Thankfulness and Worship
We don't need money to bring the most precious gift of worship.
I was reading in Psalm 69 recently and it says this in verse 30: “I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.” Now, a quick word of context: when we read this verse we might think “Oh, this is a psalm of praise – maybe I’ll read this one at the Thanksgiving table with the family this year!” Before you do that, let me just warn you that the first words of this Psalms are actually: “Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold.”
Most of this Psalm is lamenting – it’s crying out to God in extremely difficult circumstances and desperately calling out to God for help. But as many laments do, once they’ve gotten their tears out, they remember their savior. They remember the good God in whom they trust, and they turn their attention to Him.
Let’s read this again with just a little more context, the verses before and after. It now read like this: Psalm 69:29-31 29 But as for me, afflicted and in pain - may your salvation, God, protect me. 30 I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving. 31 This will please the Lord more than an ox, more than a bull with its horns and hooves.
This psalmist knew pain. They knew difficulty. But they called on the Lord. And not only did they call on the Lord, they glorified Him through thanksgiving. This of course isn’t referring to our American holiday of Thanksgiving – it doesn’t mean that God was glorified by buttery mashed potatoes and stuffing soaked with gravy. It means that giving thanks actually glorifies God!
When we glorify someone, we’re promoting them in a way, we make a big deal out of them, we praise them. When we’re giving thanks for someone or something, we’re putting the attention on that person or thing – we’re shining the spotlight, we’re elevating them. We can do this for other people and it’s a great gift we can give them. But here the Psalmist says that they’re doing this for GOD. And they’re using the vehicle of thanksgiving. Some of our biggest acts of worship are when we’re giving thanks.
One last thought. The last verse from above says this: “This will please the Lord more than an ox, more than a bull with its horns and hooves.” Back in the time of this writing, animal sacrifices were a part of worship. And the bull and ox were very costly sacrifices that not everyone could afford. The poor were often reduced to bringing birds or whatever else they could scrounge together. But we see here that giving thanks to God is more precious to him than any ox or bull, than any other costly sort of gift.
This means that one of the most beautiful and desired acts of worship, thankfulness, is able to be given by anyone, regardless of money, regardless of social status, regardless of anything else in our lives. Costly worship is not the province of the rich. Acceptable sacrifice is not the domain of the high in status. We can come to God and he welcomes us with open arms and receives our acts of worship no matter what. And I think that’s pretty awesome.