Henderson Hills Baptist Church

One Way or the Other

Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever! Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom He has redeemed from trouble and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.  Ps 107:1-3 (ESV)

Christians are called to an attitude of gratitude. That should be as normal for us as it is for a fish to swim or an elephant to be fat! The problem is that we do not seem to be very thankful. Why is it that there are so many Christians dissatisfied, unhappy, unthankful, and grumpy? There are several events at work and Psalm 107  provides good examples of what can lead us toward gratitude or ingratitude.

One of the primary differences between unthankful people and those who are appreciative has to do with how people in both groups look at life. A friend once told me that it is not so much what happens to us that affects us but how we choose to look at it. That is so true!

In verses 1-3, the Psalmist said, “Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever! Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom He has redeemed from trouble and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.”   It is helpful to look at this from the vantage point of those who were the first recipients. These people had been scattered by wars, losses, and deportations. They had been slaves, lived through torture, and oppression. The Lord had returned them to their land and the psalm writer calls them to thank the Lord for His goodness and loving kindness. I bet that these people responded in two ways to this song. There were those whose hearts were overflowing with gratitude and there were those who were so sullen that they were not even able to sing. Privately they were thinking that there was nothing for which to be thankful. They had felt the pain of the master’s whip and the humiliation of slavery. God should not have let it happen in the first place, they thought. Therefore, they questioned how they could be thankful. The other group was rejoicing in the mercy of God because He brought them back and blessed them with freedom and home. It is not so much what happens to you that affects you but how you choose to look at it.

We will find this theme through the rest of the psalm. Read it through. You will find the writer pointing out a number of trials that people had endured and how God had proven His goodness and love for them. There were those who had been lost in the desert and the Lord returned them home, (4-9.) Some had spent time in prison, probably unjustly, but God had blessed them with their release (10-16). Others suffered from serious diseases but now the Lord had restored their health (17-22). Then there were those who made their livelihood from the sea and God had rescued them from a terrible storm (23-32). The examples go on in this psalm but these are representative of the point being made.

Think about the attitude of those who have endured these trials but are now living on the other side of them. The writer is saying, “Thank God, He is good and steadfast in His love.” Some, no doubt, were rejoicing in full agreement. They looked at what they had and where they were and celebrated. When they considered how God had protected them, redeemed them from their slavery, and set them free, all they could do was sing and dance.

However, others did not receive these statements about the goodness and steadfast love of God in the same way. These poor souls never do. I can just hear them question why God allowed the bad things to happen in the first place, why God hadn’t intervened earlier, and how they could trust God now that they had endured this disappointment.

We have one group dancing and the other depressed but they’ve both been in the same slavery, trouble, and pain. What makes one person grateful and the other grumpy? It is not the circumstances; the difference is in how they have chosen to look at their circumstances. To one, God is good and steadfast in His love. They were overwhelmed with gratitude. The other saw God as not good and trustworthy because He allowed the pain in the first place. Let me ask you, which kind of person would you rather be? Would you rather be a dancer or depressed sitting in the corner? Would you rather have a song of gratitude in your heart and on your lips or spend your time grumbling and complaining? Are you going to focus on God’s goodness or your challenges? In very real terms, you get to decide to join either side. It is up to you.

Recently, Marcia and I were driving down the road. She was remarking about how beautiful the fall trees are, and how great winter will be with the holidays, snow, and cozy fire in the fireplace. She was just overcome with gratitude. Honestly, that is not what I was thinking as I drove down that same road sitting in the front seat of the same car. I looked at the autumn leaves and thought about the loss of sunlight and warmth of summer being gone. My mind then moved on to the cold, mud, and brownness of winter. It was not so much what was happening to us but how we chose to think about it. Choose to concentrate on the goodness of God and His steadfast love instead of what you do not like about life. An attitude of gratitude will bless you and it is only fitting when we consider how God has brought us home from our wandering, released us from the prison of sin, and set us free to enjoy Him forever.

2 Peter 3:18

Dennis

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