you do that on a regular basis), we are called to make known His works among the nations. Our stories of God’s goodness are not meant to be kept to ourselves but shared with others to proclaim His love and faithfulness.
And there is a good reason why God instructs us to think in such a way. For one, God loves each and every person and has chosen us to be His ambassadors.
And second, when we share with others the redemption and goodness we have found in God, we are not merely recommending a new restaurant—we are inviting people to Living Water.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, I am thankful today that you are good and your love endures forever. Help me grasp more and more each day what that means. And provide me today with an opportunity to tell your story. Amen.