Pastor’s Corner: “Password to His Presence: THANK YOU”
Psalm 100:4 (MSG) – 4 Enter with the password: “Thank you!” Make yourselves at home, talking praise. Thank him. Worship him.
I’ve never thought about having a password to enter into God’s presence — but it makes sense. We should enter into His presence with thanksgiving on our lips and in our hearts. We should enter with “Thank you!” Doing this helps us change our perspective and attitude. God is interested not in outward appearances but in the attitude of our hearts. And in the process of thanking Him, we are drawn closer to Him and His beautiful heart.
This may seem like an easy task, but for many the losses of the last few years may be overwhelming and it might seem impossible to find anything to be thankful for. For a lot of people Thanksgiving is a painful reminder of the loss of a loved one that is no longer with them. For others, it marks a year since they’ve had employment. For some, Thanksgiving will bring another reminder that they haven’t found that significant other. And there are those couples who have to face the family questions of why they still can’t have children. This last year is marked by pain and loss. But this is all the more reason for us to dig deeper and press into God’s presence.
So how do we summon the gratitude? Most of the time we run to our heavenly father with a need, a sorrow, or a great worry. Are we thanking Him as we enter in or just barging in with our list of things for Him to do or situations for Him to take care of the way we want Him to take care of them? We should enter in His presence with thanksgiving. 2 Thessalonians 5:18, “In EVERY THING, give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus, concerning you.” If you’re a Christian, you’re basis of THANKFULNESS is not your circumstances, but something greater.
God has blessed you, but you may not think so if you’re measuring blessings by the barometer of health, wealth, and happiness. You may say, “I don’t think I have as much to thank God for as some other people.” Well, the apostle Paul was in a filthy Philippian jail, awaiting a possible death sentence, when he wrote, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” Unthankful people are never happy people. They’re filled with bitterness, fear, negativism, selfishness, and self-pity. Most of all, they feel miles away from God and have difficulty experiencing His LOVE, GRACE, JOY & PEACE that is readily available to them!
Beloved, let me tell you what blessings we have. Psalm 68:19 (NKJV) – 19 Blessed be the Lord,
Who daily loads us with benefits, the God of our salvation! Selah (stop and meditate on this). God has loaded your wagon. How often? Every day! “It is of the LORD’S mercies we’re not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning…” (Lamentations 3:22-23). Every day you wake up to blessings.
If you feel overwhelmed with loss and pain this year causing you to feel distant from God, take a moment to put off the despair that the enemy has clothed you with and put on Jesus’ clothes of JOY. Psalm 30:11-12 (NIV) – 11 You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, 12 that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. Lord my God, I will praise you forever. Isaiah 61:3 (NLT) – 3 To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory.
Remember the key to enter into His presence is the PASSWORD: THANK YOU!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
In His Grace,
Pastor Hamilton