Forget not all his benefits

“Praise the Lord, my soul,
    and forget not all his benefits -” Psalm103:2

I believe that remembering is an inherent part of thanksgiving. You can’t give thanks without recalling what has happened in the past or what is currently happening. To give thanks is to remember.

To be thankful, also invariably leads to praise. The definition of praise is to “express warm approval or admiration of someone or something.” As we remember and give thanks, we praise the thing we are thankful for or the person we are thanking.

Michel Card says, “Reminding us of what we already know is one of the basic purposes of the Scriptures; over and over the Bible encourages, warns, and woos us not to forget.”¹ The Bible is full of stories of what God has done in the past, is remembered by the writer who then praises God for what He has done or who He is.

Michael Card goes on to say,

“The power of memory is not that it somehow creates hope by itself, but rather provides a means of connection to the only One who can provide hope. When the future seems to hold only fear, the past can become a source of real hope. When, in the present moment, the presence of God seems impossibly absent, remembering those times in the past when His presence was palpably real can make today’s suffering more bearable.²

It is a little odd that we are commanded to give thanks, but the command is for us to remember, give praise, find hope, and have joy.

So, lets remember, have hope, and “Enjoy Giving Thanks” this day and each day.

¹The Hidden Face of God: Finding the Missing Door to the Father Through Lament. Michael Card p127

²Ibid p129