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The Psalms have been the worship and prayer book for followers of Yahweh (the ancient Hebrew name for God) throughout the centuries. As we begin to explore these ancient scriptures, you are invited to join in this worshipful and prayerful practice by journeying through the psalms this fall. You may want to read and pray through one psalm a day or spend the whole week in one of the psalms or part of a psalm from the reading schedule that week. The reading schedule is posted on our website or you can pick up a physical copy at one of our Sunday services.
Each week a blog post will assist us in thinking more deeply about different themes found in the Psalms. Along with this, various media, such as music and art work, will accompany the blog post to enhance our explorations.

 

Psalm 124: Being Thankful

Thanksgiving is at the heart of Christian discipleship. And yet, we can be slow to be thankful. In her book Radical Gratitude Mary Jo Leddy tells the story of a period in her life when she found it difficult to be grateful. God jolted her out of her dissatisfaction through a refugee family who were staying with her in her house. A young girl in the family was peering out of Mary’s kitchen window. The girl saw the garage through the window. She asked, “Who lives there?” Mary’s world suddenly inverted as she recognised that someone could live there. A number of people in fact. Mary answered, “The car.” 

Psalm 124 reminds us that all that we have comes from God, and so we must depend upon God. The final phrase of Psalm 124 has been used to open Christian worship services for centuries:  

 Our help is in the name of the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. (Psalm 124:1)

Remember that God has given to you generously, God is giving, and God will give. At the heart of reality is a God of limitless generosity. Remember, too, that when we give thanks, things begin to align in our hearts and minds. It is difficult to stay angry or stressed when we stop and give thanks. When we give thanks, the stress often melts off, because we are coming to the source of everything that is good—the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

 

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