Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada with a hymn for this special week of Thanksgiving; sing it along with me.
Come ye thankful people, come; Raise the song of harvest home;
All is safely gathered in Ere the winter storms begin.
God our maker doth provide; For our wants to be supplied.
Come to God's own temple, come; Raise the song of harvest home.
Well, there’s a good Thanksgiving hymn for you. Welcome to the week of Thanksgiving, friends. And there are so many things for which we can be grateful, right? Can you count them? I mean, look at Psalm 84; it’s a wonderful Scripture to focus on this for Thanksgiving. It says, "For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord gives grace and glory; no good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, how blessed is the man who trusts in You!"
You know, look at that verse one more time because it says “No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly”—no good thing. I remember reading that, Psalm 84, when I was a teenager. At that age, I loved the idea, I loved that thought that no good thing does he withhold. The way I figured it back then, all I needed to do was just finish my homework, complete my chores, keep myself from spats with my sisters, be nice to Aunt Kitty, go to church, say my prayers ... and ... and ... I assumed that if I kept my nose clean, God would then give me good grades, good friends, a good college to attend, and good knees to last me through field hockey season.
We think that if we are obedient, God will pour out financial blessings or at least trials that can be easily managed, right? You know, if we do our part, God will dole out the good—won't he? Well, it might be helpful to remember that sometimes our idea of "good" can be different from God's. So how do we read Psalm 84 from His perspective this Thanksgiving week? Well, if our walk is blameless, God will not withhold peace. He will not withhold virtue or faith or courage. If our walk is blameless, He will give grace when we come to him in need. He will increase our faith and widen our witness. We will be able to run spiritually and not grow weary; we'll be able to walk in faith and not faint. He won't withhold opportunities to sow his Gospel seed, to shine his light, and to shake Gospel salt into our thirsty world. He will give patience; he'll give endurance and he'll give the favor of his nearness and sweetness. Oh, friend, I could go on and on and on, and the Bible goes on and on and on. These are the good things that God will not withhold if our walk is upright. He will not withhold any gift, especially the gift of His presence. None of these things will He hold back from those who are happy to be led in paths of righteousness. And that, my friend, are reasons enough to give praise and thanksgiving to God on this wonderful week, for truly no good thing—all that peace and joy and courage and faith … no good thing, has He withheld. That’s something to be very, very thankful for this coming Thursday. Happy Thanksgiving!
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